all my own spinning

On the mountain, I had a drop spindle, a crochet hook, and a small sewing kit.  The most basic tools for the things I like to do.  I finished a hat for Small Mister, ripped it out, and remade it.  It fit much better the second time and fit well under his hoods.  The only problem was the merino silk I spun was so soft that it stretched out easily. 

I brought a blue hat that I had made years ago with me because I could not find the hat I was looking for.  When I was finished with Small Mister's, I started a new hat for myself.  I used a heavy corredale in a almost black natural.  It still has a lot of lanolin in it.  It was so dark with the amount of rain we had that I had to rip it out a few times.  I did not get it finished on the mountain.  But I decided to make it a bit fancier then normal.

I do like how it turned out.  It is large enough to cover my hair when my hair is up and ears.  It almost has the rasta thing going.  The top is the corredale I spoke of.  The edge is a yarn I spun from the yak/silk fiber I purchased in Taos and spun on my spinning wheel.  I used a shell pattern similar to a thistle pattern of on the edge that covers my hears.  It works like a headband and is so soft.

I am pleased.  Maybe there will be enough hours in the day when I am not in the office so I can spin the rest of the corredale to make a new cardigan.  It is really nice to be using my own yarns.

a forever shawl is halfway there

This is the forever shawl that I am working on at work.  I took this picture with my phone which is not my most photographic tool.  But it is the one I have available there.  This shawl is half way done.  Half way done on an "Aunt's" birthday that I did not even know it was her birthday.  I think this is pretty cool.  It does mean I am halfway done with all the Aunts shawls.  There are three of them and I think I am also going in order of age.  It keeps my hands busy and helps with sanity at work.  The last couple weeks just have made me wonder.

Oh well!  Make more yarn.  Crochet more.  Sew more.  Figure out how to skateboard and surf in there.  Life is good.

cut hair down!

The Small Mister asked his Mommy to "cut my hair down with scissors."  It has been getting in his eyes for awhile now.  For his birthday, I already made this hat so the timing is fabulous.  I went for a soft acrylic, both very soft and washable.  Aspects you have to look for for a pirate king fire ninja.  I was convinced to wait until we see him to gift this too him.  He is getting a few books if they can get to the post office through the blizzard, twenty two in fact.  I know, a little overboard but what can you do when he is three and Elephant and Piggie are available?

Arrgh, you scurvy dog!

for the Pirate King

I made a sweater for the Small Mister.  It  started out as all the ends of balls of yarn but I had to add other colors.  The front is almost entirely made of yarn I have spun and it is very soft.

My gut says the Pirate King Malarkey is never going to wear it.  He always shakes his head a very hard no when I ask if he wants me to make him something.  This is with  the vehement words.  I hope that it ends up in a thrift store and some child falls in love with it.

taos wool festival

I went off adventuring to the Taos Wool Festival this last weekend.  It was not what I had hoped.  I find that I look for different things anymore.  SAFF fits those needs more.  More fleeces.  More fiber.  I really do not buy actual yarn anymore unless I have a specific project or pattern.  But I got to feel a lot of churro fiber and I know that is a sheep I do not wish to raise.

I did find a yarn stores and a fabric stores that spoke to me.  All that fiber is dyed by an artisan Tibetan monk in Taos.  It is yak and silk and the colors are so nice.  Dying is on my list to learn but finding a dyer like this means it is not quite so urgent.

There are stories now being told around Taos about my Beloved.  He put all the bundles of fiber I was looking at on his arms so I could see their color.  No one could really believe it.  The dyer told the story to her friends and told us about the telling when we saw her again the next day.

I had taken my Turkish spindle with me and started spinning as soon as I had a chance to sit.  Just lovely.

I also found some ultra soft hand dyed cottons and hand dyed silk ribbons.  Not something I can easily find here.

The yarn I found has stories too.  The yarn on the right is dyed with walnut and onion skin.  It will become a hat or hats for the boyos.

The red yarn goes with sweater pattern that is a knitted pattern that I hope to convert to crochet.  The yarn store owner used to be a production weaver and does a lot of her own designs and writes patterns.  Her like my dresses felt like a huge compliment!  But, she asked if I do convert her pattern to crochet that a come a teach a class in her store in Santa Fe.  Everyone I showed my crochet too this weekend thought it was knit.  That is where my crocheting is going.  I hope I can do justice to her pattern and feel like I could teach a class.

We actually got home very late last night or very early this morning, however you wish to think about it.  I had started coughing a bit from allergies on the way home and my chest felt tight.  I had already scheduled the day off so decided to take it to rest and spend time with my spinning wheel.  It is strange not to have the Pirate King Malarkey helping.  I forgot like it was like not to have the Small Mister's "help" with my spinning wheel.  He is much less help with the spinning wheel then the sewing machine.  It has more potential with pretendings.

But today I got back at it.  It is adjusted and I am spinning.  I am listening to an audio book and drinking tea, resting.  My chest is feeling better and that was the goal.  Let alone the pretty yarn I have created.