Ta Da

Do I have to say more??? The Orange superwash is still on the bobbins because I just haven't had time to get it off but here's the Purple Majesty superwash - only one bag is done by the way & Pink Elephant - I just had to have it in mid Tour & I was able to spin it when I got tired of the Purple . . . all of which were spun as singles yarn. I had intended to spin them much finer & thought I did on the Suzie Pro but once they came off the skein winder & hit the water. Poof! They came out as fingering weight so they won't be plied. This may have been unintended consciously but my unconscious knows I prefer to spin the weight I want without any more 'fiddling' with it.

The Purple will become socks in the Ravellenic Games - Ravelry's celebration of the Olympic Games which we aren't allowed to mention in regards to our Celebration. I've entered the Purple in the Sock Put. Hopefully I will knit the Orange too if I get a chance to get to it in time. I will also be trying to finish the Arvik Ribbons sweater that is partly done & got abandoned in a bag at the beginning of Tax Season when I had to juggle Taxes & the job at the School when Bryan went to drive a bus. I'd really, really like to finish it first.

The skein of Pink Elephant?? Well - it's Polworth, which means it's soft, it felts & it's not good for socks. It might become a cowl, a hat or a dainty scarf. Not sure so it will marinate for a while. I may even hang it up on my skein rack as ART.

All That Spinning . . .

I've done more spinning in the past three weeks for the Tour de Fleece than I've done in the past year! Why?? I don't know. I think knitting got in the way. Maybe I was just afraid of my new Suzie Pro. Damned if I know. I DO know that I thought Suzie would be small & easy to move around when I bought her. She turned out to weigh twice as much as my old Indian spinner. The Old Indian takes up twice the space, mind you, but it's much lighter & so much easier to take places because it's not fancy. I don't have to worry about dings or scratches. It came as a Plain Jane sawhorse with a giant spindle on top, 40 years ago! SuzieP is a Fauncy Piece in her designer wood & sealed bearings. Maybe she just intimidated me. Since the Old Indian had almost a full bobbin - I can spin a couple of pounds of yarn on that thing - I dug out SuzieP for this year's Contest.

I have to admit, I enjoyed it. SuzieP snuggles in close when I watch TV. She's heavy but doesn't have to be moved whenever I get up & down. And she's so very quiet. Only problem is those tiny bobbins!!! I soooooooo love the big bobbin on the Indian but he's noisy & has to be moved every time you get up or need to change position. And then I have to steal myself to spend an afternoon winding ALL that yarn off . . . .


Because I enjoyed spinning so much, I started spinning a NEW braid called 'Pink Elephant'. It caught my fancy in an Etsy shop - operated by a Vendor who has a Group called Sunset Fibres on Ravelry. The spinning is close to the actual color. The color changes in every single picture I take!! I just don't understand how to adjust the light & try to take the photos outside if I can. Since it was raining & quite dark, I couldn't take a photo outside when it was still in the braid! I've stolen the actual photo from the Etsy shop to show what caught my attention. The bobbin photo was taken under my 'Daylight' bulb so it's pretty close. There's a surprising variety of colors in the braid! A little peach, purple, three or four shades of grey, some blush pink & a touch of dark charcoal. There's nothing even remotely socky about this fibre! It's soft, the colors muted - there's something distinctly feminine & lacy about it, even sitting on the bobbin as it is. I smell a rat! Someone somehow has hatched a plot to drag me into the Cowl Knit-a-long after all . . . .

Still Spinning


Yes, I am still spinning in the Tour de Fleece! I've finished my orange Superwash roving & am more than halfway through the first bag of purple Superwash roving. And that's something for me! The hands are a little tender but not so much that I can't write or continue spinning. There's one more 8 oz bag of purple Superwash - what WAS I thinking when I bought all that??? Maybe just didn't realize it all had 20% nylon in it - who knows??

I'm planning on knitting it all up into plain winter socks as my Ravellenic challenge while the Olympics are on. Oh, yes, would you believe the Olympic committee blasted the Ravelry owners for holding "Ravelympics" to support our athletes??? The world-wide population of crafters rose up & LOUDLY proclaimed their support so the Committee backed off & asked nicely to change the name. The owners did, so we are now holding the Ravellenic Games in support. Such silliness by the IOC to threaten to sue The Fans but they have the Lawyers & we have fibre.

As a backup plan, I still have the WIP Ribbons-O-Round sweater entered in the WIP Wrestling category too in case I get tired of socks. I will be sooooooo busy when the Olympics are on that I'm not sure I'll even have time to go to work!

The Dawg Days of Summer


I know how the Dawg feels these days, I'd like to take an afternoon nap myself! I've been participating in the Tour de Fleece on Ravelry again this year. Didn't produce much last year & I'm just not sure why - I can't even remember if it was as cold & wet last year. But, the sunshine has arrived, my bones are not aching as much & I feel terrific. Well, except for the right knee that's been giving me trouble but I climbed out of my thongs - wahhhhhhh - & back into my Orthopedic Sneakers & it's doing a lot better! I pronate or roll inwards when I walk but I wear special walking shoes/sneakers with a built in anti roll device. The problem is, when it's hot, I don't want to wear sneakers & socks. But, I guess I have to, most of the time or that damned knee will hurt. And then the hip hurts. Shit. But, I digress, I've been spinning for the Tour de Fleece on my new Suzie Pro. Surprise, surprise, I've already finished the first 8.2 oz of Orange Superwash!!! Wooo hoo. And now I'm onto the 10 oz of Purple Superwash that I bought a YEAR ago! I even got up early & took the Suzie Pro out to the patio & spent an hour spinning with all the new flowers.

My Mother's Day baskets were stolen a couple of weeks ago. Some Dirtbag walked through & took them right off the hooks!! It made me kind of blue & I didn't really want to go out & enjoy the patio. But, thanks to a clearance sale at Rona, I am back in business!! I got myself three baskets that needed a little love & attention. Two are hanging up & the Fuchsias are sitting in the semi shaded area where they prefer to be. I also pigged out on Geraniums - I planted all the empty pots except the giant one but I guess it's getting the remainder tonight. My bare Patio is busting out all over with blooms!!!

And what am I going to do with all this Superwash I'm spinning?? Winter socks for Moi, that's what! I know I should buy boots for the winter but in this climate, it just rains all the time - well, except for a little snow in January or February but it's not worth it unless you buy Rain boots. And Rain boots are cold & clammy so you NEED warm wooley sox. I have a couple of pairs of Rubber Garden shoes with felt insoles which are great but not quite warm enough. So, I'm going to knit nice handspun socks for my winter Rubber shoes. And my orthopedic sneakers of course . . .

Onward & Upward


I haven't spun this much in ages! And I can't believe how fast the bag is going down!! At this rate, well, I guess I'll be spinning the purple next . . . It's funny, but I've never bothered to rig the spinner so I can spin in front of the TUBE. My Indian Spinner is a little awkward & I have to spin off to the side when my knee gets sore so I usually take it outside on the patio to spin. I put a good book on the old IPod, grab a big drink & spin for a couple of hours out there. It never occurred to me to try the Suzie Pro inside. I've been watching The Journey of Man on PBS and some good Documentaries on CBC Newsworld & I needed to spin as well - so - I moved some of the clutter & the Suzie fit right in!! The last two evenings, I've been spinning in front of the tube. The pic to the left is two evenings ago & the one above is the progress last night! At the rate I'm going, I'll be making lots of socks out of handspun this fall.

And just so you don't think I have a one track mind - I just had to find some new 'car' knitting! I had this 100 gram ball of 'On Your Toes' that I wasn't sure about. It was kind of dark but has purple in it which goes with almost everything I own. I need summer socks like crazy & can't wear sneakers without something inside. And cotton just makes your feet wet!! So, I thought I'd give it a whirl & if I didn't like it, well, I could make 'em longer & throw them into the Donation Basket. Well, surprise, surprise . . . Isn't this just the prettiest sockette??? With any luck, I should get three pairs out of this ball! I like them - a lot. I can't wait to get the first pair finished & on my tootsies. And you know??? Now that I look at that ball of yarn in the daylight, well, it just doesn't seem so dark any more. Isn't that crazy???

Day Three

I joined Team Canada in the Tour de Fleece adventure with my favorite groupies from the Wednesday Nite Nitters. We spin while the Cyclists ride in the Tour de France. We rest when they rest. This is an attempt to challenge ourselves in our craft while cheering on our favorite riders at the same time.

On Saturday - Day One - I had to work so I wasn't able to spin much of anything but I did get a half hour's worth on the spinner.

On Day Two, GrannyGail, SpinQuilt, AuntyDoe & I gathered to spin for the afternoon - with a selection of neighbors & a mom, too - on AuntyDoe's covered patio. A fine time was had by all, including one mooching pooch!! The sun was present although not overwhelmingly so. Even so, by bedtime, the left half of my face was gloriously, brilliantly, beet red!

Day Three - What happened to summer??? Managed to get outside on the Patio & get several hours spinning done. Loaded the IPod with Dana Stabenow's "Blood Will Tell" audiobook - I do so love Kate Shugak!!! - and toted the Suzie Pro outside to the patio under a dark sky until it got too cold to spin. I've just about managed to finish one whole bobbin! After 30+ years of spinning on my Indian Spinner, this one is tough to get used to . . . and my right knee is complaining. I'm taking it a little at a time since that damned knee has been a bit wobbly lately. Dunno what's going on but maybe spinning will help. And then I'll get to knit some wild orange winter socks with the yarn!