Baby Its Cold Outside!

Living in the Midwest can sometimes seem like a test of endurance.  These last few days have been an endurance due to extreme cold.  Everything is so much harder when it is -20!  Toss in wind chills of -50 and you really wonder just how crazy your ancestors must have been.  Because really, who in their right minds would stop on a windswept prairie where temps can range from 100+ in the summer (ok, so not so often but still it does happen almost yearly) to lows of -30?  I can't imagine living in log cabins or sod homes trying to keep warm and/or cool during these times.

I was one of the few people who pushed on today and went to work.  I don't do anything "urgent" or "critical" in nature.  I work for a medical device company in the legal department.  But if I'm not there, I have to take PTO and I really try so hard to save as much of that as I can, between my mom's appointments and the girls appointments it can take a lot of time away from work.  Toss in the desire to actually have a vacation every once in a while, every PTO hour becomes precious and so valuable.  I did leave early though.  Even though my car is only a few years old, even those can have a tough time starting in temps as cold as this!

I happily got home by mid afternoon and spun away.  I working away on filling the basket for DFW Fiber Fest.  So far this last week I finished four more skeins.  These are true and sturdy skeins.  Not in your face skeins, but the sturdy work horses I use to really make those in your face skeins shine.

Meet Stella, I bought Stella's beautiful gray fleece at Shepherd's Harvest 2 years ago.  It was already cleaned and processed into a lovely bag of pin drafted fiber.  Stella is a bit of a conundrum, initially you feel her and you think Oooo, just a bit scratchy, but then, wait a minute, there is underlying softness to her as well.  I think she is a sturdy yarn, with gentle luster but quite a bit of strength to her as well.

Then there is this, I named them Hidden Gems.  Because while muted in tone, there are so many beguiling colors hidden in the background grayish purple.  Remember a couple posts ago I showed the roving I dyed myself with great help from Angela of All For Love of Yarn?  This was the roving that I felt was so me and initially I wasn't sure when I was spinning it, but in the end, I'm really quite pleased with the results. 

 

Both Stella and Hidden Gems have joined the other finished skeins in my basket.  I've upped my daily spinning to about 3+ hours on most week nights, the weekends?  I'm trying for 6+ hours.  I'm determined to have a great selection of yarns in 11 weeks.  Holy cow!  11 weeks until  DFW Fiber Fest.  Must sign off, must go spin.

And just what does 10 pounds of fiber look like?

Actually what you see here is only a mere 8 pounds of fiber.  The other 2 pounds are a natural cream and a variegated BFL mix that when spun will turn to a gorgeous soft grayish color.  These are all from Fat Cat Knits.  I just love Ginny's dyeing.  It has saturated, glorious and vibrant colors.  I have a small custom spin for a customer in Duluth, then I can't wait to see which of these I pick first.

I also realized I haven't had any finished pictures of my Color Affection.  So here it is, modeled by my newly 17 year old daughter.  Her birthday was yesterday. 

I used white, blue and brown.  All were merino with silk and they spun up super easy and so very pretty.  I was very happy with the result.  The Color Affection pattern is very easy and I enjoyed the calming repetitive nature of the knitting.  I'd do it again if I had more time!  Time, the bane of my existence at the moment.  Trying to spin yet knit samples, how I wish for another pair of hands!

And to end this post, here are some examples of skeins that while pictured in the snow, will be winging their way to Texas comes spring...

Dyeing and drum carding

I spent the best time Saturday afternoon.  I did a custom spin for Angela of All For Love of Yarn, she brought me a bunch of her beautiful roving, in a multitude of colors.  I spun 11 skeins for her and Saturday I went to her place where she taught me how to dye roving and use a drum carder.  What fun!  My girls went along to watch and after a few hours of play um I mean WORK, I took home buckets of still wet roving.  Look at these beauties!  I have literally pounds of beautiful stuff to spin. 

My younger daughter picked the colors for this, lots of blues/purples/pinks.  Have I mentioned her bedroom is painted a deep purple on 2 walls and a strong turquoise on the other 2 walls?  This is Emily through and through.

This was a bit of blues, reds, a hint of pink and yellows.  This is more me.

 

 

And this one?  I think this is my favorite, it is just a hodgepodge of colors, all blending into just an amazing batch of roving that I'm itching to work on.  One of the things I'm still working on, is to know what the finished yarn will look like after spinning it.  This?  I'm clueless but CAN'T wait to see!

After the fun of dyeing, Angela next introduced me to the wonders of working on a drum carder.  I mainly spin combed top.  I've had a few batts in the past but I never really liked spinning from them.  I found them stiff and bit cumbersome so I just stuck with what I worked with the most, combed top.  Well after this?  I just may need to explore the world of drum carding.  Because the stuff Angela helped me make is as soft as butter and I can't wait to work on it.  I have several coils of this soft delicious stuff.  We combined blues and green tossed in some gorgeous buttery Carmel with just a hint of sparkle.  Have I mentioned I can't wait to spin this! 

 

And why pray tell am I waiting to spin ANY of this? Because I'm plowing through ......

 

And I just got an email from Ginny of Fat Cat Knits, my order of, oh um, 8 pounds of fiber is on its way!  Must keep spinning!

 

How is -2 a high?

I'm a native Minnesotan, now I lived in Texas for 13+ years and consider it home as well.  But no where in any sane person's logic would -2 be considered an appropriate temperature, much less the HIGH for the day?  Now that is sheer crazy talk people.  I look outside and it is a gorgeous winter day.  White snow, blue skies, beautifully sunny day, with nary a cloud above, but it is windy and it is cold.  And that leads to the notion the a number with a minus sign in front of it is a HIGH temp.  This is the sun that is a cruel, taunting sun.  It lulls you into thinking it will be just be brisk outside but when you step out and your breathe slams in your throat as the numbing wind sucks out any oxygen in your lungs, you know the sun is just giggling at you....sigh....and it is only early December.  Lord this may be one long hard winter.

On a much brighter (and dare I say warmer) note,

this is the roving for my younger daughter's China yarn.  This will be turned into yarn named for Emily, whose Chinese name is Hong Hong, which means red the color of fire.  I love the color range in this, it has sparks and strength much like my Emily.  I'm currently spinning some white Corriedale fiber, but once I'm finished with it, I'll be pulling this one out next.

 

One thing I'm trying to do this year, is spin more natural colored fibers, one reason is they play off so nicely with the hand dyed colors.  I like doing stranded work and having my own handspun in both colors and natural undyed fibers makes my heart happy.  So I'm planning to spin one batch of natural, then one batch of hand dyed, it will help me have a balanced selection at my fiber festivals.

 

And this is just a glamor shot of some beautiful roving from All for Love of Yarn, Angela is a local indie dyer and I use her fiber frequently.  I just finished a custom spin for her and can't wait to see the fiber I'm going to receive as form of payment!  Watch here...I'll post the new stuff as soon as I get it.

 

 

Building my Stock

Well we survived the first snow storm of the season.  And while we didn't get the snow that the North shore got, the 6+ inches was enough for me.  If I didn't have to commute to work via car, it wouldn't be nearly the issue it is.  I just crept along with everyone else, inch worming my way safely home.  But it is beautiful looking and makes it look like Christmas!  Someday I will be able to stay home, snuggled up warm and cozy while the snow flies.  But now?  Ya, working five days a week can be a challenge at times like this.

I've finished my custom spins and I'm beginning to prepare for DFW Fiber Fest.  I'll be showing my skeins as I go along...hope you see something you like!

This is Hong Kong at Night, it has some lovely glitzy sparkle mixed in the reds and yellows.  It so reminds me of the sunset in Hong Kong.  I spent a couple nights there during the trip to China to get my younger daughter.  She picked out this roving.  Seemed fitting

This is a special colorway called Zhi Hua.  This is the name my older daughter came to me with.  It means Wise Flowering Blossom.  I worked with my indy dyer, Ginny of Fat Cat Knits to come up with special colorways for my girls.  This is Anna's.  It fits her perfectly.

And this one is called Pink Lady.  A soft, shiny yarn that I fell in love with and created a long cowl from it.  The cowl is called the Biscuit cowl.  I think it showed off the yarn nicely.  That cowl can be found on my Ravelry project page.  Look for China mom....you will find it there.

 

And that is what I have to show tonight.  Hoping it gets some people thinking about stopping at my booth either in Texas for the DFW Fiber Fest, or in MN at Yarnover in the spring.  Yup that is me, we get our first snow fall and I'm already thinking of spring!

A Big Leap of Faith

I was notified late on Friday that I've been selected to be a vendor at the DFW Fiber Fest being held at the Irving Convention Center, March 28, 29, and 30, 2014.  Yup, that is right a three day show.  This is a huge step for me.  A somewhat scary step but a wonderful leap to my future.  And the added benefit?  WE ARE COMING BACK TO TEXAS!  smile...we haven't been "home" for two years so we are all overdue for our Texas fix.

I'm working out my spinning schedule in my head, I have seventeen weeks to spin.  When I'm not at work?  I'll be spinning.  When I'm not at one of the girls' events?  I'll be spinning.  When I'm not spinning?  I'll be knitting just a couple more samples.

I'm so happy to be given this opportunity.  I've worked really hard the last six months to build more time in my life for me.  This is me taking a leap into the unknown.  If anyone is near to Dallas/Fort Worth the end of March?  Come see me and help me celebrate!

I'm also going to commit to writing more, which frankly shouldn't be hard!  I'll try my best.  Stay tuned to pictures of the glorious yarns I'll be churning out to bring to Texas.

Being Nice

Of the many blogs I read, Mason Dixon Knitting is one of my consistent favorites.  And tonight I just read the latest installment.  About turning 50 and feeling liberated and becoming more frank.  And to stop trying to be liked all the time.  To stop being Nice.  Lord, that is me in a nut shell.  I've always tried to please, to be liked.  I've been in the middle of many a family dynamic, both growing up and now.  My 81 year old mom and I share a home with my two girls, 16 and 11.  Now isn't that an interesting dynamic right there!  Talk about being in the middle...between my girls and my mom I'm usually trying to negotiate family peace.  Sometimes with good success, other times, not so much.  And frankly it is exhausting.  At work I support a team of people so even there I'm helping other people. Which I'm usually good at.  But I'm to the point of wondering how much longer I can carry this load.  I love my girls.  I love my mom.  I won't go so far as to say I love my job, but it is a good job, I like it, I like the people I work with.  I'm just struggling with boundaries right now.  Trying to "make everyone happy."  While it may work for them?  This usually means I'm the one not so happy.  My mom is aging.  Brings more issues all the time.  My girls are growing and pushing their boundaries.  Nothing that isn't normal or common.  My girls are good and funny.  They are just teenagers (nothing you say will persuade me that my 11 year old is NOT a teenager yet, just ask her).  Just a tough combination at times.  I have been silent here more than not simply because I struggle to just keep up my happy face right now.  I'm a kind person and won't be cruel but man lately I've been short with people.  Some may call it being "frank"  I'm not sure what to call it.  But it isn't who I want to be.  Right now the only thing in my life that I feel any true sense of control is my spinning/knitting!  And even they try and push me around at times.  smile...I'm here.  Just trying to find a balance in my life right now that seems so out of reach.