not a lot of concentration

I was feeling okay on Friday until late afternoon.  Then the cold hit.  And it is still hanging on.  

I found that I just wanted to sit in my rocking chair and read or lay in bed in read.  Because when I was not reading I was sleeping.  There were a few minutes where I was spinning and this yarn was created.  I pulled out a crochet hook and started a shawl.  It is one of those few things that I seem to have the energy and concentration for.  Whenever I try to do something at a normal speed, I have to slow way down and my head get fuzzy easily.  I will get better.  And hopefully there will be more yarn made and more work on the shawl done.

rain

Working during the week and traveling every weekend for six weeks has finally caught up with.  Since  my hours at work were cut, I can consistently travel which I have been doing.  Time to do that type of thing has been one of those bits I have wanted more of.  But it does mean that the rest of life can get away from you.

This was the first weekend, since my weekends start on Friday, that I have woken up in my own bed with no place to rush off to.  It felt so strange.  But then there were just tasks that needed to take place that make living better.  I now have empirical proof, after working on the monthly books, that if I do not eat out I can travel and still put moneys away for a rainy day or a new project.  That is just a pretty lovely thing to know!

After I waded through more then a month of financial papers, due to have my life strewn over half the country, I got to sit down at my spinning wheel with Rain.  Rain is the name of the male sheep whose fleece I am spinning.  My hands were deeply aching today but I was able to spend about an hour working with the fiber.  I got a half a spindle spun.

I also got a sweater started.  I now it is only a couple rows but this couple rows came after multiple experiments for starting the sweater.  I had a hard time deciding what I wanted or how big it should be.  There still may be a mock turtleneck to be added but I decided to wait and see.  I am hoping to have something I can tramp through the woods in or wear on my walks under a waterproof.  

I need to walk more.  My joints and muscles are saying that.  Having two arthritis conditions does make life interesting.  My energy has been very low this week and I find it has been hard to go for walks.  I just may need a few more days of rest and walking slower.  I can do that!  Take more time at my spinning wheel.

Yes, it is a good day.

Life is very interesting when you make your own yarn.  If you do not have enough of one color it is not like you head down to your local yarn store and buy matching yarn.  You either have change the pattern, change the yarn, or find something to work with what you have.  I though I had enough yarn of one color for the second scarf I was making but I did not really.  I decided to spin some yarn for the ends in a yak/silk fiber I picked up in Taos.  It does mean that the package will get delivered later then it should but I am told that it does not matter.

I am thinking about spinning more yarn for after the holidays for more scarfs.  I have some merino/yak that is so soft that a sweater made from the yarn may not be the best thing.  I will have to see.

I was walking to the post office today to pick up more boxes for shipping.  Most people I work with think it is much to far to walk at lunch but I do not.  I am the crazy person who rides her bicycle in a dress to work most days too so that gives you an idea of how much I fit the norm.  I got to an intersection and thought I had heard my name.  There was a homeless man sitting at a base of a tree, hands in a praying pose, head bowed in blessing, looked at me and said "It IS a good day."  He made me realize in that instant it was.  I replied back, "Yes, it is a good day!" 

I looked for a place to buy him a cup of coffee on the way to the post office but there was none.  On the way back, I stopped when I got to him.  I handed him some money and said, "Thank you for reminding me that today IS a good day.  I looked for a place to buy you a cup of coffee and could not find one.  I would appreciate if you would accept this and buy yourself a cup of coffee and a meal."  His response was "Oh, sweetheart . . ."

Yes, it is a good day.

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.

red yarn

I have been enjoying spinning my Christmas materials into yarn.  This is the red fiber that I took a picture of when I was moving logs.  I am pretty sure that are more balls of yarn in an alpaca bag someplace around here but I cannot find that bag of alpaca fiber!  That is my life.

I was thinking I might make some mitts with a pattern I picked up at my favorite local yarn store.  They would be for me.  I am working on the orange colored yarn now.  The Small Mister is getting a hat for Christmas whether he thinks he wants one or not!  Just saying. 

I keep pondering other Christmas preparations I need to do.  It is mostly getting supplies currently but that is all part of it.  I am even going to have to track down some new address.