It's Spring Again!

My camera is dead. I got the new battery, installed it, and the same error message came on again. I talked to a friend that knows a little bit about cameras and he told me immediately it is a wiring problem that is probably connected to the lens opening mechanism. So it is cheaper to go out shopping for a new camera at this time. I am not ready to do that, but will add it to my to-do list.

Yesterday was our sock group meeting. We met at someone's home instead of at the LYS. It was a very relaxed and happy group. One of our friends had some knitted garments in a fashion art show, and the people that attended gave us a report on that. We ate a lot of sugar, but it was all good.

My son and his lady friend are on their vacation. They will have some news to give us when they get back. My older brother called at 8 am to tell me he saw them last night. They were in Atlanta staying overnight with his daughter, and he came into town on a swing through to Mobile. He said they seem really good together, and that his daughter now has a boyfriend that is settling her down some. So I guess all the kids are settling down. His son is engaged to be married next year.

I finished the feather/fan scarf. It is really pretty, and it blocked out really nice. I used Noro sock yarn that was gifted to me. I don't like single ply yarn for socks, so it was destined to be something else.

I am almost finished with one of the ribbed fingerless mitts. I tried a cable pattern, but it got lost in the colorway. The yarn is very nice. It feels good, and I think it will be soft once washed.

I put everything on hold last week to get the alpaca spun for the judging deal. I got lazy about Friday, and did not push myself to finish by the end of the week. I set goals and push myself to meet goals. I get grumpy and I get mad. So I backed off, gave myself permission to not finish, and I have just a little more to do. Last night I got out the fiber I had carded, and spun up my single. Today I will ply it and card the last one. I will get it done, but it will take me longer than planned.

We are having the weirdest weather. I know I have been saying that a lot this year. But it is the fourth week of October and it is in the high 70's! Maybe close to 80 degrees today. It is muggy with humidity from the rain we just had over the weekend. It feels very Spring-like. Yesterday there were tornado warnings out for the southern part of the state up towards Little Rock. They say we are going to have a cold front this week, and that the low will drop to the 30's. Really! We are not getting a good Fall color season this year. It has just been too warm and dry.

My friend CJE spent the afternoon yesterday dyeing some more fiber. She found a tree had gone down over the driveway when she walked out to get the newspaper. So she just spent the day putzing around and decided to dye. I think she has finally gotten the dye-bug.

My computer just froze and I am hoping all this is working now. I had to go back and correct a few things, but I better quit while I am ahead. Have a good week!

$500 Socks! Yeah! Right!

I tried to copy/paste the article today on Shine at Yahoo about the $500 socks that were ugly as sin and were not washable. Okay! What's the deal? I hope that my homely homemade socks are not going to be the ugly step-child in the closet. I like my warm woolies on my feet, I like that I can wash them, I like that they are handmade, and I like to make them. The joy of homemade socks is boundless.

It just doesn't seem right. Sock people have tried to tread on the surface for some time. We like socks, we like making socks, we like wearing socks. Despite the prejudice from What Not To Wear that threw out all the ladies socks she wore, I have persevered with making socks. I dare Clinton or Stacy to touch my socks.

Now this ridiculous parade down the runway with ugly tights and ugly socks. Huh! Sock people have more class. And cuter feet!

I believe it is daytime, although the fog has set in for a little stay. We had an unusual hot and dry spell for some weeks, and we finally got the rain we needed. With that rainfall, we got a cold front, so we had lots of thunder-boomers and lightening. Patty does not do well with that show of fireworks, and pitter-pattered up and down the hallway until I yelled at her to just get in bed and go to sleep.

I am waiting for the battery for my camera. I had to order it and it should be delivered today by UPS. Then I will find out if that error message was for the battery or is the camera DOA. I hope this works, because I have lots of things I want to take pics of .

Saturday my friend CJE came over and we spent a blissful day in and out of the kitchen dyeing and experimenting. We got the most luscious blue alpaca, some really lovely blue wool, some pretty pink wool, and she had faux cashmere from Paradise Fibers. I had never heard of it, but let me tell you, it sucks up the dye within minutes and sucks all the dye out of the water. We did several batches of that with just fun kind of dyeing. I also did one skein of blue that I consider to be a denim blue that looks like indigo. The sock yarn is an alpaca/merino blend. Unfortunately the alpaca rebelled and frizzed. I didn't do a second one because of that. It was very exhausting (what a pun). CJE took a nap late in the afternoon, and when she woke we went to eat. A rather busy, busy day.

Right now I have the handyman doing some essential repairs that have to be done now, rather than later. It is terribly distracting. But I am glad to find someone who really is doing the work, and not someone who will call me back later-then never does.

I got up early this a.m. to get ready for the repairs. Poor Patty. I had to make her go outside and then afterwards she went back to bed to sleep. She keeps yawning and stretching. I am seeing an older dog in her more and more as it gets cooler. I don't think she is as young as 5 years old. She moans and groans as she goes to lay down. And the snoring!

Noodles insisted that he wanted the lap every time I tried to sit down yesterday. It is hard to knit around a big ole cat in your lap. I finally gave up and put my feet up on the recliner. Then he eventually spreads out on my legs, and that gives me more room.

I have been working on the alpaca for the spinning guild work. I am not too happy with it, since I want to play with the stuff we just dyed.

The finches are definitely in their Fall coats. I miss seeing the bright gold and black flashes outside. Now everyone just blends in. They haven't started a feeding frenzy yet. There are too many seed sources still, and we haven't had a freeze yet. My cosmos is gorgeous. I hope the camera works so I show them.

Well, I will stop now so I pay attention to the handyman and what he is doing. Keep knitting socks, and don't expect to get $500 a pair for them either!

The Simple Life

Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be. - Abraham Lincoln

My life is very simple, and for most days it is equivalent to watching paint dry. A lot of people ask me what I do all day, since now I consider myself retired. It sounds rather dull and boring, except to me. I get up, I open the back door, greet the back yard and scan around, walk Patty for her first little walk, and then I begin my day. I may spin a little, I may dye a little, I knit a little bit, I read, I do all those things and more. I check my emails, I might visit Ravelry once a week, and I do read other people's blogs.
This past week has been out of my comfort zone. I have had strange people in checking out the furnace system, and a new handyman that hopefully will do the priority things that will make it through another winter. I have been making appointments for winterizing the house and my riding mower. All these things are not part of my simple life, except they have to be done so I can have my simple life.

I am letting Patty's hair grow, and hopefully it will help her get through the winter okay. She is already groaning and moaning, so I think she is maybe a little bit arthritic. Everyone last weekend thought she was older than 5 years old. I can't tell. She's just a little dog to me. I now am calling her granny lady when she groans and moans. Right now she is in deep, deep sleep and is snoring loudly.

I could not find a manual online for my camera, but I did find a q&a section that mentioned some other error message for a different camera. It was suggested that they take out the battery, wipe it clean, reinsert it, then try that. When I was in Taos one of the vendors I know from the times I go there told me it was my battery. I tried the taking it out, wiping it, reinserting it, and it still was giving me the error message, and the black screen. So I tried recharging it. It would not recharge. So I took it out and I have tried every place I can think of in this town to get one. No one has that size battery. Everyone suggested the priciest camera shop in town. I am not going there because that store scares me. I am going to the Internet first. I will try to track it down. It is beginning to look like I may have to spring for a new camera if this becomes any more of a hassle.

I finally broke down and turned on the heat last night. It has been around 40 degrees, but yesterday morning when I got up my indoor thermometer said my house was 61 degrees. I was cold. I did not put on a wool sweater, but the sweatshirt was not all that warm. I did put a child's flannel shirt on Patty. It was good to just sit in the sun on the deck. Last night I turned it on and it was pleasant all night and this morning. I am one spoiled puppy when it turns cold.

So I am off to run a few errands. Then I will return to my simple little house and live my simple little life that is probably boring to most folks. But I am happy, and my birds are happy, and my pets are happy. What else could one ask for?

Yep! It's Fall!

My assistant is looking for warm places lately. This seemed the best place at the time, even though it wasn't really the best.

I spent two days cleaning and sorting through things getting ready to go again on another quick trip. My son and his lady friend spent Friday night with me, and they left early on Saturday morning.

Then I rushed to take a shower, pack my bag, get the food together, and pack the car. I threw Patty and her stuff into the car and away we went on a trip to south Oklahoma. I have another friend that I used to go on trips all the time, and now just an occasional trip or two. So I guess this trip was in honor of those trips. I knew I needed to go west and south. So I held the map in my lap, and when I got to a road I would glance to see what direction it would go. I zig-zagged west and south and it took forever. At least one hour longer than was necessary. Coming home I took a direct east and north route and was home in much faster time.

I am now dead tired from all this traveling. I emailed my cousin and talked to my brother last night. They both have to travel all the time for their jobs. I cannot understand how they do it. I am truly worn out.

This morning I awoke to a heavy fog outside the window. It really and truly feels like Fall. It is chilly enough to wear a sweat shirt while I have the back door open. I have started feeding the birds.

Another sign of Fall are Fall chores. I have had the furnace inspected. The lawnmower man should be here today to service the riding mower for post-season stuff. And the handyman is lined up tomorrow to give me an estimate on all the chores I need done before winter. The furnace man assured me that my furnace and air conditioner are old and decrepit. I knew that already, but I am not ready for a reality check. I do have a sales person coming today to discuss all the options I have and I can do some more studying.

Yesterday evening I went online for the umpteenth time to study hvac issues, and I found an energy stick on one website. After I plugged in one year of utilities, I found out on a scale of 1-10 I am at 10 already with my old, decrepit units. I have a 0% footprint at the moment. But I think that is because I live alone, and that I am very,very conscious of my actions. I am insulating the windows and doors more this year than last. I put on more clothes or socks or a sweater or something. I was raised in a drafty old house with little insulation, and I know how to dress for the colder weather. It isn't pretty or sometimes comfortable, but it's do-able.

How do people manage without savings to prepare for these emergencies? I don't like to write big checks. It pains me in a way that is hard to explain. Maybe it is because it takes so long to get some savings, and I don't want to give it away. Maybe I have enough Scots-Irish in me to genetically say I am frugal. Maybe it's because I was raised by grandmothers and a grandfather that went through the depression. I don't know. But I hate to tap into my savings account.

Patty is still hunting for grasshoppers. I am hoping that soon she will forget them. If she eats too many of them, she throws up. Since she has no teeth to chew them, she gums them into small enough pieces to swallow. So when she throws up, there are grasshopper parts that are pretty recognizable.

Well, I am going to go back to winding off this skein onto the skein winder. I need to get the spinning off the wheel. It is hard to get back into my normal routine after all this chaos.

Have a good week. I hope all goes well. It feels like time to get the woolies out.

The universe is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper. -Eden Phillpotts

Fiber, Food, and Fun!

This is a HUGE pumpkin patch on the road to Taos through Kansas! This is in Granada, CO. It was after this picture that my camera screen went black and a message that said, "Error 45. Please see your user manual." So I was only able to get three photos the whole trip. I tried several times.

My girlfriend and I got up early Thursday morning, loaded up her stuff, and away we went across southwestern Kansas. I will not try to explain about the feedlots that hold huge amounts of cows waiting to be slaughtered. You smell them miles away and there is only that aroma that comes from a feedlot.

We stayed in Trinidad, CO, which is near the New Mexico border. Then after a stop at WalMart to get cold medicine for my friend, we crossed over to New Mexico. We saw tons and tons of antelope and one bison farm in the grassland before the mountains.

Once we arrived in Taos, we drove around a while so I could orient myself to the town again. We had a very hard time finding the alley that led to the bed and breakfast we were going to stay in.

This is the door to our room. I am pretty sure that this at one time must have been the maid's room. It was up three flights of very, very steep spiral stairs. It was located over the kitchen area.

This is only a part of the stairs we climbed up and down to and from the room. I think it was perhaps two feet wide. But I loved it. It was really a little bit isolated from the rest of the rented rooms, and I guarantee that no one would climb those stairs unless they wanted to. The door was not secure and we had a wide window in the bedroom that was open to the roof. We left that open most all the time. There was a skylight in the bathroom that allowed a cross ventilation.

What do I have to say about the Wool Festival? It was wonderful. There were 60 vendors this year. Some were new and some were old and familiar. The weather was hot during the day, and I got a little red burn in the face. I went to a class on how to start a business on etsy. That was very good.

Sunday we went to Espanola and Chimayo and returned to Taos on the High Road. They now have a brochure to promote the artisans and galleries on the High Road called The Art Tour of the High Road. Of course, most everything was closed since it was Sunday, and many of the studio require prior notification. We just enjoyed the twisting mountain road, and the coolness up at higher elevation.

Then we left our fantasies behind and returned to the real world.

Food was wonderful. We tried to eat outside as much as possible. We tried all kinds of stuff, but I don't do as well with strange food as I used to. My friend can eat peppers and hot stuff better than I can.

On the way home we stopped in Granada to buy some produce. My friend bought 50#s-yes, 50#s- of onions. I bought some melons. There is a town called Rocky Ford that has a reputation for melons. This is the last crop and they are smaller than previous crops. They smell wonderful.

So now I am back home, trying to get several things done before I have things to do this weekend. I have a load of clothes on the line outside, and I did a small permanent press wash that is in the dryer. I ran some errands in town earlier. I need to wash and vacuum the car, but I haven't done that yet.

Patty and Noodles were ecstatic to see me, needless to say. Noodles brought me a live rat sometime in the evening. I made him take it outside to eat it. When we went to bed, he got under the covers up close to me. Patty slept with her head on my feet.

I got up early and spent a lot of time in my studio. I love to brainstorm with other people about problems with different dye jobs or spinning problems. One lady gave me an idea this past weekend, and I wanted to try it out.

So now I must buckle down and get back to work. I need to finish some sewing. But I am still tired from my trip. It will take a while, I am sure.

More details later. Just to let you know I am back!

Friday Updates!

Yes, this is Friday. A day that is unlike any other day this week. Just when I think I am getting ahead, I am reminded that I am behind.

Plus this Blogger goof is constantly editing itself. I lost one whole paragraph when I hit the space bar.

I finally finished the stupid linen stitch scarf of 450 stitches across and knitted long-wise. I tried 4 different bind-offs and I do not like a single one of them. I was told at the Knit Group that a standard bind-off is fine, and that when washed and blocked it all works out somehow. Well, I did not like that chained effect that conflicted so harshly with the cast-on stitches.

This morning I finished the bind-off, and I hate it. I tried my 4th one, and said to Hell with it. I am just going to finish this thing. I hate it. I am afraid it did not "work out" in the wash and block. Right now it is pinned and drying. I do not know what to do with the thing now that it is finished, and not to my liking at all.

I am on the home stretch with fingerless mitt #1. I decided to do something easy and fast to make up for the scarf debacle. I am using some fat merino yarn gifted to me, and #7 needles. Works up FAST!

I have been contemplating what knitting to take with me to Taos next week. I know I will take the feather/fan scarf, and what else? Actually I thought of not taking any knitting and giving my hands a break for a while. So what I will probably do is take the scarf, and not work on it much. That would give my hands a bit of a break. My arthritis is screaming today (we had rain this a.m.) and I have a sore tendon in my L thumb.

Our sock group meets on Sunday. CJE is coming over early so we can catch up on news. A lot of people are still busy, so it will be a small group.

Patty has certainly taken macro-steps this week. She has discovered the hunting and catching and gumming to death of grasshoppers! It is so totally gross, and I will not go into any details to anyone. But this has made her want to go out on her very own, and I have left the back door open for that purpose. Anything to encourage her independence. She is so intense with the hunting thing. I see her looking into bushes and plants. She pounces on them. It is funny to watch, until I see the legs sticking out, etc.

The babysitter for Patty and Noodles is coming tomorrow evening to get her key and to meet the animals and get the routine down. Yeah! for babysitters!

I am getting really excited about leaving on this trip. For the longest time I really dreaded the whole idea of packing up and driving and all the hassles. But the more I think about the cooler weather, the energy from all the fiber folks, and just being in Taos again, the more excited I get.
Just to be around people who speak the same language helps.

Well, Happy Weekend! Stay cool and remember it is never too early to knit for Christmas!

Is It Really the Middle of September?

My gosh! I looked at the calendar just now, and yes, I will be in Taos in two weeks! Wow! Two weeks! I better get high behind and get this piddling knitting done and get something portable on the needles and get ready.



I am sorely tempted when I go onto blogs or etsy sites to buy something woolly, but I am holding myself back for the wool festival. I know that I will find something really nice there. I mean-who wouldn't find something nice there?



I also will make my regular trip to LaLana Wools and to Rachel Brown's store. I don't really have an agenda this time. I just want to go. I just want to be away. I just want to smell the sage and chimisa and all the desert plants. I want to have some different scenery.



I did get my car serviced this a.m. bright and early. They even washed it and vacuumed out the interior! I can strike that off the list.



I am really tired of the knitting I am doing right now. I want it over and done with. I have really found out that I am a process knitter. Once I have figured out the pattern and casted on and knitting is going smoothly, I am bored. I think that is why I like colorwork knitting. Lace is good too, but I get distracted easily and I don't always know how to read the knitting to figure out where I am on the chart.

I am disgusted with myself over the handspun sweater. I started decreasing for the armholes-no problem. I started with the lace pattern, and I thought it was no problem. Then somewhere about 2 inches into the lace pattern did I remember that one has to mark off the repeats so it lines up right as I decrease the armhole. Duh! How stupid! So now I have to unknit all that and start that over again. SIGH! Some days I could just scream at myself!

My friend's kitty that was sick did not die! Whew! She is eating again and is doing so much better! I am so relieved.

I did get a call from a long-distance friend that her mother had passed away yesterday. She has been in hospice for three months, and she passed in her sleep around 12:30 a.m. without pain or anymore suffering.

The weather is in that in between state of coolish mornings and 80's in the afternoon. Just now I could hear the woodpeckers calling. So it is getting close to time to put out the birdfeeder. I noticed that the finches are turning colors, too, into their winter time plumage. They are still eating on the sunflowers that are left. I made sure the manure tea has plenty of water and will age some more over the winter.

I had a huge garden spider in the compost bin for quite a long time. The biggest storm we had lately made her lose her web. I did notice another one attached to the shed wall and the comfrey stalks. I don't know if this is the same one or another one since I didn't get her name when I tried to put compost into the compost bin. When I was a little girl I called them letter-writing spiders.

Patty is wanting to go outside, so I guess I will walk out with her. Have a good weekend.