Spinning into Spring

Hiking with great friends in Rock Castle Gorge

hings are changing a little here at Greenberry House.  While I've always considered myself  active, the last few years have not been quite as vigorous and exercise-filled as they should    have been.  Hence and extra 42 pounds that I really don't need to be carrying around.  I would probably have let that slide, even though I haven't been feeling as well as I should, if it hadn't been for a little health crisis with the SO.  So we got with the program and have been working hard on eating better and getting more exercise.  One of the benefits of the exercise has been wonderful hikes with some fantastic people we know nearby.

Our last hike was in Rock Castle Gorge, which was the birth place of my grandmother on my mother's side.  I wrote a series of articles about her and her life in Rock Castle.  I've often thought that if I could get enough material together I could do a nice book about her there.  We had a wonderful day and took our time with the hike, stopping to take pictures of wildflowers and talk about all sort of things.  Of course, two days later we had a terrific hail storm and then it snowed again.  That's what living on the mountain is like.

Merino/bamboo/nylon roving in the Murasaki colorway from Fiber Monster

I haven't traded my wheel for hiking boots, though.  In fact, I've been spinning like mad because the Olde Liberty Fibre Faire is coming up fast and I need lots of stuff to sell.  I've been spinning and carding and just took a big bag over to storage of new handspun yarns and some lovely hand carded batts that we hope to offer at Olde Liberty.  Chris is coming down for the weekend and I'm really looking forward to it!  Fiber festivals are always so inspiring.  It's great to meet new people and visit with people you know, and see what interesting work everyone is doing.

The fiber above is becoming these singles

I think I mentioned kittens awhile back.  As in abandoned mother cat who produced three of.  I think I also mentioned how much I adore the little creatures.  A couple of weeks ago, after I shopped around to every vet in the area and got extremely discouraging news as to the cost of having four female cats spayed, I stumbled across Planned Pethood in Rocky Mount.  Don't you love the name?  They did a fantastic job with the little cats for a very reasonable fee and included rabies shots.  When I'm back in funds I'm going to start sending them a little money along to help with their expenses. If you've got an extra dollar or two to spare I'm sure they would appreciate it.  I just couldn't afford $200 each right now on these little girls and I really appreciate a caring place that puts the animals before the bottom line.

Seaweed Cardigan

There has been some knitting going on.  I'm loving this beautiful lace pattern by Cecily Glowik MacDonald.  Not sure I care for the name "seaweed" for my cardigan but the wavy lace could resemble fronds of seaweed waving on an ocean current.  The yarn is a cone of mill ends I got at Maryland Sheep and Wool last year and I really like the shimmer of the cotton/rayon blend in this pattern.  I've finished the back and started the right front; do you think I'll finish it in time for Olde Liberty?


What I'm spinning:  Merino/bamboo/nylon roving in the Murasaki colorway from Fiber Monster & Romney from Thistle Cover Farm.
What I'm knitting:  Seaweed Cardigan by Cecily Glowik MacDonald, Interweave Knits, Spring 2010.
What I'm crocheting:  Maya from Wrapped in Crochet by Kristin Omdahl
What I'm reading: Who is Sylvia? by Kitty Griffin
Current sounds & sights for spinning along:  Six Feet Under, Season 2.
How the diet is going:  We're cooking! (Mostly at home)  The So has lost 20 pounds and I've lost 17.  We hiked nine miles last weekend!