Friday, October 29, 2004  

Yeah!
I got to go to the bookstore (and I spent my gift cards from last year's birthday....a record...normally I wouldn't get to it until the next birthday has rolled around)....

I went to Borders and went crazy....I purchased-
Knitter's Magazine...Fall
Vogue Knitting...Holiday
Colors Magazine...Drug Issue
Marie Claire Idees....Fall

Last Minute Knitted Gifts...Joelle Hoverson
Simple Knits With a Twist....Erika Knight

The Sopranos Trivia Game (birthday gift for my hubby)

Gift Certificate for a neighbor who is turning 5 next week...

Stickers and Books for miss Boo

CD's...Tony Bennett's Greatest Hits and Bjork's Medulla

and finally the anniversary edition DVD of The Color Purple
(I love the freaking costuming!!!!)

Yeah....ya know I don't have enough to do...so more reading...why not....oh yeah...and a Milan Kundara book I do not have...hee heee.....

I also skirted the fleece yesterday....it is soft and looks like it is in good shape...I will try to wash some of it tomorrow since we should be slow (rainy and cold)...

I also worked on some more of my autumn yarns...I am hoping to finish a bunch up by sunday night and then monday start of some of the pinks...purples...and all those...we'll see how far I get...I want to make a shrug...anyone seen any good patterns at there???? Just thought I'd ask...
and I must think of an elephant on rollerskates....hmmm.....(details)

   [ posted by Delicious Yarn @ 12:20 PM ]
|

err...it drives me crazy when blogger does not cooperate.....errr


Okay....cooler weather is here...it took zero convincing to get miss boo into her footie pjs...


I also got my cards colored...and addressed...Yeah!
This afternoon I got my sewing machine going (the way I want it to)and also revisited some old supplies....I was looking for the manual and came across my stuff for making mini bears (mind you I used to make large and mini and had a huge box of stuff..now I am down to a shoe box full...but there it was...begging to be taken down from the attic) and revistied Gus...

(2 1/2 inches...handsewn...jointed)
Ofcourse this is all pushed along by miss A...the trouble maker...showing me this site yesterday....
I think I must go order some short mohair and wool for play.....

   [ posted by Delicious Yarn @ 1:41 PM ]
|

Okay....christmas cards are nearing completion...20 more to color in...and then address them....(that is the point I am getting to this week and then I will put a letter in when I go to send them)...Lulu has not been napping but luckily she isn't saying "boo" about going to bed early....I am still so stinking tired....err....I napped yesterday and went to bed at 9 last night. I wish my body would just catch up...

Sweet Surprise...a customer dropped off a fleece from her wonderful jacob sheep. It is from Linden, her prized lilac point. She decided not to sell the fleeces this year and thought I could possibly do something with it....gee darn...I think I can....tee hee...It is buttery soft.... I will lay it out and skirt it today....will take pictures of it...mmmmmm

well...off to start coffee....I get an extra set of hands in the store for 4 hours today...I think I will use the time to straighten up the attic and get my sewing machine set up (geez....I haven't used it in 2 years...yikes)...

   [ posted by Delicious Yarn @ 4:19 AM ]
|

the first of many...worsted weight...mohair, wools, silk....378 yds.

I have oodles of orange, gold, and red yarns on the way...with highlights of other colors....

it has been a crazy weekend...andrew is away for a week so I have to be both of us at the store...the only benenfit is hours of spinning at night....luckily last night I went to bed at 7:30....so I should be caught up on sleep from 2 restless nights....almost all of my handspun that is in the store is sold out.....(yeah...and yikes at the same time)...

Things to accomplish while he is away??? Hopefully make all of my christmas cards, wrap all of the presents (okay...I am anal this way...too many years of retail....I get it done early)....and then redesign the website and the blog (I have some ideas I am hoping will translate to the computer...will see....and updating my daily reads would be nice....so many more than the two listed...ugh)....

Time to get the mail ready to go......

   [ posted by Delicious Yarn @ 7:32 AM ]
|

Finally a picture of miss goofball wearing her poncho from Hello Yarn

and the newest addition-Ralphie...he is 14 weeks tomorrow and weighs a whopping 1.13lbs.....

I ended up spinning 4 oz. of the yarn in singles...I am debating whether to spin up some complimentary yarns for socks...or to spin up the other 4 oz....I was also thinking it would make a lovely sweater for miss lucy's christmas baby doll....(who also needs a blanket...ofcourse)....decisions...decisions....maybe I will finally work on the monmouth cap today.....

btw...way to go RED SOX!!!!

   [ posted by Delicious Yarn @ 6:45 AM ]
|

Okay...I finally feel like I am catching up after coming home. My head cold is a week old and on its way out (thank god...knock on wood...etc). The newest family member has settled in nicely (kitten ralphie)....andrew is packed and leaving at 6am on friday for his 10 days away.....I am sure exhaustion will set in by the time he comes home...I am hoping for a productive week anyway.

The quiviut scarf is done. When I washed it it bloomed beautifully. I love it and am very happy with it. I didn't get the texture I wanted with the odd spun energized singles but it feels wonderful anyway. Just another chance to try something new again....


Miss Boo is doing well. She is a mini "socks and frocks" don't you agree miss A and markie?

She has always been a fun dresser. I hope she keeps it up for a long time...it is refreshing and I guess it makes me happy because it confirms she is my girl;)

I have prepped the fiber from crosspatch creations (the orange with highlights of purple made for SOAR) for a pair of socks? I am not sure yet...it is so lovely. I am trying to decide on a singles yarn or a two ply for more texture and color...decisions...decisions....I just can't wait to get spinning....yeah!

   [ posted by Delicious Yarn @ 6:36 AM ]
|

here is the beginnings of my quiviut scarf for ME!!!!

The brown is the quiviut (1oz.) spun Z
the multi is Mulligan Stew from Copper Moth spun S
Both are apx. 26 wpi
I am holding them together and knitting my scarf.....yeah!

   [ posted by Delicious Yarn @ 10:23 AM ]
|

On saturday I took a felting class with Sharon Costello...notice there are no pictures...no, I did not forget my camera...it just reaffirmed why I am a spinner and knitter not a felter. The class was like a torture test to me...and my hands started itching from the detergent...enough said...

That afternoon I took handspindles 101 with Andrea Mielke (eek...hope I spelled her name right). Well, it was basic...but I fell in love with spindling all over again and then I purchased these

from bosworth spindles....and I am in love! They are beautiful and balanced...mmmm.... I can see myself spinning sock yarn on the midi and knitting it right off...and I finally got a takli


Now, I must say...I never would have got through the week without the humor and company of Kathy, Marty, and Rona...and our 5 o'clock cocktails....with the constant stimulation, it was great to have downtime and a laugh or ten with these wonderful people. I am so lucky to have made such nice friends!

This is the view from my window at the hotel


and after my luggage going elsewhere on the ride home (charlotte, nc)...it was nice to recieve this noro blossom and silk garden in the mail


ahh.....finally.....and later pictures of ralphie who arrived on wednesday...and my latest project...quiviut!!! finally!!!!

   [ posted by Delicious Yarn @ 4:08 PM ]
|

Okay...I was thrilled when I got into one of Deb Menz's workshops....I really wanted her class as my retreat class but alas I was on the waiting list;(
For an hour she talked to us about color and the differnces made on how it is put on your rovings and spun....and then we dyed....

We each got three 1 oz. merino rovings to paint....
Here is Miss Deb looking over the mixed colors

and here are some of her absolutely wonderful yarns.....


and here are how my three rovings came out....

and how they knitted up

I really loved all I learned and thinking of all I want to experiment with and the more I want to learn...I also liked learning that deb knits from singles....and other people made the interesting comment that people from the east ply...from the west use singles....so I have experimenting to do with singles to (I am working on an energized singles swatch as we speak...will tell more about that later).....

I must go watch the game...

Tomorrow....felted beads, bobbles and ornaments......and HANDSPINDLES!

   [ posted by Delicious Yarn @ 6:48 PM ]
|

first of all here is a gallery pic of the scarf that was knit out of the handpainted skeins from the last spin off....#54 (I believe) is Miss A's of Hello Yarn...yeah miss A!


And then friday morning I was off to Vivian Hoxboro's class....yes, of domino knitting fame. This class was for "shadow knitting"....
This class was a welcome break...we came in...she showed us samples..we sat in a circle...followed a chart and knit...and chatted. It was wonderful and relaxing. Vivian is wonderfully sweet and a patient teacher. If you've thought of taking her class....go for it...it is delightful.
some of vivian's domino knitted pieces


and then my swatch from head on (should have been knit on smaller needles...but hey..you work with what you have)

and then from the side

so...the pattern only shows up from certain sides of the work.....mmmmmm.....

and later tonight...pictures from DEB MENZ class....mmmmm....Heaven!!!!!!

   [ posted by Delicious Yarn @ 3:44 PM ]
|

OKay...here are a few pictures from the gallery...the first being the mantle of scarves...mine is the shades of green one....

and now katie's beautiful shawl...handspun singles (hey girls...she doesn't even set her twist...ever....shame katie...shame)

and finally charlene's wonderful sweater...I love the colors...it was so beautiful in real life


and then I went shopping.....

wonderful silk and wool combos from copper moth

mohair locks (will look up and tell you where they are from) and then mohair top (copper moth)

superwash from copper moth

blends from Carolina Homespun exclusively for SOAR

top two (silkworker) carded multi silk (silkworker) orange with lots of gold you can not seeand lime green tencel/merino blend (bonkers)

silk hankies from bonkers (these I am going to use in some fabric collage pieces)

okay...i did buy some other stuff (christmas for miss A) and sock forms...colorworks book by Deb Menz (more about her tomorrow)....domino knitting (vivian...more on her tomorrow too)......

What I can say....if you have ever been tempted by copper moth....go for it...the stuff is so beautiful...naturally dyed...and some stuff solar dyed. The colors are amazing!!! and they are such sweet gals...

What am I going to make with all this???? Good question...I see socks out of one of the blends...maybe a shrug out of the pinks and purples....who knows....it is beautiful just to look at....mmmmmmmmmm

   [ posted by Delicious Yarn @ 12:54 PM ]
|

Okay...so the baggie full of fibers is actually water soluable stabilizer...and you layer your fibers between it and then stictch the hell out of it on the sewing machine....then you rinse it....and hang it to dry...
and then you have this....

which I do love...it is so soft...has great drape....and oodles of possiblity (I have a bolt of the interfacing on order)
and here are both of my silk fusion pieces...


which has zero drape...and I doubt I will ever do again...the fusion is now cut up and has become fabric buttons....

I enjoyed the class....I learned silk fusion is not my thing...I loved the fabric collage (which I have been wanting to do for years since I first saw it on the "Beyond the Surface" website).....all in all I am glad I took the class....

Tomorrow I will report on the gallery...and shopping (fiber heaven...really)

   [ posted by Delicious Yarn @ 8:16 PM ]
|

I arrived last night....after plane ride and baggage chaos....

but...I will start at the beginning....

The flight in to Allentown was delayed (by 3 hours)...so, rather than check the flight board the shuttle service left without me (now mind you...they wanted to know which flight I was on...so, why did they need to know it if they weren't going to check it).....so they radioed the van and luckily he was not too far down the road and he came and got me. I arrived at Pocono Manor to find out my room was not ready...so I sat in the lobby for 1/2 an hour or so while listening to (who I believe to be) Alden Amos chatting with a group of people behind me. Then I made my way to my room and then back down to the lower level to pick up my wheel and some more "stuff" that i had shipped in....the wheel was easily put back together and I made my way downstairs for dinner and introductions....dinner was yummy (hey, they fed us well...fruit...then salad...then a choice of 6 dinners...and dessert but if you were vegetarian you were stuck with some sort of pasta at every meal)

My first night I slept poorly...maybe it was the excitement of my first day of class...maybe it was the fact I had the room next to the elevator and the walls were paper thin.....

And then on to my silk fusion class with Rain Klepper.....
I found myself sitting next to someone with a familiar name and in moments I realized it was Carol Weymar "The Silkworker" (her silks are freaking dreamy...wonderful...delicious....)
For the next three days we worked our little fingers off on silk fusion, machine embroidery, spinning entrapped yarns (bead and mohair), spinning silk and wool embroidery floss, embroidery and bead embroidery....the following are small examples of the work I did....(more arriving in packages tomorrow)

Excuse the blurriness of the second picture...it is a bit of silk fusion with a fusion covered button...and the top two are a bead entrapped yarn and silk embroidery floss
a closeup of the flower.....and the beginnings of my scarf....(more silk fusion and finished pictures of the scarf tomorrow.).....I have to run...my wee niece and sister in law just arrived :)....yeah!!!!
(okay...i know you need an explanation of this tomorrow......)

   [ posted by Delicious Yarn @ 12:30 PM ]
|

no, I have not been ignoring everyone...I have had freaking computer viruses and bugs out the yin yang...it has been a stressful last 3 days....ugh.....

On the good news side....tomorrow 5 am I leave this house to go to SOAR!!!!! Pictures and info when I get home....hope all have a good week....

and Missy A...good luck with the inlaws....(or as Sharon says...the outlaws)XXOO

   [ posted by Delicious Yarn @ 3:14 PM ]
|