Fun With Fiber

I got a package in the mail yesterday! Three lbs of Corriedale fleece which I started washing up today. It is so soft and long when it's washed. I only did a little because I am still working on reorganizing the basement. I found time to spin up the yellow, aqua and white roving I dyed though, and it came out very nice. I am having a problem with too much twist which I read is common with beginners. The solution(s) seem to be 1. Treadle slower and 2. Spin the spun yarn counterclockwise to take some of the twist out. I tried the second with some yarn I had spun and it seems to work although it's more work to have to respin off the bobbin. I left it on my lazy kate and the just spun to a new bobbin on the wheel. I was treadling slower today and there was some yarn that didn't get enough twist into it although that's easy to fix too. Anyway, I am going to knit a hat with my first skein even though it has too much twist. And I'm going to try and concentrate on getting an even yarn and not worry about twist too much. I also found instructions on how to make wool combs online. http://blog.loxosceles.org/posts/1147125661.shtml Since the cheapest ones I've found are $99, this is way better. I'm going out to Lowes tomorrow and get the materials.
While I was cleaning the corner where my rugmaking wool is I came across some roving I dyed maybe 3 years ago and was going to spin on the drop spindle but didn't. So I spun up some of that too, and it turned out pretty nice. I have at least 3 ozs of it, maybe a bit more and it will make a nice hat or maybe fingerless gloves.
I made a hat yesterday to match some fingerless gloves that are in my Etsy store. I used the leftover yarn from the gloves and then some dark green from another project. It turned out very nice; perfect for St Pattys Day. If it doesn't sell I might wear it and the gloves myself. I haven't taken any pics yet but I will.

Finally I Can Post Pics!

Ms Kiwi and yarn!

No Pictures!

I had a nasty computer virus that John had to fix for me. He ended up reformatting and now I can't upload pictures! I don't know what the problem is but he has to hook me up to the network anyway so he said he'd fix it then. I have pics of my new wheel to post! And of the yarn I spun. There's a bit too much twist to it so I need to work on that. I'm going to have to tear myself away from spinning and work on the basement some more today; I've made a big dent in the unorganization and I would really like to keep it up. I got really sick last week when I first started cleaning; I had a nasty allergic reaction that turned into a respiratory thing that lasted almost a week. I got a mask at Target and I'm going to wear that today.

We had about 8 inches of snow or so between yesterday and today. It snowed yesterday on and off all day but not really hard, but then last night when John and I went to pick Sio up from school it really started coming down. And then this morning apparently we had an earthquake although I didn't feel anything. It was 4.something on the Richter scale. We had one not that long ago, too, maybe a year or two. It's kind of weird; we never used to get them. I guess New York is really getting snow today; I think Melissa is going to work from home.

First Kettle Dyeing Attempt

Well I gave kettle dyeing a try this morning after reading what I could find on line, and I'd say the results were so-so. I used Cushings dyes because I have a lot of them in different colors and I have all my dyeing equiptment already. I pre-wetted the roving so it was squishy wet but there was no water on top of it in the pot. Then I mixed and poured on the dyes. I used sky blue, green and canary. I was a bit afraid of the dyes running together on the bottom and making mud, so I didn't use as much dye as I should have. Next time I'll use at least a third more than I did this time. Some of the colors must have seperated in the dyes and run together because I got some purple spots. Maybe there's a little red in the canary yellow and it mixed with the sky blue. But there are some pretty big white spots and I want to avoid that next time. I saw one tutorial where the person added each dye individually and then waited for it to be absorbed before she added the next. That might work better. Another thing I should have done was squish the dye into the roving more before I put the pot on the stove; I'm sure I would have gotten better results. Anyway, after all the dyes were poured on I brought the pot up to steaming without letting it boil and then left it for about half an hour. The dye was exhausted by that point so I went ahead and dumped it all into the sink, rinsed it well and then hung it in the bathroom to dry. All in all it was a learning experience, and I'm sure it will be dry and ready to go as soon as the wheel gets here on Monday.

To Dye Or Not To Dye

....Ok, who am I fooling? I got a pound of this nice corriedale roving that shipped separately from my wheel. The roving came by mail and the wheel is being shipped UPS and will probably be here on Monday or Tuesday. Anyway, I can't see that the roving will be the same color as it is now when the wheel gets here. I'm going to look for a kettle dyeing tutorial because I love the way the kettle dyed rovings look. I figure that 4 ozs of dyed roving will make enough yarn for a hat for sure. In the spirit of going to see Great Big Sea next month I might dye my first batch pink and green and leave some white spaces. Or maybe not. It will depend on what hits me at the time. I will take pics and post them though.

I'm also posting pics of the cabled scarf which is really really easy. Anybody who wants to learn to cable would be fine with this scarf. I can take this with me anywhere and not screw it up, even over to mom's where it is really really hard to concentrate on anything. I tried my first fair isle hat over there and had to give it up because it's so distracting trying to follow directions. But this scarf is fine, and I think it's turning out nice. It's definitely a winter scarf though, the yarn is heavy for a worsted and really warm.

Cabled Scarf and Wheel Stuff

I ordered my wheel yesterday and it shipped today! I'm hoping it gets here on Saturday but it might not be til Monday or Tuesday. I am really excited and I can't wait til it gets here! It comes with a lb of fiber and extra bobbins too, so I can get started right away. Plus I have a lot of fiber here already.

I started a cabled scarf yesterday and am about 1/5th of the way through I'd say. I am using Yarn Bees Rainbow Wool in Maritime, which is variegated blues. I really like this yarn, I made a shawl from it last fall. I bought one ball and realized i would need more so i bought the last one Hobby Lobby had today. I hope it's enough; I can't imagine a scarf would take more than 2 balls of yarn unless i decide to make it super long or something. I'll post pics later on when I take some.

Lots of Fibery Things

Ok, well here are two hats I made in the last 4 or 5 days. The first one is a basic hat with a k2p2 ribbing that I knit using Universal yarn's Classic Worsted Tapestry yarn. It was leftover from the mittens I made for Siobhan last fall. I made a hat last year using the same yarn in a different color; I just love the way it knits up. It's an acrylic/wool blend. The second hat has a very simple lace edge. It came out ok, except I should have used a dk weight instead of worsted because the lace pattern doesn't show up that well. I have a bunch of Hobby Lobbys I Love This Yarn that I was going to use for an afghan that didn't happen, so I used some of it for this hat. I think I'm going to make it again. Tha pattern is from Headhuggers: http://www.headhuggers.org/patterns/kpatt18.htm
Siobhan and I couldn't contain ourselves and we bought some yarn over the weekend. We went to String Theory which is a knitting shop in Glen Ellyn because I couldn't find a size 8 16 inch circular anywhere else. I also bought a size 7 16 inch circular and Siobhan got a ball of chunky single ply black yarn that I can't remember the brand of. I have to say that if what you're looking for is fancy yarn String Theory is a nice place. If you're looking for more basic workhorse yarns, like Lambs Pride worsted for example, they just don't carry them. That being the case I bought some yarn at Hobby Lobby a ball of Yarn Bees Rainbow Wool which I was planning on using for a cabled hat but I might go back and get another ball and make a cabled scarf instead. I also want to practice Fair Isle some more and I found a hat that uses 3 colors. I had some cream at home, I'm using the green for most of the hat and the purple variegated and cream for the Fair Isle part.
I also got my new cards and I have a lot of wool carded, but I still have a lot more to wash and card. I have a big basket of wool ready to be spun. I am going to do some dyeing today I think; I saw some really nice roving on E-bay so I think I'm going to try and get the same look with the roving I've prepared. There were 3 colors that were put together and them there was a picture of what it looked like spun up. I wish I had a scale. I am also ordering my wheel today as soon as John gets home. I have checked everything i possibly can and I am going with Ashfords Kiwi. It's just the best value for a beginner spinner like me.
Sio and I went shopping yesterday which was fun. We had lunch and I got a new pair of jeans which I really needed. I also got a top on clearance, some earrings and a bunch of bangles on sale and Sio and I went into Payless where we got sucked into the buy 1 get 1 at half price. So we both got new shoes. I really liked mine so I put them on right away and wore them until I stepped into a crack in the parking lot at Jewel and twisted my foot which still hurts a bit this morning. I guess that's what I get for being vain about my new shoes.

Rough Seas

I had to post this video of some Newfoundland ships in some high seas. The song is Jolly Roving Tar by the Fables; they recordered it before Great Big Sea did. This is a really nice video!

Long Draw Spinning

I found this video over on YouTube that shows longdraw spinning. From the way mom has described Nan spinning, it sounds like this is what she did.


I don't know what I'd do without YouTube; it seems like anytime I want to see how someone does something I can find a video. I am getting really excited about the wheel now! I can't wait til I have enough hand spun to knit a hat or scarf! I have the Newfoundland heritage fleece that Siobhan bought for me in the early fall all carded and combed and ready to go! The fleece I'm working on now isn't nearly as nice, although I will spin it too. I may dye some of it today or tomorrow, I'd like to dye some roving and then maybe mix 2 colors like blue and green or maybe a light and dark of the same shade. I don't necessarily want to spin 2 separate strands and then ply them; I want it to mix as part of the same piece of roving. I'd like to be able to dye anything the way I want instead of having to buy prepared roving which is so much more expensive.
I have to go to the dentist today. I'll be glad when we have all this stuff finished!

Back to the Fiber Arts

We watched the Dallas/Minnesota game at Chris and Richard's yesterday and I crocheted a pretty piece of edging from a fingering weight yarn I bought at Wool and Co. last summer. I'm going to crochet another piece the same size while I am at the dentist with Sio today; she's having a really bad time with one of her wisdom teeth. Anyway, I amd going to sew the lace to the ends of a piece of black wool I have and use it for a shawl. I also got some more of my fleece carded. After talking it over with John I'm going to order my spinning wheel probably the last week of January. It would be nice to think that I could get it all carded and maybe even some of it dyed before the wheel gets here but that probably won't happen. I am going to bid on some new cards on E-bay this week and if I don't win those there is a buy-it-now for $40. Gary was at Chris' and he and Chris were pretty interested in the carding process. Gary said he might need to know how to do it when Armageddon happens in 2012.
On another subject, here is one of my favorite videos with Mary Kennedy. It is Puirt a Beul, which translated means "mouth music". It's from the Tranatlantic Sessions which were done a few years ago.

Is it March Yet?

Ok, I was wandering around youtube today and I found this video from the GBS show in Glen Ellyn. Right around the 57 second mark you hear someone yelling "We love you Murray!", followed by Sean and Alan's impromptu song. The person who yelled is my lovely daughter Siobhan, who was extremely enthusiastic. The video isn't the best quality, but I just had to post it anyway. After some thought, we have decided that we are going to buy tickets for the Saturday, March 20th show first, and then if finances permit we are also going to get tickets for Fridays show as well. It occured to me yesterday that starting with my birthday on the 7th of March, and ending on the 20th there will be a lot of celebrating going on. I promised Chris that he would get St. Paddys Day this year because I kind of wimped out at the Halfway to St. Paddys Day this past September. I am so looking forward to this; it's going to be way better than Christmas! Is it March yet?

Christmas outfit and other stuff

I took Josette over to moms today and took pics of her in her Christmas dress. This is Robe Tallieur from 1918. The under dress is a simple sleevless A-line made from a cotton with diamonds in a shiny thread woven in. The outer jacket is made from a dark red raw silk and I used the scallop stitch on my machine to finish all the edges. The outfit is finished off with a black silk ribbon belt that ties in back. This is not my favorite dress that I've made for my Bleu, but I do like it. The under dress pattern was a bit big when made from the pattern as printed in Le Semaine De Suzette, I had to take it in quite a bit. Other than that it fit pretty well.

The white blouse is 1911's Guimpe Brodee. I used a different embroidery pattern on the yoke than was printed in that edition of the magazine. It is made from plain white cotton muslin and is gathered into the yoke and at the waist. Poor little girl has nothing to waer this with and so has to model in her underwear! I may make her a jumper or something to wear this with later on.

I was talking to a friend yesterday and relized I haven't really done a lot lately except for Carla's hanky quilt and the doll clothes. I started looking at quilt pictures yesterday and found this red and white one from the 1890's. Instead of a solid red with white I am doing all the reds in scrap. I have the center panel almost finished and I just started it yesterday. I figured the math and it will finish about 66"x76" which will be ok for a full or an extra quilt for company. If I get the top done quickly I might hand quilt it.

Paula's needlework and Music blog

Ok, I should change the name of this blog to Paulas Needlework and Music or something. Anyway, here's a top notch video of my current favorite Foo Fighters video, Let It Die. Youtube cannot do justice to the opening guitar for this song; it's essential to listen in stereo with volume fully cranked. But here it is from youtube, such as it is:


I know I've written before in this blog how I have to agree with Rich's comment that, as tragic as it might have been, if Kurt Cobain hadn't died the real talent of Nirvana may have never been realized. Song's like this just reinforce that view. Chris also pointed out how Hole came out of that too, although Courtney was already involved with her band before Kurts death. Anyway, looking back from many years later,I wonder would alternative music have broken into the mainstream they way it did with out Nirvana? There were other really good bands that came out of that whole Seattle scene; Pearl Jam and Soundgarden being just 2 of my favorites and both of them, in my opinion, better bands then Nirvana ever was. Chris has said that he thinks it's a terrible thing that Nirvana will be the band that his generation is connected with, and I have to agree with him. Not that I'm trashing Nirvana; they were a good band, it's just they weren't the best.

Another Bleu Dress

This is one of my favorite little dresses for Josette, it is the school apron from La Semaine De Suzette originally printed in 1906. I made it in a dark teal cotton with tiny little black designs and black collar, belt and hem band. Little girls would have school aprons in darker colors so as not to show the ink and other stains that might have gotten on their clothes. I have Josette standing in front of the wooden table and chair that I found at the thrift store last week for $3 for both pieces! I am slowly building up props and toys for her. The temporary table cloth is a vintage hankie. I want to make an embroidered one for her using colors from the tea set Melissa got in Mexico. I think that will be my sewing project while I am at moms doing laundry later this week. I'll probably work on it in the evenings too if I watch any tv this week.
I am working on a snowman quilt for Sio so I'm going to keep working on that today. I'd like to get it done by the end of the month. She doesn't want any fancy quilting, just straight lines. I don't have a fabric for the borders; I'm thinking of ordering a snowflake print.
On another subject, Great Big Sea is coming back to House of Blues in March. I am so ambivalent about that place. I really don't think the sound is that good, and last year the staff was very rude. I know I'll break down and go anyway, it just pisses me off. If I have another bad staff experience I am going to write a letter to the corporate office and complain.

Christmas Bleuette

I haven't blogged in so long! This year I am going to try and keep more on posting things I've made. In line with that, here are a couple of pictures of my Bleuette, Mademoiselle Josette. Melissa went to Mexico just a couple of months ago and she brought back some Christmas presents for her "little sister", and I made her a few. The little tea set, stuffed sheep and set of green bowls are from Melissa; the little stuffed dog, the cape and hat, lingerie bag, little work basket and the robe were all made by me.I don't have a picture to post of her in her Christmas dress, but I will dress her in it and take one soon.

I have had some nasty dental work in the last week and while I was recovering I made the light blue dress using a pattern I bought from a lady on e-bay. The length of the dress and the design is ok, but the arm holes are a bit snug. I tried the dress on her before I set the sleeves in because it looked like it might be a snug fit. I ended up making the underarm a little deeper and it looked like it would be enough but it wasn't quite. It still looks ok, but I think I'll try it again before too long and alter the underarm just a bit more. All the lace on the dress is vintage. I am going to limit my doll sewing for a bit now though; Carla and I are going to try and make some bags together, plus I am working on a quilt for Siobhan. I think what I'm going to do is make up a bag with pattern(s), fabrics, trims, needles and matching thread and keep it handy and then only work on doll clothes when I am spending the day at moms doing laundry.

Them Crooked Vultures

Ok, I had heard that this band was going to happen awhile ago, but I didn't get too excited about it. Too often, when members of different "supergroups" come together to make a new "supergroup" the results are disappointing. Not with these guys! All I can say is "Holy shit!" With John Paul Jones on bass, Dave Grohl from Foofighters on drums, and Josh Homme from Queens of the Stoneage on guitar and vocals this band has tons of potential and they really have some great music. Anybody who knows me knows what a huge Zep fan I am; and I love Foofighters too. My brother once said that if Kurt had stayed alive and Nirvana had stayed together the world may never have known who the really talented member of that band was, and I agree with that whole heartedly. I'm not familiar with Queens of the Stoneage, but I'm impressed with The Crooked Vultures, so Mr. Homme gets points from me there. The album won't be out til Nov. 16th, but there is a pre-release song on the website called New Fang. Even better than that they did a couple of surprise shows in Europe, and I have watched video over on youtube for the last hour, which has only whetted my appetite. In spite of the not great video, it's worth watching. The band has some Zeppelinesque moments, especially in the song Elephants, and at times Dave's resounding rhythm has a bit of White Stripes feel to it. All in all though I'd say they are just some really talented guys who got together to do what they do best, and they do it excellently. This is one of my favorites, called Scumbag Blues.

Siobhans New Pants

I made these pants for Sio late last week. I originally wanted to make different ones, but she rejected my original idea and so I came up with these instead. She certainly won't get lost in any snowstorms!

Finished Mittens! Next Project Elizabethan Embroidered Coif

I finally finished Siobhans mittens. For a first pair I think they came out ok. I had some trouble with the thumb gusset and I sewed it closed a little at the base of the thumb, but I think they are pretty good for a first effort. They took almost a full ball of yarn.

I feel a bit of a costuming fit coming on and since I've found it's best to just go with it I decided to make an embroidered coif. I can make this entirely by hand in the evenings when I'm watching tv or whatever.I drew the embroidery design right onto the pattern and then transferred the whole thing to fabric. I am going to do the embroidery in DMC cotton rather than silk because it's cheaper and because if it ever does get worn (although I don't know by who) it can be washed easily.

Ah The Internet

Occasionally it comes back to me how much I love the internet. It's hard to remember what I did without it! No matter who the band is or how obscure, somebody, somewhere will have put up a youtube video. Not that the Mediaeval Baebes are obscure in the realm of ancient music, because they aren't; but I can safely say that they aren't mainstream music. Anyway, this video is from 2002 at the Festival of Immortality. The immortal creatures that the ladies have decided to be for the event are perfect for the upcoming holiday. I'm not a big Halloween fan, but I couldn't pass this up. Vampires singing a 15th century carol that we have come to associate with Christmas. What better way to kick off the fall/winter season?

Great Big Sea in Glen Ellyn

Well I have to say that what could have been less than a good performance by the by's turned into one of the best shows I have seen them put on. The show was at the MacAnnich Arts Center at the College of Dupage, a place where I'd never been before. The theater holds about 850 people and the sound there was really good, especially when compared with the sound at House of Blues last March when they were here. The only thing is, the crowd was a bit strange for a GBS show. More refined and less rowdy. There are a large number of big money donors who get free and/or discounted seats and probably go to all the performances put on through out the year. Put that with the probability that most of them probably live in Glen Ellyn, Oak Brook, and some of the other more affluent suburbs and that would explain why the crowd was a bit more subdued. I think some of them may have had no idea what happens at a GBS show. Siobhan and some other people stood up to clap and dance pretty early on during the first set and they were told to sit down; that's never happened at any of the 6 previous shows I've seen them at. It's impossible to stay in your seat when Alan Doyle is constantly telling people to "Make some noise" "Clap your hands" and saying "Come on every body up". Any GBS fan knows that this band is a full out audience participation band. Which after seeing them 7 times still amazes me. I mean, these guys are a group of folk singers from Newfoundland! Anyway, the problem of the more wet blanket audience members in the balcony was solved by those of us who wanted to dance crawling over the wet blankets (and I mean over, as in hopping rows of seats with people in them rather than walking around) to the back of the balcony where you could stand and dance and sing without bothering anybody too much. And I have to say the show was excellent. They started almost right on time; maybe 10 minutes late. They played 2 sets. The first was shorter and it included some songs I haven't heard them do in awhile like The Chemical Workers Song and Ferryland Sealer. They ended the first set with Run Run Away. There was a short intermission and then they came back and really outdid themselves with a longer and even better set. I think they were trying to get all of the audience involved and they did a fine job of it. There was the usual comedic banter; at one point Alan was saying how they had been picking on Murray so much that he was a little sorry for him. Siobhan yelled out "We love you Murray" and Sean made up a little impromptu song right on the spot. It went something like "We love you Murray cause you're cuddly and furry". We'll never hear the end of that from her I'm sure. The encores were great too; there were 2 of them and they played 7 songs. I don't have a set list but this a list of what they did in no particular order. Captain Kidd, Jack Hinks, Sweet Forget Me Not, Charlie Horse, Gideon Brown, Donkey Riding, Tshialuk Girls/Billy Peddle (they opened the 2nd set with that), Scolding Wife, Paddy Murphy, When I am King, Straight to Hell, Here and Now, John Barbour, England, General Taylor, Helmethead, Ordinary Day, Chemical Workers Song, Ferryland Sealer, Run Run Away, Bob did a solo of the old Irish tune Butcher Boy (I wonder if that will end up on a new album?), Consequence Free, Mary Mac, I'm a Rover (this was preceded by Sean doing a lead in of "Oh What A Night"), Old Black Rum, Lukeys Boat, Excursion Round the Bay/Fortune (part of the encore like it always is) and they ended the night with Rant and Roar. I may have forgotten something, but this list is pretty close to complete. All in all it was a great show, especially the second set. The two times I've seen them at the Metro were a little better I think, although I think that was more the crowd than the band. And by the end of the second set it was a lot better. If it hadn't been for the crowd, this could have been better than the Metro shows. The energy was there and the band was doing their damndest to get everybody up and into it. I said to Siobhan on the way home that some of those people who had no idea what kind of show it was going to be walked out of there GBS fans last night.
Being the fans that we are I did something that I've never done before; even in my heydey of seeing rock bands in the 70's. We had located the bus before the show, and as soon as we got out of there we went and stood in front of the drive where it was parked. It was cold and windy and a little rainy and at 51 years old I stood there in the weather with Siobhan and some other people, hoping for a chance at a picture or an autograph or whatever. After about 20 minutes there started to be a little activity, and then maybe 15 minutes after that they started loading equiptment. A nice man from Halifax came out and asked if we were waiting for autographs. He said the band was already on the bus and they weren't really inclined to come back out in the cold and wet,(although compared to some of the Newfoundland weather I've experienced I'd say it was almost balmy) but he would get us autographs. There were programs printed up (that was a first, too) they had a nice picture of the band so the few of us who were brave enough to stand out in the crappy weather got them signed. I actually had misplaced mine (I think it got lost when we crawled over the seats) but Sio had hers and that was more important anyway.

Another Hat

Boy has it turned cold! And it was super windy yesterday; I was out riding my bike and it was not fun riding into the wind! It's supposed to be cold but not so much wind today.
I finally got the Fair Isle hat finished. I unravelled it once and redid it using a different yarn for the pattern. The ribbing looks ruffled but I think that's because the grey yarn I used was a bit thicker than the blue and because Fair Isle knitting just ends up a bit tighter. It's a little too small for me. If I make it again I'm going to use yarn that's all the same and a needle that's a bit bigger for the body of the hat. I used a size 6 this time. Next time I'll use a 6 circular for the ribbing and a 7 or 8 for the rest of the hat.
I also finished a scarf which I'm not posting pics of because it's a gift. And Sio brought me two more balls of the Classic Worsted Tapestry yarn from the yarn store in Dekalb. I'm not sure what I'm going to make yet; maybe some arm warmers or mittens.

Cabled Hat

This hat was pretty easy and looks nice. I used Naturally Nazareth yarn that i had bought a year ago at Wool and Co. in Geneva and the pattern is here http://www.headhuggers.org/patterns/kpatt11.htm. I can say that cables are not nearly as intimidating as I thought they were. I think I will make this hat again; it only took a couple of days and it looks really nice. I think I'm going to try a Fair Isle hat next. I also found another pattern I want to try. It's a ribbed hat made with chunky yarn and some of the yarns that were used by people on Ravelry have some really nice colors. I just unraveled a 100% chunky cream colored wool sweater and I'm going to dye 100 yards of the yarn today. I'll have to buy a 10.5 16 inch circular though cause I don't have one.

Knitted Hat! and Other Stuff

I went to visit Siobhan in Dekalb on Saturday. I took the train into Elburn and she picked me up and we drove back to Dekalb. It was a really nice afternoon, and I really like the yarn store. It's a lot less foofy than Wool and Co. in Geneva, and the prices are less than Wool and Co.'s too. They have lots of good, basic, usable yarns and everything is sorted by weight and easy to find. Carla bought me some yarn at a shop in Evanston a couple of years ago that was really nice to work with. Have Ewe Any Wool in Elmhurst used to carry it, but they closed and I had to order it online if I wanted any. Well, they carry it in Dekalb. They also carry a really nice acrylic/wool blend by Universal Yarn; it called Classic Worsted Tapestry and I bought a skein for a knit hat. I started it in Dekalb at a park where Sio and I stopped and finished it yesterday; it came out so nice! I have not quite a half ball left.
I also started hooking the pillow, I got the roof of the house done and I'm probably going to work on it today. I am still kind of reorganizing the basement a bit, too. I got half the wool washed, but I think I'm going to leave it for today and go back to it tomorrow. I realized i had never posted a pic of the finished striped scrap mat, so here's one. Sio is getting this one, she really likes it.
John and I went out to Blackwell yesterday and Chris met us out there. I caught a nice 16 inch bass, and a 21 or 22 inch northern. The pics are on my new phone and I haven't figured how to get them off yet. As soon as I do I'll post them.

House and Boat Rug

Ok, this is another Deanne Fitzpatrick design. It's small, about 12x 14 inches, so will make a nice pillow. I am going to look through my wools and plan colors today, and then see if I'll have to dye anything.
I also got 2 big bags of unwashed, straight from the sheep, fleece which I am going to start washing today. I picked through some of it yesterday and got the sticks and grass out. I looked up the Fine Line in St. Charles yesterday to see if they have any spinning classes, but they don't. They do sell Louet wheels, but I still haven't found a better deal than the Ashford Kiwi I was looking at yet. I think I'll probably end up with that wheel. I can buy add ons to spin fine or chunky yarn so it will last me a long time. I need to find some place that I can get to easily where there are classes though, because I really want to take one.

Nathan Rogers Northwest Passage

I just found this video over on youtube. Anyone who has heard Stan Rogers sing, close your eyes and listen to his son. It's amazing how much they sound alike! Sorry about the clip, it's not the whole song.



Such a great singer/songwriter/teller of stories was lost to Canada and the rest of the world in Stan Rogers. It's good to see this.