First Yarn!

Today I went to the "Learn to Spin" class. I was a little worried because I had never spun at all, but for my first attempts it went pretty well I think

I turned some of this...


Into this....


The bottom right is something different, we got just a tiny bit of merino/silk in color to play with.

I bought this new spindle because the other one posted above is actually too light and it was hard to keep going. This new one has just a bit more heft to it and I tried a bit at home after I took the pictures and got some reasonable looking yarn.


I picked up this because it's pretty, something to strive for. It's called Sea Serpent. It seems really soft. I want to complete out that natural ball above and a kit of coordinating fiber batts before I work on this one. I need to learn not to overspin or I'll make that beautiful green turn out ropey.



In knitting, I've been working on this sock, it's just past the gusset. It's been a very fast knit, I started it last Sunday. It's the Rib Fantastic sock from Knitting with Handpainted Yarns.

Picture Tag

Ok, I've had a terrible time with 5th picture in the 5th folder. Mostly because they end up being yarn or knitting and I've done those, or I have folders within folders within folders....

But recently son and I were doing some major cleaning and he found a CD labeled as pictures saved in 2004. I stuck that in the CD drive and here we go...


Ok, that would be Barbie furniture made out of plastic canvas. Later I would go on to work on a castle. I finished all the furniture and two and a half rooms. It's really pretty, sometime I should post it. But anyway, these were the very first pieces. I haven't worked on it since I started knitting though, knitting won my heart.

Also on this same disk was a directory of pictures taken by my son so just for fun, here's his 5th photo. It's the Disney World garden from a trip when he was 7. You can see the Mickey and Minnie topiaries (and that's the back of MojaveAuntie)



Ok, my turn to tag (and not to double-tag people...) Drey, Suna,Lee, Veeg (who has been quiet lately, hope she's ok) and I'm tagging Gina because she's a new follower who I'd like to get to know.

Food For Thought #5

No, you didn't miss #4 here, I didn't do it, I was behind and it was Valentine's themed which doesn't do much for this single gal right now. But you can see Lee's post on #4 here.

#5 is is about traveling abroad

Appetizer: Have you ever travelled outside your native country?

Nope

Soup: What's the farthest from home you have ever ventured?

Funny, when I lived in California, the farthest I had traveled was to Wisconsin. Now living in Wisconsin, the farthest I travel is to California.

Salad: Do you plan to travel abroad any time in the future, however long it may be? If so, where?

I have absolutely no plans to travel abroad.

Entré: What would deter you most, fear of being targeted as an American, the security considerations of your on nation, or something else?

At this point, security is not deterring me, budget and life are doing that. Because of this, I haven't seriously thought about whether or not the security concerns would prevent me from traveling. I think it would depend on where I was going.

Dessert: If you could go anywhere in the world for free, where would you most want to go?

Ireland or Australia. Both are places that fascinate me. My Dad went to Australia when I was a kid. I remember reading up on it at that time and I've wanted to go ever since. Ireland looks absolutely beautiful, wonderful castles and rich heritage.

Kreative Awards, Socks and Crazy Hair

I've been sick this last week so I'm more behind on blogging than usual. I normally don't feel bad about this but it means I was behind on this first announcement.


Suna nominated me for a Kreativ Blogger Award. I felt honored and special, but I'm especially intrigued because while Suna and I have never met, I feel like she's a part of my life and I'm a little part of hers. Reading about her life, knitting and otherwise, I find her a wonderful warm and inventive person. If it was possible to do tag-backs, she would be on my nomination list. But since she can't be, the rules say I should nominate other creative types. From what I've seen these are mostly knitters but I'm bending the rules a bit.

First, I'd like to nominate MojaveSis, my sister. She's truly my best friend even if she lives too far away. She is a creative spirit who found her calling in the desert. She is a passionate person with a stubborn streak that lets her do anything she's made a plan for.

Next is Apryl, another woman I may never "meet" in the conventional sense (although I have a better chance since she lives on the other side of the lake). Over the past year we have come to share our daily lives and troubles. I find inspiration in her courage and daily fights. This is a woman who loves her family beyond all else.

This next one stretches the rules a bit but I don't care, I find them both to be creative in their own ways. Lee, husband of the aforementioned Suna, has a great way of viewing the world. Lee always has a way of making me think just a little harder about things going on. His care and love of Suna and the boys is heart-warming.

My last one is an honorable mention since she doesn't have a blog that I can point to. She is my mom, I've never met a more creative person. This is a woman who can turn scraps of fabric into a beautiful quilt wall hanging, pieces of quill paper into a little garden room, makes beautiful doll dresses, rescues damaged goods and generally can do just about anything. She also is very supportive of all our own creative endeavors.

Here are the rules for the nominees:

1. Copy the award to your site.
2. Link to the person from whom you received the award.
3. Nominate (8) other bloggers (obviously I didn't nominate 8 so nominate what feels right to you).
4. Link to those on your blog.
5. Leave a message on the blogs you nominated.

Now to the socks..... Apryl, dyed special yarn for me, which I've posted before, but I'm very excited to announce that the second sock is completed!


Right after rinsing these in Soak, I put them on the blockers to help them dry and they were promptly claimed.

I just had to post these, it was Crazy Hat and Hair Day at son's school. It's the last Crazy Hair day of elementary school.

Food for Thought #3

Two posts in one day because Lee has posted the next Food for Thought

Appetizer: What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Well the other day, I had "Video Killed the Radio Star" because of the Entré question. Generally I wake up with something in my head, apparently I have an internal sleep-radio, but for the life of me, I don't know what it's been since it's now evening.

Soup: What does that song make you think of?

The 80's, VH1, living in California. The funny thing is, I don't really remember being aware of the song at that time.

Salad: What is your favorite song in a language other than your native tongue?

Sadly, "Frère Jacques" is the only thing that comes to mind. But it does stick in my head often.

Entré: If video killed the radio star, will the Internet kill Literature?

I don't think so. Personally, because of the internet I've become more aware of literature that I may not have come across through just bookstore browsing. In fact, my bookcases are overwhelmed these days.

Dessert: What was the last thing you read for the pleasure of reading?

1. A Lion Among Men (#3 of Wicked books)
2. Spinning in the Old Way (preparing a little to learn to spin on my drop spindle)
   
3. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw (#3 of this series, read with son)
4. Harry Potter Sorcerer's Stone (ok, as an audio book, introducing son to the idea that books are better than the movies)

Also, I can post this hat now that I know my friend received it. She had stated that the previous hat I made for her baby boy was her favorite one because it fits so well but her husband said it didn't match baby's outfits. (he's a boy's boy, my son was too, rarely in "baby" stuff). Anyway, since she's a wonderful person, I cast on this hat and mailed it off. Her husband likes this color too!

The Why of the Wonky

Once upon a time I made the Wonky Blanket. It has bugged me a lot trying to figure out why mine came out so weird when everyone else has no issues. Now, when I first started the blanket, I didn't want to carry things around so I drew out a picture of the blanket and put the stitch and row numbers on it and only had that with me. This means, I didn't really look too much at the pattern beyond that first time.

A few weeks ago I finally went back to the instructions to figure it out. Well here's an important lesson.... there's a very big difference between "Knit 36 garter ridges" and "Knit 36 garter rows". In garter stitch, a ridge is two rows. I was counting rows, not ridges. This also explains why mine was coming out so much smaller that I had to add color blocks.....

At least the mystery is solved

-DFly