High Fiber--Sisters, Spinning and Swimming

 

Today you will get to read more about our vacation in Oregon, including the quilt show at Sisters on July 9th.

 

This was my favorite, but there were a number of quilts that were close to beating this one out! On top of that, some of the ladies from Gees Bend were there, signing their book and occasionally breaking into song. Here are some of them in front of The Stitchin' Post, the quilt (and yarn) shop that sponsors the show.

 

 

The quilt show was a girls' bonding experience with my new DDIL, who is a knitter, but not a quilter. She enjoyed the quilts, though, and was impressed with the variety.

These two little girls proved that life doesn't have to hand you lemons before you could make "Lemon aid." I think they were giving away more photos than selling their product, though.

 

 

Haven't had enough? You can see all the photos I took at the quilt show here.

 

For you spinners, the Tour de Fleece started shortly after we left on our trip. Stanzi, my beloved Kromski Sonata spinning wheel went along. Together we completed 88 gms. of Stroll spinning fiber from Knit Picks.

 

It was some I had dyed recently using food coloring. Here's what my finished yarn looked like. My three-ply was 150 yds and 15 WPI, so close to the fingering weight I was aiming for.

 

 

Remember the little supported spindle I picked up at a friend's garage sale? I'm still looking for a good support for it, but a plate works fine, and I'm getting a very fine singles from it. I can even use it as a drop spindle once some twist has built up. This is some of the 100% merino I had left over from the Pacapoo I blended before Christmas.

 

 

Last week I mentioned my trip to the Beaverton Fresenius dialysis clinic to help Eevi Emminger, founder of Mitts of Steal, deliver fingerless mitts to patients. The pair I had just finished was snatched up by this patient, hot off the needles, and a hot colorway, too. This is the only photo I have of these mitts. I used Lorna's Laces sport weight superwash yarn.

 

 

Another knitting project, Daphne's Bees' Knees cardigan from Mary Scott Huff's The New Stranded Colorwork, is coming along. I'm using Knit Picks Stroll tonal and bare, and some old Knit Picks Essential from my stash. Since this photo was taken, I have finished the body and am ready to start on the sleeves, but I got sidetracked with some socks to work on during my trip to Portland for Sock Summit next week.

 

 

The pups go to the groomer tomorrow, thank Heaven! They are quite scraggly from all the fun while camping, as you can see from this photo taken at Suttle Lake, near Sisters.

 

For cuteness this week, though, I offer up this photo of the newlyweds in front of their new vacation home:

 

Yes, we went with them on their honeymoon. (Actually, they are planning a "Minimoon" to Crater Lake later on. This was sort of a dry run for setting up the tent.) They have no air mattresses, so they borrowed the seat cushions from our dining area in the trailer. Very comfy!

What's on my needles: A sock using an angora yarn I'll tell you about later.

What's on my wheel: Stanzi is presently empty, but awaiting a very special fiber for an unknown project.

What's in my hoop: Same old thing. I need to get a grip!

What's on my spindles: Same as last week. Ashford Mulberry on my Golding, the Louet Corriedale on my KP Turkish drop spindle and the merino I talked about above on my little support spindle.

What's on my iPad: From the Nook app, I'm reading Scandal on Rincon Hill: A Sarah Woolson Mystery by Shirley Tallman. From Audible, I'm still listening to The Shelters of Stone by Jean Auel.

What's my app of the week: Must be the photo app that came with my iPad. We just got the professional photos from the wedding taken by our niece, Amanda Howse Photography, and oh, my! (She lives in the Seattle area, but is willing to travel.

What's in my wine glass: Il Valore Marchese De Petri Sangiovese 2009. Tasty!





Note: This blog post was produced entirely on the iPad and its big brother, the MacBook. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for or cleaned.

 

High Fiber--Doing for Others

Giving begins with family, so I have been working on Daphne's cardigan:





The pattern is The Bees' Knees from Mary Scott Huff's The New Stranded Colorwork. The yarn is Knit Picks' Stroll fingering weight in Golden Glow Tonal, Cocoa (actually some of the old EssentialSolid, probably closest to Fedora), Bare and Springtime Tonal.



This closeup shows where I had a boo-boo. The orange stitch marker is in the stitch below a brown stitch that was supposed to be yellow. I didn't notice until I had passed it by about 10 rounds. I went up to the stitch that was still on the needles but directly above the mistake, dropped down to the mistake, fixed it and then put all the sts back. I used a crochet hook. There was enough yarn in the float (the yarn that's stranded along the back) to make the st, so it worked out.

Sunny and I help others by serving as a therapy animal team. Research has shown that petting a dog or cat is relaxing and lowers blood pressure. Twice a month we go to a local nursing home. Friday Sunny and I went to Camp Hobe, a camp for kids whose lives have been touched by cancer.



Sunny really enjoyed the attention and gave lots of kisses. (She somehow knows which people want the kisses.)




You can just see the tip of her tongue in the photo above.

We do this work as a part of Therapy Animals of Utah, a Delta Society affiliate. There were 12 teams at Camp Hobe this year!



Buying things from a friend is kind of a service. When you find what you like, the service goes both ways! Last week I showed the fiber and spindle I got at a garage sale. Here's a closeup of the spindle by itself, so you can see how cute it is. DH thinks it's teak. It's designed to be used supported, on a table or countertop. I haven't tried it yet, but it spins nicely by itself.



Our dogs require food, grooming and exercise, which we have to provide for them. This giving also goes both ways, because not only do they provide us with company, but hiking with them gives us exercise, too. Saturday we took a hike with the pups. They had a good time, and it was nice for them to get to swim in the pond after the hike. Next time I'll take peanuts for treats, so they all know to pose for the camera! (DH isn't influenced by dog biscuits. Sunny and Rocky know how to pose for the camera, though! They will do almost anything for a treat!)



I worked on my applique project a bit this week. I'll try to get a photo of it for next week.

I'm hoping to CO another pair of Mitts of Steal for dialysis patients this week. This is one way to have the fun of knitting or crocheting while doing something nice for someone in need. I'm going to help deliver the next batch of Mitts while I'm in Oregon next month, so I want to add to what I'm going to deliver. This makes a great mindless knitting project, and they are very quick to finish, taking less than a 50 gm ball of yarn.

What's on my needles: DBIL's "Prayer" cardi, front and back finished, a good start on Daphne's Bees' Knees cardigan, and I'm working on my applique project again for a special quilt.
What's on my wheel: The Louet Olive Green Corriedale, bobbin #3. The bobbin is filling up. Soon I will be ready to ply!
What's on my iPad: I finished Dog Sense by John Bradshaw. Excellent book! Now I'm starting The Shelters of Stone by Jean Auel.
What's on my iPod: Various podcasts, still including The Sweater Quest by Adrienne Martini, read by the author.
What's my app of the week: I'm using Skype in a new way. We got the service that allows us to call phone numbers with the iPad. It saves on long-distance, I don't have to use my minutes on my Tracfone, and my hands are free to knit or quilt!
What's in my wine glass: Crane Lake 2008 vintage Zinfandel, one of my favorites!

Note: This blog post was produced on the iPad and MacBook working together, but no Windows were opened, waited for or cleaned.

High Fiber--Elevating Fiber to a Higher Purpose

The snow is melting, as you can see by the lower level of the pups' snow pile:

We will get more snow before spring...and after it as well. Soon there will be days when I can take my spinning wheel out to the deck to work in the sun.

In knitting news, I finished these for Mitts of Steal.

These are in progress:

As promised, here's progress on my shawl:

This one uses the some of the yarn I spun during the Ravelympics last winter.


Vintage Stitchers met this week. Here's a sample:

Janet started this at the "Daisy Chain" class we had last month. It looks very different from my two '30s versions using the same pattern!

My "Floral Bouquet" from the same book is coming along:

Sarak arrived at her destination and is now at the Florida Keys, hopefully having a good time.

I updated the IOS on my iPad, and it upset my Photogene app, so this will be a shorter blog on terms of photos. My app of the week is "Earthquake Lite." Following the earthquakes in Japan and the resulting tsunamis has been interesting, although sad. The devastation has been mind-boggling. That story continues.

My reading hasn't changed since last week, although I'm further along in both books. I'm saving my spinning for an upcoming trip.

Happy fiber fun, everyone!


Note: This blog post was produced entirely on the iPad. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for or cleaned.