I'm still here

We had summer weather in September, winter weather in October, and beautiful autumn weather so far in November. I've been trying to make the most of it by walking the dogs in the park and hanging out in the sunny sunroom until dark. Unfortunately dark happens too early (before 5 p.m.) in the day but it is November after all. I saw a mosquito in the back yard on November 10! Here in Saskatchewan on November 10! That is not a common occurence for sure. It wasn't a very frisky mosquito but it was very much alive and moving slowly.

I've been combing the Targhee fiber that I washed then blending it with sheltie fur and a bit of angelina for slight sparkle. The Targhee is wonderfully bouncy, soft fiber but it is full of vegetable matter. It's easier to comb out the bits of straw and burrs than to pick it. It's a lot of work but the result is so beautiful. Here is a batt fresh off the carder.

I found fishy buttons for the EZ Baby Surprise Sweater and it is being mailed to Manitoba for little Dawson to wear.

I have some new spindles I haven't posted yet. First up is a 1.6 oz. Tabachek top whorl Zebrawood spindle,

and a Tabachek Purpleheart Tibetan spindle and bowl.
Apparently Mr. Tabachek isn't taking new orders for his spindles. I think he may be permanently retired so I figured I'd better get some of his beautiful spindles while I still could.

During the intermediate spinning class at Golden Willow, I was introduced to spinning cotton. Here is my new Tahkli and bowl with the first bit of cotton spun on it.
I am not very good at spinning either of the support spindles yet but I'm working on it.

And I've been spinning away on this gorgeous silk blend. I'm spinning it very fine and there are 8 oz. of it so it's taking a long time but I'm enjoying it. The plan is to Navajo ply it to keep the colors clear.
Spinning laceweight gives you great bang for the buck.

football fever

Football fever has struck Saskatchewan even more than usual. As my sister Darcie blogged, most people around here are football fanatics. The Saskatchewan Roughriders have the most devoted fans in the CFL even when they lose but, when they win, there is little else on most people's minds. And they are winning. They won a game here tonight to clinch first place in the division and Regina will host the Western Final game in two weeks. The winner of that game goes to the Grey Cup, the Canadian version of the Super Bowl.

I am one of the lonely few people in this part of the world who could care less about football but I hear all about it as Dan watches it fervently. I can tell how the game is progressing even if I'm not in the same room as the TV by how loud Dan is yelling at it (btw, louder is not better - the worse things are going, the louder he yells). It confuses the dogs. They're not sure who is in trouble but look to me for assurance that it's not them. I keep telling Dan that the coaches can't hear him from the living room but it doesn't make any difference. He gets totally into sports to the point that he has been biting his nails to the quick during the games lately. Me? - not born with the competitive gene, which makes me a bit of a freak on days like this.

The friendly neighborhood gargoyle ain't no freak.

uh, come again?

A parent of one of Dan's students left a phone message for him explaining the student's absence from class today. Apparently the entire family is ill with:

-black mold

or

-malaria

or

-the H1 Nine 1 flu.

They're not sure.

BSJ

I finished the Baby Surprise Jacket from the book "Knitting Workshop". It's a really interesting pattern and I will make another some day but I needed the DVD for help interpreting Elizabeth Zimmermann's brief original instructions. The DVD is great and Meg Swansen (EZ's daughter) explains everything very clearly. I still need to find the right buttons for it. I'm not sure who will be the recipient but I'm thinking that it might fit now-toddler Dawson.

I used my handspun superwash merino and love how bouncy the resulting fabric feels. I was starting to panic about running out of yarn near the end of the project and here's how much was left. Whew!
I might just attempt another one in a larger size using the pattern ABCSJ which has directions for sizing the BSJ for older children and adults.

Jeff Dunham Show

If any of you fellow Canadians were looking for the new Jeff Dunham Show, we found the listing that says it will air on Tuesday night on the Comedy Network. Obviously, the promo (in which Pocus is Achmed) in my other post is for the US schedule.

so cute!

See more funny videos and Cute Animals Videos at Today's Big Thing.

This clearly shows why breeds shouldn't be banned just because some dogs have been poorly bred and raised by stupid people. I've met many lovely, gentle Rotties just like the one in the video.

the spectacle of Blue Man Group

Dan and I had tickets to see Blue Man Group's 'How To Be A Megastar Tour 2.0' last night.

SEN-SO-RY O-VER-LOAD

but fun!

We had great seats and I was able to take reasonably good pictures. The opening act was an artist (sorry, I didn't catch his name) (see edit*) who painted portraits to the rock music that was playing. He was pretty amazing. Each portrait took about 5 minutes to complete from blank canvas to finished portrait.

John Lennon

Michael Jackson

And what's this?
hmmm....
turn it over and....
yes, he painted Einstein up-side down!

And then it was time for Blue Man Group. The show was interactive and clever, with lots of lights and loud music. The band was very good.

This picture shows just how bright it was at times.

The Blue Men were also talented percussionists. If you look hard you can see them drumming at the sides of the stage with the trademark paint bouncing off the surfaces.

They moved into the audience at times. We were right beside the sound and light engineers.

As the show neared the end, they got a guy out of the audience to introduce the band.

And the finish, with all the appropriate effects.
This is a family-friendly show and there were quite a few kids there with their parents. It was nice to see a show that the whole family could attend.

*edit: Dan remembered the artist's name. He is David Garibaldi. Here's a link to a YouTube video of his act.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Canadians! Dan and I are celebrating it very quietly by doing dog nails today, and Dan is playing hockey tonight so our Thanksgiving meal was yesterday. As it was just us eating, I didn't cook a turkey but opted for a ham and scalloped potatoes menu instead. Much easier on the cook (who is still pretty sore from all this hip and muscle pain).

I am thankful for so many things - my husband who is not only the love of my life but also my very best friend; my son who has grown into a strong and wonderful young man; my extended family on both sides; good friends, some of whom have been good friends for decades; a comfortable home in a lovely setting (we're so lucky to live in this wonderful country even though it snows in October!); an abundance of food and enough financial stability to indulge my hobbies; tremendous medical support from so many skilled people including my doctor, massage therapist, physical therapist, and chiropractor; and, last but definitely not least, my beloved dogs.

It's good to have days like these to reflect on our blessings. I have been pretty down lately, what with the physical pain and limitations that seem like they're not going away any time soon. It's easy to get mired into self-pity. Being thankful puts everything back into perspective.

It was also fun to get the news that I was awarded a Runner Up prize in the Schacht spinning contest. Details are on Jane Patrick's blog if you're interested. I am listed as getting a Novice award but that's a mistake. I contacted Jane and it will be corrected to an Expert award. I'm looking forward to receiving a new Schacht Niddy Noddy.

if it's Thanksgiving in Saskatchewan...

If it's Thanksgiving in Saskatchewan, there must be snow. Here are pictures from last year's Thanksgiving weekend. Now here is what it looks like in the back yard today.

Not as much snow as last year but it's cold and windy. Yuck.
Two weeks ago we were having record breaking heat. How quickly things can change.

The shelties love the snow. Robbie rolled in the snow for a while and then noticed that I had my winter boots on and remembered one of his favorite games, Kill the Boot.

Most of the trees are still full of leaves but the Ash trees drop them all at the first sign of cold. Smart trees.

I saw a rabbit in the park this afternoon and it was still brown so I'm hoping that means that winter is not here to stay just yet. The geese aren't taking any chances though. There are hundreds flying overhead, preparing for their fall migration.

I still haven't heard what prize I won in the Schacht contest but I know it wasn't a grand prize as the winners were announced last night. In the meantime I finished these two big skeins of Roberta-spun yarn using Spunky Eclectic Club fibers, "Pansy" Romney and "Rolling Hills" BFL. I have no idea what they will become but I'm enjoying looking at them for now.

yippee again!

Schacht just posted the list of the prize winners in their anniversary contest and I'm on it! I don't know what I won yet. They will be announcing the grand prize winners this evening at their anniversary celebration.

handspun

I finished a few skeins of handspun recently. This skein is Spunky Eclectic "Thin Ice" in a SW merino, nylon, and bamboo blend. It's a 3 ply, 230 yds., 18 wpi, 97 g. I will put it in the sock queue. It's lovely fiber - very soft with a lovely sheen - and nylon to help it wear well. It was spun on the Ladybug.

The following yarns were made with the help of the new Roberta spinner. I really love this machine, especially now that it's painful to sit for any length of time because of the sciatica. I just spin while standing. It's been a sanity saver.

I spun the singles of this BeeMiceElf "Splash" Falkland on the Rose then plied them on the Roberta. It will also become socks one day. It's 3 ply, 275 yds., 95 g, 22 wpi. The Falkland softened up a lot after washing it.

I made this skein of brown Romney to practice spinning on the Roberta when she first arrived. I have no idea what I'll do with it. It's 2 ply, 60 g, 16 wpi, soft for Romney but there was a lot of straw to pick out of it as I spun. I forgot to check the yardage before I washed it.

And this huge bobbin is full of Spunky Eclectic "Pansy" Romney. This Romney top was lovely, very soft for a long wool, and with such pretty colors. It's 11 wpi, 2 ply, and 168.5 yds, in fractal stripes. It was spun and plied on the Roberta and was completed in about 3 hours. The Roberta really speeds up the spinning process but, because it's Irish tension (bobbin lead), it's happiest spinning heavier yarns than I usually spin on my wheels. And that's okay as it was bought mainly for plying. I don't have immediate plans for knitting it.


My sister Darcie recently posted about keeping track and documenting spinning projects. Here's what I started to do with mine.
I bought blank business cards and binder inserts for them. I can jot down all the details about the yarn as well as include a little sample of it on the card. I have my wpi gauge in the binder so it's handy and I don't have to hunt it down. It's been working well so far.

eye candy

Just a quick post to share some lovely fiber that arrived in today's mail.

It's the first Fiber Club shipment from BeeMiceElf, my favorite indie dyer on Etsy.

It's 50% Tussah Silk, 30% superwash Merino, and 20% Sea Cell in the Moon Lantern colorway. Pictures don't do this luxurious fiber justice. It's so soft and the colors glow!

how do you spell relief?

How do you spell relief?

p-h-a-r-m-a-c-e-u-t-i-c-a-l-s

I went to my family doctor yesterday about the pain in my hip/leg/butt. I now remember what muscle is the culprit - the piriformis. It is spasming and irritating the sciatic nerve. After sitting in the waiting room for 45 minutes, I was in significant pain and discomfort, which the doctor must have seen on my face because he wrote me 3 prescriptions for pain relief. One of these is for a delightful concoction of acetaminophen, caffeine, and codeine called Tylenol 3. Now I can still feel the pain but I just don't care very much about it. I can see why people get addicted to this stuff and will make very sure that I take them sparingly.

The other two prescriptions are for muscle relaxants to take at bedtime. By the time I was heading to bed last night, I was starting to think that the muscle was releasing all by itself. However, by the time I got up and couldn't bend over to put my socks on, I knew it was just as bad as before. The doctor told me that the piriformis is one muscle that, when it lets go, it does so suddenly and completely. I'm looking forward to it.

uncorked whine

I haven't been spending a lot of time on the computer because it hurts to sit down. Actually it hurts to stand up too but not as much as sitting down. I have had severe pain in my hip and wasn't going to even discuss it here but I'm past the point where I care if I come off whiny.

The thing is, I didn't do anything to hurt it, at least not that I remember. I had some pain deep in the hip joint (probably fibro pain) that I tried to work out by moving it. I think that's what did me in. I just came back from massage therapy and the chiropractor. They told me what the muscle was called that is causing me most of the grief but I can't remember the name of it. Whatever its name, it's affecting the sciatic nerve too, which explains the pain shooting down my leg. Therapy was likely a good thing but, right now, it just hurts like h***. I have adjusted my laptop cart so that I can stand at it to post this. Sitting down at this moment is not an option. I haven't found a drug option that will dull the pain either.

I think the worst part of this is that I can't sit comfortably. Therefore, I'm not comfortable doing the things that keep me sane, like knitting. So I spent some time making funky batts for this week's spinning class at Golden Willow. Normally I don't have much use for funky yarns so I haven't learned how to spin them. The class is a good excuse to step outside my comfort zone.

Here's the funky batt that I'll be taking to class.

Don't ask me what fibers are in it because I lost track as I threw in bits and dregs of fiber, cut up yarns, and angelina. The spool of woolly nylon will be the binder yarn.

Although knitting has been put on hold for now, here's the start of a sock that I was knitting from yarn that I spun in fractal stripes. I used a BeeMiceElf SW Merino top in the 'Scenic' colorway. I split the top lengthwise and spun one single as it presented, giving me long lengths of the repeating color pattern. I stripped the other single many times so that the colors repeated much more quickly. When knit up, it gives subdued stripes that remind me of pointillism art.

And finally, our extended summer weather ended abruptly on the weekend. So much so that I was worried that we might get frost last night. I sent Dan out to pick off the tomatoes just in case.

Roberta

Notice anything missing?

The Schacht Matchless has gone to a new home. I decided that the Ladybug was easier to treadle than the Matchless so it was silly to have both.

I can spin on my Ladybug and Majacraft Rose with ease but plying still makes my legs hurt. The solution: an electronic spinner.

Enter the Ertoel Roberta....
First of all, she's gorgeous!

Secondly, she works beautifully and I have great control over my spinning! I can spin heavy to very fine yarn on her.

Thirdly, she's quiet!

Fourthly (is that even a word?), she sits comfortably on my laptop table so can roll around the house to wherever I want to use her.

Fifthly (?), she has massive jumbo bobbins, a pause control attachment, and she can operate on regular house current electricity or 9 volt. The dual power is courtesy of Cal at Shuttleworks. I ordered the single power model but when it was ready to ship, Cal noticed that the finish on the one he had was defective so he sent the dual powered one at no extra charge, bless his heart. As always, I recommend Shuttleworks highly!

While Roberta will never replace my beloved Rose and Ladybug for spinning singles, I love that I can rewind bobbins and ply with the flip of a switch from the comfort of my recliner.

yipee!

I got an email today informing me that both skeins of handspun yarn that I entered in the "I Made It On My Schacht" contest made it to the finals. I heard that there were approx. 400 entries and 80 were chosen to be finalists. It's even sweeter because I had to enter in the 'Expert' category for spinners with more than 2 years of experience; I started spinning 3 years ago and I definitely don't feel like an expert yet.

Here are the skeins:

3-ply sock yarn, Spunky Eclectic Myrtle BFL

and

2-ply Cormo/Sheltie.

So the two skeins (minus Robbie the Sheltie) are en route to Colorado already for the final judging and will be on display from October 8 to December 1 in the Schacht showroom.

lazy Labour Day

It was the last long weekend of the summer and we spent it at home. After a hot spell that lasted a week and culminated yesterday with scorching heat and high winds (yuck, remind me to stay away from deserts), there was a noisy thunderstorm in the middle of the night that brought cooler temps today. The late summer days when the sun is bright and the air has a hint of coolness are my favorites. Today was one of those days.

The dogs and I spent some time in the back yard.

Austin has been busy blowing all of his undercoat this summer. He looks like half the dog he was before.

Robbie still has all of his coat.

Have I mentioned that shelties like to talk? A lot?
Notice the swishy tail - yup, talking is fun.

It was hard to get a picture of Bentley because he was so busy checking everything out and finding good smells. He deigned to look back over his shoulder when I called him.

And then there's Pocus.
I swear that dog could have had a career in modeling. He looks pretty darn good for a 12 year old dog, doesn't he?

regaining sanity

As you can see, the kitchen is freshly painted and put back together. I am glad. There aren't heaps of stuff on every available surface in the house any more and I can do things (like cook). Life is good. However, one thing leads to another and I think Geoff will paint the living and dining/computer room and hallways for us soon. It needs to be done and I'm thankful that he is available to do the actual painting but I'm not looking forward to having the house all rearranged to do it. After that, we will be saving to replace the carpets. The carpet is toast and I haven't been in a hurry to replace it what with having multiple dogs. But the state of the carpet is even starting to get to me so I guess it's time.

Our weather turned summery just in time for back to school. I enjoyed the cool summer but most folks are complaining about it bitterly. The forecasters tell us that there is an El Nino developing in the Pacific which would warm up our winter this year. I sure hope they're right!

In other news, I have a few spinning and knitting things to share with you.

This beautiful little spindle was brought back from the Isle of Wight by my spinning friend Carol. It's a light spindle at only 17 g but it spins forever! It rivals the Moosie for my affection. It's Tulipwood on Sycamore with a Walnut shaft. The fiber is Beach Day, the Spunky Eclectic July fiber of the month, a merino/bamboo blend.

I ordered the new Knit Picks Zephyr acrylic Options needles. I really like them! They're very light and a little flexible, and they have the nice points that the Options are known for. They have just the right amount of 'grab' to them, not as much as wood but less than metal.

I finished up the Spring Forward socks that I've had on the go for a while. I used Dream In Color Smooshy in the Some Summer Sky colorway. The yarn is lovely to work with and to wear. 'Smooshy' is right.

And finally, I pulled out the carder and experimented with some fiber to produce this batt. It's a blend of Optim, superwash merino, angora, and a touch of Angelina. It glints in the sunlight and reminds me of new-fallen snow.

thank you!

Mathilde in Norway left a comment for me today that she had awarded a blog award to my blog as being one of three that she enjoys! Thank you Mathilde!

Although the blog is written in Norwegian, I discovered that this site did a pretty good job of translating it into English. Will the wonders of the internet never cease?