a fresh start

Today was the average day, run lots of errands...feel like nothings really getting done.  Then I just cut all my hair off.  Ahhh.  I feel great!  The big motivation was my hair falling out in huge clumps. I'm sure it will continue to come out (from nursing), but it won't seem as bad!  I know the pics a little silly, but it's exciting.  and yes I cut it myself.  It's a little wonky but in a week no one will ever notice!

Craft wise I'm still spinning the super wash, but I'm hoping to finish that tonight.  Then it's a ply party.  After that I need to get cranking on some small spin projects for the farmer's market. Just over a week away!!  

E was productive in the kitchen today.  I can't wait to taste them!  The berries and the plums are from our yard!  What really stinks is E can't eat them.  I'm one lucky lady.

The cookies I bakes off yesterday?  The best I've ever made.  I'm excited to take some of this to bounty of dessert to Concert in the Park tomorrow with my friend Betty.  Before e, we got into a lot of trouble together.  Now the trouble is a little more sober!  Hope you're enjoying summer!  

Catch Up!

There's a lot to catch up on, but little time to squeeze it all in!  I'm going to try and add to this all day then post later this evening.  My life doesn't seem to allow a block of time to finish this task all at once!

On Saturday I had my little de-stashing sale and did quite well.  I was able to put all the left over yarn into one tote instead of two.  I wasn't able to pawn off any fiber but hopefully craigslist will help with that!  Michele came by and kept me company.  She also took some plums off our hands! I can't wait to try the jam she made!

I also had a chance to label all the yarn and fiber with my new labels!  I just need one more little sticker saying needle size and gauge and we are in business!

Speaking of business, I'm hoping to squeeze in some dyeing today.  I called the grandmas yesterday to see when they could come by.  e is going through a new phase that is wearing me out a little faster than usual.  I also haven't had that sense of accomplishment at the end of the day.  Getting a little bit of work done will feel very rewarding!

Well the grandmas have come and gone.  They've decided he's teething.  I kindly disagree.  The took e for a nice little walk and I was able to dye.  I haven't dyed rovings at my house and it's a little different process than the yarn.  Today was a little trial and error, but I know what I need for the next dye adventure.  I was also able to make cookie dough which will be baked tomorrow.  Ahhh, sense of accomplishment.  I'm off to spin my super wash merino (I still have one in the shop).  The purple optimized merino singles rested last night and might be plied the next few days.  

I meant to bring back pictures when I sat down this time but I just didn't get to it.  I'm sure all of you have excellent imaginations and can think of pictures to fill in the spaces!

I'm in!

I'm going to have a booth at OFFF!  I can't wait to see you there!

More later when the squawker is sleeping!

The Lessons I Learn

We'll I think I'm one of the riders that fell out of the race on the really long hilly day.  Every time I join a project like this I'm super motivated in the beginning.  Then about midway through I don't feel like playing anymore.  I don't like putting constraints on craftyness.  It might also have to do with how busy I've been!

I went to visit a friend and she had a bucket of fiber she wasn't ever going to spin.  I got to go diving and found a few treasures I wanted to try out.  The pictures are from Funky Carolina

fiber.  The friend was apart of a fiber of the month club and had some extras she didn't want to spin.  I love the colors, it's a South African Fine, similar to Merino.  I don't know if the fiber got squished or over cooked, but it's a little felted.  I'm really having to pre-draft to avoid hurting my wrist.  I explained this to E and he thought it was comical I could get an injury from spinning.  I don't think it's that funny.  Anyways.  So now I have to bobbins being used up in projects I'm not super excited about.  The sad thing?  Those are all the bobbins I have.  So I think I'm going to muscle through both projects and get to something more fun.

So another lesson I've learned?  Spin what I like.  That means I have a lot of fibers I don't like and don't plan on spinning anytime soon.  I also decided I had a lot of yarn that I probably would never get to knitting.  So...I'm having a 'Help Me Help Your Stash Grow' Sale.  I'm thinking this Saturday under our carport.  I have three overflowing bins to clean out!  email me (knittedwit at gmail dot com) for directions to the house if you live in Portland.  I'm thinking the sale will be from 9am to 12pm.  Bring some knitting or a spinning wheel if you want.  Yarn, Fiber, a baby, what else do you need on a Saturday morning?  If you have yarn or fiber you want to trade or sale, bring it!  

N is for Naughty

You might be able to tell by the pictures I took that I was in a bit of a hurry.  I don't want E to find out about this yet!  I stopped off at Northwest Wools on my way to see family and found some wool.  I wasn't planning on buying anything (famous last words, I know), but I discovered this morning that I wouldn't be able to buy this dyer's wool anymore.  Sandy is one of my favorite!  She is so sweet and does an amazing job with color.  I would love to dye roving like her.  I have a plastic tote that is devoted to her wool!  I stopped by the shop and they happened to have some of her stuff because she had left over from Black Sheep Gathering.  I went a little over board I know.  I bought three colorways in Superwash Corriedale and one colorway in BFL.  I just happened to buy two of each in the colorway.  I figured I enjoyed spinning the Superwash Corriedale so much this last time I should get more. I've been so tired of going through my fiber box and there's fiber I don't like.  I'm learning, and only buying what I do like!  I do need to clean out the bucket and have a stash sale of all the stuff I don't want to spin.  

Last note about Sandy.  If you visit my shop, the top picture is BFL she dyed that I spun and plied.  I'm still a little sad I sold it!

I'm meeting some knit friends at Twisted tonight for some e loving and chatting.  I hoping for some more label input.  As soon as I have a general consensus I'll show the results here.  

Tomorrow there is a German Festival!  I'm hoping to get some good Oma tchotchkes for Christmas.  I'll be back with the results.  My guess is I should probably go spin!

another quicky

There's been some development on the label front.  I have a bunch of in laws in town so I'm WIPED out.  I don't want to feel like I'm ignoring this space.  I think I'll get back here on Sunday.  That feels like ten years from now!

I'd so rather be doing this right now!

I feel like life has slowed down for me a little bit this last week and half.  E worked an extra day and I haven't had much extra time for me.  When I do get some time, like e taking a nap, I don't want to do much.  Just relax and not think!  I have been doing a few things.  Here are some label options for Knitted Wit.  I'm thinking the third one in is the winner.  I'll take them to knit night and get a few more opinions though.  

Then there's the spinning.  I'm trying to get a lot done to sell handspun at the Farmer's Market.  I'm also working at the Tour de Fleece.  So what's on the wheel now is optimized merino.  I believe that's when they take the fiber and stretch it out to make the fiber smooth.  It's very nice to spin.  I think I'm making lace weight just about.  I don't know what it will be like when I ply it.  I think it will be very nice for a shawl.  We'll see if this ends up for sale or not!

This is the hanspun I've gotten done while the tour de fleece has been going on.  I think at the end of all this I'll weigh what I've done to see if I've hit the 2 pound mark.

Here is some of the yarn I've dyed lately.  I'm waiting for the labels.  I suppose I could post this in the shop.  I'm a little apprehensive right now.  I haven't been selling much there lately.  I figure once August hits sales will pick up.  I'm also trying to have stock for the Market.
Here's a blurry picture of the handspun that's finished.  I forgot one skein, hence the bonus picture up top.
This is a prize I was fortunate enough to win from Deb.  I donated to the Crohn's Walk she participated in.  I'm so excited to spin this up.  It's a Merino/Bamboo mix dyed by Capistrano Fiber Arts Studio.  She dyes beautiful yarns and fiber.  I have some yarn that I just found recently in a garage clean up.  I want to find something special.  Possibly something small for e. I don't have a ton of the yarn!  Anyways, this fiber is my reward for all the spinning during Tour de Fleece.  I'm thinking of having a sale for those who have participated in the Tour de Fleece. Free shipping is what I'm thinking.  Yeah, that sounds fun.  I figure all this emptying of stash means I need to restock.  I assume other spinners will feel the same when they see their empty storage boxes!
Well, e is still napping.  I think I have twenty more minutes and I want to bust through the purple merino on the wheel.  I'll try to be back a little more regularly.  This place makes me feel some normalcy and that I'm accomplishing more than being a milk machine!