" Faux Obama" Oil Spill Speech

I don't usually reference politics...but this video is an exception. Mainly because I've felt that politicians, in general, have demonstrated an appalling lack of leadership and political courage for far too many years. 


I don't have to agree with our President but I'd surely love to respect whomever it is.

Learning to Weave and my New Spindles...

I was so excited to realize I was going to be in Colorado in time to take Jane Patrick's Rigid Heddle Weaving Workshop, May 16th at Shuttles. 


Jane is Schacht Looms and she had us weaving on the Flip in no time. We picked out yarn, "direct" warped the loom, wove the scarf using "Tabby" or "Plain Weave" and then removed it from the loom. I was shocked to realize just how little yarn it took - this is what's left:

For the scarf project I picked Sport Wt Brown Sheep Naturespun in a Spring Green for the warp. The weft was an unknown mill end White Chenille. We wove a plain weave and left some spaces in between sets of warps and wefts. 

I was surprised at just how fast the project got done! We finished it in class. Although we used the 15" Looms in class, taking Jane's one day workshop really helped me figure out which size loom to buy. Shuttles was out of the 20"Wide size that I had decided on, as it's the most popular. Being only about $20 more than the 15". The 25" looked really wide to me and it was much heavier. It would be hefty to carry around, and so an order was placed for the 20".

Got my Schacht Flip 20" Rigid Heddle 8 Dent Loom Tuesday! Took it out of the box and it's still waiting for me to put on the apron rods. 

This is what the scarf project looked like just off the loom:

Really cool...then we were to full it in the machine. Instead I felted it, ouch! I left it in too long and it came out significantly smaller and tighter than it was supposed to. After panicking I stretched it out widthwise as much as i could. I was relieved that it did stretch. I was happy to see that, no matter the compression, it had maintained some of the intended and original character of the scarf. 

I'm okay with it as a narrow scarf - although I'd have made it longer if I'd known it was going to be this narrow. Still, it's useable. Also the fringes really needed twisting or braiding before felting as they turned out a bit clumpy. Live and learn...here it is after fulling (felting):

(The picture's are a bit fuzzy.)


I've been a busy bee since my last post. Not only did I embark on my new hobby but I received another Navajo Spindle in the mail in CO. This one in Red Oak from a Tennesee Woodworker, John Plutcheck, who makes spindles for one of my Florida LYS's, Uncommon Threads. It was mailed to me in Colorado. This one is very sturdy and has a shorter spindle than my Roosterrick. It's well made but far less delicate and elegant than the Roosterrick. It's also undecorated and did not come with a support bowl and hence, was less money than the Roosterrick. Still it spins quite well and is okay to use sitting in lower couches and chairs:

Here is the underside of the whorl:

Here is the bottom tip in the Cello Stop that I've been using, very successfully - this spindle also spins fast in it:

John accidentally included a small, approximately 5" Diameter Plate of Burled Maple. I sat wondering what to do with it after he told me not to bother returning this pretty little thing...flipping it over I saw a lip on the underside and had another light bulb moment! Lo and behold the NS spins in that also...and even faster than in the Cello Stop, although the lip needs to be a bit bigger as the tip will jump out sometimes:

Here is a closer picture of the Red Oak NS with the lovely sparkly 2.5oz art batt I'm currently spinning with. Of Superwash Merino and Sparkle, color Ocean Sky, by Etsy Shop How to Use Art:

AND...I got a very nice buy on Ravelry of a used, basic model, Little Meggie kick spindle, which, apparently, can also be used on a table and be made to spin by hand. They are very hard to find right now and this one is in super condition. I simply haven't had a chance to try it out yet:

This video shows how it is normally used. This is the same technique as used on a Little Meggie but it's demoed on a Mother Marion (scroll down to see it) instead.

Lots to learn....

A spinning week...

This is my new baby, a Navajo Supported Spindle. Burning Sun, is created and sold by Etsy seller Roosterick. The "original pyrographic (wood burned) and ink design [is] by Georgianne "Mother Hen" Jackofsky."  It's a beautiful thing. It comes with a special and matching wooden cup that supports the metal spindle tip while you use it. The bottom of the little cup has sticky stuff resembling the rubbery mesh underlayment used for rugs and stops it from skittering all over a tile or wood floor. I don't seem to need it as much on carpet. Although I'm now so used to it being supported and staying in one spot I do find I prefer to use the little cup, even on the carpet.


Burning Sun is seen here nestled in it's very own Neela Market Tote  along with some lovely Combed Merino Top fiber. The tote has two inner pockets designed to hold bottles or other market produce, like celery, upright. But that enables the spindle with it's 33" shaft to stay upright. I added red triangular and green coned knitting needle caps to the top of the spike to warn me it's there. And, hopefully that will be enough to prevent me from potentially impaling myself on the tip. Or, as it were, being hoist on one's own...spindle! The tote is inexpensive, comes in other great patterns and colors, holds one or two spindles and lots of fiber and even better, it's weightless!  

Breaking up is so hard to do...

Whether it's a boyfriend or a spinning wheel it's so hard to part with your first one! I loved this Double Treadle Ashford Traditional Wheel, but the time had come. After I got the Majacraft Pioneer, which is much easier for me to haul around, as well as my Navajo Supported Spindle for those really small spaces, I needed to move the Ashford along to someone who would appreciate all it had to offer. One really can't handle more than one at a time - come to think of it that goes for men too! 


I'd installed one upgrade, I'd replaced the little things that hold the spindle onto the maiden with the newest versions. They enable me to switch spindles quickly and easily. Maggie Casey had kindly looked it over while I was taking her popular Beginning Spinning Class at her shop in Boulder, Colorado. She declared it "a nice little wheel." Since she's sold them since the 1960's she'd know, and I certainly agree. She also suggested the upgrade I made to it. Maggie mentioned that she thought it had some pretty "tiger wood" on it...see the back leg in the picture and it's natural striping. So, I no longer have to look for a good home for my baby - it's gone to a Crochet designer who wants to be a new spinner and who loves it already! Gonna miss it for a while tho' - just like my first boyfriend!

I'm what? Cleaning....

I watched the Olympic's, lots and lots of Olympic coverage. I knit, lots and lots of knitting, and I drank tea, lots and lots of tea. I really enjoy the Winter Games!


The pattern that started the entire hat obsession was by Susan B. Anderson from her book Itty Bitty Hats. Once I got started I couldn't stop! I'm blaming Susan and her book. I knit hat, after hat, after hat, eleven of them! 


When DGD was visiting us she picked out the Heart on a String hat pattern from Susan's book, as well as the yarn colors for her new hat. After they got home Mom had to buy a new coat for her and low and behold it was a perfect match for the hat. Here's the hat...

Here's another of the darlings...The Little Pink Cupcake Hat. It's smaller than the others and soo cute, if I do say so myself...and I do! 

The I Love Violets Hat (on the left) was the second one I threw in for DGD. Naming them might be almost as much fun as knitting them.

After watching the Olympics and doing all that sitting and knitting I seemed to have been galvanized by all the energy I didn't use watching athletes do their thing in snow and cold and on ice. So now I'm using all of it organizing, cleaning and organizing....Truly, I've amazed myself! 


The closet and bed in the second bedroom have developed into major problems areas, they grow clutter when I'm not looking! Suddenly all the available space, very unfortunately, somehow maxes out. The bed gets totally full and the closet? Much the same. I tossed some stuff out, organized and sorted a lot of things that were already here. And I also dragged like things from various places around the house to be here with their buddies. Oh joy! And, oh ouch! I spent two days recovering from lifting the now sorted and re-filled plastic bins back into the closet.


And that huge Ekorness Stressless chair and ottoman that's been cluttering up my living room has finally gone. gone. gone. AND to a good cause.

A knitting friend's husband and the pastor of their church came to collect it last week -- oh the joy!! They took it off my hands along with a whole bunch of other stuff that I'd been saving and sold it in their semi-annual fund raiser. Color me very happy! But hey, that corner of the dining room now looks a little, hmm....bare? Funny how you get used to things filling a space and don't pay much actual attention to them until they're moved.

It's such a relief to have it just go.  So, tomorrow the garage?????

Navajo Spindle

I've had an impossible time trying to learn to drop spin. After looking at some wonderful videos on YouTube I decided that supported spindling on a Navajo Spindle just might work for me. I have neck and shoulder issues that prevent me from being able to hold my arms up for any appreciable length of time. It's felt awkward and then, after a short while, darned painful.

A friend posted this YouTube video showing Master Weaver, Clara Sherman carding and spinning on a Navajo Spindle. Watching this convinced me that if Clara could do it so could I. Of course I'm ignoring the annoying little buzz in my head that says Psst! She's been doing it her entire life! Then I fell totally in love with a beautiful hand made and decorated spindle called Navajo Sun by Roosterick from his Etsy shop. Along with Navajo Spindles they also sell unique and interesting pewter buttons.

I'm waiting with bated breath for the spindle to arrive....oh I do hope I can make it work. Some places I knit are crowded and have little available floor space to set up even my lovely smaller Majacraft Pioneer spinning wheel. Also it sometimes is just too much to take all the extra stuff along with the wheel and my knitting. This should prove to be much more portable. We'll see how I do.

I recently received my replacement Bass Pro Shop order. The first one smelled very unfortunately of mildew! A fishing rod? Noooo...a Bait Bag...to use for circular knitting needle storage! Mine is the double. 
Details and more pictures can be seen on my Ravelry project page.

Flowered Strips Scarf

  So this test worked out somewhat well. I emailed this from my BlackBerry. I thought it was suppose to end up in "drafts", not be posted directly, as it was. I need a bit more practice. 


This Flowered Strips Scarf is one of the newest scarves for a whole series that are being donated to a DAR home for rescued children. I had fun concocting this. See it on my Ravelry projects page.