Reprinted without permission ….

Posted by ann

I have been talking a few people through their first attempts at sock knitting (FA in PA needs to send me some pictures). Here is an email I just received from my friend M. Carmel……

Esteemed One,
I offer attached pictures (in a most humble manner), for your perusal and
blessings…..thank you, oh, exhalted one…..your little knitting
grasshopper (prostrating herself in front of you)

Didn’t she do a great job?? Let’s hear it for the girl!! Let’s also remember that while she may indeed be my little knitting grasshopper, that in no way means I am an ancient Chinese man.

Posted by ann

So, what do you think about the place? If you haven’t noticed, I rearranged the furniture around here. And in a very scary twist, Cara and I are on the same wavelength – she’s redesigned things too. She is supposed to be knitting – Olympic knitting. Instead she is gadding about to Ikea, assembling furniture until her hands are swollen and redesigning her blog. gah!

But enough about Cara, back to Me! I have tried and tried to make that banner image the width of my page. Typepad tells me to enlarge it to 770 pixels which I did. But still it won’t stretch – which is probably a good thing since the picture would be totally out of proportion. I just love the expression on that little pig’s face!

In fiber news, I have been spinning and spinning. During my marathon session of drum carding, I discovered a pound of Jacob fleece. It was very rustic and coarse and was like spinning pubic hair. Not that I’ve tried it. I swear. Well, Peggy E. added some gorgeous green silk and mohair and now it is a thing of beauty. And I have been spinning away!

D is for …..

Posted by ann

My Grandmother

Dorothy Campbell
she taught me to knit

I must have been

Posted by ann

a saint in a previous life to deserve the life I am living now. I think it has become my destiny to be surrounded by brilliant women in bucolic settings. ah me oh my. I suppose if someone has to do it, it might as well be me!

Yesterday was the first of my spinning lessons and it was fantastic! The lady who is giving the lessons is named Peggy E. and I met her through our spinning guild. Further, I am taking these lessons with my friends Peggy and Ricki. If you remember, Peggy bought her wheel at Rhinebeck and Ricki just got her wheel last week. Peggy E. lives much further out on Long Island – so as soon as the kids left for school, we hit the road. It wasn’t a formal lesson as much as it was a guided tour through fiber. Peggy E. had her coffee table filled with all sorts of fibers for us to try – soy silk, angora, merinos, dorsett etc. and as we experienced spinning them, she would explain why. Rather than lecture first, try later – we approached it from the beginning with the hands on and then the this is why. The mantra of the day was that we had to feel the fiberand let it speak t us, that the fiber would let us know how much to spin it, how thick to spin it etc….. that the technicalities would follow the intuitive.

view from the front of the house
view from the back of the house