January Thaw!

Isn't this the craziest weather? Now we are having a thaw, which is a mucky mess! But it is delicious compared to single digit weather.

As predicted, I have come out of the well in good spirits. I actually got the Christmas pine planted yesterday. The ground is certainly soft enough, but there were tons of rocks in the soil. I planted it on the south side of the back yard, and I think she will be most happy there. It is on the edge of the "jungle" that I can never keep cleaned out of undergrowth. I worked really hard last winter to clean it all out, and then last summer the vines grew back in and the place looks like it did before I cleaned it out. So it has been designated as critter habitat. I did get most of all the human trash cleaned out, so now let the animals be happy and blessed.

I also got my car cleaned up really well. I went to CJE's house on Saturday. Her mother-in-law is not doing well. She lives with them, and I did not want her to be at the house alone in case of emergency. AE had to go to Little Rock for continuing ed, and would come home late on Saturday night.

Unfortunately I could not get to her house. The mud is so bad that my little car would have been swallowed alive. So she came down the hill to get me, and we went the back road to her house. That was bad, too, but not as bad as her hill.

Today I am going to go a friend's house to get horse manure. We are going to shovel it into his pickup truck, and then he will deliver it. Things can get done in a thaw, but be realistic and know that a freeze will come again a few times before Spring comes.

I am baking biscuits, and it smells so good. I love hot biscuits with honey drizzled over the buttered halves. Sometimes I eat biscuits with sorghum molasses, but right now honey will do.

My friend CF just came by for a quick cup of tea. She is visiting a friend at the hospital intensive care unit. They actually enforced the visitation rules. He had surgery yesterday, and is not tracking too well today. She wouldn't stay until the biscuits are out of the oven. Too bad-more for me.

The vet's appointment receptionist just called to remind me the "kids" have appointments to have their teeth cleaned tomorrow. That means I will be up all night tonight with them. I have to lock the cat doors to keep them inside. They have to be NPO from 8 p.m. until tomorrow. Lately with the warmer weather they have been in hunting mode. Baby killed another mole. Yeah! One less hill to mow over next summer. Noodles has been on field rats lately. And we do get an occasional bird to snack on. I always do a body count in the mornings in the usual places-by my bed, under my bed, and the hallway. Isn't that gruesome? Change the subject quick!

I spent most of the morning yesterday spinning away. I am determined to get this blue/green/turquoise yarn finished this week. I am on a mission now. CJE found a Debbie Bliss pattern that we both love. I want to make it out of my Jacob fleece that I started last year. I have two skeins finished, and knew it would be a sweater some day. I think this is it! I love the sweater. So I have got to spin the rest of this fleece. I need 1,624 yards, and I have about 647 yds now. One thousand more to go! Whew!

I also found a basic, stockinette vest that I like a lot that I think I am going to use the yarn I am now spinning. So once this sock is finished, I am going to do a swatch of that to see if I can get gauge with it.

So away we go! Hang on! I gotta go shovel some s..t. Oh-excuse me-horse manure!

New Moon Madness!

As you can tell by the monitor to the right, it is the New Moon for this month. I remember a long, long time ago someone wrote about how this person felt at different times of the month. Nothing to do with menstrual cycles, or anything, although they do correspond with the moon cycles. She described the New Moon as being down in the well. It was okay for her, because she could always get out of the well-she wasn't "trapped". She used the time in the well as a time of reflection, meditation, and just "being". She did not try to force herself to do the things she usually did, and did not try to do things she did not want to do.

Well, for some reason I am down in the well. I can't find any food that seems interesting to eat, and last night I craved chocolate. I didn't stop and get some chocolate, but the urge was there. I really think people call this "depression", but I call it being in the well. I am not really interested in knitting, but crocheting right now is enticing. The one day that it was warm and sunny, I did a little yard work. I just wanted to be outside in the sun. I finally gave up, and Noodles and I just sat in the sun. My husband used to call me a lizard that seeks the warmth in the cold. I turn my face to the sun and soak up as much warmth as I can get.

The reason I don't call this depression is that it is cyclical. I don't always get this deep in the well, but this time I am. But I don't panic. Because soon I will climb out and go about my normal insane life. I will want to do this project, or this one, or this one. I will have stuff scattered all over the house. I will sew, I will crochet, I will spin, I will dye, I will knit, etc. etc.

I am also going through a very dreaming period. My family has always been one to talk about dreams since I can remember. I even found a letter that my great-grandmother wrote to my grandmother and she told her about a dream she had had. I know we always discussed them first thing in the morning in my family.

Last night was our first Thursday Night Knit Night this year. It seems like years since we all got together. It was really nice to hear everyone's stories. It was funny-no one discussed the holidays. They just talked like we all do every Thursday. Which was nice. JF did mention she got all her Christmas knitting done. It was fun to see what every one is doing now. We discussed books and recommended books. We discussed movies. So a good time to see old friends.

I guess I will sign off for this week. I apologize to anyone who reads this. The next entry will be more upbeat, I promise.

Please send loving energy towards the poor people in need right now. I am not sure everyone can afford to send money, so I just ask that prayers and love be sent.

Is This a Joke?

I think there is some sort of cosmic joke going on. Why is it warmer in Sitka, Alaska than here? We have been in the deep freeze until today. We finally hit 33 degrees! It is above freezing. The sun is shining brightly. And the wind is blowing cold, cold, cold air that freezes you when you walk outside. I have never seen so many people out as today. A huge gaggle of bicyclists went by my house a while ago!

We had our annual ROC Day celebration at HandHeld today. Only three or four folks showed up. It was very strange. The last two years we have had as many as 12 or 13 folks show up with wheels. Not today. My friend CF went with me and sat and knit on her socks. CP brought a yummy ginger preserves that she served over cream cheese. It was really good. I brought some homemade bread, and that cream cheese/ginger jelly tasted really good on the bread.

I have a very old bread cookbook that is separated by months. It has bread recipes that are appropriate for that month. This bread I made is called Fay's Spicy Batter Bread. It was pretty good. It will be good toasted. I gave CF a loaf to take home. She is my bread eater friend. I was just trying to get the kitchen warm yesterday, and that was a way to heat it up for a cause.

I guess nothing else is new. I picked up the Adult Surprise Jacket again and started on that again. I am determined to finish it, even though the love is gone. I am still working on a pair of socks. And the Lifetime Blanket continues to grow.

I am stalled out on the warping of the loom. The back beam is dressed, and I am now threading the heddles. Only there are 490 threads, and I got tired. Some day it will get done too.

I guess nothing else is new. Just the weather is finally breaking. I thought I would never be so happy to see 40 degrees. Our normal weather is supposed to be here next week. I hope so. I am tired of feeding the blackbirds and starlings.

I promise to be in a better mood next writing. Until then, keep warm.

How to Trick Your Mind!

The color of springtime is in the flowers, the color of winter is in the imagination. ~Ward Elliot Hour

It is that time of year when I start getting the garden catalogs. "Oh-wow! I want to plant some of those. Oh! Look at this one!" You know the feeling. It is not even 20 degrees outside, and you are looking at beautiful flowers in a stupid catalog. And there is more snow predicted. You can't even see the ground, much less plant in the ground.

So realistically, it is impossible to mess with the visual cues. But looking at garden catalogs kinda messes with the brain. "Remember when you had such pretty things growing outside." Of course, I can be a pain and start with, "Yeah, I remember the weeding, the mowing, the weedeating." And the rain last summer.

But does this stuff ever end? I am tired of complaining. Just now I watched a video on Yahoo that shows some town in New York that has had 55 inches of snow, and the prediction for the next several days is more snow to come. Well, you would just have to shoot me and get it over with. I went out yesterday for a short little run to the grocery store. But tonight more snow!

I will be a good girl and announce that the Perennial of the Year is..........

Baptista australis (blue wild indigo or blue false indigo)

Well, it is not the successful dye plant we all love, but it is an indigo none-the-less. They are finally getting the idea that some of us use these silly plants for something besides eye candy.

If you need to know the Herb of the Year is Dill. Well, I don't grow dill, but some people love it. The pickle makers of the world rejoice, I'm sure.

So excuse me-I have to decide how many different varieties of sunflowers I am going to plant this summer.

Wow! More Snow!

January brings the snow, makes our feet and fingers glow. Sara Coleridge
Yep! I woke up at 4 am and looked out the window! There was a good snow covering. I went back to bed, and woke up with even more snow. Sigh! I think it is pretty, but I ache in certain joints and I don't like being cold any more. I just have to make sure the bird feeders are filled. The cats are using their kitty potty now, so that has to be cleaned. They are in warm, toasty places right now, and do not want to be bothered.

So to more fun topics. This lovely yarn started out in a HUGE hank of roving that I bought in Tacoma last February. This is just the first skein. There are 398 yards in this skein. It weighs right at 4 ozs. I still have one more skein to do. Isn't it lovely? I love the greens, the turquoises, the blues, and the bits of white.

The blobby white spots are reflections of the flash. The white is very subtle and is often barber-poled with another color.

It takes a leap of faith to see the good in this mottled bit of roving. I just liked the colors, and I felt it would be pretty when it is spun. Truly-how can one mess up on merino? And I was right.

Another excitement is I started a jar of brazilwood soaking in denatured alcohol. I have this urge to use wood for some reason. I hesitate to even tell anyone what wood this is. The woman at LaLana Wools in Taos says it is getting to be difficult to get some of these exotic woods with the environmental concerns of the rainforest. I bought all they had. So I just put half in the alcohol, and it is soaking away. I have no idea what color I will get, but it will be pretty.

I also finished washing and blocking the alpaca. It is the gifted fleece at the regional alpaca show Thanksgiving weekend. It was really dirty, but it is nice now.

I am on the heel flap of the first sock. I am working on the lifetime blanket. Nothing else new. I have to get back to the Adult Surprise Jacket that was abandoned in the Fall. I think I am going to sew today. I have to finish the bindings on the two quilts before I start another one.

Next week is ROC Day. HandHeld is opening their doors on the 10th for us to celebrate. I kinda think more people come on the weekends rather than during the week nights. So Sunday it is. If it doesn't snow again. I know we are heading for single digits at the end of the week. YUCK!

So get excited about going back to normal schedule tomorrow. The holidays are over. It is time to just move on. If I put my blinders on, all this weather will be over soon.

Wow! Two cars have gone down the road while I am typing this. They are 4-wheel drive, but they are trying.

Happy Snow Day!

The End Is Near For 2009!

"Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year."-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

The end is slowly closing on 2009. It is another change that is inevitable. I have so many things to be thankful for. I have two companions that are always amusing me. This is my refrigerator monitor that watches every time I open the door. I pause to think about what I take out. If you had someone staring at you and crooking his head to watch as you take something out, wouldn't you pause and think about what you are doing? None of that mindless eating stuff going on here. I also have been thinking about how things have changed this year. I think the biggest change I have seen is in the world of fiber-especially knitting. I have never seen so many independent designers in my life. I guess the change on that scene is Ravelry. The designers now can sell their designs without going through a magazine or book publisher. The internet makes it so easy, and many designers sell a download for a very low price.

On that note, I have seen an increase in fiber stuff on Etsy also. What a great marketing tool that is. I am envious of whoever thought up that little idea. The internet is by far the fastest way to find things these days. It is so easy to look up patterns, and it is easy to find other people who have used that pattern.

Blogs have really taken off. I find myself reading more and more blogs. I like to read what others are doing, and it really brings that person's thoughts to me.

Which brings us to the internet. With the internet, we are closely connected to one another. It seems that our community has grown because we can connect to one another now. I feel like I am someone's friend, and when I go places I look for blogger friends or Ravelry friends. I think the internet has played an important part in the growth of the fiber world.

I have never seen so many new fibers as I have lately. I cannot believe that it is so easy to find corn, bamboo, tencel, milk, or soy fibers. I remember a few years ago I hunted for a little dab of soy to just see how it spins. Now it is everywhere. I found a source for bison this year, so that is something to be happy about. It is so expensive to buy and I consider it a true luxury fiber.

I am happy that I was able to attend three fiber events this year. I had a good time at all, and wish I could do more. It is very expensive to fly to some of the locations, so it is essential to find events closer to home. It is very important to support the local events for that reason. It is also important to continue the community of local knitters, spinners, and weavers. I am so fortunate to have sisters and brothers in the fiber community that I share my passion with.

I am ready for new change and new connections. I am ready for new challenges. I sometimes forget that others do not understand the passion for knitting that I have. My neighbor asked me the other day, "Do you knit all the time?" His wife piped in, "When she's not spinning or weaving or sewing." It is hard to sit in a restaurant without some knitting in my hand. It is hard to stand in a line without some knitting in my hand. It is hard to wait anywhere without knitting in my hand. Maybe it is obsessive, but I am rather content when I have my hands engaged.

So friends, do not despair. Just pick up the pointy sticks and follow me. We are off to another year of adventure and fun. It will be a better year for us all.

I leave you with one more photo of Noodles bird watching. It is better than buying that program for Kitty T.V. He sits for hours watching them outside.

Is It Over Yet?

Finally, most of the snow is melted. There are still patches in the shadows, and there are still drifts on the sides of the road. It isn't above freezing temp, so nothing is going to go away easily.
I have been busily keeping the bird feeders filled, and trying to keep some water for them. It is difficult since the water freezes pretty quickly.

I think all the holiday hoopla has died down. I'm not sure since I have only left the house once since Christmas Eve. I decided to spend the time indoors doing my chores and spinning. I downloaded an audible book from NetLibrary, and away we go. I finished the alpaca I had started some time back, and it is waiting until I can get the blocker out of the frozen tundra. I am plying the pretty blue/green/turquoise merino that I purchased in Tacoma last Feb. It is going rather quickly. Then I have to decide if I want to finish the yak/merino, or do I finish the blue/green/turquoise merino. Hmm! I am also going to tackle the baby camel/merino blend pretty soon. I keep looking at it, and I pet it when I get close.

I am knitting a pair of socks with Zauberball. I have never used this yarn before. It was a gift from CF when she went to Philadelphia. I thought I wouldn't like the colorway, but it is amazing. It blends into the next color and so it is not a true stripe. I guess you could say it is a blended stripe. But what I found out is that it smells wonderful. Yes, I am a yarn sniffer. But this has a wonderful scent that is not a familiar scent. I felt it was a little bit scratchy at first, but I love the way it slides on the needles.

I am almost finished with the second glove. The second glove is too big in the hand. ??? I am guessing the ball that I am using is a bigger gauge than the first one. I guess you are really supposed to only use one yarn size when you knit gloves, but I just grabbed these leftovers. Sigh! So it isn't going to be perfect, only better than those awful gray ones. I have a yarn in my sock basket that I think would be wonderful gloves. So those will be destined to be fitted gloves.

Weaving is not progressing very much. I can't get too excited about this project I am planning. It just seems tedious. I am going to make myself finish warping the loom, and just get on with it.

I also never finished my sewing before Christmas. I need to take my machine into the shop to be serviced, and I wanted to finish this sewing first. I checked with the store, and they are backed up until after the first on the year. So I am not in any big hurry.

So I guess spinning is back to being my first priority right now.

I am not a resolutions kind of person. I decide what I would like to do in the next year, and then I either do it or I don't. That sounds rather weird, I guess, when I write it out. I did lose weight last year, and I did do more Fair Isle and charted knitting. My challenge this winter was to learn to knit full gloves. Which I have done already. Well, at least I have mastered the idea and technique of gloves. Now to actually knit a pair that look and fit correctly. I am also going to keep on knitting socks. I love to knit socks. I would like to get most of my spinning stash cleared out this next year. Whew! That'll be a chore. I am not going to go hog wild and buy any more fiber until I get this stash knocked down. Well.... unless someone were to show me some milk, bamboo, or other exotic stuff. I also would like to set up an indigo vat when it is warmer-maybe in the late Spring. I am looking for more blues in my dye stash. I guess I am just going to continue to challenge myself in the knitting department. And maybe I can do more weaving. And more sewing. Hmmm! All I can really count on is that change always happens. I can always count on change. Nothing stays the same-thank goodness. That's part of the challenge.

So I hope you and yours have a blessed 2010. Maybe I will think up some more ideas this week.