Trenchwork

Things have been a bit chaotic and the blog, I’m afraid, has suffered.  Today, then, is a major catch-up, so don’t expect any sort of thematic organization here!  When we were kids, we’d occasionally have dinners that Mom called a name I’ve never learned to spell, but which sounds like “Gollimoshaw.”  Say that out loud exactly the way it’s spelled and you’ll have it.  It was one of those one-pot stews which included whatever was leftover in the kitchen at the moment; it was the day when you cleaned out the ‘fridge and hoped everything worked together.  Welcome to Golli.

First, I received the last SP13 package!  My SP turned out to be Lakeside at http://www.lakeside.twoday.net/ and was just a gem.  This last package was beautiful!

And I had to laugh; you’ve simply gotta love a bundle that includes yarn, chocolate, AND Jelly Bellies! The Folk Shawls book has been on my list, and I love the patterns. Were it not for the fact that there are 2 UFOs on the needles at the moment and they’re both lace, I’d have been casting on for yet another. But we’re talking about a slow knitter who can’t handle more than two works in progress at a time, so I suspect it had better wait a bit.

There’s a perfect pair of Adi Lace needles in exactly the right size for the Zephyr shawl which is on the needles now, and there’s a skein of Manos silk-blend singles that you need a closer look at:

Look at the shine, and the glow in those colors. And see the clever shawl pin? Is that not just lovely?

Seriously, it’s been a joy. It’s always difficult to choose gifts that match the recipient when you don’t really know the person, and much as a blog might say, it’s not the same as knowing the individual. But Lakeside really nailed things, and I couldn’t have asked for better. Thank you, sweetie.

Also in the mail recently was this terrific little bundle:

The fiber is Spælsau, and the loose batts are Angora blends. They were part of the Spinners Home fiber swap, and the sender was the gal behind the Ullgruven (http://www.ullgruven.no/) website. If you can’t read Norwegian, it doesn’t matter. Just click through the images, but especially look at the hand-felted animals. They are simply too cool, and are the siblings to the little sheep in the middle of all that bounty . . .

Is he just not too cool? She does awesome work, and I’m so impressed. Felting and needle felting is not something I’ve been interested in getting into, but I just absolutely love this little dude.

In the midst of everything, I threw these into the dyepot the other day.

The fleeces were in the grease, they were dyed with acid dyes, and I love them. There’s a 50/50 blend of Teeswater and a Rambouillet/Corriedale cross, both from Kate Lowder of Lower Colours Farm. One of the things I’ve been experimenting with has been blends, and I’ve learned a few things with this one. First, a 50/50 by weight does not mean a 50/50 by volume and therefore not a 50/50 by impact. The Teeswater is heavier than the Rambo/Corrie cross, so what you end up with is, in reality a much lower concentration. 50/50 of this blend actually gives something closer to 35/65 by effect—and the effect is B O U N C E. The fluff factor here is incredible, and that really shows up in the yarn. I span a few yards of a test skein at varying weights to see what would happen, and the squish is amazing. At laceweight and firmly spun, the yarn has a crisp definition while retaining its softness. Spun at a worsted weight and more softly, it’s fluffy and increasingly elastic, and the slight fuzzy halo is more noticeable.

There is something about the process of creating your own fibers that I’ve fallen in love with. It’s not merely the ability to control the creative process from start to finish, but the opportunity to experiment, learn, challenge, and use your own creativity that makes it so exciting—and so addictive.

Last, Ellen was sweet enough to give me a Creative Blogger award.

The rules say that you’re supposed to name 8 others, but I’ll be honest and say that I just can’t do that right now. There are a lot of folks who deserve such an award, but you’ll have to let me catch up on it later.

At the moment, I have a batch of student essays to evaluate and return, and my hope is that I can manage all that by tomorrow evening. If I can, then I’ll essentially have the next week off for a break, and to be honest, I could use that. So could you.