Drinking on a Lazy Afternoon

Spinning Weekend

After a weekend at the Foster Fair, I am spinning on my Kundert spindle. Nothing beats spinning with other spinners. It inspires you to keep the momentum going.


Carol M won the wheel spinning contest for the longest yarn! Congrats,Carol! I was lucky enough to win the spindle contest for the longest yarn.

I was also pleased about this:

Wednesday Eye Candy

I was taken by the sight of bees covered in pollen this morning in a Rose of Sharon bush. Here is the flower without the bee.

The Value of Handwork

All of you who make things with your hands understand the value of handwork whether it be spinning, knitting, weaving, quilting or some other craft. In the Slater Mill Ravelry forum a member posted this wonderful video about handwork. What I most love about the film is Renate Hiller's spinning with a rock. Renate is the co-director of the Fiber Craft Studio at the Threefold Educational Center in Chestnut Ridge, NY.

And yes, I'm off to find a rock and a stick to play with spinning some fiber. Watch the video ;her use of the stick is very interesting !

Tibetan Spindle

As always I am thrilled by the opportunity to learn new techniques in spindle spinning. I took a workshop many years ago with GALINA KHMELEVA and purchased a Russian spindle. Ever since that workshop I have played with spinning on this type of spindle and not succeeding. Just lately I acquired a beautiful walnut Russian Spindle due to Iris's influence.

Then thanks to Habetrot's video link I found a very interesting approach to spinning on a Tibetan spindle which seems very much like the Russian spindle . I particularly like how the spinner wraps the newly spun singles on the middle of the shaft. This appears to make it much easier to spin new singles since the singles wrapped mid shaft gives the yarn that climbs up the shaft some traction. Later she unwinds the singles at the middle using a figure eight movement and then neatly rewinds the singles closer to the bottom of the spindle.

Does the video inspire you to try to spin on this type of spindle?

Yin and Yang

As we well know gardening
has its highs and lows. Today I had the fearful task of removing poison ivy from the backyard. Armed with several clipping devices and dressed to the teeth in old clothing that covers the entire body I began clipping away. No. I didn't get all of it....I never do, but I got enough to satisfy me.

On to the joy......

Today's Knitting

I just started a soft pair of summer socks in Panda Cotton by Crystal Palace Yarns. Although the yarn splits easily when knitting, it's well worth the effort because the yarn's soft feel is luxurious.

Strawberry Pickin'

It's June and the strawberries are wonderful. My mom and I picked 6 lbs. Made freezer jam tonight.Yum........

Been Knittin'

Catching Up

For more reasons than you'd like to hear I've been busy with work and more. My garden has been delighting me more and more each day. I'm totally in love with my Snow in Summer!!! I've finally found a place it loves in my front yarn. It has repaid me with a stunning production of flowers. Also my Amsonia is in full bloom with her pale blue flowers. But is she ever tough to dig out. Beware the star plant's tenacious root system. I was able to dig out some small sections to pass along to other perennial lovers.

I have been knitting. Iris, you need to know I've dropped Rona again, but I'll go back. I started another drop stitch scarf in a great handpainted yarn I purchased at The CT Sheep and Wool Festival. This leads me to another yarn purchase at RI Sheep and Wool festival last weekend.....a drop dead gorgeous red cashmere skein. Naturally, I didn't stop there! I found some lovely buttons made by Katy aka Katrinkles. They are soooo lovely. The pics are below.

Painting Tote or Knitting Tote

While at the R I Sheep and Wool Festival I bought myself a great present! A Nantucket Bag!
It's ready for painting or knitting on location.




Our guild also participated in a Sheep to Shawl demonstration. I posed with our finished shawl straight from the loom.

Another Botanical Garden Offering

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UFO Resurrection

I am doing the deed.Resurrecting a UFO is a triumph . I finished Swan Lake so it' s high time to finish knitting Rona!



Here's some eye candy.......Star Magnolias at Roger Williams Park.

Spring at the Botanical Gardens

Koolaid Dye Results

C'est Fini ! Swan Lake Stole

Many moons ago.....June of 2007 to be exact I began a lace journey that taught me the value of counting stitches and not fudging when it counts. I am happy to say the Swan Lake stole is drying after I blocked it this morning.

Thank you Pink Lemon Twist for this KAL! Thank you, Iris for starting this project with me while we read our charts on music stands in your backyard. You were also there at the finish line. I knitted the stole with Jaggerspun Zepher Wool-Silk 2/28 in Indigo. I purchased two balls ( 630 yds each) from Sarah's yarns. I actually used 1 and a half balls or 3 oz of the yarn.

Hula Hoop Knitting

Last Sunday was a fine day for the outdoor sport of knitting.I worked industriously on my Lace Ribbon Scarf made of some hand spun alpaca, silk and angelina. Several RI Spinning Guild members hit Oakland beach for an afternoon of sun and fun. Some trotted over to Iggy's to get lunch while the rest of us knitted and spun wool while soaking in the sun and breezes. Over to our left were some talented Hula Hoop dancers. They could move that hoop so hypnotically that Ms. Marva was green with envy as were the rest of us. I remarked that in my heyday I did indeed use the hula hoop. Well..............one thing led to another and before I knew it, I was on the grassy island doing this and celebrating spring! Pictures courtesy of Mr Dubyah.

Been Plying on My Spindle

This evening I've been plying some wonderful merino on a Kundera spindle after making the singles on Mr. Sturtevant' s lovely bird's eye maple spindle. Talk about a long spinning tool!

A Lovely Surprise

Lily Pond Rhapsody

Last week I had a lovely surprise. I received an honorable mention at the RI Watercolor Society Flower Fantasy show for one of my watercolor paintings.Thanks to the encouragement of DH,Ellie, Carol and Rick, I entered the show.

Wool,Mohair & Alpaca

I never tire of spinning ,plying and creating a skein of yarn! It's wonderful to twist the skein and observe its color and feel its texture. Such a simple pleasure that precedes thoughts of what possibilities lie ahead. This skein could become a cowl or a shawl. I've got time to play with creative decisions. On the other hand it may simply be a lovely skein.