friggin Typepad ate my post. I hate that!! argh. the last time I bitched about typepad, someone from the company left me a comment – it was a very nice comment, but it was kinda creepy all the same.
Here is a quick review of the highlights:
saw this
went here, here and also here.
saw this
read this, and check this out!
this weekend I have a two day workshop in this
I know I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again —- I love my spinning guild! Last night’s meeting was a workshop on dyeing silk caps. The workshop was fantastic and lots of kudos to Rosane who pulled the whole thing together for us.
Before we dive in, every meeting starts out with some show & tell …….
the first two pictures are Peggie Ehler’s submissions to the Master Spinners program. Then we have Ellen’s felted house socks. First on the second line of pics are Peggy’s argyle socks. After that are Judy’s hat and gloves. Then Lisa’s handspun from her very own angora bunny that she got at Rhinebeck – she named him Foo Foo! We are all encouraging Carol to send pictures of her handspun, handknit afghan into Spin Off – isn’t it gorgeous?? And now that we finally have some cooler temperatures around here, a snuggly poncho.
After the parade of talent, we got onto the workshop!
Once we were done painting the silk, we rolled it up in plastic wrap. We could either steam it for a half hour at the meeting, or take it home and give it a two minute zap in the microwave. Then we were instructed to rinse them until the water ran clear and hang to dry.
Next month’s meeting will be a workshop on spinning the caps.
My spinning guild had its holiday party Wednesday night. In addition to fabulous snacks and spinning, there is a grab bag. As with most grab bags, we have guidelines. The cool thing is rather than $$ amounts, it’s weight amounts – 2 oz. of your handspun.
Another of my holiday traditions is determining who got the best grab bag gift. This is a tradition I keep to myself (except for my gloating expression), but I suspect that most people have that very same tradition. I am pleased to say that I do believe I got the very best grab bag gift – not that I’m competing or anything! ; )
I shall tell you a little bit about this handspun. But before I do you need to brace yourselves. This handspun has an ending that will slay you.
Ready? First off, it is 5 ounces of handspun (more than twice the specified amount – score!). Secondly, it is 5 ounces of handspun that have been hand-dyed – yeah baby. Thirdly, it 5 ounces of handspun that have been hand-dyed using a natural dye bath of hydrangea and turmeric (does it get any better?). Fourthly, now this is the part, so get ready …… it is 5 ounces of hand spun, natural hand dyed hydrangea and turmeric wool and the hands that did all of this work ………. are 10 years old.
yes, you read it correctly. There is a very young member of our spinning guild. Her name is Emma and she comes to our meetings with her grandparents – who are also stellar spinners. She is somewhere around 10 (anywhere between 9 and 12 is my estimate), is very quiet and she sits there and spins and spins! I believe her brother just won some award at a large alpaca competition. And I was the lucky one who got her gift. I was stunned. We all were. I knew she was spinning – but this skein is magnificent. I LOVE IT Emma!! (not that Emma is wasting any of her time on the Internet – hmmm, maybe I should take a cue from Ms. Em?)
As if all of that weren’t enough, Peggie Ehlers (my spinning guru – except now Emma is giving her a run for her money) had a surprise Christmas present for me……
You are looking at 440 yard of gorgeous handspun lace weight. It is a blend of baby alpaca, silk and hand painted tencel. I did a particularly lousy job with the camera – this stuff is truly magnificent. Peggie is considering selling her fibers, so if you are salivating go over to her site and leave her a comment. She has been terrible about blogging, but maybe we can bully her into it a bit. And yes, Vicki, Kay ….. that is indeed a pair of Bakelite needles!! maybe she’ll sell some of those too!
ah yes, I was indeed the belle of the ball. At this point you are fed up with me. Not one but two presents to die for. Don’t deny it, I would have had it with me as well ….. but there’s more!
when I got home from the guild meeting last night – practically limping under the weight of my good fortune, this is what greeted me
go ahead, leave. I can’t stand me either. :)
thank you so much for all your sage knitting advice. All agreed it was best to rip (and drink!), which is exactly what I did. After I posted my knitting SOS last night, I put the project aside and went to bed. I had enough sense at least to put some distance between me and the sweater. I figured I would have to rip it, but didn’t want to do anything rash.
I hoped to have pictures for you, but this day has been a tad crazy. Friends in crisis and one in the hospital! (our Flair had some tests done – thank goodness everything is okay) All is well that ends well and I am back to knitting the pattern stitch on the smaller needles. Once I get a few more rows done, I will measure my gauge to make sure I am on the right track. For now, it is off to spinning guild for me!
purlingswine 
