Rain, Rain Don't Go Away

I washed lots of alpaca this weekend and I was excited to have it ready to process. But alas it was not to be so. So far we have gotten at least one rain shower each day and it fails to get dry. I am truly excited about the rain as it is badly needed but my fiber won't dry. I suppose it does give an excuse to let mt poor dried out hands have a rest. All I need is a few hours of good sun...I may be waiting for a while but at least I am not wasting time watering plants. Maybe I can get some projects finished. Well I can dream, can't I?

Bug Bites

Well, I have to admit that I have been bitten by a new "bug" or really a new craft. In my defense, it does go along with the knitting. I am now a budding spinner. I had an Ashford Country Spinner that a lady gave me and another homemade wheel my Mom got at auction some time ago. That one needs a bit of work.

I had gotten the Ashford in working shape but it is really for bulky yarn and I needed to start elsewhere.  My main focus is spinning cotton so, after some research, I ordered a Tahkli spindle and Charkha wheel from India. I am getting pretty good with these.

Of course as usual the exotic called and I had to collect strange fibers. I have hoarded several types of sheep wool, alpaca in many colors, some mohair, and even a llama or two. You can guess that I have been driving the family crazy with sinks full of hair and drying wool everywhere.

The spindles I got are great but a bit slow so I started drooling over wheels. I am having trouble with leg pain from the treadle so my eyes focused on electric. I bought a little Kissell and it is really fun. It has limitations though. It is configured opposite of the Ashford so I was awkward with it at first.

I had a birthday recently so it must have been meant for me. That day I found a used Ertoel Roberta at an excellent price. I had longed for one but they are quite pricey if new. It arrived this week and I am in love. It drives like the Ashford with the drive on the bobbin. There are terms for that but I get them confused so I will skip them.

The llama is going well as I figure out how to do the adjustments. Not only is she beautiful but Roberta is so quiet. My husband even noticed the difference.

I don't know where it will end up but I got some lovely Angelina fiber this week. Stay tuned to see what happens next. Anything with long hair is now fair game. The sky is the limit.

I am back!

I can't believe my last post was in 2011. Here it is 2013. I finally got my own computer and it should have made this much easier but I got busy and it fell by the wayside. Lately I have been thinking about all of the things I have been doing and I realized that I really should get back to my chronicle. So here I am after a long pause.

What have you been up to? Or I guess I should tell you all about what I have been up to. Oodles and oodles of things since 2011. Lately I am working on learning to spin. I am proud of my first efforts. I will try to share them with you soon. I have also been reading and knitting and crocheting and all kinds of other crafts. I hope you will stick around and listen to my tales. See ya!

Busy...busy...busy!

Sorry I vanished like that but I have been really busy and I will have lots to share with you very soon. I finished the shrug for my daughter, designed and made two pairs of fingerless mitts with paw prints on them for my daughter and her friend. Then I went on a retreat this last weekend and made a strange quilt top. I also have made several versions of a new neck warmer pattern by Teva Durham that I like. Now I need to learn how to post pics so I can show you all the things I have done lately. I promise to do that shortly.

In the midst of my whirlwind of activity I have completed several books I would like to share also. I will put my thoughts about them in a separate post. I have a whole stack here just waiting for me too. The pressure...so intense! No really, I do feel like I need to hurry sometimes. So many good books and so little time to read them.

The weather here is supposed to cool off this week and I am ready. That does remind me that I will have to start on chores I put off this summer because it was just too darn hot. Well I have to go to work now but I will work on those pics and I will be back soon.

Oh my aching brain!

For a long time now I have thought it would be at least interesting and maybe even fun to try this blogging thing. I have read a lot of other peoples entries. Some were very clever and others left me with the feeling that I certainly couldn't do a worse job. Well, I am learning that I need to do a lot of learning. This is a tad complicated and you have to make so many choices. So far I am enjoying myself. I wouldn't say it is in any way an obsession (even a minor one) yet but you just never know.

Today I have added some cool things to the site. Little bars and other things I hope will make the place more inviting. I might just decide at some point it would be nice if someone actually read some of this. This site has made it very easy to do some neat things. I really had no idea what I was getting myself into. I will keep you updated on all of the things I think are just extremely keen.

What I really wanted to do today was make it easier to subscribe. I told my best friend about my little corner and I notice she has not signed up to get my updates. I am not feeling rejected...really I am not. I am going to tell myself that I had no way to subscribe by email and we all know my friend is not a social media expert. I say that because I know she would be the first to agree. But now she has no excuse.Yes that's a hint.You know who you are.

Now with all of that said, I am almost finished with my current book and I will let you all know my final thoughts shortly. The shrug is closer to completion but it has been a busy week. The post work hours have included meetings and with two children in sports this term there has not been a lot of free time. Monday I am going to a quilting "thing" and I am sure I will have news to report on that front.

I almost forgot! Yesterday we made a trip to the store. I managed to save $30.00 and scored some free Visine. In the mail today I received some lotion and a perfume sample that my daughter liked. I even saved $10.00 for my Mom this trip. I think I will go to bed early tonight. After reading about all of the things I learned this week...my brain is hurting!

My Freebies

I told you before that I started really giving coupons a second look. I have used them in the past for a few things but mostly I considered them a waste of time and effort. I usually just purchase store brands to save money instead. Now that I have taken another look I realize there is a whole subculture out there devoted to using these things and it is almost like a game to see who can make the best deals and save the most. You know I love a good game so.....

I was able to get a good coupon at the drugstore and I got some gum that should have been $3.14  for only $.43 after it was all done. When I got home with my loot I scored again. I had three free product samples waiting  in the mailbox for me. I felt like the savings queen and it was a nice little high.

Most of the coupon regulars would probably scoff at my humble takings but in my mind I counted coup with the bravest of the brave. I am now planning for my next assault. I intend to venture into the wilds of the pet supermarket and bring back the prize of fancy cat food for cheap. I know I will be the feline queen at my house for a while if nothing else. Wish me luck and if I should survive the rigors of the trip, I will return to extol the great moments of our foray into the unknown.

UFO sightings at my house!

I decided to work on the shrug and start a new book too. You don’t have to make those hard decisions. Just do them all. I made more headway on the knitting project so I will save the book for later. I completed the front panels and about half of the sleeves. I am not so good with  lace knitting yet and I find it hard to get the rhythm of the patterns. Once I got going it started to fall into place and went faster.

So far this pattern has three motifs I have had to learn. I very nearly gave up on the first one but I am glad I stuck with it. It is really very beautiful when done correctly. I need to finish the sleeves, put the panels together and then there is a border- like collar thing to do. But I am feeling more confident about finishing it in time for the cool weather.

Speaking of weather, we have been having a drought here all summer and we finally got some showers this weekend. The temperature is a little lower. That’s definitely a relative term. I am ready for rain and a cold front. Yes, I realize that sounds a little weird but it has been nothing but hot and dry here for months. People have even been getting excited when a hurricane enters our neck of the ocean.

I have been getting into free samples lately. I am waiting for them to arrive in my box so I can try some new things. I have found so many great blogs and sites about this. If you are interested, you need to check it out. I have found lots of great articles about dos and don’ts so read up before you get started. The other week I managed my first free things at the store. I”couponed” for a free candy bar and two free bottles of juice. I was so proud. In this economy, that is something to be happy about. I will let you know when I snag some more. Please let me know if you find any great deals out there. 

Couponing is really pretty new to me. I have used them in the past but not to any great extent. I have relied on store brands to keep prices down. They are usually the same quality and sometimes we like them better. Recently my husband bought some cereal and my son said he didn’t like it as well as the store equivalent I usually purchase. So even though I am annoying my husband by taking longer to make the grocery trip, he did notice that I saved $10.00 dollars on the last trip to Walmart.

Well, it’s time to go to work now so I will shove off. I hope to soon be able to tell you I am through with the knitting and am finishing a quilting project I started a month or two ago. I am really close on that one too. I am declaring war on UFO’s (UnFinished Objects) and they will be finished by gum!! I am supposed to go to a retreat next month and I want to have something to show for myself. Plus I am ready to try out the new quilting machine my mother bought. The last parts came in yesterday so we are officially good to go. Well, as soon as I have a project ready to quilt anyway. I think I had better get busy!