Rachael and Matt's wedding

and a wonderful wedding event it was!!

Here's Rachael wearing the shawl that she knitted from yarn she spun!  it is really gorgeous!! (and so is Rach)

this is my candid photo of the photog getting Rachael's family all "organized" for their photo.

getting ready to cut the cake.

Rachael and her mom, Pam, conferring about something before the wedding...

and then me and Jim enjoying the reception!  (see.... my mouth is closed... no talking... and damn that was difficult!)

aahhhhh...

it is one of those most perfect of mornings here in my queendom, on this first day of autumn.  the only sound is the chattering of the birds, the sun is shining, the twiglets on the fir tree outside my window are just barely moving in the soft breeze.  and this must be a sure sign of fall.... a very fluffy-tailed squirrel just scooted down that fir tree and seems to be searching in the brush for something to eat... or store away for later.

and now back to the regularly scheduled sorting, packing, tossing, and cleaning to get the house ready to list with the realtor.  there is an end in sight!!  in 8 days we leave for Denmark and then on to Crete for almost 2 months!  and before that, i'm having outpatient surgery on friday to remove a polyp from my vocal cords (general anesthetic, which causes me a bit of anxiety),  after which i'm supposed to not talk for at least 3 days... eeeek.  and after the surgery we'll go up to a park in the Columbia Gorge where Rachael and Matt will be married on Sat.  Jim and I will stay at the Carson Mineral Hot Springs Hotel, a funky very old hotel which features soaking tubs, followed by a wrap in warm sheets and quiet time in a darkened room.  there are also massages available by appointment... and we hope to have a hot soak and the massage!!  Rachael and Matt were here on Saturday to talk with Jim about the wedding, since he will officiate the ceremony.  it really sounds like it will be a fine celebration.  if i see you at the wedding, i won't be talking... but you talk and i'll listen and nod!!

check the facts

If you aren't sure about the truth of some of the statements you hear, check them out before either accepting them or passing them on.  I am seeing that there are too many half-truths, exaggerations and outright lies flying around... and yes, i'm talking about political campaigns.  And yes, i am proud to be a tree-hugging, granola- and arugula-eating, birkie-wearing, peace-loving, war-hating... etc, etc... liberal!  Right now I'd love to hear the candidates talk about the ISSUES and stop slinging crap.  Check the facts

and now i'll return to painting the kitchen, hoping i don't trip on bags for good will and/or boxes for storage as i make my way to the kitchen.  not much fiber or fun going on around here.

another project finished!!

the Spirogyra Mitts, by Lynne Vogel and in Knitty Spring.  they were so much fun to knit (even with US#3 needles!) and i've got the next pair started in alpaca yarn that i dyed a few weeks ago, and in lighter springy colors.  now if the new needles i ordered from Knitpicks would get here i'd really be happy!!  i do love knitting with them, but my #3s are elsewhere occupied and i had to use regular old bamboo, not that i'm spoiled!  well, yes i am... and why not?

less heat today (only 89) and only 1 saw and hammer at work, so a way better day at dome central.  

a deer made off with the first ripe cherry tomatoes in the garden.  i didn't know they would pass up my roses and eat tomatoes.  i'd forgotten to close the gate to the veggie garden last night, so one of 'em must have just sashayed in.  i'd blame it on some other critter except for the telltale

hoof imprints around the tomato bush.  gate is closed now!

strange

a strange week in my queendom, it was!  besides heat in the 100s several days (as my mom would have said "hotter than the hinges at high noon in hell"), there's been no peaceful tranquility aura here.  Dave-the-potter-from-down-the-hill got hired by Jim to help on the numerous finish it up projects around here.  my advice -- never move into a house before it is absolutely totally completely finished!!  anyway, it's quite unsettling to have power cords and saws and a compressor and ladders and sawdust (get the picture??) and ungodly noises filling my queendom!  and then, to have sweltering heat outside makes going anywhere a poor option.  i do believe that a whine is helpful at times, so i did and now i feel better.  it helped that saturday came along and Dave went to seattle for a few days, so there is only one saw and hammer-wielding man here for a few days... and he "needs" to take a break occasionally to watch an olympic event.

 Rachael asked me to make the ring pillow for their wedding in Sept., so I did a kind of crazy quilting/embellishing type of thing.  i don't remember ever seeing a ring pillow up close, so was kind of in the dark about what to do... and this is what i came up with.  i like it a lot and hope she will, too!! some of the buttons i used came off of a baby dress of mine that my mom saved for me, one of those sweet dainty fine cotton dresses from back in the olden days... probably worn one time, then saved.   and my gathering and stashing tendencies paid off with a lovely supply of laces and buttons and doodahs to choose from.  i also used a couple of pieces from a handmade (by someone else) dress of mine from several (many) years ago.  anyway, it was fun to do and i feel honored that Rach asked me to do it for her!!!                                           

a couple more party pics

Alex couldn't get enough watermelon!!

or enough dessert!
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new project

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just started last night... Spirogyro Mitts by Lynne Vogel.  the pattern is on Knitty

the yarn i'm using is merino/bamboo that i dyed a couple of months ago, using US #3 dpns.  i really don't know when i got to the place where i'd use anything smaller than US #6, 7, or 8.  for a very long time, if i couldn't do it with those sizes, i wouldn't do it!  ah, how brave and daring i am!  and my option needles are occupied somewhere else, so had to resort to plain ole bamboo!  anyway, this is a fun pattern to do and i like using this yarn, so all is good in my queendom.

update on the house thing

Not a lot to report, really.  we are still sorting and tossing that 30 year accumulation of stuff around here... Jim has organized in the basement as far as designating certain areas for good will stuff, take it to the dump, stuff for me to go through, keep this... maybe yes, maybe no.  probably about half of my studio is packed up and i gave away a box full of dye powder, took a bunch of fiber and yarn to NW Wools, forced twisted sisters to take some odds and ends, sent some home with Kate... and it's getting done.  oh, yeah... i filled, um... several plastic crates and boxes that went to storage just to insure i can get thru that possible fiber famine that might be coming.  you

know, the famine that spinners and knitters prepare for with all that stash enhancement we all do. 

we've had 2 real estate agents come over to look at the house and another is coming tomorrow, so i guess we could list it in the next month.  could we possibly be ready in one month???

it's finished!!! (i think...)

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finally, i put together the 2 pieces of entrelac and 2 pieces of mitered squares.  there are 2 sections with intarsia and a couple of areas of just garter stitch plain.  there is a possibility that i may put some kind of border on it... but this sucker is l-o-n-g, and the thought of borders on both sides is rather daunting!  it feels SO luscious with all those different yarn blends (merino with tencel or silk or alpaca) mmmmmm.  Entrelac is such fun to knit that i'll probably do a project with it again... maybe socks?

edited:  just a little addition since it's been so long since i first talked about this project.  In the beginning,  (besides light) I had some lovely sock weight yarn of various fiber blends dyed by Lynne Vogel and Lori Lawson and me, and I just started out knitting some entrelac just because it's fun to knit!  and pretty soon i had 2 pieces knit, plus a piece of mitered squares.  i had no idea at the time what i'd make ... so put it in the basket with the yarn and went on to other things.  it got pulled out occasionally, admired, wondered over as to what it would become... then returned to the basket.  it went to BSG with me because i knew Lori would have some ideas/suggestions for a project using these random pieces of knitting, and of course she did!  she said it would make a wonderful scarf or shawl,  so i started... and this is the result after picking up stitches and attaching the pieces together with some garter stitch and intarsia in between.  there were a helluva lot of ends to deal with in finishing it, but i forced myself to do it right away rather than put it back in the basket!  bravo for me!  it's finished!!  and i'm ready to start another entrelac project... when i decide just what it will be.

part 2 of the party

Several Twisted Sisters came with their spinning wheels and/or knitting projects.  Although this was a "no gift" event, they did bring this wonderful ceramic plaque to me, and it couldn't have been more appreciated... or more appropriate.  i will treasure it always.  Leaving the twisteds is one of the very sad things about this move we are about to make.  they have all been a very important piece of my life for a very long time and i'll miss them dearly!!  We've shared many of those "life moments"... triumphs, losses, births, weddings, an adoption, and lots of parties and Black Sheep Gatherings.

My best friend for 35 years, Anna, came from Boise for the party... a day early and got pressed into pre-party preparations, including mopping floors.  Now that is friendship, wouldn't you say?  

Anna, Pam and Larry on the patio....

I finished the scarf which began with the 2 entrelac pieces and finally evolved into something.  

Anna and i posed with the scarf.

Kate's new Louet Julia was delivered here last week and she put it together and got to spinning as soon as she could!

lovely sunflowers.... my most favorite flower....

which Pam brought from Friday Harbor.

Zylie was fascinated by the bobbins.  I wonder if that's any indication she'll be a spinner....

there are a few more photos which I'll put up later.  What a great 70th birthday party it was!  and i can't begin to put all the fun into words on a blog!

words to live by...

"Life is uncertain.  Eat dessert first!!"  and that was the theme of my birthday party on saturday!

i was having so much fun that i totally forgot about taking pictures throughout the event, and that is why i missed capturing the decadence of the dessert table before it was attacked by the dessert-seeking hordes.  the array was quite spectacular and delicious... with plenty of chocolate.  this shot does not come close to showing  all the goodness that was there!  i'm hoping someone thought to take some photos and will share them with me.  Jim planned this gala event for me, and bbq'd salmon and created a lovely caesar salad (very garlic-y,thank you)  He asked the friends to bring a dessert or a salad, and believe me, we dined WELL!

a plate full of dolmades which i made for dinner tonight.  what looks like speckles is the Cretan olive oil glistening on them.  they were delicious!  as i was picking the grape leaves, i had a sweet memory of the day before Easter in Crete when i saw some of the village women out picking grape leaves from the vines on the lot next door, probably for making dolmades for their Easter feast!

stash reduction of all types of "stuff"

seems that lately my days have revolved around or included the dispersal of lots of that accumulated stuff... some of which has been sitting right out there in the open begging for some decision on destination... some which has been buried in closets for YEARS.  I really hate making the decisions required, because in the back of my mind there is always that voice lurking and whispering "well, that is certainly still usable and might be needed some day".  sounds kind of like my mom in all her Scottish and Depression Era frugality, whose genes keep coming thru in my being!  Now, really.... that drawer full of zippers still packaged and kept around just in case i decide to sew clothes again (that will never happen and i've known that for a long time) should really go in the Good Will bag.  and zippers are probably the least of my concerns.  What about the boxes of tax returns from 15 to 20 years ago... hmmmm?  and boxes of cancelled checks to match??  and knitting patterns from the 80s?  my inner martyr reminds me of all the time and hassle we save our DS by doing this now, ourselves.  It is a comfort (of sorts) to know that at least i haven't become the little old lady in stories i've heard who saved everything that came into her life, to the point of only having a path between stacks of saved stuff to get thru rooms in the house.  and my mom saved string.... all string.. and even had a box for string that was too short to save! no, really, she did!  My very dear dh/spousal unit has completely endeared himself to me... what a guy!  I was bitching about having to make decisions as to which fibers and yarns to keep and which to give away/sell/trash... and the dear man seemed surprised.  He thought i'd just put it all in boxes and keep it.  obviously, he has no clear idea of just how much stash i have!  and even after parting with quite a bit of the fiber, Kate and i will still have more than enough to last us thru any potential fiber famine, and a couple of lifetimes!  

one word

daylily

(or should that be two?)

those entrelac pieces

 some time back there in the past, i put up photos of entrelac pieces i'd knitted.  they've been aging along with a couple of pieces of mitered square fabric, and i took them to BSG with me to get suggestions from Lori for what might be a good way to use them.  she mentioned a scarf/shawl by Katherine Alexander in Interweave Press' "Scarf Style", and i looked at it and saw possibilities for this fabric.  so, i picked up stitches at one end of one of the entrelac pieces and got started.  there is a quite abundant stash of these yarns, from several sources (Lori, Lynne, me and maybe others).   this is how it looks now, complete with abundant yarn ends which will have to be dealt with sooner or later.  when it gets to the length i like, i'll probably put some kind of border on the sides, maybe 2" or so wide.  i'm thinking a kind of varigated solid might be nice, but we'll see.....

bravo!

DS Chris went fishing last week and look what he caught!!  Bravo!

mmmmm... fibers!!!

this lovely collection of fiber is mostly from Lori 

and includes bundles of Merino/silk, Merino/alpaca/silk and BFL in various similar colors.  There is also a bundle of Merino/soysilk from Janice Thompson in Eugene.  The plan right now (always subject to change!) is to mix 'em up and ply each single with one from different bundle.  There will probably be some plyed to itself, tho.... we'll see.  it is all luscious!!

There seems to be a color theme going on here!

This is Merino/bamboo purchased from Patti at Sweet Grass Wools in Montana.  After going back to her booth several times to fondle this yarn, it became obvious that it should come home with me!

Kate and I also spent some time looking at sheep and goats.  the Shetlands were especially interesting to Kate.  We threw a bit a sanity into the mix and decided that this adventure will wait til there are fences in place to contain critters.  and i'm not so secretly hoping that angora goats will be part of the scheme!  My plan is to be the advisor/consultant... NOT the owner/keeper!  no more barn duty for me, thanks.....

While i was in Duvall, Zylie started my day with a harsh observation.  I was having morning coffee and she was sitting beside me, and said in her sweet little voice "gramma.... you look very old".  oh... ok...  ah, the sweet truthiness of a 5 year old!  When i told Kate, she passed on another "zylie-ism".   Seems Kate was told:  "Mommy, when i grow up, i want to look just like you!!  only prettier!"   

Black Sheep Gathering!!

Jane admiring her newest yarn.  In case you have any doubts... she was delighted with it, and with good reason.  it is lovely!!

Kate fiddling with her camera

Laurie wearing her gorgeous shawl

Laurie and Gail at Ocean Sky in Eugene

Lori in our shared booth at BSG.  it looked fabulous!

for now, i'll just say that Black Sheep Gathering was true to form... fabulous!  i'll put up some photos and fill in text later.  gotta get ready to leave with Kate this a.m. to drive to Duvall today, then tomorrow look at the house/property we might want to buy if we can work out all the details, then take Amtrak back home on Wed.

Tuesday:  well, i'm ready to start packing to move to the place we looked at today!  it's really, really nice and would work SO well for us all.   it's on 5 acres with a lovely 4 bedroom house with wrap-around porch, lots of living space inside and out, huge kitchen and a finished basement which Kate thinks would make a wonderful space for spinning, sewing, fiber stash, dyeing... and whatever.  i totally agree with that.  and then there's the barn which isn't really so much a barn... 3 car garage on one end and residence on the other end, with loft which could be easily finished as bedroom/office/den kind of thing.   the living space is the opposite end from where the house is and the entrance and porch face the woods.  there are fenced pastures and some sheds and even a small building with a "man cave" which Chris has already claimed.  there's just too much there to go into detail.  if we can eventually sell our 2 houses and get some issues worked out, i'll put up pics and go into more detail.  looks like C&K will list their house beginning of July!  so, the whole adventure is beginning to look like something that will happen.

and BSG was a 3 day high of fondling fiber, spinning with friends, seeing and hugging lots of friends, carrying on tradition such as dinner at Ocean Sky with 14 twisted sisters and friends.   and i did come home with fiber... lovely luscious fiber from Lori (photos later when i can find it again in my still packed fiber bins) and some merino/bamboo sock yarn from Patti which has already been cast on and is a sock in progress!!

taking amtrak back to portland tomorrow.

time flies.. yadda yadda

well, some people are absorbed in navel contemplation; however, i have spent the last 3 weeks in purple piggies contemplation, and i'm happy that toes nails grow so slowly and the pedicure is lasting!  oh... get over yourself.....

ok, what i've really been doing is spending time getting fibers dyed and organized for the booth at Black Sheep Gathering... and i swear to goddess that this is the last final year i'm going to do it!  yes, i was tempted by that siren call last year and had a booth with Lori Lawson (Capistrano Fiber Arts in LA) and we'll share again this year, but she will have the majority of the yarn and spinning fibers in the booth, and i plan to sleep late in the mornings and then play... mostly.  and then i'll retire and move to Duvall, WA and not have a dye studio and have a huge stash reduction before i go.  really, i will........

also, have become addicted to MSNBC and following politics.  have been inspired, bored, infuriated, amused, appalled... and gotta say, i'm tired!  i am totally in the Barack Obama camp and i do have hope and am willing to do what i can to make the dream come true!

I finished Chris' quilt in time for his birthday, which is today.... 37 years ago today he began his earthly journey, and i could not be prouder of who he is!  he is a mother's dream for sure!  and now that the quilt is finished, i've started on a ring pillow for Rachael's wedding, just kind of wingin' it.  so far, i like it and will show it to her while we're in Eugene.  there's plenty of time to start over on it if there's anything about it she doesn't like!

what else i've been doing is staying busy enough to procrastinate on any huge projects of getting rid of stuff so we can move outa here.  some small corners are purged and things given away and taken to good will and the dump... but there is so damn much left to do that it's over-whelming.

and i've got the fluey cold from hell with the huge headache, snotty nose, raspy-to-no voice and Jim's been gone with my dad to NC to DeDe's family reunion, which Pop hasn't missed since he and DeDe got married.  he's back now so the dogs got their 3 mile walk this a.m., which they don't get when he's not here because i don't do 3 mile walks.. or 1 mile walks... 1/2 mile, maybe, but they miss that and being out in their huge fenced yard just doesn't make it... 

rambling?  me?  must be caused by the cold.