Celebrations

I thought that might grab your attention! It is what you think it is. Yes, it is. A Moosie! I can scarcely believe it myself. There it was at Maryland Sheep and Wool all innocent-like. I mean, really...how could I not give this beauty a home when there is a 2 ish year waiting list on these one of a kind spindles made from moose antlers? Of course, no animals are harmed in the harvesting of the materials. It spins wonderfully with its elegant Cochin Rosewood shaft. It's 34 grams of pure heaven. One of the highlights of my festival purchases. Yup, I bought lots of practical things like a 5 dent reed for my Cricket and a nostepinne to wind little minis for hexipuff knitting. Knitter's pride square dpn needles joined my hexipuff supplies. Nice and sharp! Pretty, too. Such a joy to knit with that I've added a few puffs to this long term project. My goal was just to make a wee pillow with the ones I was sent from my Bohoknitterchic group swap on Ravelry, but as any hexipuffer will tell ya, these babies are addictive!

Of course I couldn't leave Maryland Sheep and Wool without fleece. I put my request in the trusty hands of my friend Kate, who selected this beauty.

It's indescribably lovely Corriedale fleece. I wish you could feel it.
MDSW weekend is always a blast, reconnecting with fiber friends from around the globe. We did have fun.
There was another celebration in the works kicking off the month of May. This little guy made his First Communion.

Then, to keep the party rolling, these four graduated:

Preschool

Graduate School

High School

Grade School

So, there were parties! Big ones!
And there were birthdays...

My babylove, I mean BIG boy, turned 5!!! Five!

#5 turned 11!

Lucky girl got her ears pierced!

Even I had a birthday.

But who's counting!?

Whoa! I needed a vacation after all that.

So we crashed my husband's business trip to Hilton Head. This is an actual photograph from our balcony. Looks like a postcard, doesn't it? Then we took a sidetrip to Savannah. Sweet little town full of southern charm.

Despite all the busy, I'm never far from the yarn. Here are some gratuitous yarn pics.

Here's what's on the needles:

Hand dyed with Kate and Ann for a triangle shawl

Dragonfly Fibers yarn for an Albers Cowl

A combo of Dragonfly yarn in the Ode to Sock Summit colorway and the product that came out of my dyepot when the three of us set out to create a deviant yellow. This is the start of a square shawl.

All the influence of this designer

Ann Weaver

who has officially joined our pack and unofficially made her second home in MD/DC/VA because we keep recruiting her to teach! We've all been having some fun times. Check her out. You'll love her designs and fabulous workshops.

Speaking of workshops, here's where you can find me this summer:

*Studio E June 25-June29 Boredom Buster Get Hooked Crochet Camp for Kids *Dragonfly Fibers Studio June 30 Spin Lab Beginner Art Yarn workshop *Spin U July 28 Liberation Spin Art Yarn Workshop *Michigan Fiber Festival August 18-19 in the Dragonfly Fibers booth. Stop by and say hi! We'll make it a celebration!

February

I love February. To me, it's the promise of Spring. In 3 weeks our crocus will be peeking their fresh beginnings out from under the winter soil. Also, I had a beautiful baby girl one February, 17 years ago. I cannot even put into words what this child means to me. All goodness, this one.

Happy Birthday, #3!!!

I have big fiber goals for February. I have already warped my loom for the Spunky Eclectic Weaving Club's second kit, Spaced. This kit was shipped last spring! But, hey, now... we're not on REAL world time here, remember? We lovingly refer to it as "Stover time" around here. That's mama-of-7 time. That's youhavemorefreetimethanmebutwhosecounting time.

Speaking of weaving club, I'm looking forward to the next shipment coming in mid February. Yet another reason to love February! It's fun to receive surprises in the mail. I love that my awesome husband is so supportive. My YES man. I went with the neutral colorways this round. I chose the wild colorways last time. Here's my first kit. It's Houndstooth in the wild colorway.

Wanna see my first ever scarf? I used some cotton for the warp and Sanguine Gryphon Traveller for the weft. I fulled it a bit during finishing. Soooo soft.

So, yeah, the weaving bug has bitten. I go to sleep at night dreaming of possibilities! I just got a steal on a Cricket to add to my loom collection and I ordered a new custom built peg loom from daisyhillhandiworks!
I'm thinking a warp per month is a reasonable weaving goal.

Hoping for more spinning time, too. I recently spun the December Hello Yarn club, Kitsune (Polwarth/silk) into a 3 ply. It's roughly 450 yards. Here's the whole fiber story.

Look at that cute little Andean 2 ply leftover. Hexipuff, anyone?

In other spinning, here's what's fresh off my spindles this week:

I've finished a simple crochet shawl of my own design. This is handspun 2 ply lace weight yarn from Dragonflyfibers. It's luscious merino/silk, but I can't even tell you the name of the colorway because it belonged to me before Kate even had a name for it. In fact, she gave it to me while it was still wet from the dyepot! She's very good to me, that Kate. I love her so.

Oh, and check out the gifts I won from listening to The Yarn Thing Podcast! These are from the Kara Gott Warner episode.

So special! These books are amazing and it is such a treat to win them! It's a wonderful life, I tell you! So much to be grateful for. I'm so glad to be sharing the journey with you!

In Between

A little in between projects right now...
Finished up and gifted this dropped knit scarf in an art yarn I made when devoting myself to mothering THE SEVEN translated into me missing out on Pluckyfluff's Yarnival, a week of yarny goodness at the Boeger Winery in California. I decided I'd card up/ spin up my own yarn fest.



It was good to send this yarn out into the yarniverse. Especially because it adorns the neck of one of my beloved and favey fave friends. I smile every time I think of her and our twentysomething years of friendship.

I finished a yarn outside of my color "box." I took on a challenge at Rhinebeck to pick something outside of my color comfort zone and just see. So, I learned, after several months of wool languishing on my spinning wheel, that spinning for me needs to feed my creative spirit. And granny beige is still granny beige no matter how good someone else claims the combo will look with my eyes. Ok, I admit. It matches my hair color and eye color. Will I like it any better once I knit it up? I doubt it...



Do you like it any better in this shot?



Nah? Me neither:)

Was thinking maybe I could weave it and bring in some other colors. Now we're talkin.'

Speaking of weaving, my first project is off the loom and the second is in progress! I'll have pics for ya in a hundred years. Linda, if you're reading, the view at the beach is much more inspiring to weave to. But, I'm plugging away...eager to warp with some precious handspun. Maybe that's the ticket.

My spindled stash is growing little by little. I have a design in mind for all these minis. Hopefully, that won't fall into the "hundred year" pile of to-do's.



I finished another newborn gift. Handspun 3 ply in Spunky Eclectic Flannel. This is a quick crochet. Long-Tail Pom is the pattern. This has been my go-to baby gift lately. Quick and fun to make, most especially in a 3 ply. Oooh, this yarn was nice to work with. I made a cute pair of mitts to match.



That's it for Studio E these days. Be back in a few with some more FO's. Until then, I'm wishing you a world full of goodness and laughter and joy and friendship and love. Yes, lots of love.

11.11.11

Of course I would post today. I couldn't resist. Some things just can't wait 'til they come around again...

So many days, so full of joy- where do I even start? Let's see... there have been Elevensies parties:


and birthday parties:


#6 turned 8! I know!

#4 turned 14! Don't even get me started!


I ran a 5k. It was 34 degrees following a noreaster. 'Nuf said. You didn't really want to see that picture. Trust me.

For some reason, I keep receiving gifts and it's making my heart swell with gratitude and joy. I received an amazing package from Craftypuppylover. I won a gift certificate to her shop during Tour de Fleece. Coincidentally, the package arrived the same day as my Ebony spindle that dear Mr. Golding took in for repair at Rhinebeck. Gorgeous and brand new. Can you see it tucked in there? I couldn't wait to wrap one of Carrie's gorgeous mini batts around it! Carrie also sent some mini skeins for Hexipuffs. Yes, I've been bitten by the Hexi-bug. Knit my first one yesterday. One down, 383 hexipuffs to go. No problem.


I also won a blog giveaway from EmilyRossa Thank you, Emily! I've been so curious about this book, but have never bought it for myself. I was close once. I've been enjoying it so far. That's the latest Hello Yarn club fiber. The colorway is "Bristling." The fiber is Shetland.


I finished my Rhinebeck socks. Lol. Just in time for next year. David's Toe Up Sock Cookbook is the pattern I used. I really like this pattern. While I'm at it, I really like the author of this pattern:) Everyone knows David, right? The yarn is handspun Hello Yarn Sour Fig.







Here's the whole sock story:








Sock love.

I washed this gorgeous BFL fleece; a gift from Montana. Speechless.



I received an invitation to take part in Girl With a Hook's Batts for Headband Project over on Facebook. So I carded:









I also took Jacey up on her offer to send in a 4x4 swatch to add to a wall hanging in her studio for the filming of her upcoming Insubordiknit dvd. She's putting together an amazing piece comprised of swatches from everyone she's ever spun with. So, if that includes you, then join the project! Even if you've learned from her previous dvd,rather than in person, she'd still like you to be a part of it.



So, there ya have it. These are the joys that fill my days. Wishing you a joy-filled day, too. Enjoy your weekend!