Teaching and new fiber

This was my week (month?) to write and submit teaching proposals. I'm submitting to a couple of fall fiber festivals, and perhaps to some nearby spinning and weaving guilds. I've decided to 'take the show on the road' once or twice a year and do some 4-hour workshops. Teaching keeps me sharp--I have to be current on my information so I can answer questions that arise, and it also inspires me because students come up with some very interesting ideas for yarn. Once the "What if?" ideas start going around the room, it's just like swimming in the middle of a Think Tank, and I LOVE it! I always go home completely exhausted and yet my mind is churning with yarny possibilities.

I've also listed a new sock fiber. It's a blend of superwash wool, nylon, angelina and CASHMERE. It is sooo yummy to the touch. I would have liked to put more than 15% cashmere in the blend but discovered that anything more than that started to fly around the room while carding and was difficult to spin properly. I was also concerned that the washability would be lost if the cashmere percentage was any higher. There are several other colors in the works--I just have to decide which one will stay home with me (I always keep at least one of my colorways cause I just can't seem to let go of my 'child').

This is Fire.....


and this is Water


And just for the fun of it, a peak at my latest marbled yarn/roving (both are available), Glow.



I just love what I do.......

It's been a while....

I've been very busy lately trying to catch up with everything that was left hanging when Mom passed in late December. I've gotten the shop back in shape, dealt with contractors/insurance company to repair the storm damage (the gutters all sagged badly from the ice and one of them actually came down, bringing a piece of fascia with it). We're still working things out for my father-in-law--he spent over 50 years living in the house with Mom and he's having a difficult time keeping up with the house and the additional duties of cooking, cleaning and shopping. They did everything together, supporting each others' weaknesses these last few years, and he's like a lone tent pole now, teetering in the wind. We might be moving him in with us so he can have my garden to futz around with but not have the worries about shopping and cooking for himself.

I've been busy working on new marbled rovings and new sock blends with either cashmere or camel. Marbled roving/yarn (L to R: Apples and Oranges, Lake, and Players)




I'm also working on blending tweed yarns but so far my experiments are not to my liking. In the meantime, all my 'failed' tweed skeins will probably be listed in my Sale category. A good buy if you just need a small skein of tweed for a little project. Most of them are running 80-100 yards, so look for them to be up soon (once the camera battery is recharged!).

In the meantime, enjoy the spring snow melt and warmer weather. Daffodils and hibiscus will be up before you know it, and newly shorn sheep fleeces will be available for purchase from shepherds! Back to the studio to play with fiber......

R.I.P. Mom

Mary Louise McFadden, April 14, 1927 – December 26, 2009

Goodbye Wife

Goodbye Mother

Goodbye Sister

Goodbye Grandmother

Goodbye Friend

Goodbye Cousin

Goodbye Aunt

Goodbye Nurse

Goodbye Choir Girl

Goodbye Square Dancer

Goodbye Chef

Goodbye Gardener

Goodbye BabySitter

Goodbye Den Mother

Goodbye Chauffeur

Goodbye Painter

Goodbye Baker

Goodbye Teacher

Goodbye Neighbor

Goodbye Parishoner

Goodbye Boo-Boo Kisser

Goodbye Cookie Giver

Goodbye World Traveler

Goodbye Camel Rider

Goodbye Lover of all Creatures

Goodbye Hugs and Kisses

Goodbye Soft Blue Eyes

Goodbye Warm Gentle Heart

Goodbye Mary Lou...

Surgery updates

My MILs surgery on Dec. 3 did not go well. Surgeon cut the procedure short because he found that the cancer had spread beyond what he could deal with. So we're on to Plan B-Chemotherapy, as soon as she recovers her strength. Since she was such an active woman, I suspect it's driving her crazy to be bedridden and/or have limited mobility. I try to visit at least 4 times a week, give her shampoos and rub her feet/arms with moisturizer to make her comfortable in what I consider an overheated environment (if you've spent any time in nursing/rehab centers, you know that they crank up the heat a bit because the clients are usually elderly or wearing little clothing). In the meantime, I'm making sure that FIL gets enough rest and eats well so he and I can be supportive for her.

Second surgery, a risky cardiac procedure for my brother, is scheduled for Dec. 28. Once he returns from the hospital, I will be providing transportation and support to his family. This brother has a love of split pea soup and his doctors usually approve of my leaving a potful in the nursing unit's fridge so he can have a healthy evening snack. Looks like I'm making soup over the Christmas weekend!

I'll be back as soon as possible. I still have the third set of socks to spin and knit and many fiber adventures to report. As they say, the world keeps on spinning (pun intended)........

Sorry to have gone missing

This is just a quick post to let folks know I'm still around. I've had a series of medical issues with elderly family members which is taking up all my spare time. Actually, it's taking the main part of my time and the spare time is used for laundry, making dinner, etc. LOL! Hopefully, all surgeries will be accomplished by the end of the year and I can go back to filling my Etsy shop, contributing to Phatfiber boxes and spinning up the third and final sock batts from my series.

Have a lovely holiday, and be nice to each other!

"Prime time to reassess looms"

OK, did anyone else take that as some sort of possible sale on weaving looms? If you're a true fiberholic, it sure did!! It's the headline on a story in the local paper, the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, talking about the ongoing argument about reassessing our homes. However, when I went looking for the article online so I could link to it here--the first 2 Goggle ads were for weaving looms! Go figure......

How To Spin My Posy Toes Batts--Sweet Peas final

Hey! Remember this photo? It seems to have taken forever to get these socks finished. Wrapping up the outside work for the winter, getting samples ready for the October Phat Fiber Sample Box, preparing for a workshop on Textured Yarns that I'm teaching, yadda yadda. The socks are finished, washed and sitting in my sock drawer--yah!



Now for the techie stuff. This method of spinning yields a mostly-worsted yarn, which means I got more yardage out of the same weight of fiber--406 yards, to be exact. The size was the same, 16 wpi, but the yarn was less lofty and I had 158 yards remaining. The yardage used for these socks was 248, while I used 246 for the Snake Plant socks. Same pattern (You're Putting Me On socks by Judy Gibson), same needles (maybe).

So the difference in yardage can only be attributed to the spinning method. I have to say, the Snake Plant socks feel much thicker when wearing them in my Birkies! I think somewhere in the house move I switched needles? It looks to me like the left sock is thicker (US #1) while the right sock is rather wimpy and long and thin (US #2). Or perhaps my spinning changed in the 1-2 months between sessions? They feel just a little bit different when on my feet, which is a lesson on not letting your sons/friends pack and move your precious fiber and yarn!



Next up is the Caladiums batts, which will be spun in the third and final method recommended on the instruction sheet included with the batts. Since we're entering the holiday stretch here in the US, please have patience. I host all the holiday dinners here in addition to trying to keep my Etsy shop stocked. Speaking of Feistywoman Designs, I contributed to the Phat Fiber Sample Box for the first time in October--some of you who bought boxes may have already received yours! I've blended up a series of hand-pulled sock rovings especially for the holidays because, well, I just love wearing sparkle on my feet during the holidays and I thought some of you might, too! Here's the Snowdrift socks I just finished (fiber available Thursday) .....

Fingerlakes Fiber Festival

We took a week of vacation, ostensibly to visit the son in NYC but really just a way to drag hubby to Fingerlakes again (sshhhhh, don't tell him). In the last several years I have become disenchanted with the bigger festivals. It's not that they aren't nice, but I always enjoy being able to talk with the vendors and stroll the grounds in a leisurely manner. There's less of the hottest trendy stuff, but there's so many little treasures tucked into those booths if you can get in there to look around--I just love the little festivals. Last year we spent at least an hour solving the world's problems with Jonathan Bosworth--try THAT at Maryland!

The purchases. Usually, when I attend a festival with like-minded addicts, we throw all our days' purchases on the bed and play Show n' Tell. Since I was with hubster, you folks will have to play stand-in so I can show off my stuff. I usually have specific colors or fibers in mind; this year it was blues, greens and reds and BFL.

First stop was Winderwood Farms tent (actually it's always my first stop). I love Bob's dyework and can't get enough of his tops.



I found some really superb dyed tops at Cloverleaf Farm in the main barn. She repeats the same colors in various blends, so if you want to make plied yarn of different fibers it's quite possible with her tops. Here we have (l to r) Merino in Craisin colorway, Wensleydale in Southwest colorway, BFL in Raisin colorway, and Wensleydale in Gems colorway. The Wensleydale is for an experiment I have in mind. She also dyes silks in the same colorways, wonderful if you work in fabric!



Then back to the Ag Building to visit Maggie's Farm. She's a teacher in central NY who also happens to have a farm where she raises sheep, angora bunnies, makes soap and sews the greatest bags. I bought Mother Fiber (wool IS the Mother of all fibers, isn't it?) in Magenta and Navy to ply with some of the roving you'll see next.



The photos just don't do these fibers justice, but all I had for studio space and lighting was the window of the hotel room with early evening light. Ah well, we do what we can.

Last stop was Bob Geigers Farm. I'd met his wife Linda last year when she tried her hand at dyeing. What an enthusiastic lady, with a good eye for color. Sadly, she passed away this year but I undersatnd that her husband has vowed to carry on her dyeing. He's done a great job of it if you ask me! All fibers are BFL, my fav to spin.



That pink/purple one in the middle is a thank-you pressie for my kitty sitters. They take care of the boys just like I would if I were home, and the cats love them. Hope you liked your pink, Margie Girly-Girl! The other two will look smashing plied with the navy Mother Fiber in some way. I'm just not sure which novelty technique I'll use for spinning the yarn but it WILL be interesting.

Enough for tonight. I've had a long day, including packing up my samples for the October Phat Fiber box, and need to climb into bed so I can get up and do it all again tomorrow. 'Night all.....

Oh dear, I'm off-schedule yet again

Well, I really had the best intentions to post the beginning of the Sweet Peas socks this week, I really did! Then life got in the way again. We're heading out for a short vacation soon and there was lots of day-to-day stuff to be done before we can leave--like washing my clothes so I can pack them. And then there was the knitting to be packed, which is always the first thing I do when I'm heading out on a trip. Yep! I packed the Sweet Peas sock, so no stats on it and no pix. I CAN say that there was a total of 406 yds spun and they came out at 16 wpi, just like the Snake Plant yarn.

Hopefully, I'll get a chance to see some friends at the Finger Lakes Fiber Festival next weekend. I'll be the short chubby one with the dazed look on her face, wearing a Steelers shirt......stop me and say hello!

How to Spin My Posy Toes Batts--Sweet Peas

I apologize for being a few days late with the blog post. I ate some eggplant on Monday that didn't agree with me and have been sick for several days. It was not wasted time, as I started work on a Christmas present--can't say who or what because they will read my blog and spoil the surprise. At any rate.....

For the second technique and pair of socks, I chose the Sweet Peas colorway because....well, I just wanted purple and deep pink socks! And I know that the worsted technique described on my handout as 'stripping the batt lengthwise' will yield long repeats of color. I usually spin up 1-1/2 batts onto a bobbin and then ply it on itself from a center-pull ball, then repeat for the second 1-1/2 batts. This mixes the colors in a way that I enjoy. I started by unrolling the batt on my dining room table.



Then I split the batt down the middle, leaving about 1-2" still joined.



I then split each of those halves in half again in the same direction, leaving a join at the ends. With this batt, I split the batt so each color would have just a bit of the next color included. Once I have 4 sections split, I start from the other end and split those 4 in the opposite direction, leaving a join at each of those ends. When finished, you should have 8 sections of the batt pulled apart lengthwise like a series of Z's. When I was a kid we used to cut a piece of paper in this fashion and open it up to make a long 'rope' of paper (we were easily amused kids).



The next step is to attenuate these Z's into a useable 'top' and rolling it into a ball. Starting at one end, with your hands about 5" apart, gently start to seperate the fiber as though you're drafting to spin. Actually, you ARE predrafting the fiber. Doing this makes spinning a fine yarn much easier as most of the work is done for you before you sit down at the wheel.



This is the yarn I've spun up on the first bobbin. This bobbin has been plied and the sock begun, but we'll talk about that next week.



I'd like to end with a little philosophy I learned in the last few months. As you've heard me mention ad nauseum, we've moved into the family home which my oldest brother occupied for many years. He managed to alienate himself from just about everyone and almost lost his life because of it. He had a 45-year long argument with the next-door neighbor who wanted him to cut down the walnut trees, and they haven't been on speaking terms for 20 years. It was this neighbor who called the EMS when the wife noticed that my brother had not been out of the house for 3 days, and she thereby saved his life. Tonight I delivered homemade soup and muffins to them because she's had a hip replacement and can't be on her feet long enough to cook (no, her husband can't cook--he can't even boil water!). And WE haven't cut down the walnut trees either, although we did have them trimmed thoroughly, and they've stopped asking us to cut them down. It was so simple to have a conversation about pruning the branches that hung over their yard and solve the problem instead of the name-calling and silence that had ensued for 45 years on BOTH sides of the fence. Life is too short to hold grudges and hate people (unless they're dangerous). Most problems are solvable with good communication; silence is the weapon of the truly stupid, and it NEVER works the way they think it will.

Off my soapbox and on to the knitting.....

How to spin my Posy Toes batts--Snake Plant

The Snake Plant socks are finished! I have 80 yards left of the yarn, and realize that I never posted the total yardage. And now I've either lost the notes or packed them in some box somewhere. Oh well....

At any rate, they are thick, soft and spongy to walk on. I think they will do well in my Birkie clogs this fall and winter. Too thick for dress socks, tho. But it's nice to know how this particular method works up. Notice how different the striping is on the socks? That's due to the haphazard way in which I just grabbed a handful of fiber and spun it up.

I'm working my way through the Sweet Peas fiber. I have one sock started and the second bobbin ready to ply. Will post pix next week and talk about yardage, wpi and all the other techie stuff. In the meantime, here's a panarama (left to right, back of the house to front of the house) of my studio 2 months ago when we moved my fiber/yarn boxes in. I've added a dissembled loom, a carding table and some more boxes since but at least I have all the books on the shelves and the sock fiber unearthed so I can make sock batts for Etsy. Just have to figure out which fiber will be stored in the knee walls and how to know what's stashed in which cubby.

It's done! Well, sort of....

We've managed to mostly complete the move, and we're still married to each other and actually still talking to each other. Which I understand from friends is rather unusual. Never again. I will die in this house, or pay someone else to pack and move/donate my stuff.

But now we have to UNpack all that stuff, and still go through the junk we left behind to see if there's anything we still want, then clean the house and list it. I will be glad when it's all finished. Some things we learned:
1. Start WEEKS earlier than you think you need to. Although I was working mostly by myself, I should have started this packing back in February.
2. Never underestimate a salesman. One moving company salesperson sent me a contract which I never signed. Figured he'd get the message. Nope. His company showed up an hour after the one we'd signed with, but the crew was more than happy to go home that hot humid day.
3. Never believe the moving agent. If they say it's okay to NOT pack the freezer/refrigerator, they really don't mean it because the truck driver WILL make you pack both before they'll even consider putting them on their dolly.
4. Hire a moving company who hires professional truck drivers. Joe backed that truck into our driveway with inches to spare, because he thought about what he wanted to do and knew how to do it. Joe, here's to you!
5. Pack yourself a lunch. Otherwise, you'll be stopping at the local coffee shop for a quick muffin and brew. The truck crews usually pack/buy their lunch and eat it while in transit to the new house, and you won't have a spare minute to stop for a McNasty burger.
6. Swallow a dose of your favorite pain med and/or sleeping pill before going to bed that night. You'll be so tired and overwrought that you won't sleep without them.
7. WIPs make lovely packing material. They cushion the breakables and lighten the load. However, prepare yourself for the rude awakening when you realize just how many WIPs you really have!

When all is said and done, I'm glad to be here even tho the work isn't finished. Even tho we've named the rabbits here Hassen and Pfeffer and named the deer Stew, Burger and Little Stew, and named the groundhog #%&$* because she and the kids leveled my garden--it's still a great place to live. And I can't say enough good things about South Hills Movers--they were professional, supportive, thorough and hard-working.

I have begun to spin the second Posy Toes batts for the series I was writing on spinning my sock batts. The first batts were spun and one sock is completed. I'll continue the series soon--I need to download photos and figure out which box I stuck the sock knitting into. I know I was packing the CDs when I used it for packing material...wonder if it's in the Living Room boxes.....(wanders off to check)

The first step is admitting you have a problem

I/we need a 12-step program. We rented an econoline van yesterday in order to move our boxes of stuff to the new house so we wouldn't have to pay burly guys to do it for us. And hubby and I have received our Godsmacks today. The four of us loaded the van with my fiber and yarn boxes and drove off to the new place. Unloaded. Oldest son and I stayed behind to hang light fixtures while youngest son and hubby went to load up again. Second vanful was half boxes of fiber and yarn--and there's still bits and pieces of yarn at home! The other half was boxes of hubsters books. And the third van was more boxes of books. (Although I have to say that MY boxes were MUCH easier to unload than his--we had to use the riding mower and trailer to drive them from the van to the door and then walk them up the stairs.)

Oh dear. We. have. a. problem. Is anyone interested in becoming our Executor of Fiber and Books? I think the boys' inheritance is tied up in our collections and they'd probably like some cash when we die instead of wool and history books. They've already threatened to hold a big bonfire in our honor, fueled by my fiber and his books. And today they took bets before we started packing, trying to guess how many loads it would take to move my fiber/yarn. It's just embarrassing.

Won't stop me from going to another fiber festival, tho! Phffft!

Temporary hiatus

I haven't posted for 12 days, shame on me you say? But, but, but.....I have a good reason! We've stepped into high gear on finishing the 18-month-long renovation and getting ready for the upcoming household move, and I can't seem to keep a straight thought in my head any more. Had to send the hubster out to threaten the carpenter today because I was busy chasing down the last 2 cans of matching paint for our interior trim--company changed their line of paint when I wasn't looking, humph! I certainly shouldn't be at a spinning wheel trying to make fine evenly spun sock yarn if I can rarely drive one block without thinking of 3 things I forgot to do and almost driving into oncoming traffic!

So.....posts on spinning sock yarn will be sparse or nonexistent for a bit. I'm cleaning, painting and packing boxes. But I'm definitely thinking about how to spin the next batts. I just can't manage it right now. Will hopefully post pix of packing/moving soon!

How to Spin My Posy Toes Batts--Snake Plant techie stuff

Hmmm.....I suppose I should throw some numbers out there for those of us who enjoy them? Or want to copy my socks exactly? (that's not gonna happen. handspun yarn will differ every time because it's our hands that control the yarn, and our hands are not machines built to churn out exact duplicates. besides, I want my students and other miscellaneous spinners to follow their own karma when making yarn)

Now that I've exposed yinz to my rarely-humble opinions, here's the relevant stats. As stated a few days ago, I like to put a lot of twist in the singles and ply tightly to produce a nice tight yarn that will stand up to the wear that socks get. My yarn was spun on the 16:1 whorl of my Bosworth Journey Wheel. I did not keep track of the tpi (twists per inch) because I've been spinning sock yarn long enough that I just do it to my usual standards, which are engrained in my brain. Sorry. However, the 2-ply washed and finished yarn came out at 16 wpi (wraps per inch) which is standard sock yarn. Since it was spun semi-woolen, this yarn was spongy and bouncy and I felt it needed to be knit at a tight gauge. So I've used US#0 for the toes and heels, US#1 for the body of the sock, and US#2 for the bind off. I'm using Judy Gibson's You're Putting Me On Socks pattern and so it's very easy to switch to the smaller needles when necessary. The gauge I'm getting is 7.5 sts and 10 rows per inch over Stockinette. It's a nice tight fabric and a nice thick sock, yet soft, flexible and springy due to the Merino content in the batts and the semi-woolen spinning technique.

I've gotten one sock finished already (a 4-day sock! amazing!) and have cast on for the second one. I've not yet started spinning the next set of batts for a very good reason. I've been spending a good bit of time this past week at the almost-renovated family house, dealing with a stray pit bull that's been hanging around. That means lots of time to sit and knit on the porch while I wait for her to wander back into the yard, for the police to respond to my call (didn't happen--wonder if they'd come in a REAL emergency?), or for the county dog warden to stop by again. This dog would sleep on the front porch but would run away when we got within 30 feet of her. Last night the dog warden left a humane trap on the porch with a big bowl of kibble. We caught her this morning! She's an older dog and a bit thin from living outdoors for several weeks--she was shaking with fear when we talked to her inside the cage. So sad. But she's now in a safe haven that's run by a very kind man who loves pit bulls, and will either live out her life with him or be adopted by a very special person. Saving her is the best reason I can think of for not getting my spinning started.

How to Spin My Posy Toes Sock Batts AND Hiking Pix!

The Snake Plant yarn is finished.

It was spun on the 16:1 whorl of my Bosworth Journey Wheel, as will all the sock yarns in this series. I like to put a lot of twist in my sock yarn and then ply it tightly so it wears longer.

The sock has been started, and I can see the subtle variation between the forest green and the teal colors. The tan seems to be mixing in well--I wanted it to appear serendipitously in the sock. Hopefully I'll have the time this coming week to start spinning the Sweet Peas colorway.


On another subject altogether.....
We went out early this morning to a local park, Raccoon Creek State Park. The Audubon Trail is at it's peak at the end of April and I LOVE wildflowers!










Trout Lily and May Apples

About 9:30 we heard honking and saw a pair of Canada geese calling for their buddies to join them. After a bit they flew off and circled the area a couple of times before heading out to their destination.










"Hey Mable, it's time to leave!" and a Trillium

By 10:30am I was getting pretty sweaty walking around in the valley, but it was so worth it. sigh....If only I had the time and enough colored wool to interpret all these flowers in sock batts.














A hillside of Virginia Bluebells and Carpets of tiny white flowers










Virginia Bluebells and Wild Phlox

How to Spin My Posy Toes Sock Batts: Snake Plant colorway

I started on the Snake Plant colorway last week and am about halfway through the 3 batts. I'm spinning them by grabbing a handful and spinning from the side of the handful. In the above photo, I've unrolled one batt in preparation for yanking off a couple of handsful--notice my favorite sheep watching over the proceedings. I decided to work across the batt for no other reason than it's easier to tear the handful away if I move in that direction.


I'm hoping that by using this method I will be able to mix the pale tan color more thoroughly with the green and deep teal colors. It's not that I don't find a green-and-tan stripped sock to be appealing, it's more that I have already started knitting a pair of green stripped socks and just don't want duplicates in my sock drawer. (There's already enough confusion in my life without my willingly adding more!)

This is a shot of my spinning technique--fluff out the handful and spin from the side:


This technique is yielding a semi-woolen yarn which is thicker than my usual sock yarn. However, since many of the fibers are no longer parallel within the yarn, the sock should also be warmer.


I'm hoping to be finished with the spinning and twist-setting in the next 2 weeks. Then it's on to knitting the actual socks to see how the yarn behaves.