Continuing On

Since last I was heard from in this forum, lo these many months, I busted all out of my comfort zone and entered handspun in the Estes Park Wool Market and the local county fair.  Yes, I set myself up for the judgey-ness of others.

It was worth it.  I received reinforcement and accolades for my mad spinning skilz.  I also received valuable comments, insight, and...well...confidence.  Not to mention some of the big ribbons!  Yeah, that part was pretty sweet. There were some nice awards/prizes that came with some of those big ribbons, too, but really, the former 4-H-er in me was all about the ribbons!

In addition, a fellow knitter, who also spins, bought some of my handspun, even after seeing it up close, offering to pay the going rate.

Add to that, a fellow weaver's/spinner's guild member asked me to be part of the Sheep to Shawl team at Estes Park next year. Now while I am not sure about being able to spin as fast as that requires, I said yes anyway because I think it sounds like a whole lot of fun to be in the mountains among like minded people, and furry creatures, spinning the day away.

My point is, and I do have one, I have the confidence that I spin a decent yarn than can be knit into decent garments. (Some of my entries were items knitted from my handspun.) I am considering offering some skeins for sale again.

(I installed the app so I might blog from my smarty pants phone. Who knows where it might lead? Bear with me while I figure out the formatting issues and auto-correct eccentricities. And the photo thing...there is, of course, photo capabilities with the phone but gah! Not the fancy smancy camera kind.)

No Answers Here

I am overwhelmed by the events of this past Friday. I can't wrap my mind around the idea of sending a child to elementary school, and having that happen. Six and seven year olds. My God. My oldest granddaughter will be six in April. My heart goes out to the parents, and my total and honest repect and highest regard for those teachers and administrators that kept the toll from being any higher, even at the cost of their own lives.

I don't know the answer to the all the questions, but I do know something somewhere needs to be fixed. This is crazy...continuing on as we are believing something is going to be different while more and more people buy more and more guns that can kill more and more people.

I know we have a fundamental right to bear arms. And I know the reasoning behind that...we don't want only the government to be the one with the guns, herding us out in the streets at night because of our religion...or because we printed a broadside opposing the current leader...or perhaps helped the 'wrong' people. Examples abound.

I have heard the argument, from people in my town frankly, that if someone had a concealed weapon in Aurora, things would have gone differently that night.  And I was reminded of the Saturday Live skit years past (I have searched and searched for it) where neighbors were 'protecting' themselves by ever increasing their armament.  It was first pistols, then rifles, then bigger things, like you know...bazookas, and in the nature of SNL comedy they were eventually carrying around bombs. Because that would protect them from what the bad guys had...until the bad guys had them too.

I am positive that is not the answer.

It has been bandied about that if we do not give press to the crazies, they will die alone in their basements. Well, maybe or maybe not. We are the ones that crave the answers to who and why and how.  The press fills our needs.  I have also heard those that cry 'don't take away my guns' also say 'we need to identify and help these people before hand'.  Mmm-hmmm...as long as it doesn't take any of the tax payers money.

Mental health issues are damned expensive and very long term to deal with.  Like a life time's worth.  And those against any additional gun control by and large I have found are those wishing to cut back on programs that would help those with these problems.

It's a conundrum.

The most recent discussions included blips about 'we don't need gun control, we need more law enforcement in these places'. I don't think so.  After Columbine, school security was ramped way up.  How much more like prisons do our schools have to be? And I get pissed off every time I have to go through security at the airport. We pay extra for the TSA and I have to leave early for the airport just to stand in line. And when we went to Mexico and Canada this past year, we needed passports. I feel the terrorists won.  We were eating Friday evening at a local semi-fast food place, and I thought out loud to the Guy, someone could bust into this relatively crowded establishment with a couple of semi-automatic handguns, and do some serious damage.  Do we have to have law enforcement at Every. Single. Place. people gather?

Surely not. I cannot let them win that way.

And in the meantime.  People are out stocking up.
Just in case.

And there are probably presents under Christmas trees in Connecticut that will go unopened this Christmas.

Oh Ho Ho!

Here's hoping your holidays are being kind to you. For myself, I am feeling remarkably chipper, having just shut the back door on the second cold of the season.  Amazing how good I can feel when I have been feeling so lousy.

I am in the midst of holiday things. The usual suspects...shopping (almost done), wrapping (not started), creating gifts (getting close), cards (procrastinating by writing this) (and since it's been 8 months since I have done 'this', that says much about the Christmas cards...). Not baking much, not much partying, really looking forward to seeing some of the kiddos for the holiday.  We are fortunate indeed.

I have been a busy little camper, working, knitting and spinning, traveling...but apparently not blogging. Here's to new starts and catching up and keeping up. (Maybe!)

Crazy Pants

That's what this spring is so far.  Crazy pants.

See that header photo?  That's a tulip tree.  Here where I live in northern Colorado.  Where I have never ever ever in my long legged life seen a tulip tree in bloom in these parts.

Ever.  And when I saw this one, I drove around the block to make sure of what I was seeing.

Then went back the next afternoon with the fancy smancy camera to get a photo.  Because it will probably be another 15 years before I see it bloom again.

Seriously, all the flowering trees are bursting into bloom.  Not budding, but blooming.  It was mid-May a couple years ago when I made the Guy drive me around on a Saturday morning taking photos of the lovely trees in our fair burg.

Done Deals

Spring Cardi

Sprout (rav linky), by Amy King, out of Andes Wool, buttons from the stash.

Interesting tidbit: The 3/4 sleeves ended up being 7/8 sleeves, and the cuffs not tight enough to hold them up, so out they came.  With enough yarn left, I lengthened the sleeves to full, and re-knit the cuffs with smaller needles.  Yea!  Also, the first button bands were all stretched out looking, so out they came as well.  I picked up more stitches with smaller needles, and also, second time around…remembered to add the buttonholes.  I have worn this several times already.  I am really very please with myself for ‘fixing’ it.  There was a time in my life when I would not have done that.  So good for me!

Tweed Pullover

Deeply Textured Tunic, by Melissa Wehrle (Interweave Knits), buttons from the stash.

Interesting tidbit: Adapted this into not so much a tunic, no waist shaping, a little widening at the hips (hey, don’t judge!)  I cast on for the smallest size but increased to the medium size…something to do with my gauge and size….anyway, being knit in the round, top down, I tried it on as I went, and it seemed to fit as it grew…and grew….and grew…this is one big sweater out of aran weight.  And then after blocking, I decided the hip increases just increased the look of my hips.  NOT necessary, thank you very much.  And also...made it a tunic.  If I hadn't abbreviated this thing, I would have had a dress at this point.  Anyhoo...I unpicked and frogged back to the increases, knit in the pattern another inch and a half, then added the ribbing.  Done and done.  And much better in my opinion.  Unless we have one last cold snap, I probably won’t have a chance to wear this puppy until next fall.  The joke among my knitter peeps is this might stop bullets...

Tripping

Of late Wonderful Guy and I travelled to the State of the Utes to see the Grandbebes that live there.  And also their parents.  Of course their parents too!

It had been way too long on both accounts.  This trip was a road trip, and whether it happened or not depended on the weather.  We lucked out, and had fine a fine travel experience. Of course we had a fine travel experience!  Because we had a great visit with the bebes and their parents.

See…the thing is...I learned stuff.  I learned that some of I-80 runs at 7500 feet.  And also, that checking weather is good and well.  But not complete.  One should also check road conditions when travelling….there.  Yep.  We spent some down time in Rawlins, but yea! They opened the road back up after 2 1/2 hours!

Only to have Hiway 287 closed 4 minutes before we reached Laramie.  So we spent an extra night there, before heading north and east an extra 120 miles to go south on I-25 to get home.

Under blue skies the whole way!  It was sideways snow…blowing snow was the issue.  Our direct routes home didn’t open up until way after we reach our fair burg, had lunch, and were all unpacked!

It was excellent to have a chance to catch up with Middle Daughter and have a chance to get acquainted with the grandbebe girls.  They are cutie-pies.  How could they not be though?  I say they could not!

And then we travelled to Desert Crazy Town in which to see Only Step Son marry the Lovely Fiancee.  The wedding was downsized from a big planned affair in June, to a intimate engagement in March.  They chose simple and less complex and less stress as the big plans started snowballing.

And I got a brief visit, once again, with Dearest Sister.  She and Car Guy celebrated Wonderful Guy’s birthday together with Lovely Step Daughter.  We took in the Shelby Museum, did a drive by of the Gold & Silver Pawn (home of Pawn Stars), and dropped some quarters at the Pin Ball Hall of Fame, where we all got a big kick out of the South Park game.  After walking Molly, the grand-pup, we finished of the day with the whole wedding gang at dinner.  I think the Guy had a good day of celebration.

(as seen on TV!)

We were up the next morning early for the flight home, and while it was not the best travel experience I have had, we made it safely.  And it was good to go somewhere warmish, though, and break out of wintry weather for a bit.

True Story

Talking to Youngest Daughter the other day…telling her something I heard on NPR.  It was something awesome and inspiring and deeply moving and no doubt humorous and full of truth, all at the same time.

She listened attentively.

And she responded, “you listen to NPR?!?”

Hmph. Yes. Yes, I do, and it doesn’t take away from my kewlness.

In other news, we have been totally enjoying a blissful March, with the middle of the month free of wind, and with temps in the high 60’s and low 70’s.

Last fall, with Wonderful Guy’s initiative and motivation, we hied ourselves to the local hardware store and bought a bag ‘o tulip bulbs.  Fifty of ‘em, then we went around the yard and stuck them in the ground.

Well, ‘we’ did until the guy ended up with blisters from the bulb digger thingie. I finished while he was in doctoring his wounds, so he didn’t know where the last several ended up.

Last week he asked me if some of those tulips ended up over by the blah blah blah because something was coming up…and I was all ‘Ohmigah!  I forgot about the TULIPS!!!  Lemme see lemme SEE!!!’

We have tulips sprouting all over, and hopefully soon we will have some blooming.  Oh, I am not fooling myself.  I know its just mid-March.  We are due chilly weather yet.  Maybe even more snow.  This is Colorado after all!  But still…we planted tulips last fall!

In the meantime, these bloomed this week.

WWID???

What Would I Do…if I didn’t have to go to work tomorrow…or the next day…or the day after…

With Dearest Sister’s impending retirement, I will be the last sibling standing, more or less, and it’s giving me the opportunity to ponder the question, how would I spend my time, if it were my own?

One of my first goals would be to clean and reorganize the house.  Cleaning Gina would be a thing of the past, obviously, and I would inventory everything.  Recently a couple of my knitter peeps lost their home to fire, and the only thing they had a good inventory of was their yarn/fiber on Ravelry.  And there I sit, being able to amaze with how organized I have been with my stash, and little else.

Cooking/baking/shopping/planning would happen so healthy eating and less eating out would follow.

Probably there are certain financial/bill paying chores that Wonderful Guy does now that I would do, having more time.

Gifts and cards would almost all be homemade.

That is how I see saving money that I wouldn't be earning.  This is what I see doing for growing and learning…

I long to have the time to challenge myself with my camera and photo-editing software.  I would set goals and finds lessons and read and meet challenges with both.  Har har!  My family thinks they get hand knits now!  They will be receiving artsy photos next!!

My yard would so less hit and miss, and I would try new stuff to make it better.  I read about interesting ideas, but just don’t have the time to figure out how to implement them.  Also…I would build a cold frame to extend my growing season!

I will teach Grandbebe Girl #1 how to knit, and the others, too, in their turn, if they want.  And continue to expand my horizons in the fibery fields, of course.  Maybe I could parley those skills into an income stream, who knows.  I will join the local knitting guild and perhaps work on becoming a master knitter.

The baby quilts would be caught up for sure, and maybe there is a quilter’s guild, too, that suits.  And I will sew up all those good ideas I have seen and have cached for ‘when I have time…’  I really love to sew.

I will walk most days, and I will have that second (or third) cup of coffee in the morning…sitting down.

I think that's a pretty good start.

Matters Of The Heart

Last December, something odd started with my heartbeats.  I didn’t feel faint or weak or put out in anyway, except for the odd out-of-order thumping and follow-up fluttering.  I waited for a week or so, but when it didn’t go away, and when it seemed to be all I could pay attention to (heart thingies are like that), I called my doc.

Well, that wasn’t the thing to do…because the gate keeper/phone answer-er said ‘what do you need to see the doc for?’ and when I answered ‘well see it’s like this, the heart does this thing and then this sort of happens and then I sort of feel this way…’ she said to me, hmmm...just a minute and let me check with the doc, and I am thinking oh good I am going to get right in to see him, but then she comes back and says I should go to the emergency room.

That is not what I wanted to hear.  I just wanted to get in to see the doc.  I was pretty sure this wasn’t bit deal because mostly I don’t have big health deals, and also…really?  The ER…so inconvenient!  And so expensive…and omg…the insurance rigamarole.  Somebody just shoot me…

Except…oh…see there it was again.  Thump thump fluttery…and since it was coming up on Christmas, and the doc appt wasn’t going to happen for a week, the ER it was.

So I finished up work, and went home, and waited for The Guy to get home.  After he had a chance to catch his breath, I said, ‘so anyway, there’s been this thing going on…blah blah blah, and I called the doc…blah blah blah, and we are suppose to go the ER.’

Blank look…’and why did I wait until he got home from work???’  Well, it seemed the thing to do at the time.

No wait at the ER when one has ‘heart palpitations’.  Funny that they don't call it by thump thump fluttery. Which I think is a much more fun technical term. We have a modern facility in my little burg, that isn’t overly large, but with all the conveniences. But everyone who works there is so young.  Really young.  How did that happen?

So what it is that I have is nothing much.  PAC’s…not political action committees, but pre-mature atrial contractions that many people have all the time and as to why now for me all of the sudden, who knows.  I got to go home that night from the ER 5 days before Christmas with only a innocuous thump in my chest, and a couple of itchy places on my sides where the monitors were stuck to me, which is a whole lot better than being admitted over the holidays with something seriously wrong.  So all to the good really, follow-up visits, tests, and insurance hoop-jumping aside.

And since, those annoying PACs would drift away for a few, and just when I think things were getting back to normal, I got to live with them again for three or four days.  Keeps me humble and not taking anything for granted.  Also keeps me exercising because I think there might be a correlation, but who knows.  Certainly not anyone I paid money to talk to and stick thing-a-mabobs on my chest.

Lately, now three months later, there seems to me more time in between without them than with them, which is a gift, and I am grateful. Seems it was a passing mysterious episode, come out of the blue, for who knows why.

But there are questions in my mind about docs and insurance and hospitals and sensibilities of how we do things and why we do the things we do.  But all in retrospect...now that I know I am okay.

PS Lately I have seen that my posts in Google reader all amiss with words running together and crazy formatting.  If one reads my posts only in Google reader, let this serve as a disclaimer, that while I do misspell on occasion, and my punctuation is not perfect, my posts are better in person of late than they have been represented in Google reader.

Pinning Away

Over the holidays, Eldest showed me the ins and outs of Pinterest.  While I had been hearing the pinning buzz of late, I was not sure what it was all about, and I am not one to just jump on any old bandwagon.

Just some old bandwagons.  Like Ravelry.  I jumped that one right off.  But Harry Potter?  Didn’t read those until after the fifth book was out.

So now I am watching Pinterest.  With interest.  And fascination.  And feeling a little old, to the amusement (I am sure) of my offspring.

Pinterest is an on-line place to ‘pin’ stuff I like, be it cool photography ideas, gardening ideas, homemaking hints, organizational ideas, crafty things…well, those are sort of pins that I sort of focus on.  And humor…I like the humor, mostly…

There are those who like fashion and style ideas, and inspirational thoughts, and travel photos, and pictures of cutey-pie animals…etc, etc, etc…

I am amused by those who pin luscious photos of foods….and inspirational quotes about getting of the couch to exercise….or style photos with skinny (sz 2) jeans…because no one ever ate a pan of those buttery rolls and fit in those puppies, lookin’ like that model!

And then…the photos of the hair styles…with no how-tos.  Too bad, because I am thinking my grey hair needs to be all done up in those fairy tale braids!

The recipes are interesting.  Everything old is new again.  I have seen my Make-A-Mix taco seasoning (more or less) straight out of recipe book I received as a hostess gift for a Tupperware party more than 30 years ago lauded as ‘Awesome!’ and ‘So easy!’.  Ha!  I am all ‘LESS SALT!’ and ‘Cheap!’  And also?  Straight out of the Perry Family Cook Book, my sister’s chocolate sheet cake. Of course, these are accompanied by dynamic photography using excellent lighting.  Much more…dramatic!

Now I am thinking when I run short of blog posts, I am going to talk about how I do…I don’t know…anything…or make Mom’s Orange Salad Recipe…because I know I have to be doing something around my house without thinking about it or using some recipe that someone is pinning on Pinterest, and thinking that it is the best thing since sliced bread!

That’s the thing with being old…I just do stuff.

I have had some fun snooping around, and I have some fun ideas collected to try next spring in the yard, and some photography hints and helps pinned as well.  It hasn’t proven to be a huge time suck for me, but I am fairly disciplined and industrious. I almost always see something, though, that opens my eyes to the wide disparity of my world.

I would like to see an option to ‘view without comments’, but no one has asked me.  Really would save a lot of screen room for the meat…

Fine!

I looked and looked and looked (and also remembered to look...) and found where to remove the word verification.

I am such a pushover for peer pressure.

Or at least my sister's opinions.

Smarty Pants

County Plus App ($1.60)

Free version - County

My smarty pants phone (Droid X2) has proven to be so very fun.  And useful, to boot!  Which is good.  The phone itself didn’t cost me all that much, but the monthly data charge certainly needs to be justified. In my mind, at least.

Of course, part of the pleasure right at first was hunting for apps to download. Some have remained and some have not.  Some have proven ever so useful and entertaining, and some ever so lame.

I have discovered the FAOTD (Free App Of The Day) that Amazon offers.  I have even become discerning in what of those I choose to download.  I am not all just oooh free!

I have even bought some.  Three, to be exact.  One was on sale for 10 cents.  I know.  The Guy was perplexed to see that charge…

The other two?  Knitting apps.  Go figure.

The one I would like to talk about (and I am not being paid for this) is called County Plus.  It is a row counter for knitting, and while it took me a bit get intuited with the app, I do believe now that it is the cat’s meow.

It allows me to list my projects and keep track of what it is I want to track on each one, with certain limitations.  Am I tracking increase rows on a raglan sweater, or lace repeats?  I can use the settings to count up or down, and mark the row I am on, or the next row.  And I move to the next row with just a screen tap.  So easy!

I am just putting the word out there for something I have found to be worth what I paid for it, but there is a free version for trying before buying, too. I have linked to both through the Droid Marketplace, but both are available through Amazon, too, I think.

I do not know about you iPhoners.  You are a breed apart and hard to understand...

Loopy Ewe Comes To The Fort

I’m not bragging.  I’m just saying.

Also lucky for me?  Loopy is located right out by Lowe’s!  And also Designer Shoe Warehouse, but Lowe’s is what attracts The Guy.  So now I am all ‘heck to the yeah, I'll go to Lowe’s with you!’

Heh heh heh…

My first visit, a scant two days after she opened her doors, I went for a look-see, and also needing something.  Yes…I needed a pair of 16” size 6 circular needles.  Mine disappeared, and I do not know how.  I do not loan them, and I keep my stuff pretty organized, really.  Those of you who know me in real life may or may not be surprised at that.  Perhaps the animals are learning to knit in the round on the sly…hats for the house elves, maybe.

I thought it was humorous, but in a good way, that I was greeted at the door by the store help with 'is this your first time in?'  They had been open two days!! Now I am a devoted knitter, but really...

So there I was looking at  The Wall of Circulars, and there were exactly only one brand of sz 6 16” circulars in stock.  I am not the only one missing these needles, I am thinking.  Whatever…I sprung for the Addis, my only choice.  I needed them.

I also bought some wooden sock blockers, in a small size, with little lamby-kins.  Pretty cutey pie, and also useful!

My second visit was on The Grand Opening, upon which I discovered the sale shelf.  Seriously, though…like I need more yarn.  And seriously again…that did not stop me from buying a skein of sock yarn.  It was The Grand Opening, after all.

In my little city, we have no dearth of bike shops, and we are very fortunate to have plenty of choices in our yarn shops, each offering their own specialty.

Not bragging…just saying.

Quilting Business

I have completed the piecing of the quilt top for Grandbebe the fourth, who turned one year old around Christmas time.  I don’t consider it late at all.

Yet.

And continued, diligent efforts this past month resulted in finishing up the outer sashing, piecing the back, and sandwiching the quilt.

It was basted with help from the Boy Kitty. (not)

Dearest Sister’s efforts in embroidery continue to amaze.

We were able to put together the nine-patches together, during her all-too-brief overnight stay last fall.

There is always a kick when in all comes together so well.

The quilting has begun.

By the by, there is another grandbebe due in May.  And it’s another girl! And Dearest Sister has already planned out and started the embroidery panels for that quilt.

Always behind I am…

(don't forget to click for big...the embroidery details shine)

Weighing the Pros and Cons

Since last spring/summer, I have scoured 3 partial fleeces I bought at local markets that were from coated sheep, and one full fleece that I tracked down from a rancher south of here that raises for market.  That one I had heard about the breed and wanted to try it.  Not a shepherd that practices raising for the spinner, and not a covered fleece.

I completed the carding of these four fleeces the end of January, and just recently weighed the finished batts. And interestingly, I have practiced some record-keeping with these fleeces that allowed me to calculate the percentage of weight loss from pre-wash to post-carding.

Now, a shepherd that raises with spinners in mind will sell, as I mentioned, a fleece from an sheep that has been coated, which means that once sheared, the critter gets a blanket belted on that prevents all sorts of hay, seeds, and debris (common verbage labels this as vegetable matter, or VM) from becoming embedded in the wool and glued to it by the lanolin.  As the wool grows, the blanket is adjusted to accommodate the longer growth.  So there is an investment in both equipment and time with coating sheep.  In addition, the shepherd will sell the sheared fleece skirted, which means all the undesirable portions are already removed…the doodly bits from the behind, the dirty, stringy leg wool, all that isn’t covered and isn’t prime wool.

This all makes for a difference in cost, don’t you know.  Such as this, I paid $25.00 for 10 pounds of the uncoated, unskirted fleece from the rancher, and $46.00 for 2.6 pounds of coated, skirted fleece from a well-reputed shepherdess from the Estes Park Wool Market.  Seems like a huge difference and that for some extra work on my part, a dirty fleece might be a bargain.

Not so much.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

My before and after calculations show, that after my own skirting, and the additional loss due to veggie matter, I lost 66% of the weight of the dirty fleece resulting in a price/oz of  $2.20.  The other in the above example, which is typical of the three coated fleeces, resulted in a weight loss of 23% and a price/oz. of $1.43.  With a LOT less work, and a much better result…I still have debris in the batts from the dirty fleece.

For further consideration, the fleeces considered here were all fairly comparable, and none out of line with the others in quality in manner of luxury or fineness.

I love it when I can put pen to paper and come up with hard facts.  And also justification for paying the price for quality.

Heh heh heh…like I need to buy more wool…I am not saying how many pounds I have waiting to be spun.

I like to think of it as preparing for retirement.