Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas!
Things are shifting into yuletide gear here at Chez Swine. I wanted to grab a quick moment to wish you all the happiest of holidays!
a post wherein ann seems to have it all. and you’ll hate her for it ….. but she’s okay with that
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. :)
seen around town
A woman came running into the shop yesterday and said, “Do you see what’s going on across the street?!” Of course, I dropped everything and came running to see. And at first I couldn’t see what she was talking about. No mayhem of any kind. And I looked. And I looked.
Finally she told me to take a closer look.
Check out the top of that truck.
Do you see the dog? What I believe is a chocolate lab?
There he sat. Looking for all the world like a dog is supposed to be sitting regally on top of every car.
At this point there were a few of us staring at this dog and laughing, wondering how he got on top of the truck. We were making him nervous, so he got up, turned around and hopped back into the truck
through the sun-roof! (that just about killed us)
He actually pulled that stunt a few more times – he kept hopping back out to see if we were still there staring at him.
this just in ……
there have been some new developments …… first off, I did not notice that someone drew an arrow to indicate which way the box should be sitting. This of course implies that the item inside needs to be seated a certain way. Furthermore, someone also covered the peep hole/handle thing with electrical tape.
I have also managed another hint, this one from D#2
- she saw one of these a long time ago (in D#2 years, that means this summer) and came across one more recently.
*** since she is not old enough to drive anywhere on her own, I am trying to think of where she has been (that would have potential presents) without me. I am stumped.
purlingswine 