Brightening Up a Winter Day

This is where the dogs were while I did this.....


And this....


And this...



And when I was done....


A perfect way for all of us to spend a very cold winter day!

Bright winter day

Frost

It was four degrees this morning. Frost on the inside of the windows at the shop, so that's why you don't hear much from me in the winter; this is where the computer lives. Walked dogs this morning with tiny flakes of snow streaking through the air, brilliant in the sunshine.

I don't think even a bottle cozy would help today! And given the way the bottles fit into the cages, I think the rabbits would just eat the cozies. The problem with a rabbit bottle is that it has a narrow sipper tube, which the rabbit has to reach in order to drink. This freezes up first, and anything that any of us have come up with to defrost the tube the rabbits will chew up. I appreciate everyone's suggestions, though!

Saturday Sky

Saturday Sky

A warm winter day and probably clouding up for showers/snow tomorrow!

Winter is Here!

Crocheted Hat and Scarf

(Full sized photo on flickr, click on the smaller picture to see)

I keep thinking that things will slow down with the colder weather, but it seems there is always plenty to do. Walking with my friend in the morning under dusky skies with stars shining brittle in the cold air, tending rabbits in temperatures that make everything a little harder, settling in for spinning on a couple of special orders that require a good bit of yarn, playing with an energetic Lab to tire him out so he can take cozy naps with Lily on the couch, reading the wonderful books sent to me by my aunt and spending special time with other special people in my life. Throw in new plans for the business and some computer work to keep things going, and the winter is flying by as quickly as the summer!

Today it is so cold that I couldn't even take the water bottles back out to the rabbits; they're sipping from bowls and I have to take water down again a couple of times more throughout the day. Cyndy is right; if anyone ever does invent a really freezeless water bottle, they will make a fortune! The best course I've found so far is to have extra water bottles to keep in the house and swap them out through the day. This works most of the time, until we get a day like today, when the temperatures hover in the low 20s and the bottles freeze up immediately!

I've been spinning white angora blended with merino for a special order project; soft, soft, soft but kind of dull so there are no pictures. But in between spinning sessions, to brighten the day and rest my spinning arm, I crocheted up the hat and scarf above from the gorgeous yarn from the Yarn Snobs Swap. The pattern is called "Tennessee Hills" and is from The Little Box of Crocheted Hats and Scarves. The hat was a breeze to make; I crocheted a purple hat band from some left-over yarn for it. I made the scarf narrower and a bit longer than the pattern suggested. The colors are great in this set and match my favorite coat-sweater, which is unfortunately wearing out!

Yesterday we had snow flurries off and on all day, but today the sky is brilliant blue and the sun is shining. But a cold wind keeps temperatures down, and the wild birds are busy emptying the bird feeders. Thecats curl up on the back of the couch, idly watching and too cozy to care that sassy chickadees flutter scant inches away through the glass.

Saturday Sky

Cold Saturday Sky

My Saturday skies are kind of boring; all blue, blue, blue. Today is cold and windy; the bunny water bottles are frozen and the rabbits that were sheared this week have extra hay in nest boxes to huddle inside if they get cold!

Keeping water to animals in the winter is the hardest thing to deal with; today if it doesn't warm up I'll have to haul water down and put it in bowls. I don't like doing this because they spill it and I worry that they don't get enough. Fortunately we rarely have more than a day or two of really cold weather, and I'm usually able to put the bottles back in for most of the time.

The birds are now flocking to the feeders and this morning a sassy blue jay was lording over the favorite feeder while the smaller birds nipped in and out around him. A glorious cardinal brightens the gray branches of the apple tree.

Cold Days

Early morning porch window at 13 degrees


Proper place for girl dogs in cold weather!

Swap Goodies!

Swap Goodies!

I signed up a little while back for a yarn swap; I've been seeing all the talk about swaps on blogs and thought it would be fun. The one I found, Yarn Snobs Unite!, was right up my alley; I don't claim to be a yarn snob but I adore natural fibers and was hoping for something that would be a little different. I was surprised to find a little box waiting when I got home!

The Knitstress drew my name, and was I the lucky one! Wonderful soft merino yarn that the sender pointed out comes from a small town seventy miles from Cape Town, South Africa. The card she sent along is charming, with bright spring colors and grand cut-outs. Of course there are delightful sweet treats, with my favorite flavored chocolates for my morning cuppa! Many thanks to my swap partner! I'm gathering up the treasures to send away today; I've been going around to the local shops to get special things to send with the yarn!

I LOVE Charleston!

Beautiful house in downtown Charleston, SC

Our annual trip across North and South Carolina to wonderful Charleston was a success and also lots of fun. I always enjoy the trip, leaving behind January weather in the country to enjoy warm sunshine and sea breezes in this lovely old city. We spend most of our time in the historic downtown districts and I could spend days just walking around looking at the houses and little details of ironwork, stone and garden.


Lovely old fence, Charleston

If I ever wanted to live in a city it would be downtown Charleston. The people are friendly and indulgent to wide-eyed tourists that wander their elegant streets, camera in hand. Every house is a treasure, and there are so many private nooks that you can just catch enticing glimpses of from the street. Old houses surrounded by trees and quiet gardens, very little traffic (at least when we were there) and wonderful shops and restaurants nearby, cozy little houses that I might just be able to afford a corner of someday make Charleston seem like a wonderful place to live. At least in the winter!


Quiet nook in Charleston

The show was very successful, at least for us in our lofty balcony. I spent the entire weekend indulging in a crochet project for myself. I couldn't take the spinning wheel to work on the special orders and wanted something I could just pick up and do without having to figure and mess around with. So I took a pattern and some yarn, the first pattern I've worked by for ages. More on that later today or tomorrow on the Fiber Femmes blog.


Spinning in public

Due to the inspiration of two terrific articles in Fiber Femmes this issue about spindling, I made up my mind that I was going to learn how to use a drop spindle. Years ago I did play around with one, with dog hair and a homemade affair that was just a potato and a pencil. I managed to make Samoyed yarn, but when I started working with spinning wheels, I never went back to the drop spindle. I love using a supported spindle for my angora and have a couple that I work with frequently. Sandra gave me a Romanian drop spindle when she came back from her trip this summer, but I haven't been able to figure out how to make it work yet. So I found a little spindle I picked up somewhere. I think it's supposed to be a supported spindle for cotton but I was able to spin yarn with it as a drop spindle. Thanks to Jeanette for a great article! I had the SO take a picture of me with the spindle to prove that I could do it at last!

Where Does the Time Go?

Drifting by like the lazy clouds I can see over the church, scattering in the cold breeze across a brilliant sky.

Full weekend with lots of cleaning up and figuring out how to manage space and dogs and cats. TJ has a new play space in my enclosed front porch and he loves it! We got him some toys; his favorite is a big cheap basketball that he can chase and toss without tearing it to pieces. We had a fine romp out there yesterday afternoon, with Lily barking her head off to add to the uproar! TJ is calmer when he comes in after being able to play so hard; he tucks onto the couch with Lily and naps, or chews on his toy quietly on the rug. Good boy!

I've been trying to figure out how to spin with the lovely Romanian spindle Sandra gave me from her trip this summer. So far my success has been limited; I may have to seek some instruction. I haven't worked much with a drop spindle, preferring a supported one with my angora. But I want to learn to use this one; it's too nice to just leave laying around as a decoration. If I get anything done with it I'll post pictures!

Speaking of pictures, go over and visit The Yarn Museum. This is a gorgeous site, "honoring the artistry and beauty of handspun yarn." There's an article that explains the purpose and founding of the site on Fiber Femmes and it's a great idea. I have a couple of skeins there!

And I finished a wonderful book that my aunt gave me; there's a review here.

Little Stories

Beautiful Bentley

I went down this morning to walk and to meet my friend's new dog, Bentley. Does he remind you of anyone you know? Bentley is a little nervous, since he hasn't been a house dog before but I think he's going to be splendid, as soon as he figures the house thing out. He's seven months old and should be a big boy. Lily is going down with me tomorrow for playtime, and to show Bentley it's OK to go IN the back door.


Patrick County Mug

I cleaned up the kitchen yesterday; things had gotten to critical mass and I just couldn't stand it anymore. While I was tidying, I ran across all sorts of things that I've kept to remind me of special people and special times. Each one of them has a little story. The Patrick County mug was a gift from our tourism director for one of the events I participated in. She's become a special friend and I like seeing this mug every morning by the kitchen window. And I love cobalt blue!


Lady Salt and Dame Pepper

I bought this pair of salt and pepper shakers at the store where I used to work, and they are a fun reminder of all the good times I had there for so many years. Dame Pepper has a couple of chips because she took a fall or two from the kitchen table.


Little Hen on a Basket

Mom bought me this little darling when I was pretty young, at the "Craft Shop" here in Meadows of Dan. I used to love going to visit with the delightful, and oh-so-patient owner of the interesting little place. It must have been a pain to have me wander in so often, but she never let me know. The old building is gone now; it was once a home, then the shop, and was torn down to expand a restaurant. There were some lovely old lilacs in the yard and I wish I had been able to save one of them.


Little Map Plate

Favorite cousin gave me this not long ago, but I remember that it has been one of the treasures of her house for a long time. When we were small my grandfather used to take us down to visit; he thought a great deal of both favorite cousin and her father, who was my grandfather's uncle. The men would talk in the cozy living room; Uncle in his big chair with the old clock ticking over his head and Grandpa sitting nearby so he could hear the conversation. My brother and I would clamber into the old daybed and watch birds outside the cunning window beside the fireplace, or play in the kitchen with the cat, who acted more like a dog and would romp with us like a small lion. Favorite cousin always had stories to tell and something interesting was always going on. There have been a few changes to the old house over the years but it always feels just like stepping into another century, a time that was warm and inviting where every visitor is special.


Blue Willow Platter

Aunt in Connecticut gave me this not long after I moved into the old family homeplace. The pattern is one that has always been popular with country women and there is a story that goes with the pattern, although the legend is probably apocryphal. When we were small my grandmother took care of us while our parents were and work. My aunt and uncle were teenagers at the time. Aunt was brilliant and active in high school but she still had time for a bratty little niece. I remember being invited into her room upstairs, where I was in awe of her special treasures and scrapbook. She loved cats and books and, along with her mother, she was a big influence on me when I was young.

Happy New Year!

Lily's Waiting

Rather belated good wishes for the new year to everyone! I've been up to here with the new issue of Fiber Femmes, and have done very little else since Thursday except work on that. It's a terrific issue; Sandra has recruited some excellent writers that did a splendid job on articles ranging from festivals in Australia to really good pieces about spinning techniques. I did some minor modifications that took a great deal of time, hoping to make the magazine more useful and fun!

Cold this morning; my young friend and I had a very frosty walk. I brought Lily here to the store with me, and soon we need to go back and tend to the rabbits. Too cold at our normal time; the water bottles would just freeze back up again. I'm planning to clean the kitchen today; it has reached a state of clutter that even a hillbilly can't tolerate.

My other minor accomplishments this past week were getting some more pieces on eBay to sell; the first lot went really well. I'm trying to move out some art magazines; they're old and fragile and I want to get them sold before something happens to them. I also did a short review of a book I just finished, started reading two more and finished filling a bobbin of an angora/merino blend while showing Sally about plying. I ran out of yarn for the shell stitch cape I was working on (rats) so I started crocheting a purse last night. I want to write up the pattern for Fiber Femmes; so I'm having to go slow to pay attention.