Score !

In my life I've never scored a great deal or find at a thrift store - UNTIL NOW !! This Oleana sweater was found at Value Village in Seattle for $6.99 !! I could see the sleeve from the down the aisle and KNEW what it was. YAY !! Pat bought it from me as she is an even bigger fan of Solveig Hisdal than I. Modelled here by my sister Tina, who was kind enough to let me stay at her place during the three day Scandinavian workshop at the Museum

















I LOVED the workshop ! Again, so much fibery goodness, history, fellowship, and inspiring samples. Carol Rhoades is an excellent instructor. I've taken her Spinning for Socks and Spinning for Fair Isle, Aran, and Guernsey workshops also.






The first day we played with Norwegian Spelsau fleeces. Wow, such long hair like fibers which we pulled away from the undercoat. Experimented with various prep and spinning methods. COOL !



Saturday was Gotland fleeces and Twined Knitting. The one on the far right is a Gotland/Corriedale cross from New Zealand. The locks just bloomed open when worked with.













Sunday was Finnsheep and angora for Bohus style knitting. It was the first time I've carded and spun angora and I loved it.
We also tried a little Lovikka yarn spinning. It is so tricky to try and get such a very lightly spun bulky single from the rolag. I need to practice, practice, practice ! I hear you can ply two pencil rovings together and get the same effect :)































I should have taken more copious notes ! We learned to use the carders to get a combed like roving. I think she said the technique came from an Icelandic book.



There were so many wonderful samples but in deference to the designer I will just keep the pictures to myself. This mitten though was knit with the Two End technique using this Wool/Silk/Mohair pencil roving. It made a dense but lighter fabric.






A classmate raises Shetlands, Scottish Black Face, and Gotland/Finn crosses. She brought nine fleeces to sell. I came home with one and trotted over to Gretchen's Wool Mill to have it washed. She'll card half of it and leave the rest for me to play with. It's a lovely gray with light tips.

Fiber addiction has been much lamented upon by others and admittedly I've fallen under it's spell. Perhaps I should leave my checkbook home next time :)

Beading

Karen and I took a fun class at Village Yarn and Tea a few weeks ago from Debbie Abrahams. She hails from Great Britain and works with Rowan. Her latest book is



She's a very charming and upbeat person who is a great instructor.




We received kits to make this little bag. Felt like a dope as I was making little mistakes all the time which slowed me down. I'm almost done with the front.



Fellow student Debbie

Thanks for helping me out Karen !!



A true friend is someone who thinks you are a good egg even though she knows you are slightly cracked

Bernard Meltzer





"Thorpe"
My first top down hat using Trendsetter "Boboli" A coworker kept after me to knit her a hat with flaps - she wore me down !






My first three ply. I love, love, love BFL !



Garner up pleasant thoughts in your mind, for pleasant thoughts make pleasant lives.

John Wilkins

Mt Pilchuck

I was going to post about my recent beading class, handspun, trip to Whidbey Island, but that is to wait for another day. After seeing the kids pictures from their hike up Mt. Pilchuck (5,324 ft - 1,623 m)I had to share these lovely images


One touch of nature...makes all the world kin.

William Shakespeare
From left to right
Colton, Anna, Stevan, Forrester, with Marc in front.


They hiked up late afternoon on Friday and spent the night in this former fire lookout tower on the very top.




Three Fingers Mountain (6,854ft - 2,089m)
floating above the clouds.











That's one heck of a drop behind Forrester !






Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.

John Muir

Fall

Love is a fruit in season at all times, and in reach of every hand.

Mother Teresa









Joined this fleece study on Ravelry thru what else Fleecestudy !
I received 12 different 2oz. fleece samples, plus a notebook with information about the various breeds, along with sample cards to keep track of my work. Cool !!



It's difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato.

Lewis Grizzard



The greenhouse under repair.

Life

To the soul, there is hardly anything more healing than friendship.
Thomas Moore (1779 - 1852)

Thank you Amber.




Thank you Barbro for the Forest sheep of Värmland fleece you gave me on my trip to Sweden. I love it. Kristin was kind enough to lend me her carder to prep it. I laid some locks on the batt to show the color variation.

There is a funky video on YouTube showing how to use a drum carder. Rexene is pretty entertaining ! It was great to see how to blend, clean, and more.

Started a baby bolero jacket using Queensland "Cotsoy" It's 50/50 cotton and soy. It is sooooo soft. I figured a good way to learn about sweater construction was to knit up various styles of baby sweaters. Not so intimidating as an adult sweater.

We had the shortest summer ever ! Two weeks of nice weather maybe ? As my father said about the climate here " If summer falls on the weekend we all go to the beach !"
No kidding. I miss him so much. He brought so many unique experiences with his Renaissance style of life to me. One of his wood carvings which was carved directly into a cedar stump in our yard. It's from an illustration of the "Tortoise and the Hare" from James Thurber's "Fables for Our Time"


Well, if I called the wrong number, why did you answer the phone?


There are two kinds of light--the glow that illuminates, and the glare that obscures.

Why do you have to be a nonconformist like everybody else?


He who hesitates is sometimes saved.

All human beings should try to learn before they die what they are running from, and to, and why.

Let us not look back in anger, nor forward in fear, but around in awareness.

I am not a cat man, but a dog man, and all felines can tell this at a glance - a sharp, vindictive glance

This and That

Etsy is a dangerous place to go window shopping ! There is too much fun stuff to look at and it's very hard to resist sometimes as evidenced by this purchase of Tencel "Prairie" from Exclusively Linda Lee



Dogs laugh, but they laugh with their tails.

Max Eastman

The dog lives for the day, the hour, even the moment.

Robert Falcon Scott

What a life ! Betsy is such a snugga puppy. Here she is cuddled up to Marc. She makes me smile ! Actually they both do !


Anna, looking lovely ,heading out for a wedding.


Dave and Trella came out this morning to take away some firewood for me and afterwards we had a little jam session on our nyckelharpas. I hadn't played mine in several years so was pretty rusty to begin with. It's a very unique instrument which I should start playing again. For more information on this check out the American Nyckelharpa Association

















Spun up BFL roving for an Allspunup Ravelry Spin along. Would like to learn how to Navajo ply this.
I don't know why I can't get going on any knitting projects. What is wrong with me ?








Katie was great enough to organize a "Knitters for Obama" fundraiser. Inga is helping me carry the message

Melancholy

My little red house with the Carl Larson accents on the porch which I hope makes this look at least a little Swedish.


It has been quite painful to look about my home of late and try to decide what to do. It's been a part of my life since 1984, loaded with many memories both good and bad. Can I afford to stay here, do I have the mental strength, can I take care of it ? First in order is to fix it up in either case. Lots of conflicting emotions. I wish there was an easy answer................


Your heart says stay and battle the pain, but your mind says leave for all this isn't needed, broken into pieces for that one an only. But follow your heart because the heart can only take so much.

Jamila M. Allen


Hired friends Cindy and Tim to start chipping away at the many, many projects that need attending to.
When Cindy tore the overgrown plants away from the foundation these were still there, fragments of glass and char from the fire when the firefighters smashed windows and burnt wood tumbled from the roof. It was so horrible to watch it going up in flames. We ended up with a nicer house but what a way to get it.


The kids have been helping with the dejunking and yard work. Marc got carried away with the pruning here ! It was a 20 year old overgrown honeysuckle. He got tired of using pruners and started hacking away at it with a Civil War reproduction sword. Oh my, that was a shock to come home to !


Mia staying cool in the shade. Quite a head of hair !!



I have many things to be thankful for and need to remind myself at times like these.
Caring family, friends, and coworkers, loving children who make me laugh when I don't feel like I can anymore, a roof over my head, a wonderful job which I wouldn't trade for the world, and so much more.

We are so often caught up in our destination that we forget to appreciate the journey, especially the goodness of the people we meet on the way. Appreciation is a wonderful feeling, don't overlook it.

Source Unknown







I am drawn to this pair of Latvian mittens from the exhibit. It's faded appearance evoking thoughts of times past.














Purchased this lovely Jacob/Romney fleece from
Katie who was having a little destash sale.