Showing posts with label blocks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blocks. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

So here I am

Once again NOT doing yarn today. Well that is, not doing recycled yarn. My BIL called wanting to borrow Artemas' muscles. I had to go out to the PO, so of course I should drop Muscleman off at their house and haul all the rest of us to my oldest daughter's for a day of sewing, eating, and all kinds of other fun.

We usually go there on Wed. nights while a couple of my kids are at youth group. It is closer to her house from our church than back to mine (12 miles instead of almost 20) so we go hang out a while, let the kids all play together, exclaim over babies, make dinner, knit a little while together.

But now it is dark earlier, so it was fun to go earlier tonight and let the kids play on the playground out in the circle of apartment buildings. And it gave us more time to play with quilt blocks, yarn, and a spindle.

DD #1 has decided she wants to ply some fabric with some handspun yarn and bits of stuff to make "art yarn" for an upcoming project. So she figured she should play with a spindle to see if she could actually spin something.

I had brought along a spindle and a batt of Blue Jeans merino that I got from The Ranch at Etsy, along with some Cotswold locks I had hand-dyed. Granted merino isn't the best yarn to learn to spin on, it is slippery. I had in mind that I was going to spin it. But hey, I love it when my kids want to learn something new! I spun a little to show her the movements and turned her loose. She sure did spin up the entire 4 oz. of that batt, into what looks to me like darn good yarn for a beginner.

So Congrats Desirée, and here is a pic of your diligent evening's work.

And, dd#2 made chocolate chip cookies. Yummmmm!

Monday, November 3, 2008

More Fun with Yarn

So I have disappeared for a couple days. I haven't been idle. Been enjoying some sales on Etsy and unwinding some sweaters... and got some quilt blocks done for a swap, rearranged our bedroom so the baby's crib wasn't by the cold windows, had a party at my oldest daughter's house (where I dressed like a REALLY good facsimile of Alice Cooper, and didn't scare my grandbaby), and came down with something.

All the while searching for my digital camera. Last time I saw it was Wed. night. My #2 son was going over to my sister's for the night and taking the laptop with him. I remembered getting my CF card out of the side of the computer before I handed it to him... and that was it. I have been nearly panicking, thinking, I have got to get these yarns up, I have GOT to get these yarns up. But how?

We looked all over the house, in the car, etc. Finally I broke down tonight and went to the local WM (only place to shop in our town) and bought a really cheap digicam that takes the world's worst pictures. I am sitting at the computer pulling my hair out over it when dh says, "Were you wearing a jacket Wed. night?" He goes and gets my jeans jacket and there in the pocket is my camera. DUH. and Thank God, I can put my listings up before my shop sells down to empty, er, cyberspace.

Meanwhile also I have come down with a cold or something. My head feels like someone stuffed a dishtowel up my nose, while it is running too, my throat is sore, I hurt all over. Bleh.

So I have some really GREAT yarns up though! Actually there are only 2 more I want to do in the Muppet Christmas Carol series, unless I change my mind and with fickle alacrity go on to the next series. LoL. Let me introduce some characters:

I have Gonzo, he is our narrator. I just love him because he is so weird. Of course, one can hardly help that when one is a... well, whatever. I NAILED the colors on this one, if you look at his picture. Bravo!

Marley and Marley... leave it to the Muppets to think that one Marley wasn't enough. The hecklers, Statler and Waldorf, appear this time around as ethereal, grumpy ghosts wearing chains of doom. Interestingly enough, this is the most unusual yarn I have come across, as it is a long, fine, crocheted CHAIN. I just love serendipity. So we have ghostly gray and shades of blue as cold as the grave. Brrr!!

Rizzo the Scrawny Rat, is just enough of self-striping (and self-serving, LOL) fun to make a pair of short socks out of. Tan and blue and brown will go around and around some lucky person's socks or mittens. I like Rizzo too, he has a great appetite and comes from a large family. Sounds just about like everybody at my house!

Bob Cratchit... what can we say? Marvelously played by Kermit, my Bob Cratchit yarn matches his lime green froggy skin, maroon and deep green coat. It will self-stripe. I just love his upbeat attitude and gentle spirit! It is a cuddly yarn, one for a big fat scarf or hat and mitts.

I have more, of course. But you will just have to stop by and see them yourself! And while you are at it, bring me a hot toddy. Thanks!