What's Goin' On

A few interviews...
A couple never made it past the HR screening phone interview, but I made it to the third elimination round for one position. I am not too disappointed.  It was for third shift.  Yes, I am applying for just about anything that  comes close to fitting the bill.
Is it close? Does it come close to paying what I made? Is the position halfway close to what I have done? Is it permanent and regular hours?  75% gets an application...

Knocking down the to-do list...
The house is cleaned like I haven't cleaned it since we started using cleaning people.  I have been baking bread and cooking most meals at home. The home inventory is juuuusssst about wrapped up.  I have gone through and sorted out for the upcoming community garage sale.  My baskets have been dusted (don't laugh, that is no small matter!). My basement has been cleaned.

Spinning...
The Estes Park Wool Market released the hand spun skein contest rules, and one of the surrounding counties has already put out their county fair rules, so I am spinning to that end, keeping in mind that I am also practicing for Sheep To Shawl.

Merino/Alpaca, 50:50. The dark is the merino and the white is alpaca.  I spun the singles randomly on one bobbin. The next bobbin, I tried to sort of stagger the colors opposite.  Turned out sort of crazy and pretty cool.

50:50 camel and silk.  This is really sleek.  Only 145 yards.

Knitting...
I have finished up a couple of requests from Middle Daughter and Precious Niece., a pair of slippers (my family goes through slippers like Sherman went through Georgia!) and a circular scarf (out of my handspun, which was nice as it was a choice on her part).

On the upside of not working, while Spring took a backseat to 22 inches of snow this past week, I could take my mornings easy, and stay inside.

Spinny Stuff

I made mentioned back aways that after my handspun fair entries did (amazingly) well, that I was asked to be on a Sheep to Shawl team at the Estes Park Wool Market this year.

Briefly put, a team of five take a clean fleece, and from 9-2:30, card the fleece, spin and ply it into yarn, and weave the yarn into a shawl, take the shawl off the loom, give it a quickie rinse, towel dry it, and let it be judged. And also interact with the looky-loos.

The loom will be set up with the warp (the longish bits).  We have already carded, spun and plied that part so the weaver will have that set up. Only the weft (the crosswise parts) will be what is woven the day of the contest.

It's doable, but we will be busy for that five hours...or so I am told.  I have never really seen this sort of thing happen.  Turns out I am the least experienced on this team.  I listen to the conversations of my fellow team members and find out they have taken classes with some big names and gone to some highly acclaimed retreats.  Our alternate has previously JUDGED Sheep to Shawl contests.  Pretty humbling.

So far, as I mentioned, we have washed the fleece.  We met and sort of test spun to establish what we wanted to spin our singles to so we would be spinning consistently. We have carded what is going to be used for the warp, and we each took about 2 oz to spin into singles.  We brought those singles together last Saturday and we traded off plying parts of each others bobbins, so the warp yarn would consist of every one's singles plied with everyone else's.

I was very surprised at how consistent the yarn turned out. It was really pretty cool. I am going to learn so much from these people, not to mention getting to know the women themselves.

No Negative Waves, Moriarty...

In an attempt to stay positive, and also keep my head busy, I will speak to the accomplishments of the last month, and not that I have been out of work for exactly that long.

Oops.

There has been a whole lot of knitting going on.  And none of it is being worn by me. Which I think is absolutely out of this world. My people are knit worthy, and I am so grateful that they are so grateful.

Eldest took these socks that I finished on the plane on the way to see her right after I was let go. (Yep, I got a trip back east for a consolation prize...deets will follow.) Crosshatch pattern from More Sensational Knitted Socks, by Charlene Schurch, out of Araucania Itata Solid.  This is a great pattern for a solid color that I will knit again.

A shop sample knitted up for a local LYS. Knit Hedgehog by Purl Soho, out of Cascade 220 and Eco Cloud.  That Eco Cloud was divine to knit up.  Too bad the project was so small!

Class examples for an upcoming class on felting/embellishing techniques. Felted Woolly Eggs, by Marie Mayhew, out of  Red Heart Wool among other things.  All that Red Heart I got from my aunt's stash in vintage colors were perfect for this.

A seamed sweater for the expressed purposed of practicing seaming. Pattern: Even Daniele Did It Again, from The Yarn Girls Guide To Kid Knits, out of Pingouin Acrylic I found at the thrift store.

Bartered felted mats for Precious Niece's new NY digs. The 40-Years Felted Platter by Katherine Vaughn (Rav link) out of Patons Classic Wool, my go-to workhorse felter. Also an above shot of the hedgehog, which was a really cute little guy.

Bartered felted slippers for Dearest Sister's cold midwestern toes. Duffers, 19-Row Felted Slippers by Mindie Tallack (Rav link) out of Bear Brand Four Seasons, another bit of Aunt Cissy's vintage haul.

And a simple hat to replace the one Only Step-Son has worn since 2008 and lost this year.  He felt very bad, but I say hey!  If you weren't wearing it, you wouldn't have lost it!  He was very impressed that I could make another EXACTLY like the one he loved.  Thank you, Ravelry, and my compulsive note keeping. My own beanie recipe out of Patons Classic Wool.

On the needles right now are 2 projects... a pair of socks, and a circular scarf out of handspun (another barter effort with Precious Niece I will speak to later), along with 'decorating' the last of Woolly Eggs.

My mother would be proud!

See, It's Like This

About a month ago, I was told, 'the company was going in a different different direction, and the 28th (of February) would be my last day.'

One would think there would be ample opportunity to write posts, wouldn't one?

One would be correct, and yet, what does one say about it and remain even-handed? It takes time.  This is the second time I have been laid off...in February...at that place...by those people.

Today, I have bread baking, and cookies dough in the fridge...ready to eat.  I will exercise later, keeping the phone close by.  I had a couple of screening phone interviews last week, and thought I had a real chance for a call back from one.  Today is probably the outside of the timeframe, so it behooves me to stay busy. Busy keeps the mind from dwelling.

In the past month, I have gotten through the unemployment maze, organized my kitchen cabinets, cleaned my  own house, cleaned out my closet, and made a run to GoodWill as well as many more things off 'The List'.  I have more things to do.  There in the neighborhood garage sale in June, and the basement is calling.  As is the home inventory.

I have tried to look at the opportunity in this.  I am going to teach a class at an LYS in May, and have offered to knit some shop samples.  I am also considering offering some of my award winning handspun skills for sale in the dormant Etsy shop, but haven't made that progress.  I have been able to demo those spinning skills for the pre-school and kindergarten classes of the grandbebe girls, which I think was awesome to do.  In addition, the Sheep To Shawl team I have been asked to participate with has ramped up their organizational duties.

I have made myself a DIY lightbox to play with my fancy camera, too.  I would really be enjoying myself if this had happened on my terms, and the financial piece wasn't an uncertainty.

Going forward and onward and trying to see that it's all going to be just like it's suppose to be.

Drum Roll, Please...

Presenting...

Grandbebe Quilt Number Four!

In Blue and Red vintage (mostly), fabric collected (mostly) by Dearest Sister.

Embroidered by DSis.

Patches cut and assembled by the both of us.

9-Patches machine pieced by me.

Handquilted by me.

Supervised every step of the way by Boy Kitty.

Quality tested by the Cousins.

Made with all the love grown-ups have for their little ones.