Home Again, Home Again, Jiggety Jig . . .
Can I just say how much fun I had? And how tired I am?! :-D
Sheri, of The Loopy Ewe fame knows how to throw a party. This was the second year for her Spring Fling event, and I was lucky enough to get to attend both years. It was so great to see old friends and make new ones. In fact, I could have done with a little more time to just relax and socialize! Still, it was wonderful, and I'm already hoping I will get to go again next year!
Last year, as I was driving down to St. Louis for The Fling, I rang My Crazy Cousin The Lawyer to tell him I was going on a knitting retreat. He rang me back, and you probably have to know him to know how truly funny this is, but he said, as only he can, "A knitting retreat? . . . . Whooaaa, let me get the bail money ready."
This year, he said, "Another knitting bee? [he gets confused ;-)] Listen, I've got the bail money ready, and I've alerted all the attorneys in St. Louis - but I'm a little concerned that you're crossing state lines - this could become a federal case." :-D
Well, not a federal case, but clearly, as you'll see below, I need more supervision . . .
I know I promised photos, but it turned out that I spent the majority of my time this year at my spinning wheel, helping and teaching some newer spinners so I didn't have the opportunity to take any photos at all!
I had no idea I would enjoy sharing my love of spinning as much as I did - I was nervous about it. I don't think of myself as a "teacher" because I haven't been spinning all that long (coming up on a couple of years now). And yet, apparently I am. A teacher. :-) So many new spinners this weekend!!! And they were all great, and the time just flew. Yesterday I sat down at my wheel at around 1 in the afternoon, and with one thing and another, I didn't stop until 6:30. Yikes!
Here's my new spinning motto: There is Always More Fiber.
:-)
There is. I used to not spin stuff I have because I was afraid I would wreck it. You know what? You can't wreck it. And even if it turns out to be something other than what you planned, it's still a beautiful work of your hands and spirit, and there is always more fiber . . . :-) If you're making yarn that you like, then rock on. Don't let anyone tell you you're doing it "wrong."
I did take one photo - here at home, on the sofa in the living room. Um . . . this is where that needing more supervision thing comes in . . . It's not really as bad as it looks. OK. Well, yeah, I guess it is. I'm going to have to remain calm at all times around fiber
and yarn for the foreseeable future (except that I got another gift certificate for my birthday to Knitwerks from My Crazy Cousin the Lawyer, so that's not going to count :-D)
Anywho, lets see if I can go L-R, back row: A new Loopy Ewe T-Shirt because my old one got too big (this is a good thing). Some green and some green tweed Cascade 220 for a felting project. Some Yarn Love Merino Top in the Jewels of Autumn colorway. Two skeins of Opal sock yarn, a skein of Ancient Threads' Sockittome Select (all natural dyes - it's really really beautiful and it was on sale!), a blue skein of Cascade sock yarn (and on top of that the Schaefer Anne that was in my goodie bag), another skein of Opal and some more of the green Cascade for felting.
Next row: enough (6 skeins) of Dream in Color's Starry in the Romeo Blue colorway (got this idea from Not Now, I'm Counting - she had a beautiful skein one shade darker and I fell in love with it). Next is 40 oz. of Lorna's Laces Wool Top in the South Shore colorway (Beth at Lorna's Laces names a lot of her colorways after neighborhoods here in Chicago - and South Shore is where we lived when I was a baby :-) ). Sheri brought over some of this for us to use in the spinning demos, and as I was spinning it, the colors became even more vivid once the twist was in - I had to get some, so I got enough to spin for a sweater and probably some left over.
Next is a very very cute wooden peacock with little feet for its tail feathers - you knit little weeny socks to put on them! In front of him is a Namaste Buddy that will go very nicely with my Offhand Designs bag. Oh - and in front of the Starry are some little notions and such :-)
Last but by no means least, is enough Fiesta Boomerang in the Mochacino colorway to make a sweater. I'm just mad for it!! And I've been dying to make a sweater out of this yarn since I knit Michelle at Boulderneigh an Irish Hiking Scarf with it. It is the most wonderful stuff - and the extra good news is that I have two skeins of Baby Boomerang in the same colorway to make socks with! Wheeee!!!
So - I think it's back on the stash busting wagon for me, at least until I pick up my next batches of pin-drafted Corriedale roving at the Michigan Fiber Festival late in the summer. I've got a LOT to keep me busy with both spinning and knitting.
And now, I'm sleepy - I managed to get walking in every day, including a beautiful 10k volksmarch early this morning, but you never get to bed on time with you're having as much fun as I did this weekend. It was the perfect way to celebrate my birthday (which was Thursday :-) ), and it's not over yet!! I get to spend the day tomorrow (one more day off!!) with my cousin, ME. We're going to walk outside if it's not raining, and then we're going to the club to get mini tuneup massages, work out and have lunch. Sounds perfect to me!
Sheri, of The Loopy Ewe fame knows how to throw a party. This was the second year for her Spring Fling event, and I was lucky enough to get to attend both years. It was so great to see old friends and make new ones. In fact, I could have done with a little more time to just relax and socialize! Still, it was wonderful, and I'm already hoping I will get to go again next year!
Last year, as I was driving down to St. Louis for The Fling, I rang My Crazy Cousin The Lawyer to tell him I was going on a knitting retreat. He rang me back, and you probably have to know him to know how truly funny this is, but he said, as only he can, "A knitting retreat? . . . . Whooaaa, let me get the bail money ready."
This year, he said, "Another knitting bee? [he gets confused ;-)] Listen, I've got the bail money ready, and I've alerted all the attorneys in St. Louis - but I'm a little concerned that you're crossing state lines - this could become a federal case." :-D
Well, not a federal case, but clearly, as you'll see below, I need more supervision . . .
I know I promised photos, but it turned out that I spent the majority of my time this year at my spinning wheel, helping and teaching some newer spinners so I didn't have the opportunity to take any photos at all!
I had no idea I would enjoy sharing my love of spinning as much as I did - I was nervous about it. I don't think of myself as a "teacher" because I haven't been spinning all that long (coming up on a couple of years now). And yet, apparently I am. A teacher. :-) So many new spinners this weekend!!! And they were all great, and the time just flew. Yesterday I sat down at my wheel at around 1 in the afternoon, and with one thing and another, I didn't stop until 6:30. Yikes!
Here's my new spinning motto: There is Always More Fiber.
:-)
There is. I used to not spin stuff I have because I was afraid I would wreck it. You know what? You can't wreck it. And even if it turns out to be something other than what you planned, it's still a beautiful work of your hands and spirit, and there is always more fiber . . . :-) If you're making yarn that you like, then rock on. Don't let anyone tell you you're doing it "wrong."
I did take one photo - here at home, on the sofa in the living room. Um . . . this is where that needing more supervision thing comes in . . . It's not really as bad as it looks. OK. Well, yeah, I guess it is. I'm going to have to remain calm at all times around fiber
and yarn for the foreseeable future (except that I got another gift certificate for my birthday to Knitwerks from My Crazy Cousin the Lawyer, so that's not going to count :-D)Anywho, lets see if I can go L-R, back row: A new Loopy Ewe T-Shirt because my old one got too big (this is a good thing). Some green and some green tweed Cascade 220 for a felting project. Some Yarn Love Merino Top in the Jewels of Autumn colorway. Two skeins of Opal sock yarn, a skein of Ancient Threads' Sockittome Select (all natural dyes - it's really really beautiful and it was on sale!), a blue skein of Cascade sock yarn (and on top of that the Schaefer Anne that was in my goodie bag), another skein of Opal and some more of the green Cascade for felting.
Next row: enough (6 skeins) of Dream in Color's Starry in the Romeo Blue colorway (got this idea from Not Now, I'm Counting - she had a beautiful skein one shade darker and I fell in love with it). Next is 40 oz. of Lorna's Laces Wool Top in the South Shore colorway (Beth at Lorna's Laces names a lot of her colorways after neighborhoods here in Chicago - and South Shore is where we lived when I was a baby :-) ). Sheri brought over some of this for us to use in the spinning demos, and as I was spinning it, the colors became even more vivid once the twist was in - I had to get some, so I got enough to spin for a sweater and probably some left over.
Next is a very very cute wooden peacock with little feet for its tail feathers - you knit little weeny socks to put on them! In front of him is a Namaste Buddy that will go very nicely with my Offhand Designs bag. Oh - and in front of the Starry are some little notions and such :-)
Last but by no means least, is enough Fiesta Boomerang in the Mochacino colorway to make a sweater. I'm just mad for it!! And I've been dying to make a sweater out of this yarn since I knit Michelle at Boulderneigh an Irish Hiking Scarf with it. It is the most wonderful stuff - and the extra good news is that I have two skeins of Baby Boomerang in the same colorway to make socks with! Wheeee!!!
So - I think it's back on the stash busting wagon for me, at least until I pick up my next batches of pin-drafted Corriedale roving at the Michigan Fiber Festival late in the summer. I've got a LOT to keep me busy with both spinning and knitting.
And now, I'm sleepy - I managed to get walking in every day, including a beautiful 10k volksmarch early this morning, but you never get to bed on time with you're having as much fun as I did this weekend. It was the perfect way to celebrate my birthday (which was Thursday :-) ), and it's not over yet!! I get to spend the day tomorrow (one more day off!!) with my cousin, ME. We're going to walk outside if it's not raining, and then we're going to the club to get mini tuneup massages, work out and have lunch. Sounds perfect to me!
Comments
Sounds like you had a FAB time! That's a lot of loot, but you're so worth it. "Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you!" I LOVE my Irish hiking scarf and mitts; that yarn IS delicious (just not in THAT colorway; I like mine INFINITELY better!). Welcome home, and happy spinning and knitting.
BTW, Happy Birthday!!