Bringing up the past

You'll have to forgive my photos as I haven't blogged in a bit as I was waiting for the *perfect* time to take photos. Ha! That'll never happen so I quickly took some photos. So a blast from the past coming at'chya.



This is a bias knit scarf I made from Pandora yarn. I made this a few weeks ago.












This is a Top Down sweater I made from Silk Road Aran. I finished this sweater in November.






This is 'To Dye For' made from Knitpicks Suri Dream. I think I knit this up around the beginning of the year. hehehe. Can't remember.





Made from Rowan's Calmer. Think I made this up around the beginning of the year. Lol.












This is an R2 yarn and pattern made sometime last year I think. snicker.






Mmmm, Big Wool sweater for hubby. No clue, last year?











Mmmm, Rowan Plaid which I finished up around Christmas I believe.










Even better. Finished up like a month ago. Took about a week and a half. Including 2 days totally down for the stomach flu. I wear this EVERY chance I can get. Love, love, love it!






And last, but not least, is Queen Mab. You notice how it isn't finished? I needed one more skein because I was about 10 yards short. Ordered the new skein and haven't picked it up since then. Will have to finish it soon for winter wear. Loving the Queen Mab!




And that kind of, sort of, brings us up to date.

Ooh la la, New Fiber

Eva, of Alpacas of Fair Meadow Farms, has a fiber group that meets during the summer. Headed over there and picked these lovelies up. The ones on the sides are baby alpaca combed top hand-dyed by her. I can't wait to spin these up. The one in the middle is bombyx top in color Abalone from chasing rainbows dyeworks. I haven't worked much with silk so a little nervous, but totally psyched to spin it.


Umm, so, I went shopping... over to Weaving Works. I picked up a jumbo flyer for my wheel and a couple of bobbins. Also picked up these beauties. From left to right they are cinnamon cotton roving, merino top in colorway Sage, Concord merino/silk blend, and white soysilk.

I happened to pick this up too. It's a Cascade Spindle called Pilchuck. It works really well. I will post some more pictures soon. I spun up some heavily overspun yarn on this and am working on my second batch. On the first batch I tried out Andean plying. Worked really well. I finished spinning some alpaca on my wheel. My 3rd skein spun on that. Not perfect, but coming along nicely. One bobbin was fuller than the other so I tried out Navajo plying with the leftovers. I really like it. Took a bit to get the hang of it. I have some teal Colonial wool on the wheel now. I finished my jacket on Friday... ooh la la. It is sooooo nice. I'll post pics of that soon as well.

Now on to obsessing about wants, err I mean NEEDS. I need Forsyth wool combs, raw fiber of course, 2 Golding spindles, nostepinne, a small niddy noddy, blocking pins and a blocking board... of which I cannot find anywhere online or locally. It would be so handy to pin pieces out to a marked board. NEED... :p

Renaissance Yarns

You may remember Nancy from my Pastimes Yarns posts. Well, she's gone and done it!!! She has opened a beautiful yarn shop of her own just blocks from where Pastimes once lived and breathed. She has maintained a loyal following of fiber addicts who filled the shop on the very first day of business. Her passion will not only be carried over to customers, but will ensure a very successful venture for her. She deserves it!

Being the enabler that she is, I found a new project. Aaaah! The last thing I need is more yarn, hehehe. The pattern is from Noro Revisited by Cornelia Hamilton. It is called Bettna. Beautiful, ain't she? I'm knitting it from Kureyon #170. I have the lower pieces made and am knitting the second sleeve/upper body portion now. Should be done in a few days. Woot woot! Unfortunately it has been in the 80s lately. sniff sniff. I want to wear this beauty when I'm done with it. Keep your fingers crossed for some cold, stormy weather, hehehe.

I started spinning again. I had to put my wheel away a little over a year ago as the kids wouldn't keep their hands off of it. Well, I pulled it back out again and have been really enjoying it! So... snicker... I had to pick up some more fiber... duh! hehehe. Stupid sheep! So I picked out some luscious merino and silk roving from Blue Goose Glen. Simply gorgeous! And from Spunky Hats I picked up some BFL hand dyed fiber. I'm still waiting on that, but here is a photo to keep me salivating. Yum! Stupid sheep! Oh, oh, oh! There is an alpaca farm within minutes of my house. The owner, Eva, is involved in all sorts of spinning guilds, groups, and whatnot. Tonight is the first Happy Hour of the summer season. I'll be there with bells on! Course some alpaca fiber will jump into my bag 'o tricks whilst I'm there. Stupid alpacas! hehehe. I think I may be incurable. If someone finds a cure, puh-lease let me know. hehehe.

Happy fiber day to all of you out there!

Stay Tuned

Photos of Queen Mab in progress coming. A lovely sweater I knit for my husband a month or two ago as well...

Peek a Boo

Just a note to say that I have missed blogging and will return to it shortly! Got a little knitting news, a little travelling news, and bit of my hopes and dreams to share.

You are missed

Dedicated to Amy Skaar who lost a dear friend one year ago today.

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Cuddle and hold

Cherish our friends

Old ones, dear and frail

When they pass on

a part of us is taken.

Replaced by a part of them.

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Memories, so precious

tender and intimate

Pain so raw, fade

smile, images of them,

us appear in our heads,

our hearts.

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Poetry

Expectations to excel. The thrill of the conquer. The misery of defeat. Mutterings scribbled on a page. Do they delight the mind? Ignite imaginations and passions? Or do they leave you wanting for more?

More intellect. Indulgence. Piquing the mind with hints of illusion.

Do we cater to the masses or write the emotions of the heart? For the simple face of what they are worth. Value. Trinkets of my soul, for myself or for the masses. Precious hidden jewels of immense delight or misery.

The pain of illusion. Raw emotions. The car wreck of my pain for all to see, for all to view, for all to read.

The heavens look down and scoff at this. This infantile scribbling. Oh, to the gods. Muses that be. Guide this pen. The mutterings of a mad woman. May it be to you a nectar of purity. Ambrosia of raw delight.

May the senses inflame with secret passions.