Black Sheep Gathering

Had a wonderful time at BSG, and didn't even really miss the vending part of it. i felt so liberated to be able to sit through most of the Fiber Arts judging (cant remember the last time i did that.... years ago, i guess) and was happy to see Lori get 3 blue ribbons. i especially loved the child's sweater she entered... wonderful colors and design. there were not many yarn entries and the judge kept wondering aloud what all the spinners had been doing this past year. i treated myself to a new Swan spindle from Grafton Fibers. it's tulipwood and spins like a dream and for a long, long time. also, bought a lovely bundle of handdyed silk from Lisa at Dicentra. i like to treat myself to someone else's handdyed fiber occasionally, and it's usually Lisa's cause i love her colors. also, bought some alpaca/shetland blend and alpaca fleece from McKensie Alpacas. and got a rug hooking hook and linen backing to go with Judy Taylor's book so i can try something new. some days my hands and shoulders hurt so much from the spinning and knitting that it's probably a good idea to have another fiber pursuit ready in case the day comes that it hurts too much to spin and knit. the thought of not being able to do those 2 fibery things is grim, to say the least. dont even want to really think about it. i guess as long as i can stand up i'll be able to dye fiber...
Anyway, the 3 days of BSG went flying by way too quickly. lots of shopping, looking at animals, spinning, eating, visiting with friends, laughing, shopping, a couple of hours at Eugene's Saturday Market, shopping, eating.... etc.

Now i'm getting ready for a gathering of our tribe this weekend. all of my sibs and their progeny will be here, and C&K&A&Z.
am sure Pop will be delighted (and teary) to have all of us together for the first time in a few years. If DeDe were still here, it would be perfect. not sure what came over me today, but i actually washed some windows... it's been a LONG time. I'd been going with the "dirty windows help to filter out the harmful rays of the sun and it's actually a healthy thing"... but now i want to be able to see the sunlight since we finally have it, and the flowers blooming are too lovely to miss, hence the drastic cleaning action of today. Jim will barbeque something for dinner on sunday and he even said he'd be in charge of making the decision as to what it will be and shopping for it! excellent plan!! Pam is going to make trifle, my favorite dessert next to tiramisu.

it's 2 months and 1 week til we leave for Crete and i'm starting to feel that panicky churning in my gut. there is a lot to do before then.

an AWESOME week...

Got back home from TN last night, totally exhausted and still on a lovely high! there is just nothin' like spending a week immersed in fiber with like-minded people. the Shakerag Workshops were at the St Andrews at Sewanee campus. (a private prep school in a lush setting with old stone buildings, lots of trees etc.) the workshop facilities were fantastic, with classes going on at the same time in watercolor, felt, clay, digital art. lots of happy people there! we had the school science room for Lynne's dyeing, spinning and knitting class and it was just the perfect setting!! counters with small sinks along 3 sides of the room. there were 10 students who were there the whole week, and 2 other participants who weren't there the whole time. i just loved seeing this group of people get so wholeheartedly and creatively into dyeing the fibers, then spin and knit them... putting their unique touch on it all. it was great to be in that group of joyous energy, and by the end of the week, we'd become a community... awesome!

the faculty presented slides of their work and talks in the evenings, which was very interesting. the food was good.... lots of different kinds of salads of all types. (grains, beans, pasta, some chicken or tuna in some of them) and homemade-type desserts and lots of fresh fruit....yum! Lynne had fixed up Lori's and my dorm rooms with all kinds of homey touches... coffee and coffee pot, a special ceramic mug, sheets and coverlet from her home, a reading lamp, a fan, a cooler, a lovely scented candle (honeysuckle!). it made a perfect spot to be for my slow wake-up time... as i could sit with a fresh cup o' coffee, knit and listen to Hitchhiker's Guide on my iPod ... ahhh, bliss!!

Loved seeing Lynne's studio, out in the woods on the edge of the top of a mountain and looking out onto the valley. a truly perfect setting, with a wide porch along one side of the house. she can dye out there or inside in the kitchen.

and now some photos:
Class watching Lynne doing a demo


some of the fibers dyed by the new dyers...... lovely, huh??


and fibers drying outside the classroom


Lynne and Monk at SAS (a very dog-friendly place!)


the porch at Lynne's studio

leaving the rain - going to humidity!

and I'm not sure it's a comfortable trade off, but am looking forward to a wonderful week in Sewanee, TN helping Lynne with a 5-day workshop at the university there. it's part of summer art workshop sessions called Shakerag (www.shakerag.org) and what could be more fun than immersion in dyeing, spinning and knitting with like-minded folk?? Lori Lawson from LA will also be there helping with the workshops and havin' fun!! Lynne says it's really humid there, so i'm dithering around trying to decide what will the most comfortable clothes to pack and still be socially acceptable. (not something i usually worry about, but in this case i will bend the usual) Will take my Journey Wheel, a couple of spindles, at least 2 or 3 knitting projects, lots of different fibers..... i always take way more than i can possibly spin, but it's nice to have a selection to choose from. yep, i do indulge myself. one of the projects is the cardigan that i talked about earlier and which i havent mentioned since i screwed it up so badly that i'm spending a lot of time now ripping out, rethinking it, trying something else etc. And now i think i'm on the right track and will post more photos when i get a bit further along. essentially, i picked up the stitches along an edge of the bottom panel, knit the back and the 2 fronts..... and THEN found that it was too small. I do think it will be ok and that i will love it again... someday. i still do love the way the back and fronts worked out. stay tuned. the downside of this trip is that i'm flying in and out of Nashville, and being whisked from the airport to Sewanee and back to the airport 8 days later. Neither Nashville nor Sewanee is close enough to Knoxville to be able to get there for some visiting with my sister, Robin, or with the sheepthrillers there. so, will just have to plan another trip to TN soon.

will spend the next 2 days getting those fibers dyed that have been soaking for 3 days & get the guest room closet cleaned out for Pam to move in on 6/15 or 16. no, she's moving into the guest room and will put her stuff in the closet. we moved a bunch of her stuff to storage in our basement last night, and lots of things Rachael had left stored at home. Pam's house sale is closing a bit sooner than she thought it would... ooops... she has lots to do in the next few days. she's still planning to leave september 1 for her move to Chaing Mai, Thailand. also, i need to pack, get my hair cut tomorrow etc.

changes..

as of yesterday, we have no spinning fiber animals here in my queendom. i dont count the dogs as i dont spin dog hair, even tho it is plentiful. i suppose i would consider it if there were a fiber famine.... not likely with my stash. so, Brian who bought the 2 alpacas (Tiki and Chaco) and the llama (Bandit) found a friend with an almost semi sized horse trailer, who has also wrangled llamas and horses, and they came and got them loaded fairly easily considering none of them are really halter-trained. it was WAY easier than when brought the 'pacas home in the back of my pickup. Bandit was born here and is 20 years old. so ends the chapter on raising fiber animals..... sigh....
Bandit taking a juicy piece of melon peel from Jordan, my gr.niece

Tiki also happy to be fed pieces of fruit

Jim and Bandit saying good-bye


another big change for me is making the decision to not be a vendor at fiber shows anymore... after doing it for at least 15 years, maybe 17, or 20?? On one hand it is a blessed relief to notice it is June 1 and then notice that i am not in a frenzy of fiber dyeing, packaging etc, trying to amass enough to fill a sales booth at BSG. On the other hand, there is a certain excitement connected with it and pride when i'd see the booth filled to over-flowing with lots of color and people admiring it and feeding my ego. On the other hand, it will be great fun to spend the BSG weekend shopping at the vendors and at the Sat. Mkt in Eugene, and watching the sheep show and fleece judging, and hanging out with my friends, and spinning and just doing what regular people do. On the other hand, (that's the 4th hand now, i think) i'll miss the income that the fibers shows bring in. so, it's a big change and a good one. and i miss it, too.

and spending days going thru various stashes and purging. there are some days when i just cant do it. i love having lots of fiber and lots of books and lots of beads... and fabric and the collection of pretty paper that i just might someday use with all those rubber stamps to make cards and things... and of course, the boxes of photos which i havent even touched yet. i do hope the kids realize the HUGE favor i'm doing them in at least totally getting rid of boxes of receipts and cancelled checks that are getting yellowed and crisp... the oldest i've found so far dated 1983. i realize it is the kind thing to do after going thru Mom's stuff when she passed on 11 years ago and then a few months ago, DeDe's boxes of collections including every greeting card she had ever received in her whole life.

new fibers

I have put some newly handdyed fibers for sale at http://woolgatheringsfibers.blogspot.com

about Tasha and Project Pooch

We think Tasha is about 2 years old, but one never knows with adopted street dawgs. After Dave-the-Dawg passed away from us in Jan. '04, Meika the Siberian Husky was so depressed and lonely we thought she would waste away. She would come to us to get pets and love, but soon would go back to lie by the kitchen door, facing the door with her chin on the floor. After about 3 weeks of this, Jim started looking on line for another siberian husky, tho i wasnt really ready to get another dog. i missed sweet ole Dave so much i couldnt even think about having another dog. then Jim found "Project Pooch" operated thru the juvenile detention home. they take street dogs, homeless dogs and match them up with a youth at the home. the boy is then in charge of training the dog til it is housebroken, can follow a certain number of commands and is "adoptable". there is a kennel and a dog trainer person at the home and a vet who works with them. so the dog gets any necessary care, shots, neutering and general supervision. anyway, there was a photo of Tasha and description of her which called her siberian husky mix.... well, turns out there's a lot of mix and very little husky. so Jim and Meika went to visit with Tasha and they liked her. Then a week later, the trainer brought Tasha to visit us and to check us out as prospective adoptive family. we passed!! there was an adoption fee of about $200, which we thought was more than reasonable. there was even a money back guarantee! Tasha came to live with us last Feb. and she and Meika seem to love each other, tho Meika does occasionally feel the need to assert her alpha bitchiness. our TV room got a bit cramped when we put a second dog crate in there. Tasha has some funny "little ways" about her.... she has her morning talk-and-howl when she first gets let out of her crate... perhaps telling about her dreams and how happy she is about a new day! both of the dogs love stuffed toys, and seem to take it as their sacred mission to unstuff these things as soon as possible.... so i quickly knew there was no way i'd spend $10 at the pet store to buy them toys and have the limp and empty pelts lying around and stuffing all over the kitchen floor. and then i found the $1 stuffed animals at Good Will... bonanza! Meika seems to choose her "puppy-of-the-day" from among the 6 or 7 lying around, then licks/cleans it well and spends the day lying with it. Tasha watches this carefully and when Meika isnt looking, will steal it away and stash it in her crate. this little scenario can repeat several times during the day, til there is hardly any room left in Tasha's crate! so, that's about Tasha... she is an affectionate, funny dog, gets along ok with the grandkids, has been slow to learn that my fibers are MINE and my knitting needles ARE NOT chew sticks, but hasnt tried to take down the barricade i've built around my spinning wheel and fiber stash nest. she seems happy with us and has probably put about 10 pounds on what was a very skinny frame when she came here. and i am happy we did adopt Tasha!
and here they are: Tasha on the left and Meika on the right

and my most favorite photo of these 2. it looks like they are "singing" but in fact, are playing one of their favorite games which seems to have the goal of "who can open her mouth the widest?".

Fibers!

enhance your spinning/felting stash.... go to http://woolgatheringsfibers.blogspot.com
(here's a little sample of what's there)

sweet dog Tasha (aka Batdog)

just look at those ears! isnt she cute???
when i have time to write again, will tell Tasha's story.

twisted beach retreat

Had a lovely fibery weekend at Rockaway with 5 of my twisted sisters. we were able to rent the house we like the best... one block walk to "downtown" main street, next door to a restaurant that has truly wonderful clam chowder, walk across the dune to be on the beach, huge open living room, 2 bathrooms..... like what more could we ask for. AND they let us go in at noon on friday AND it cost each of us $48 for friday noon to sunday noon!! as usual, there were piles of fiber everywhere once we got settled in. Laurie had a bag of alpaca/shetland blend which i quickly developed severe envy over. it was so soft and clean and just plain lovely. i didnt get many pics, but will post some when i get them off my camera. actually, i'm not very pleased with any of the photos i took, but here's a few of them.

Linda

for some reason, my photos are not loading. i know they arent wonderful pics, but didnt expect them to be rejected by a blog editor. will try again later.
here's a touch of "class". Martha would approve, i'm sure! (this one is especially for Anna!!)

Crystal and Lynn

stash reduction

i'm on a roll now with stash reduction! moved lots of stuff to new homes yesterday.... beads, rubber stamps, quillting fabric, and of course, yarn. i just love it that Kate and my dear niece, Jen and her dear wife Maggie, are all very creatively inclined, and 2 of the 3 knit! Kate is doing some spinning and has my Louet at her house, and one of these days i'm sure Maggie will get interested in spinning! after the big giveaway, i still have enough to last me a couple of lifetimes and probably need to go back through everything again for more reduction. but first, i need to go through a ton of books and purge there, too, and finish going through that closet that yielded this first round.

Kate and the kids came down from Duvall on friday while i was at the opening night of the play Jim is in, Much Ado About Nothing, at the local community theater. Kate went to play in a LaCrosse tournament on saturday and the kids stayed with us. sadly, it was raining so we didnt get any outside time. we had fun playing with them and Alex has taught/showed me everything i ever want to know about transformer robot things. he loves them and is really good at manipulating all their little parts and pieces. and Zylie, little Sweetness, is a delight! she always "helps" my pantry by stacking up the cat food cans with all the kitty faces looking out and the different colors lined up together.... scorpio trait? Kate had more games on sunday and the kids went to the other grandparents' for the major part of the day. we had a bd dinner for Pop at his new place, (he's 89 now!)and Sweetness and The Boy had a marvelous time running in the hall and chasing their cousin. and then monday a.m. Jen, Maggie and their 2 girls came for lunch and the stash reduction. chaos reined and i think fun was had by all. and let me tell ya, i am tired as a ole wooden dawg!

Little Sweetness and The Boy

the great grandpa, Sweetness, The Boy and their uncle Bud

did a bit of dyeing today and carded a few batts, but am not real interested in doing anything but taking a nap.... zzzzzzz

Moja Monda

Lynne has received her moja monda, so i can put a photo here. (yes,i know it's mojO and mondO, but this being feminine power i just used "a" instead.... it seemed to fit.)

(it's not clear from the photo, moja monda is about 2 inches long)
and the reason for the gift is that Lynne needs some heavy duty mojo to keep the rattle snake in line. it is said to live on the property where Lynne's studio is. over the past few years i've collected Zuni fetishes, some of them i was able to find in New Mexico. this little snake was the first fetish i bought (got her in San Francisco) and the time seemed right for her to be with Lynne. i knitted the wee little bag with handspun silk, wool and sari silk waste threads.

finally, the rains have stopped and spring is here again... and it feels so glorious. i spent most of the day digging around in the dirt trying to reclaim some flower beds from the rampant weed invasion... not so easy when some of them are 2 feet tall and have roots that go half way to hell. out of "roundup", but a new supply is on the way. it's starting to look good out there by the gazebo. i planted some of the goodies i got at Hardy Plant sale: a flowering quice bush (will be2 to 3 ft. high) that will have a pale salmon colored flower, a heleborus with red stems which will have pale green blooms, orange scented thyme, moved greek oregano from the pot in the green house and planted it in the holes of a cinder block in hopes of curbing its tendency to become a wandering thug, did more weeding, spread around some compost, tripped on a stake and fell on my butt into a flower bed. the fall was followed closely by an hour lie-down on the ice pack, which seems to have helped cause i can still walk! will do more ice tonight as i do not want or have time for an achey back (oh dear goddess, i just remembered Billy Ray Cyrus and Achey Breaky Heart..... i loved that song. no accounting for some people's taste!

gotta stop now and watch Jon Stewart.

progress on back of cardi

update: got the upper part of the back started and like it so far. about 6 or so inches to go and not sure yet what it will be like. this photo isnt the best so will be replaced later (camera ran out of juice)

a week later

I did survive the Hardy Plant sale, tho was only able to tolerate the mayhem and noise level for about 45 minutes. kept feeling like i was swimming upstream no matter which aisle i tried. there were many wonderful plants there and i probably
would have done more serious damage to my bank account if the shopping hadnt been so painful. havent had a chance to
plant any of the new goodies yet due to too wet ground on sunday, then leaving monday a.m. on amtrak to visit the kids in
Duvall. Kate's plantings from last year are looking great and survived the winter well. I got Alex a snapdragon plant last
summer and the bloody thing looks like a small shrub now. We played at home on tuesday. and had a fine time spreading playdoh and finger paints all over the place in the 2 hour time period between Kate leaving for la crosse practice and Chris getting home from work. On wednesday, we went to the Children's Science Museum, after a marathon struggle to "convince"
Zylie that she really couldnt go nekkid, this not being a clothing optional event... plus, it was a chilly and breezy day. it is really a grand museum and i know we all would have enjoyed it even more if we'd gone on a day when all kids in the metro seattle area werent also there. it was spring break, we discovered! hope to go again when it is not so mobbed. (there seems to be a theme here about my dislike of big crowds of people!!) Came home thursday, Pam met my train and then we had a wonderful Greek dinner at Dimitri's. we're talking about Pam staying here with us for possibly 2 or 3 months before she moves to Thailand, depending on when her house sells. she cant leave before sept. because she needs to come to Crete to
visit us before going to Thailand, and we wont be there til sept. 7. On saturday, Beckie and Monty came to take away the Pat
Green carder, which wasnt the ordeal i thought it would be... moving a 400 pound machine with the power of 2 men, 2 women and a wheelie thing to roll it on. they backed their pickup up to the basement door, Jim built a ramp from the doorway to the truck bed, which made an *almost* level runway for the machine. so ends that phase of my fiber life. Goddess knows i put in my time standing on the concrete in front of that thing, shoving fiber into it. i did enhance my fiber
stash by carding several pounds of BLF and some other wools into some lovely blends of roving. got a whole bunch stashed of my favorite white wool with many bright colors of cut silk and silk noil!! sigh. and now it is sunday, my dad's 89th birthday. we had planned a party, but he's having neck and shoulder muscle spasms and is flat in bed trying to make it feel
better. so, we'll postpone to next weekend. Kate and the kids will be here, so they can join in on the partying, too. and now
i need to go do some dyeing, so i can put some dyed rovings up for sale. the only knitting i've done in a week has been on the current in progress fluffy-top socks and a wee little bag to hold the "moja monda" for Lynne, which will help keep the snakes away from her studio!! it's a surprise, or i'd put up a photo... dont want her to see it!!

and just because they are SO cute, here are photos of Zylie, Tiki (the 5 month old Chinook puppy with broken toe and headgear), and Alex!

perennial plants

I'm off this morning for my spring plant expedition... the plant sale of Hardy Plant Society... hooboy! must make a list before
i go in there or i'll just wander around in an overwhelmed, dazed and stupefied trance. this is a huge event, with a wonderful
variety from tiny herb plant seedlings to exotic (and exotically priced) trees. it always looks like it must have taken the vendors a week to get everything moved in and set up... what a pig show it must be in that parking lot with all those people
trying to get trucks unloaded and moved into the building. this sale ranks higher with me than the amazing orchid society
sale a month ago. now to get that second cup of coffee, make list and go!

more sweater

Have finished the bottom panel and picked up stitches along one edge (180), did 4 rows of garter st., then 3/4 inch of
stockinette and put the 2 fronts on holders. now to figure out what design will go on the back. I bet i'll have this done
before BSG. that's what i'm aiming for anyway. maybe even have it done before i go to Tennessee June 10 to be Lynne's
assistant for her 5-day workshop. i'm so excited i'm going to do that! and it would be fun to have a new sweater to wear!!

We (bro. Bud and I... and 2 big burly rental guys to move the heavy stuff) got Pop moved back into assisted living at
Avamere yesterday.

to steek or not to steek....

I am still pondering how i will knit the rest of this sweater. one approach is to pick up stitches around one edge of the bottom panel and knit up, with decreases for a square neckline, then cut steeks for the armholes. I like to pick up stitches for the sleeves and knit down to the cuff. Lynne's question, tho, was could i pick up stitches from a steeked edge. i wonder
if i did 2 rows of machine stitching at the cutting place, would that be stable enough for picking up stitches? on the other
hand, would it be any less strain on the fabric to attach sleeves to those armholes after they are knitted? Lynne is helping me
ponder this question and here's what she emailed me:

+++ for your armhole steeks...you can carry a pattern around the entire top of your sweater uninterrupted. This is a great advantage with handspun variegateds because when you knit back and forth the color goes back and forth and the colors that end up on the front two halves and the back half of the bodice are never the same. With your steek idea the colors would flow. In fact, it would look very flowy if you did steeks for the armholes AND the front...in other words did the whole thing in the round. The colors will still shift around as they always do, but there would be a natural flow.
Now I'm looking at your yarns again and they are more solid than usual because they are from carded blends, not variegated rovings...so the above is not totally necessary.

===the disadvantage...you will have an end to deal with for every single row. Some people just put tape over them...like gross grain. This works for the front of a cardi, but would be bulky for an armhole seam. you can have all the ends just waving around in there...after all,who's going to look? If you wash the sweater to block it the yarns will barely felt and stay put a bit better...but if it's superwash , there they be. I think that needle felting would be a great way to get them to stay put...you would have to poke each thread a couple of times...not too much as that would show on the front. I would do a test swatch...sound like a lot of trouble?

So, still pondering. what i think i want to do is use the Jo Sharp "Berry" as a background color and do something in fairisle and/or intarsia in 2 or 3 of the other colors. i have a LOT of the "Berry", so it could be the predominant color in the sleeves,
too. i have a few designs that i've graphed... a spiral, some flowers, a stylized hand, etc, and i love the spindle that Sarah
Swett did for the Spin-Off sweater a while back. (it's legal to use that, isnt it?)

i'd love to have any comments or ponderings that anyone has...... meanwhile, i have about 1 inch left to do on the bottom,
and will get that done tonight.

Cardi update

The bottom panel is coming along well and i really like how it's looking! decided i'd better measure it, so pressed and
measured, and while i was at it took a couple of photos -

the front of the bottom panel

and the back...
still a couple more inches to go....

later, i'll post some comments from Lynne on the question "to steek or not to steek" at the armholes and the front.

just rambling

here it is almost Friday again and i'm still knitting on the bottom panel of the cardi, and still trying to get the damn tax stuff
finished, and still doing my daily Greek lessons. sadly, i dont feel like i'm making a lot of progress on any of those things!
yesterday was a strange day..... the smallest things annoyed and frustrated me. i suppose it's at least partly due to Mercury in retrograde. got a bit of an attitude adjustment in the evening knitting/tv time when i found a couple of good programs on
PBS. i tuned in to the 2nd half of a program on Afganistan as they were talking about the destruction of so much of the old
culture and art of the country by the Taliban. there was a Russian archeologist who had excavated some ancient sites during
the 1970's and uncovered lots of gold, some of it as jewelry decorating the body in tombs. it had been placed in safes and
hidden from the Taliban, and they opened the safes as the Russian man watched. he was able to account for all the treasures
he had unearthed 30 to 35 years ago. as the excavating season was coming to an end he had finally (after many years)found
the buried Sleeping Buddha and had uncovered the toe of the statue, but had to close the site and wait til next season. what
an exciting thing for him to look forward to and how agonizing it must be to wait after finally making the discovery!! it was
appalling how much of the art and history of Afganistan was destroyed. it made me think of all the Tibetan Buddhist
art and treasures and religious history which was destroyed and looted by the Chinese government. and the next program on PBS last night was an Andrea Bocelli and figure skating program, which i totally loved. loved his music so much that i am
right now downloading his "Andrea" album from iTunes!!

Here's a recent photo of Rachael -

She has been in the Peace Corps in Tanzania almost 1 1/2 years and has signed on for more time... about 6 extra months, i
think. For anyone who doesnt know, Rachael is the youngest of the Twisted Sisters, is the daughter of my dear friend, Pam,
is an extraordinary young woman and is a "daughter of my heart" and good friend. i love her and miss her so much!! and am
so proud of her!

Cardigan in progress photos

Having scuttled all previous planning and beginnings, i'm making progress on the design i finally settled upon. and it feels
liberating to be done with all the dithering i was doing. rather than follow a pattern, i've struck out on my own and will check
measurements of a favorite cardigan as i go along. i decided to make a bottom panel with random width stripes going vertically... and knit til it's big enough around. the next step is still a bit hazy in my mind, but i think i will pick up stitches
along the top of the panel, and knit up to the shoulders, doing decreases for a square neckline at the proper place. then
will cut down far enough for armholes, pick up stitches there and knit sleeves (maybe 3/4 length and straight??) note to self:
remember to do those extra stitches for the steek. the wonderful yarns i bought in the beginning are still in the plan, plus
a few handspun. here's some photos:
the (very) rough sketch

the bottom panel in progress

the knitted fabric and yarn

some of the not yet spun fiber and yarn from it. this
is merino, silk, mohair locks, tencel, sari waste thread and cashmere which i carded on my Duncan carder.

any words of wisdom on the design description? have i missed something?

a forgetable day

Actually, it was a good day if i erase the crowds and traffic. I knew i was getting really tired of driving around and making all
the "errand" stops when success was getting thru an intersection before the yellow changed to red. the first stop was NW
wools to deliver a new batch of dyed fibers... and it's a good thing as the shelves were looking quite bare, which is a good
thing really but it means i have to get my butt in gear and do more dyeing. not that i dont love fiber dyeing because i do.
spent at least an hour at the shop rearranging the fiber shelves, looking at books and finally buying the book that Linda had
ordered for me. cant remember its name, but Norsk is in the title and it has a couple of patterns that i love!!
from there to find a bd gift for Della's 40th party tomorrow night. i got lost in the huge wall o'cards at Birdies.... some very
funny ones. then wandered up the street (in Multnomah) to the kids toy store and it only took me 45 min. of browsing thru
books, games and toys to decide on a couple of games to put in the toy closet. back to my truck and the drive thru lots of
traffic to Trader Joe's, where i love to shop. had hoped to get eggplant and fresh green beans, neither of which looked real
fresh. ever since Greece i've really loved having eggplant at least once every couple of weeks, with lots of garlic and either
baked slices or fried chunks with tomato and other veggies. did find other delights to buy, including 2 trays of sushi, one
was with salmon and the other with veggies. i did resist lots of things i wanted to put in the cart, but the grocery budget
(budget? HA) is about depleted and there was still the Costco stop for the mega packages of tp and tissue, plus sundry other
stuff that found its way into the cart. i guess i dont get out often enough if a day like this seems like way too much driving
around and traffic and crowds. both TJs and Costco were packed with cranky noisy people and their grocery carts doubling
as rolling weapons. twas good to be home finally. had a quiet evening watching Jon Stewart and then Chris Matthews while
i spun awhile and then knitted on the cardi. just a little over 5 months til we go to Crete.......