My lovely daughter has been bugging me for quite some time to "help me dye". This Saturday we were enjoying a rare "just the two of us" moment, and I finally relented. She did a great job! I couldn't believe this child, who won't touch the door when the oven is on and who is always trying to get me to turn on the stove for her, stood over a hot double propane burner turned up extra high because the wind was blowing like crazy (darn you Spring!
shakes fist at the sky) and applied dye to yarn sitting in boiling water like she'd been doing it all her life.
She picks up all things yarny and fibery very quickly. I've never been sure if she's just a fiber "genius", born to spin and knit like Bella was born to be a vampire (haven't you read
Breaking Dawn yet?), or if it's all those hours she spends in proximity to her mother doing these things. The difference is, the girlie picks it up and puts it back down again. Not me. I knit, spin, dye, and card fiber past the point of exhaustion and pain. Oh well, I guess we all have to have a reason to live :).
This concoction is becoming Dragon Sock in Dragon's Breath, destined for the
Loopy Ewe.
I have been in full-on dyeing mode lately.
Gryphon and I leave for
Stitches South on the 22nd, right after the girlie's dance performance. We'll be staying with Bob, the Lovely Jack's best friend from elementary school and beyond. We have a double this time, so i think i'll be bringing some roving.
Immediately after we return, I'll be participating in a two day spinning class given by none other than the fabulous Lexi Boeger of
Pluckyfluff.
not only that but it hosted by two of my favorite art yarn spinners and local indies: Steph of
loop and Carissa of
Treadle to the Metal.
The class will take place the Thursday and Friday right before Maryland Sheep and Wool (yaay), where Dragonfly Fibers will be represented once again at
Cloverhill's booth. I'll be there Saturday morning, so come by and see me, okay? Then of course, i'll be headed off to the auction, which is my favorite part of the show. Aside from the fleece auction, and the Got Soap booth, and the Kid Hollow Farm booth, and the Coke floats, and the shearings. It's a pretty great time, I must say. I'll be looking for a picker again this year at the auction. And hopefully I won't come home with another antique spinning wheel.
Mad Millie, my "mad" purchase from last year is staying with
Jess for a bit, until we can get the right part for the Babe wheel I have given her. I thought we had it, and she came over Sunday to put it on and maybe do a little spinning. We had a very entertaining time, but the part is still wrong. Aaargh! Jess took some pics and the next step is to send them to
Babe himself and see if we can get the right part.
Now onto the yarn! I have been intending for quite a awhile yet to post a parade of projects but i can't for the life of me seem to photograph my knitting and spinning. So, here's a list. use your imagination:)
Completed: gorgeous plain socks knitted in NEW bfl sock yarn, accidentally and amazingly dyed by Gryphon.
Almost completed: skull and cross bones sweater for the Boy. Well, it is done but needs to have the ends darned in and the sleeves lengthened a bit (how could he have GROWN while i was knitting this?:)
Blue raglan cardi in Cotton Fleece started last Fall. Lengthening sleeves and trying to knit the "button band with a mind of it's own". I've ripped one side several times already, despite having knit the other side successfully. I'll try one more time, then, I'll knit it seperately and sew it on;)
Dragging on: maggie may socks for my friend Maggie's birthday this past Valentine's Day. I have determined that Sea Sock is hard to knit at a close gauge. I'm using Cat Bordhi's new sock book for the pattern and while I like her quite a bit, and agree that she is utterly brilliant, i don't like using the book. It's so spelled out that it's frustrating. Too much information. Of course, it would help if i actually used her book as she intends, taking all measurements and making all calculations in advance. writing things down, rather than winging it and and having to constantly re-figure things.
Barely begun: February Lady sweater in hand-processed hand spun from a few very beautiful natural fleeces in astonishingly lovely shades of grey. I have been spinning in progression from a fairly dark charcoaly Romney cross fleece from the lock through to a "musket" colored Shetland. Musket is a very light grey that is so light, it doesn't even look grey anymore. I plan to start with dark at the top, becasue it flatters my face more and probably save some for the trim at the wrists and bottom edge to balance it. I bet you'd like to see some pictures of this project! next time, okay?
For now, you will have to settle with some Villainess Gaia Lace
Rocky Top Sea Sock
and Rocky Top Gaia Lace.
Nice, eh?
And few shots of the boy at his last track meet:
With his good good buddy and partner in crime
flirting with a girl from another team,
and doing what he came to do! His uncle (my sweet adorable little brother Tommy) is a high school track coach and his grandfather actually coaches the jumpers. When he heard the boy child had gone 7'10" the last week, he said, "a couple weeks with me, and i can have him jumping 8'4"." Guess what, Grandfather? This week, he got 8'4"! I do believe that child can fly.
And shake it she did!
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