A Finished Object!

Ruffled Corset Belt

Was this ever a quick and easy piece! I started it a couple of days ago, and have been working on it while watching my "free" movie hours over at Netflix. This has gone fast and I still have lots of movie hours left. This wide belt was designed by Tricia Royal and appears in The Happy Hooker by Debbie Stoller. This is the second piece I've made from this book and I've still got my eye on Violet Beauregard.

Edited to add:

I was in a hurry to do this post; between brochures for shops and festivals. I forgot to mention that the gorgeous yarn for this belt came from Lowder Colours Farm in Kellyville, Oklahoma. I was fortunate enough to get it in the Fiber Femmes swap I participated in this winter. It is beautiful yarn with lots of life and feels wonderful in the finished belt. I can't wait for the weather to get cool enough for me to wear it!

And.....


Something on knitting needles!

I taught someone to knit this weekend! Pretty good, huh, since I'm knitting challenged myself!

Swapped!

Great Swap Goodies!

I just wish y'all could feel this amazing yarn! It's a deep, deep brown. rambouillet from Lowder Colours Farm in Oklahoma. Kate Lowder, a wonder Fiber Femme, drew my name and I have a lovely skein to look forward to working with. She included a picture of the wether that grew the wool and a description, calling him a Reverse Badger Rambouillet that she raised from a Gray Badger Rambouillet ewe named Mandy and a Gray Badger Ram named Roper. I just learned a bit about Rambouillet colors!

This swap was sponsored by Fiber Femmes, and we had a nice response to it. We'll be doing another one soon!

The weather has turned cold again, and I was thawing out water bottles this morning. It's supposed to be even colder over the next couple of days. The good thing is that this can't last long, right? Lily wouldn't get out of bed to go for our walk this morning; I had to tramp out alone to go meet Kym and Bentley. Smart girl, Lily, as we realized when the wind took our breath! But it was almost worth the chill to see the dawning over the mountains. A thousand soft greens are creeping across the hills and the rising sun casts brilliance and shadows over the new little leaves.

Back home I've been spinning (surprise) and running around to meetings and such. And working on web pages and the shop. Things have been busy! Easter is a big family holiday around here, so people are coming back home from far away and stopping in while visiting the folks at home. Mom had a nice Easter dinner for us today; I slipped away from the shop and we had a great meal! Now I'm sleepy!

I've been reading the poetry of Edna St. Vincent Millay lately, so I was pleased to find a biography of the poet in one of the boxes that my aunt sent at the beginning of the winter. I knew very little about the poet and her life, so Savage Beauty, The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay, thirty years in the writing, makes me want to take a new look at the poems. Although I feel that there are some faults in Nancy Milford's biography, seeing the poetry against the background of a life, often troubled but always adventurous, added a new dimension to my understanding.

What struck me most about Vincent Millay's life is that genius so often comes out of such a life. Talented people often seem to be driven toward a need for experience, and the depth of their work reveals an understanding of experience that so many of us lack. We need these people to speak for us, out of their pain, to say what we cannot find words to reveal.

For my review of Savage Beauty, check out my book review blog.

Yarn Swap Goodies!

Yarn Swap!

Yes, I'm addicted! Is there anything better than getting a surprise package in the mail, with a soft, soft skein of hand painted yarn and other goodies? The Knitstress got my name again and I'm still lucky! She sent a beautiful alpaca/wool blend yarn from Fearless Fibers, a lovely card that matches the skein, a sweet little pot of chocolate lip gloss and a handy notepad so that I can keep track of all these projects (and swaps). I haven't decided what to do with the skein yet; right now I'm just carrying it around to fondle!

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.

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!