What happened??


It was summer a couple of days ago & it suddenly turned damp & grey. I did plan on spinning outside this weekend & maybe even dyeing up a few skeins while I had warm sunshine to dry them. I suppose it isn't that bad out there but certainly not what I had expected. Usually September is a most golden & glorious month in Vancouver. Warm days and balmy nights that get just cool enough for a good sleep. I can tell the weather has changed by the grinding ache in my lower back & right hip. I hope this isn't a warning of uglier things to come . . . . I don't care if the weather is hot or cold but it has to be dry!! I may be moving in the future!


I was actually spinning up some of my Brown Sheep Mill Ends last night while watching Fred & Ginger dance away the evening. Everyone always raves about what a terrific dancer Fred Astair was but have you ever noticed poor Ginger?? She dances every step on 3 or 4 inch platform shoes!!! I noticed that last night when she danced sideways up some stairs!! What an athlete she was. I think I noticed because my hip was twinging big time . . . . . as I was saying, I was trying to spin some yummy white wool which was also giving me hell - it kept pulling apart on me as I was trying to spin it. Then the darned stuff would continue to pull apart as I tried to get it going again!!! Grrrr I spin singles yarn with little twist most of the time & have had few problems in the past although my Indian spinner is a little crochetey & does tug a bit more than the newer models. But, we've had 35 or so years to become used to one another & I've spun everything from silk & dog hair on the old thing without too many problems.
I'm figuring this roving must be a wool/mohair blend which needs more twist but it's hard to remember to spin fast enough! I get in the zone, look at Ginger & Fred dance, relax & boom. It pulls apart again! Gawd, maybe this is the bobbin I glued back together with "Tough as Nails", forgetting that the damned stuff would ooze into the inner cavity & give me trouble??? Oh oh, maybe that's the problem . . . . it's tugging more than usual, I'm spinning thinner than usual & it needs more twist??? Maybe I'll just change the bobbin.


I've been working on my Sisu Fantasy socks on & off for the last couple of evenings too. After all those baby socks, they seem to go on forever . . . . . but I tried on one this morning & they're almost to the toe shaping! I love them. They feel very nice on & are a little thicker than the other yarns I've been using. Nice for fall. Should be great for winter! Won't have to wait too long to wear them if the weather keeps on like this!


My jungle is enjoying the cooler, damper weather though. The fuchsias are blooming their little hearts out, the nasturtiums & geraniums are in full bloom & the ferns are looking very full & happy. And my pole beans are loaded with beans! Guess what I'm having for dinner?? Here's just a corner of the 4 foot cedar planter I bought from a roadside craftsman this spring. I filled it with all the shade loving plants - well, I did tuck in a couple of geraniums for more color too!! And it's up against the back wall of my patio where it's shady most of the afternoon when the rest of my west-facing patio bakes in the sun. This corner stays moist & cool so my houseplants like all the spiders, christmas cactus & the jades, survive the summer quite nicely.