More Felted Sweaters

I'll have to do some serious picture taking tomorrow, but I bought and felted, shrunk, 6 more wool sweaters. Yes these are for making mittens and hats from, why I need so many? I'm not sure, I think I'm obsessed with shrinking things.

I finally found two more red sweaters, so I can now make myself some red mittens. Some of these are cardigans, and have some pretty spiffy buttons on them. Buttons to add to my growing button stash.

Electric Jumbo Spinner

My friend, and fellow dyer, Carol Lee, sent me a jpeg of an electric spinner. The spinner had been made out of a jumbo flyer attached to a 2 x something or another and an old singer sewing machine motor with foot petal attachement. Guessey what I'm gonna make! Unfortunately the only two by material I have on hand is maple, I know it's so sad, but someones gonna have to use it so why not.

Aprons

I'll have to post some pics of my collection later, but I secretly love aprons. I even love making them. So the question has to be anwsered why don't I wear aprons? Well for one thing when your shaped like an apple they don't stay on well. I have having those things around my neck as well, though I've made several of them that are incredibly frilly. I wrote all sorts of things on them, some not so pretty, you know about the average house wives arch nemisis - June Cleaver.

I really love collecting the older ones, they are often sheer and decorative. I have one of my grandmothers aprons, she passed in November, I'm sure the really well worn ones have been pitched by now - the kind I would love to have. These aprons tell a story. Nanna always wore an apron, she made her own, and she always wore a housedress that she made herself. In fact I may have a pic of her in one said outfit. Cotton, very simple, very comfy, my kind of clothing.

My Ashford Jumbo Flyer, in need of a wheel. Yes the orifice is bigger than that of a traditional wheel, about twice the size actually, I checked. 

What not to do

I've only been married a little of four years now. Being married to me has probably been a shock and exciting for my husband. I'm a dyer, an natural dyer to be exact. And if what I'm cooking doesn't smell like a cow barn then it probably smells like dinner.

Poor guy.

I have my own dye kitchen now, and have had one for almost 4 years. Lesson, if one is dyeing yarns and fabrics in ones regular kitchen do so well before hubby comes home from work, or at least wait until AFTER he has been fed. It can be torture for a guy to come home, after a long days work, to smell something wonderful, pots bubbling away on the stove, thinking he's going to get dinner. Only to hear you say "where are we going for dinner"? What go out? You mean that's not dinner? Well not any dinner I'd ever want to eat anyway.

Such tactics however will garner you lots of suggestions on where to put your dyes and dye pots, and it's NOT in the kitchen.

Pretty

Everyone should have a pretty table right??? So I have a pumpkin as decoration, well a couple, hows about that for decorating. I took the pics of these beauties on my studio table, so don't worry my kitchen table doesn't look like this.

Survival Kitchen

This blog is not as insideous as it sounds, unless you are like me of course and your just trying to survive your kitchen. I'll have to post some pics later of my kitchen floor, that I'm hoping to get the rest of the asbestos flooring removed and several coats of poly something or another onto before I have to close the house up for the winter.

This blog is also about cooking, in addition to cleaning, and on keeping a pantry. Keeping a pantry is in vogue again, I'd love to have a larger pantry but one can only have what one has the space to store.

And also what does one do with all of those gadgets and appliances anyway?

And are my dishes breeding in the middle of the night or something because I swear there are more dirty dishes in my kitchen now than there were when I went to bed!

Asford Spinning Wheel, it's a princess model I think. Ignore the dust on it, it'll get dusted later today and it's always dusty for some odd reason. I have a used jumbo flyer that I bought to go with that I now want to use as well. 

Jumbo Flyer

I need a wheel for my Ashford jumbo flyer. You can see from the pic I posted the type of wheel it fits. I just don't know if I can find another used wheel to go with. I bought it thinking I'd take the flyer off of my current wheel, but decided I loved spinning thin yarns as well as thick chunky decorative stuff.

My little bird house gourd I bought for one dollar this summer. He hasn't told me what he wants to be when he grows up, so he just sits on my desk.  

Gourd Rattles

I've decided to make this gourd into a gourd rattle. Now to just get started.

Rust

I think I made a major mistake today, no I don't think I know I did. I emptied out the wheel barrow and it was full of very rusty water. I should have tried to put it into buckets to put fabric into, what a waste. Oh well it's supposed to rain again tonight so maybe it'll fill with rusty water again, and I have about 50 pounds of walunts, complete with husks in the barrow, which is why I emptied it in the first place.

I should be get some sort of color of WOW here with the walnuts and rust! Except the walnuts are in garbage bags, bags that leaked all over my truck and the gook is probably eating the paint off of the body as I write. I'll take them, the walnuts, out of the bags tomorrow and throw fabric into the barrow with.

It's been one of those years what can I say. Well my gourds are beautiful what more can I ask for!

Animal Type

Your Animal Personality

Your Power Animal: Eagle Animal You Were in a Past Life: Whale You are active, a challenger, and optimistic. Hard-working, you are always working towards a set goal.

The Animal Personality Test

Space

I moved all of my knitting needles and crochet hooks to the living room this afternoon, it feels good to have more space in my studio, and to be able to sit with my husband and pets in the evening. Now to move the yarn and wool down there as well.

A Birdhouse Gourd 

The Old Man of the Woods Sleeps, sunbeams are priceless. 

The Old Man of the Woods, aka Barley. He's eleven years old now, which is really hard to believe. 

Navajo Drop Spindle 

Spinning and Knitting

I put my spinning wheel in the livingroom tonight, and told my husband that I hoped he didn't mind. He doesn't btw. I also put some of my knitting in there this afternoon. In the spirit of doing what I love I decided it was high time to do what I love in the livingroom and not just in my studio anymore. The result is a big empty spot in my studio, and instant stress reliever. I'll have to move my old dorm trunk to the living room so I can fill it with my every burgeoning yarn stash, I'll need an amoire or two or three just for the fleeces.

I've decided that the loom can live in the living room as well, I'll have to move some furniture out, maybe to the attic? Who knows. I'd love to put that furniture in the library (1905 Victorian home) but my business, or I should say parts of it, lives in there. I'll get it figured out.

I would have had the loom up and going this weekend but have been deathly ill, most of the week actually. I'm not sure what I have, my dad is convinced it's west nile virus, I think it's the flu, or the plague maybe but not west nile.

One studio kitty that is lost! He's so used to my being in the studio, where he thinks he should live.  

Lavender Merino Top. It hate the stuff personally, but I have it so I'll spin it. It was dyed with hibiscus blossoms iron somehow made it into the dye pot. 

My new birthday loom, which now lives in the livingroom, and hopefully soon there will be less furniture in there as well. I just haven't figured out where to move my beloved slipper chairs off to. 

Who really needs a livingroom anyway? 

Some of my spinning stash, I'm going to have to build a bigger bobbin holder! 

My new Navajo Drop Spindle and some grey Swaynesdale(?) I'll have to go look at the name on the bag to make sure. My best friend Brenda bought me the spindle for my birthday. 

Heaven on a pan! Hubby homemade bisquits tonight. 

Studio

I need to clean my studio, the last pic I took of the warping board clearly shows that this has become an issue. I really need to start with the closet off of the studio, it has a lot of stuff in there that is not necessary. Too bad I feel like road kill today.

New Warping Board that came with the loom. I still need to figure out what I need for shuttles, it came with one shuttle boat, and a bunch of tapestry style shuttles. The tapestry style shuttles should work well for my Navajo loom. 

Prairie Potholes II. Copyright 2005 8.5 x11 inches. BTW I renamed Mind Field to Prairie Potholes I. I love ariel shots of the prairie it's so sensual. 

My new stash of yarn, it came with the loom. There are four other bags, in addition to this pile. It's a very nice combo stash, wools, cottons, linen, and a bit of silk and cashmere, most of it's natural or hand-dyed. 

Time Off

I've been ill for about four to five days now, I'm not sure what I have but it's got me by the tail, which really sucks on your birthday. Turning 39 will forever go down in my history as having the flu - or something anyway. Oh yeah lets don't forget finding out I have skin cancer - that was last week.

I'm trying to get some stuff ready for a show on Sunday, but I don't think I'm going to make it, I just don't feel up to it. I have orders I need to get out the door tomorrow morning, I'll either Fed-Ex them or send them via the Post Office. My Texas customer orders will go out next week, when Rita is done doing her damage.

You know what I really want, a blizzard (not the DQ kind), a big blueberry muffin, some hot chocolate with whipped cream, and to sit in my big easy chair, knitting up some socks. Blizzards are great, no rush to go anywhere, just stay home, you can waste as much time as you want and never need to feel guilty because you can't go anywhere.

Well it also helps that I love winter.

A piece of compost dyed fabric, cotton about 24 inches square. I'm planning to quilt this baby tonight. I see mountains in this piece, you would to if I hadn't taken it's pic at such an odd angle. 

Compost Dyed Cotton about 24 inches square. I'm not sure what it'll be yet. 

Other Thoughts

If what your doing doesn't make your soul sing, then don't do it. Why make everyone else miserable if it isn't necessary?

Thoughts on Life

If in doubt - dance.
Never be afraid to sing; especially to your pets.
You believe what you are worth.

A beauty of a sunset. 

Buffalo Grazining. Taken at Neil Smith Prairie, near Prairie City, IA. 

Neil Smith Prairie

Here's some links for the prairie, if you ever get a chance check it out someday. There are quite a few bison there, but the best time of day to see them is at sun up or sun down. We saw quite a few deer out there as well, I don't know if there are elk out there yet or not.

http://www.fws.gov/midwest/nealsmith/

http://www.tallgrass.org/

I can't wait to go back, I want to take better and more pics of the buffalo. I have plans to return this winter, after it's snowed to take pics as well. Prairie City isn't far from here, it's a nice drive.

LeClerc Loom & Buffalo

For every season there is a... Loom? John and I went to Ottumwa yesterday to pick up my "new to me" loom. I received a phone call from from a woman whowanted to sell her loom. It's a LeClerc loom in mint condition, 4 harness, 42" wide. The loom came with a slug of yarn and fibers as well as the standard issue shuttle boats etc...

Afterwards, on our way home, we stopped at the Neil Smith Prairie. Buffalo, Buffalo everywhere. It was so exhilirating to see animals that big up close, oh and I might add quite terrifying as they can be very unpredictable. The one males head was less than two feet from the door of my truck. The pic I took was very blurry, I odn't know if it was because he was bobbing his head back and forth or that my hands were shaking that badly - from the excitement. I imagine it was both.

New Loom 

What kind of Weird?

You Are 30% Weird

Not enough to scare other people...But sometimes you scare yourself.

How'>http://www.blogthings.com/howweirdareyouquiz/">How Weird Are You?

Helen was disappointed that she wasn't weird enough, hey I'm even more bland - what can I say...

Got Wool? Pepper sleeping in my wool basket again.