Bumps and Loops

For some reason, over the past month, I haven't felt much like blogging. This is the first day I've even considered it. I have no idea why, but just decided to "go with it."

I'm working on this at the apartment in Blacksburg. The fiber is merino/bamboo from (where else?) Southern Cross Fibre. I'm spinning it as a lace singles, but am considering making a light weight 2-ply with some carbonized bamboo.

Carbonized bamboo is regular bamboo fiber that's been "cooked" until it turns a beautiful gray, soft fiber. The color is almost gun metal.

This is my most recent scarf project. It's made from some generic wool that I spun when I first started spinning a little over a year ago. It's just a tiny bit course, but the colors are very pretty.

I got the idea for these little ghosties:

from "Good Housekeeping" magazine. I thought they needed a home, so covered the box for them.

I sometimes feel sorry for the patients at the Institute where Jim works as a psychologist. Hence, the ghosties. They're Tootsie Roll Pops, paper towels, yarn and marker. We did about 25% of them using sugar free candies instead. I'm told they were a hit. I'm glad.

I've been thinking of taking pics of all the watercolors I've done over the years. We're going to repaint the condo and I kind of want to plan where the paintings are going to be hung so it will look a bit more cohesive.

Some of these paintings were done with instructions from various books. Some are my own constructs from photos, or just from my crazy imagination. There are a couple that are experimental watercolors from self-imposed restrictions, like three that I chose 3 primary paint colors and decided to do the entire paintings from the same colors, mixing my own, and two that are done on Yupo. Yupo is a kind of plastic. Once you put the paint in place, there's not too much you can do to it. It runs like crazy into adjacent colors. If you let it dry and, then, wet it, there's no telling what it will do. The "In the Crysalis" was done by placing colors in a way I liked and covering it with crumpled plastic wrap until it was dry. Yupo, to me, is the hardest ground I've ever used.

These paintings cover a range from 2001 to recent, with a several year hiatus.

I'm getting the bug again. It's my hope that once we go back to Florida, I can find a watercolor class at a community center or the local schools. In some ways, watercolors are even more enjoyable than knitting and spinning. I'm sure I won't give up the fiber crafts, but I'd probably do more painting if I could get more inspirations.

OK. Hokies lost last week. That's enough for this year.

I'm working on this:

It's part of a big project. This is Sprout from SCF from last month's fiber club. There's a companion one called Harvest and I've asked for 4 oz. of merino in the greens used in Sprout. I'm going to spin them all as singles and, then, make a 3-ply worsted weight yarn. That'll be 12 oz. and that's around 600 or so yards.

BUT -- I still think the open and prolific criticism of the president of the U.S. by citizens of this country can only damage the U.S. as a whole. Of course, we take issue with individual things and, of course, the opposing party has a different opinion and position on many of the major issues. That's why it's called opposing, for those of us (me included) who forget.

The point of this post is the statement made by Obama to the young man in this story. It's also important to remember that the president is, indeed, "a pretty tough guy" and that he can take it.

Still, it's a really good way of explaining the situation to a young person.

Mr. Obama's answer asking why everybody hates him.

This past weekend, while in Blacksburg, we drove onto campus and around to the Smithfield Plantation. The website does a much better job of explaining the place than I ever could. Suffice to say it's a very beautiful house and the grounds are starting to really show the colors of fall. One day, we're going to spend a few hours and visit it properly.

Yesterday, I spent the whole day knitting. There was a steady drizzle under a very gray sky. I was knitting the yarn I had spun out of my Southern Cross Shetland in Sunrise that was posted earlier. The pattern I used was the Jacob's Ladder Seaman's Scarf that can be found in the Ravelry.com pattern search. The yarn was just a tiny bit light for the scarf, but it came out pretty well, actually. I love the play of colors in this yarn.

This is my biggest batch of lace weight yarn, yet. The fiber is Southern Cross Fibre's irises in Shetland wool.

It's destined to become this:




which is Flowers & Frills Shoulder Shawl, although I'm going to do more center repeats and make it larger.

This yarn has been safely delivered to my swap partner from the Southern Cross Fibre spinning swap, so I can post about it today.

It's 50/50 wool/bamboo fiber from Creatively Dyed Yarn. It was a pretty easy and quick spin and is 2-ply worsted weight. I named it Jade's Eyes because as I was spinning it, the reminded me of our cat Jade's eyes. they seem to be green, yellow and even, sometimes, blue.

This is, probably, the best yarn I've spun to date. I'm very happy I have another 4 oz. of this fiber in a kind of pumpkin colorway. I so rarely do anything with oranges that this will be fun to spin.

It's not that I love the show so much as that I really, really am mesmerized by the way Hugh Laurie can speak U.S. English with SUCH accuracy!

Last spring, I purchased several pounds of BFL (Blue Faced Leicester) wool roving from a farm in Pennsylvania. These sheep come in several colors and I have plans to spin up the different colors to make a natural colored sweater in a Fair Isle (you know, those little designs in traditional sweaters) pattern. I had 3 pounds of each of gray/brown rovings and 2 pounds of white (cream). I left the rovings in their bags until just a few weeks ago. I was met with an unpleasant surprise.

Two of the darker rovings smelled distinctly musty. The third was slightly funky. The white was just fine. I don't know if the fiber came to me that way or if it became so over time. I suspect the roving was very slightly damp when it was put in its plastic bags for shipping and, since I didn't open them right away, they probably got worse.

After some research and encouragement from some fiber people with a lot more experience than mine, I soaked each pound of roving in a bucket of warm water with about a cup of vinegar. Then, I took it out as carefully as possible and draped it over the railing of our substantial southeast deck to dry. I've gone out and sniffed each piece several times and it appears it now just smells like, well wool. I'm most pleased with this little experiment. It's very easy to felt roving when it's wet. After all, that's how felt is made. You have to be very, very careful not to agitate it. Also, when it's wet, it feels kind of like hairy tissue paper and is very easy to break. AND, it also twists.

It took me longer to untwist the strips than it did to soak it. I only broke one of the pieces of roving, so it turned out pretty well. It's drying very, very fast. I'll put it in the basement loose for a few days in order for it to air completely.

Just for kicks and giggles, I posted a couple pictures of the rovings drying. It looks funny. I figured that, if any of the neighbors ask, I'll tell them I'm drying pig intestines. I don't know why I think that's funny. I guess I'm just perverse.

I finished the scarf from yesterday's yarn last night. It's named after the yarn. This scarf is one of the softest, drapiest scarves ever. It's 56" long plus 4" fringe on each end and 5 1/4" wide.

The stretched merino makes the most wonderful scarves! They feel as soft as cashmere, but are kind of "limp." I don't know how else to describe it. It's almost as if it wants to mold to your body and cuddle.

I'm seriously considering selling this scarf and a few others in the planning stages on Etsy. I'll post here if I decide to do it. I'm thinking I'd only sell those that are made from hand dyed/painted fibers that are hand spun and hand woven. I'm also thinking I might like to embellish some of them. We'll see if my ambition holds up.

I haven't been weaving lately, Partly, it's because I've been spinning so much. Partly, it's because I've had the old door on sawhorses I use to warp covered up with cones of yarn I'm thinking of selling. Last night, I warped up this scarf and realized I hadn't named the yarn.

The yarn is a handspun fiber from Conjoined Creations, Happy Hippie series called "Flashback." It's "Optim," or stretched merino. Stretched merino is treated with chemicals, much like a permanent wave for hair to take out the crimp. The resulting fiber is very soft and "limp." It makes a super drapey yarn.

This yarn I called "Wild Fields" and the scarf will, of course, be also called Wild Fields. I spun this fiber as it came off the roving, in long runs of colors. As a result, it stripes in a, to me, marvelously blended and shaded striped fabric.

Here's the scarf on the loom with a detail of the striping just below.

I've decided that I love Virginia Tech so much, I'm going to take many photographs so that, when I'm no longer able to visit often, I can look back and remember and, maybe, feel some of the feelings I have when I visit.

While walking on the campus the other day, I was struck with the atmosphere of the entire campus. We were going to the bookstore to look for some goodies for a spinning swap in which I'm taking part. As I got out of the car, I saw the hokey stone (to be explained in a future post) buildings, some old, some new, all with a stately beauty that really strikes me. I didn't attend a "go away" college or university. I never really thought I wanted to. On Saturday, though, I changed my mind.

I was a very good student and studying came easily to me. I never had to work as hard as some of my compatriots to get good grades. If I'd applied myself just a bit more, I'd have been a top student. As it is, I took one semester's worth of work right out of high school. I didn't study - at all. I ended up with a 2.5 average. Later, I went back to the same school and was really invested. Today, my average is 3.9xxxxxxxxx. I took a LOT of classes.

Standing in the bookstore parking lot, looking at the campus, I think I made a major error in judgement. I was struck - HARD - the the mystique of the school. I felt the "academic environment" tone, saw the tools all there, all right at hand. I am extremely affected by my environment. When I'm in a techie environment, I'm a techie. When I'm in an artistic environment, I get totally immersed in art. I truly believe that, were I to have attended a school, such as Tech, I'd have become the ultimate student. Even today, I can place myself in many settings on campus and feel the education process.

Hindsight is 20/20. I'm not "sorry" I didn't go. If I had gone to my "go away" school, my life would have been drastically different. In some ways, it might have been better, but in some ways, I'm sure it would have been decidedly less. I'm the sum of my experiences. I'm educated, in some ways better than my compatriots who went the route I describe. I know a LOT about a LOT of things. That IS the student in me. When I get interested in something, I don't just learn about it. I study it down to the tiniest little details. I'm stubborn enough to tackle almost anything and I almost always prevail. I have plenty of knowledge.

For me, I think it's the idea of this alternate life that intrigues me. I can feel what it would be like to be here.

Because I am really loving this school, I'm going to post little mini slide shows. My goal is to capture as much of this magical place as I can. I plan to extend it to the wonderful college town of Blacksburg, VA, and to include the people who make it magical.

Below is the first installment of this little journey. It's a small slide show of a tiny part of "The Duck Pond."

Some months ago, I made a yarn called "Foggy Mountain Breakdown." Well, this is "Boggy Mountain Breakdown." The fiber came from Southern Cross, is named John and is merino/bamboo. The yarn is about aran weight, 110 yards, n-plied.

Meet Ms. Mantis. She spent the morning on my side porch. She's a pretty little devil, isn't she? Just after I took this picture, she turned to me as if to say, "If you don't stop snapping that thing, I'm going to bite your shutter finger off!"

I hope she has lots and lots of eggs out there somewhere. I do feel sorry for Mr. Mantis, though.

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

You know, we all (me included) seem to think we know what's "right" for the country and for our economy and for everyone else, for that matter. We sit here (yes, again, me included) and pontificate and vilify and complain and moan that those who are in power or in charge of making changes and policy don't know what they're doing, or they're "bums," or there's something wrong with them all. Naturally, we think we're right. If we didn't, we wouldn't be human.

The thing is, and something that was kind of driven home by my husband the other night when I was stating my "perfect" plan for the U.S. He said, "You have to remember the Law of Unintended Consequences." I kind of knew what that was, but decided to do a bit of research. If you want to know more, this is a good site.

Those of us who sit on the sidelines and "cheer" and/or "jeer" should remember that we don't have ALL the data. We never will. We really need to trust in the system. It's not a perfect system and the people who are charged with running it aren't perfect, either. I do think that most of them really want to do a good job. They're human, every single one of them.

So, while I'll probably continue to rant and rage on, I will at least have in the back of my mind the Law of Unintended Consequences.

I've sold a bunch of stuff on eBay in the past few months. It started as a way to help offset the costs of the apartment in Blacksburg.

I know a lot of you are aware how obsessed I am with spinning. I decided I'd like to change spinning wheels. I bought a Majacraft Rose from New Zealand. Her name is Kia-Ora which, in essence, means "Hello." Here's a little video that was sent to me that has the same name. I doubt this would ever have made it through the advertising police here in the U.S., but it's just as cute as it can be. Evidently, this was a very popular soft drink in the UK.


Here's a pic of Kia-Ora. She's totally different from my other two wheels. When I first started spinning, I had no idea what I needed or wanted. I bought my first wheel, a Minstrel, because it looked so traditional. It's one of the prettiest bits of wood turning I've ever seen and I doubt I'll ever part with her. Then, because I thought I'd travel a lot with a wheel, I bought a Sonata. It's a great wheel. It's versatile and spins very well. I like both these wheels, but I might have to go down to just one wheel in the future (although I don't see how that's going to be possible!), and in light of that, I went looking for something that would be the most versatile. It seems, from most opinions, this is as close as you're going to get.

This is the first yarn I've spun on her. It's made from 100% merino fiber from Southern Cross Fibre. It's about as soft as a yarn can get. I had some issues figuring out the tensioning on the Rose and some of it was just too underspun. I ran it back through a second time and it was just fine. Jim named this yarn Cabin Creek Walnut. Cabin Creek is the name of a small one-man musical instrument making company just up the road a piece. They made a hammered dulcimer for our son, John, and a couple of Appalachian Mountain dulcimers for us a few years back. Walter Messick is the craftsman and the nicest man you could ever meet.


Jade is trying to convince you SHE spun this with her magic eyes.

Here's a closeup of the yarn.



This is only about 185 yards of heavy worsted because I had a bit of waste learning the new ratios and I wasn't very careful splitting the roving in half. I did get about 20 yards of chain plyed worsted weight from the remainder of one of the bobbins.

You can's beat Southern Cross Fibres for consistently beautiful rovings.

I just finished up spinning the "Sunset" Shetland wool fiber I've been spinning in Blacksburg. I chain plyed (n-ply) to keep the colors kind of deep on this fairly "single colored" fiber. Here's the pic on the bobbin:

Here's the skein after its bath:



And, here is its detail shot. That one thick blue section kind of drives me nuts.

Here's this week's entry into the Blacksburg apartment view. This was around 5 p.m. on Sunday evening. The mountains never look the same, they change constantly.

I don't do much machine knitting these days, but I do a bit, still. I own two pieces of software for this. Both of them also are usable for hand knitting and one of them can also draft sewing patterns.

One of these is Knitware. Knitware is a bit more basic, but it always works as advertised, the customer support is excellent and updates are made as often as a single person operation can manage it. I would not hesitate for a moment in recommending Knitware. Furthermore, there is never any kind of hassle or problem with copyright issues. You can even download a, mostly, fully working version and try it out. Nearly every feature of the software is active and, before I purchased it, I knitted an entire custom sweater from it. Knitware is only for Windows machines, but as most people are aware, you can now run Windows applications on the newer Macintoshes using Boot Camp or another of the virtual or emulation software programs. Knitware costs about $60 and has most of the features most of us would need. Further, if your Knitware installation gets corrupted, all you need to do is download a copy from the website and enter your registration key. If you've lost your key, you can contact the nice people at Knitware and, if you have a valid copy, they'll send you your key. There's never a problem if you need to switch computers - not hoops to jump through and no headaches.

The other is Garment Designer 2.5. My feelings about this software are quite different from the previous comment. I originally purchased Garment Designer a couple of years ago as a Windows application. I paid somewhere around $225 for this program. As previously stated, in addition to knitting patterns that re written primarily for machine knitting, the program will produce pretty nice sewing patterns and it's very manipulative. You can create almost anything with this program, if you have the skills and the desire to learn the awkward screen system. At one point, I purchased a new Windows machine and had to jump through what I considered excessive hoops to get the software transferred to my new computer. This involved several email messages and at least one phone call so they could push a couple of keys to get my new computer registered as the "official" one. A few months later, I decided I'd like to run the program on my iBook. I contacted the company and was told I could purchase a Macintosh version for 1/2 of the original price of the Windows version. All I received in this transaction was the CD/DVD for the software - no new documentation. I went through the archaic registration process on the iBook. The help files don't work and I was told, when I inquired to use the manual. All well and good, but I don't LIKE manuals - I like help files. This isn't bargain basement software. Well, recently, my iBook evidently corrupted my database. I need to reinstall the software. Somewhere in my house is the CD/DVD. I'm not sure where it is. Until I find it, I can't use the software. I'm also told I can't use BOTH versions, although I feel that for the over $300 (I also purchased an update along the way), with only ONE set of documentation and a useless help file on one version, I should be able to use both the Windows and the Macintosh version. I happen to know how much it costs to write DVD's - not much. So, I do want to use the Garment Designer again. I suppose when I find the CD/DVD, I'll jump through the archaic hoops again. Or, maybe not.

I can buy commercial patterns and alter them. By the time I print out the patterns and tape them together, it's no less expensive.

While I understand the need for copyright protection. The methods used by the Garment Designer people are almost punitive to the customer. I also think the pricing is high and even more so if you switch platforms.

So, for my money, if you're looking for knitting software, go with Knitware and let the Garment Designer people use their unused CD/DVD's as coasters.

The Knitware folks are pleasant and easy to get along with. The Garment Designer people always seem as though they'd just rather you'd go away. There seems to be this attitude that computers never wear out or crash and, if they do, your emails and calls are not worth a civil, much less friendly reply. I also think their pricing scheme, particularly for those of us who use both platforms and have paid plenty for the privilege is bordering on unfair.

So - rant over.

I knew that spinning fiber was an old, old skill. I was amazed to see this article:

It's hard for me to believe a fiber, ANY fiber can survive in any form for 30,000 years.

Beyond that, it gives me super warm fuzzies to realize I'm working in a craft that has been in existence for so long. I get a kind of metaphysical feeling learning these old crafts. What can I say? I'm a weird old bird.

This article has a photo of the cave where the fibers were found.

I can't believe I feel this way about the legislative body of my government. I have no respect for many of them. I honestly don't have faith that they can accomplish anything. I am appalled some feel they need not show respect for the President of the United States while he is giving a televised speech on an important topic. It doesn't matter to me if they're Republican or Democrat, conservative or liberal.

This attitude has been growing for awhile, now. I really started to notice it while Clinton was in office. No, I don't condone his actions, but I'd be danged willing to bet there have been LOTS of philandering former Presidents. I'll also bet there are LOTS more Congressmen with nice juice tidbits floating around in THEIR closets, too, if we just knew where to look.

It just seems there's no respect for anything. My youth was the 60's and 70's. I'm not what I'd call OVERLY indoctrinated into a state of "respect" for elected officials. Some people, who know me well, would laugh that I even say this. I see most offices and titles with a pretty good critical level, if not cynicism. It would never occur to me, though, to heckle a duly elected official, much less the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, while he or she was giving a speech.

I am just plain sad. While I feel this is still a great country, while I don't want to run right out and immigrate, I am frightened and appalled that we seem to have become a nation of petulant children who just bicker and fight.

I have no confidence in the legislative branch of my government. I see a downward spiral and, well, it's just SAD.

It has been brought to my attention that I am, now, 63 years old and my bio still says I'm 62. If said reminder of my chronology would kindly read the rest of my bio, said person would see I have threatened (and have decided to, indeed) go backwards, now.

That may not be a glamorous name for this yarn:

but it sure reminds me of the clay soils in these southeastern mountains. There's a richness and heavy feel to them, not to mention a hard strength, that will always be in my heart and mind, no matter where I may be living. The soil is almost a reflection of the people who settled and live in this area. Within our small town of Marion, there's a variance in the soils that amazes me. Within blocks, sometimes just yards, there's a difference in the soil. Almost all of it is hard when dry. Some of it is almost iron-like in its hardness. Some of it is "diggable" when it's dry, but ALL of it is heavy and warm.

Most of it has streaks of greens and grays and, yes, even blues from various layers of sediments. It sticks to you like a heavy glue. Once it has taken hold in fabrics and even on surfaces, it's hard, if not impossible, to remove.

In winter, it's hard and impervious. In spring, it's sticky and slippery. In summer, it's warm and nurturing. In fall, it's covered with shades of orange, red, yellow and brown until it's hard to even see.

There's a very real possibility I won't be living in these mountains forever. I will, probably, return to the sandy and dry soil of the west coast of Florida - no matter. I will always and forever, to my dying breath, remember the variety and strength and stability and warmth and richness of the clay soils of the Appalachian Mountains.




Southern Soils in the making.




Southern Soils is destined to become a convertible earflap hat. There are 148 yards of a worsted weight 3-ply and about 102 grams (around 3.4 ounces).

How about we just suspend ALL healthcare benefits to members of both houses of the legislative body of the United States until they can agree on a way for all U.S. citizens to have adequate and affordable healthcare? How about it.

Oh! Does that sound unfair? What about the poor folks who have preexisting conditions? What about their poor family members? Hmmmm. Most people in this country, pretty easily, lose their jobs altogether. Most people have to pay for at least part of their health insurance. I really don't think many congresspeople lose much sleep about those folks. How about we make sure they see photographs of each child that dies because he or she doesn't have healthcare? How about we make congress members go to the homes of these children and hold their hands while they die? How about they have to go to the funerals of good people who have died?

On most issues related to unemployment and poverty, I'm fairly reasonable. I'm NOT on this one. I, for one, will NOT vote for any elected official for reelection that stands in the way of some kind of equitable healthcare for all U.S. citizens. You can all count on it. It's my humble opinion that elected officials should be, at least, as afraid of those of us who DO support healthcare for all as of those who don't. The pendulum swings in both directions.

I'm really weary of giving politicians a free ride and having them constantly bickering and whining and acting like petulant children.

I honestly wouldn't care one little bit if some family member, or they themselves, can't get medical attention for awhile. It seems to me it might be the ONLY way to get THEIR attention.

These singles are 38 gr of the 115 gr of Binary Sunset I received in August. I'm going to spin them as 3 singles in true 3-ply.

As stated in a former post, this particular fiber was inspired by the Star Wars trilogy. David, as usual, outdid himself. This is romney wool and spins very, very smoothly. Romney is one of the finest of the longwools. It's not as soft to the skin as the short wool fibers, but it's strong and glossy and, often, still contains some of the lanolin of the sheep, giving it a slight water resistance.

The fiber for these singles is called "Sunrise." It's yet more of the Southern Cross Fibre Club - July's offering. These singles are destined to become Navaho-plied using a technique in a Youtube video. The finished yarn will be posted next week.

I wondered why it was called "Sunrise," until I posted the photo of the sunrise at the apartment in the previous post.

No text, really. Just the moonrise on Friday night and the sunrise on Saturday morning in Blacksburg - taken from the balcony of the apartment.

We, in the United States, should be careful we don't undermine the office of the President of the United States so much we become the buffoons of politics. What do you think other countries see when the President is ridiculed, second guessed and criticized for every single thing he says or does? Do these countries see a strong and cohesive nation? Do they see a nation they believe weakened by lack of support for the government?

I've lost respect for many individuals and some groups in this country, not because they are wrong, but because they absolutely refuse to provide support and have the courage to believe the system works.

I'm so tired of lists of what this President or that President has done wrong and what fools they are and how inexperienced they are and, even, how they're not citizens and, well, on and on and on. The Bushes are "privileged elitists." Clinton is an "unworthy philanderer." Obama is "socialistic" and "inexperienced." Well, this is a big, big country with an incredibly complex government and it is my opinion that absolutely no one is experienced enough or has any idea what the job is like (enter the advisors, who are also "imperfect" humans). As far back as Washington, there has been controversy.

The difference is that, in the past, once the election was over, once the President took office, pride in the U.S. and the system took over and people, for the most part, tried to forget their differences and work in a respectful way to get on with the business of government. Today, what's missing is the respect. The differences were always there.

I'm not a fan of respect for respect's sake. I'm the first one to say I'm not impressed by the office. I'm not. But I also believe a country is only as strong as the cohesive front it presents to the world. If I were bent on the destruction of the U.S., I'd be gleeful today.

This country does not "belong" to Christians (or Jews or Muslims or Buddhists or any other single religion). The founding fathers said it was a country for "all." Well, you can either decide they meant that, or you can say they lied to themselves and the world. This country no longer belongs to white Christians of European descent BECAUSE of what those founding fathers said (even if that wasn't their intent - and it never did - we conquered it). Yeah, they said "under God," but YOU don't get to choose who God is for the whole world. The Crusades failed, folks.

A government/country destroys itself from within. I'm worried about this country - not today or in the next fifty years, but if we don't get a handle on the ability to be a "country" and not a bunch of whiners and backbiters, then I'm glad I won't be here next century. I get way too hot with my face and whole body covered with fabric.

WARNING: BEWARE OF REVOLUTIONARY SPEECH FROM PRESIDENTS


There is a scheduled speech by the President of the United States to school children this week. The official focus of this speech, as released by the White House, is encouragement to students to study hard, stay in school and become successful. There is a an uproar from a large number - up to 50% in some areas, like the area of Florida where we live - that has decided the President has "another agenda."

Many school districts are giving principals and teachers the power to "opt out" of having students watch this speech.

I guess I'm getting old. When I was a kid (albeit in the 60's), there would have been no question. We would have watched this speech.

Excuse me, but whatever the focus, isn't this history in the making? So, are we saying that students from conservative families are too stupid to discuss a topic without being swayed by those in power? Does this mean students from more liberal families shouldn't have to ever listen to conservative politicians speak, for fear they will be swayed away from their current beliefs?

Isn't this one of the ideas that was central to the founding of the United States of America?

OK. Maybe really little kids (two or under), or kids with IQs of a rock shouldn't hear this. It might overload their little circuits. It might cause them to discuss (Heaven help us) how they might study hard to learn more and become a President so that the other party can make foolish and unfounded (after all, these folks have made this decision without knowing what is IN the speech and by determining that this President can't possibly be doing anything, no, not anything at all, just to provide incentive and motivation to the U.S. youth).

The White House has said it will release the content of the speech ahead of time. While I object to the lessening of the impact by doing so, at least these poor, frightened parents will know whether or not the President has an ulterior motive. What do you want to bet that, even if he does speak only about the benefits of studying hard and getting ahead, that they will not want the message delivered by him. What do you bet it doesn't make one bit of difference to SOME of these parents.

Oh, by the way, George Washington is speaking to students the following week. Oh, my! We can't have our children hearing what THAT man says. He's much, much too revolutionary.

Sometimes, I think this country is totally lost and, if we continue to run away from discussing issues with our youth and teaching them morals in the home so they are strong enough to stand on their own feet, no matter the source of "controversial" views, this country is going to become weak.

There are things I would rather not have heard from conservative politicians, but I would never, ever have said my kids couldn't listen to a speech by Bush or any other previous conservative President. This is the kind of mush that caused the Civil War. "I don't like you. I don't like what you stand for. I don't care if you ARE the President of the United States - I'm smarter than you. I won't listen to you and I'm going to keep my fingers in my ears and sing, 'la, la, la, la, la,' until you go away."

If you believe in a God, start praying, however, if your God answers, be sure that He or She submits the text of His or Her answer well in advance, so parents can decide whether or not their children should hear said answer.

We're renting this cool apartment in Blacksburg, as most of you know. I've been trying to furnish it to the point of being comfortable without spending much money.

For the bedroom, we purchased a futon mattress only and put it on the floor. I looked for some low tables and couldn't find anything I liked. So, I made these boxes:

They're bankers' boxes with a wallpaper border around the bottom and the tops have quilt backing and fabric from a tablecloth on them. Pretty neat, huh? They're just about the right height to be side tables and we can stuff out books and things inside.

There will also be four bookcases in there. That's all we need for a weekend place. This was a fun project.

These boxes came out pretty darned well and I'm thinking of making some more matching ones, since I still have tablecloth fabric, batting and border. Here's the cost for 3:

3 bankers' boxes from Wal-mart were $3
1 tablecloth $9 (I used about 25% of it, so around $1.50)
batting was left over
1 wallpaper border roll for 3 boxes $6

So, the three boxes cost $10.50. Pretty cool.

District 9 - We went and saw this movie tonight. I have really mixed feelings about it.

First of all, I loved the action. They probably went a bit over the top with the diabolical cruelty of a number of the humans and governmental agencies (note, I said "probably"). The aliens were rather more "ugly" than they needed to be. The integration of DNA was a little far fetched, too.

BUT, this movie takes me back to the kind of horror/sci fi movies I really like: those of the 50's and 60's. There was that bittersweet horror I grew up with. It helps that it wasn't one of those chop and blood movies that started with the "Friday the 13th" genre. I hate those.

The effects were really wild and I truly enjoyed rooting for the aliens to win. And, the little boy alien was adorable, especially in the very last part of the movie. Take a gander at the kid's head when he's in the spaceship with his dad.

Would I recommend this? Sure. If you want a fun, not too serious, action packed movie, this just might be it.

I'm hoping there will be a sequel to cover the return in 3 years.

Fescue is the name of this yarn. It's from a Spunky Eclectic prior club fiber of 70% merino and 30% mohair. The fiber name is "Blooming Weeds." The yarn is called "Fescue," for two reason. First is this:



The band is "Fescue," and they're one top notch bluegrass band. The following is quoted from their web page:

Fescue is a band that has endured, like the grass it is named after, through over 20 years of presenting their style of bluegrass music to fans in Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, and West Virginia. Fescue is a five piece band whose stage show is comprised of a wide range of bluegrass music from slow ballads to hard driving energetic bluegrass tunes. Complimenting these different types of songs are the various combinations of harmony vocals available within the members of the band.


Fescue has received many awards which include several first place wins at various Bluegrass festivals along with many top five finishes. The band won first place in the Bluegrass Band competition at the prestigious Galax Fiddlers Convention in Galax, VA in 1997 and then backed up this performance with another first place Bluegrass Band award in 2000.

The other reason is this:





Tall fescue is one of the grasses in this region and upwards into Canada. It's a very bright and hardy grass with lovely bluish green grass and teensy tiny little flowers. The grass can turn a pretty shades of tan and brown and yellow, too.

This yarn is worsted weight, 135 yards and 115 grams. It's also my first taste of Spunky Eclectic fiber. If I weren't already a member of one fiber club (Souther Cross), I'd join this club. I really love Amy's fibers.

"Short drive," you say. Well, you're right. Nevertheless, I wish the birds would stop peeping and chirping for just a couple of minutes.

I told them this morning their millet seed (which I bought in bulk) will be here today and they'll get a new "tree." I'd swear they took it to heart, understood me and are complaining loudly that I have not delivered.

Now, where is that UPS man?

This was a great surprise and fun spin. On a lark, I joined a group on Ravelry called Swap for Scraps. We each sent either 4 or 8 oz. of roving and received back little bits and pieces of all the rovings sent. I received 8 oz. of little teensy tiny little knots of about 30 different fibers.

When I first looked at the package, I thought to myself, "What have I done!?!" As I was spinning it was wash thinking, "Am I crazy?"

Every single fiber change was a change in spinning technique.

When the singles were done up on two bobbins, they didn't look like much. When they were plied up onto on the bobbin, they felt a bit like rope. I really didn't like them very much.

Then, I soaked them in water to set the spin and dried them.

I love this yarn. It was hard to pick a name for it. Jim finally said they look like August in the mountains and they do. August is the time when almost everything is ripe or almost over ripe and has bloomed and just about ready to decline. It's both bright and colorful AND brown.

This is just 6 1/2 oz. of the fiber I received. I held some of it back to make my own scraps yarn later. I already have some pieces to add to the swap scraps and I'll have more as time goes by.

This was a great experience. Will I do it again? Yes, I probably will when I have something I want to swap - something I bought too much of or just decided wasn't "me" anymore. Great fun!

As anyone who knows me is aware, I'm a royal bleeding heart when it comes to animals. I mean, I'm all for hunting, we eat and most of us eat meat; as long as we put the hunters out there naked with a knife or a bow and arrow - none of the camo clothing, heavy duty rifles, etc. If they want to hunt, let them HUNT! Do it like the Native Americans did it. To me, modern hunting isn't much more than a big and dirty meat market.

But, I digress. In the years I've lived in Virginia, I heard and believed there were bear. The bear of choice for this area is the Black Bear.

(thank you for the photo, Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Wildlife)

I saw my first one this past Friday on the way between Blacksburg and Petersburg. Sadly, he was a dead one, hit by a car on the highway. He wasn't too smooshed when I saw him and I was totally impressed by his (or her) beauty. Now, I admit I wouldn't want to meet even a small one face to face and I know they can be dangerous. BUT, they are far less dangerous to us than we are to them.

Go down the highway and there are dead birds, dead skunks, dead raccoons, dead armadillo, dead dear, dead dogs, dead cats, dead things everywhere. Nothing, but nothing, is more dangerous than US. It drives me wild.

I've been slowly working on making this poor old house look better. When we bought it, everything was a dirty white.

One of the oddest rooms was the front, and original, bathroom. It's subdivided, kind of like modern bathrooms (this one started in the mid-50's and was "remodeled" in the mid-70's), but someone had added a little ugly vanity in the room with the shower and toilet. Over time, we've painted the walls the same kind of golden yellow of most of the rest of the house, which helps a little bit with the ugly gray tile.

The main sink was in old white kitchen-type cabinets and had a very badly stained gray formica countertop and really dated coral sink. I didn't want to do any kind of major changes in the bathroom, so I did some purely cosmetic things.

This is the bathroom sink room in its original format:

I painted the countertop white. Don't let anyone tell you you can't do it - you can. I used BIN primer, four coats of white latex enamel. I put the enamel on first in one direction, then in the other and it looks kind of like a linen fabric. Then, I put four coats of polyurethane on top. It's a high gloss poly and just slightly toned down the bright white.

Then, I painted the cabinets a darker shade of the coral of the sink. I was really nervous about doing that. I thought the color might be too dark. But, it's not! It looks great with the shiny silver chrome knobs.

Here's the finished part:



I'm going to paint the little ugly vanity in the other part white and add a shiny chrome knot to it, too. Then, I'm going to clean the heck out of the gray tile with a steam cleaner, hang a shower curtain that has sea shells on it in grays, yellow, coral, blue, and white to blend it all in. I think it'll work out just fine. It sure beats the original, doesn't it?

Like this yarn? It's called "Blue Ridge" in honor of the mountains.

This stuff just shines and shines! It's handspun from 100% Bamboo fiber. I do NOT like spinning 100% Bamboo, but I sure do like the results. As I was spinning this slippery stuff, it appeared it was very hairy, thick and not very even. After being plied and washed, it turned out much thinner and smoother than I expected. It's also pretty darned even. It's about fingering weight.

I may hate spinning the stuff, but I may just have to do it again.

Here's the start of my Abby cowl, made with my first intentional lace weight singles made from Abby's Batt, Peaches & Cream. This yarn is incredibly soft and the pattern is pretty darned easy. Of course, I had to do my usual two cast ons before I got it going right.

During the wee hours of the morning, an explosion occurred in the kitchen of a Blacksburg, VA, apartment. The damage was not discovered until 8:30 a.m., reported by Dr. James R. Moon. It seems that during the night, a can of Diet CheerWine froze from being in close proximity to the freezer in Dr. and Mrs. Moon's refrigerator. No one was injured in the explosion, although cleanup efforts were ongoing at the time of this article. Photographs of the perpetrator will be posted here tomorrow.

I have the perfect answer for movie blood: Diet CheerWine. It looks like fresh blood on surfaces (especially bright white ones), and as you run a damp sponge over them, they smear - yep, you got it - just like blood.

This stupid stuff literally blew up. It hit the ceiling of the fridge, the door, all the cans of soft drinks and mildly alcoholic beverages therein. The cheese was decorated, as well. The delightfully colored and flavored drink sprayed the door of the fridge and ran under, in and between the veggie bins. To add to the joy, the strapping tape that held the glass shelf and cover of the bins during shipping and installation had never been completely removed. It was such joy to try to pry them lose and remove them so the parts could be taken out and cleaned. What fun! What a delightful way to spend a Saturday morning.

I'm in another creative slump. I hate this! I start things and rip them right back out. It's not that I make a mistake, it's that I get bored with them - some of them within ten minutes. The problem at the moment is that I'm getting bored with ALL of my fiber projects - knitting, spinning, weaving. I can't seem to get anything done.

Let this be over with, please!

The apartment in Blacksburg is finally up and running. It's far from furnished, but we have a futon, something to eat from, an old computer we're using as a TV by connecting to either our condo or Marion Slingboxes, and all utilities connected. Hooray!

Once I got into the apartment last week, everything went smoothly. I even had a Verizon guy who came by the apartment to make sure things were OK. He checked the signals on the lines and even got our DSL connected - a job he wasn't scheduled to do. When he came in, he put on little booties over his shoes. I suggested that they should get scrubs and those surgical caps to wear and be called the "Utility Docs." He laughed, but said he suspected they'd get pretty tired of them pretty quickly.

We're using this apartment as a getaway and as an exploration device. We don't know that we want to keep a place in Marion, but are wondering if we want a place somewhere else in Virginia, either as a second permanent home with one in Florida, or what. So, we're trying things out by renting an apartment. Who knows what we'll do next? People who know us know we'll try a lot of things over time. This apartment is fun because it lets us experience the mountains in a more urban setting AND get to watch the crazy college students close up.

Here's the view from our sliding door. I'm looking forward to seeing them covered with snow.

I got a new little footstool the other day. As most of you know, I'm short - really short - 4'10" to be exact. My feet don't touch the floor when I'm sitting in almost anything. This means that the back of the chair presses against the backs of my knees and my lower legs go to sleep or start to ache. The answer is footrests.

This little stool is perfect. It has a soft top AND, as a bonus, you can store a book or knitting in the top part.

So, what's wrong? Well, Jade has decided it was purchases expressly so she will have an elevated bed befitting her status in life.

Well, it seems that Comast "doesn't provide service to that area code." They say they never have, they have NOT changed anything. They gave me the phone number of a competitor (that doesn't do service in that area). I finally got to the Comcast installer the complex uses and he said, "I love it when they do that. It gets ME more business." Also, one of the workers in the complex office said, "Well, they bill me every month, expect me to pay, and it works." Brilliant, I say, brilliant.

Nevertheless, I continued on with Verizon. I think that was a big mistake, and if it's my decision alone, I'll cancel it. In addition to delivering the modem 3 weeks early, they have signed me up for 3 extras that total about $44 more a month. These were presented as simple "opt out" items, but when you try to "opt out," there's no provision to do that. I'll call them tomorrow and see how difficult this is. My inclination is to cancel the whole mess. For the aggravation it has caused me, it's worth an additional $10, $20, or even $30 a month to get what I know from experience is reliable and above board.

We shall see what happens.

My advice to people? If you have a choice between Verizon and Comcast, take Comcast.

Update: Everything finally worked out. I learned Comcast has a new installer for the complex, but he DOES install out there. The Verizon guy who came out was great. It's no wonder utility bills are so high - all the product is shooting around the world with no plan or direction.

What's the deal with the telephone, cable TV and Internet access companies? Are they engaged in a contest or war to see who can possibly provide the absolute worst customer service?

It's always been an issue, especially since the "automated voice service" became the cost cutting method of choice for nearly every company in the world. And, don't they just love to say it's "to better serve you?" Bull pucky We all know, those of us on the other end of the line that this is simply not true. I wonder who they think they're fooling?

I've been trying to set up new utility services for a part-time apartment.

I'm trying to find out which is the most economical for US - not them - and it's become a trap and a nightmare. I had first set the service up with Verizon. Our plan was to get a phone and DSL Internet service and use our Slingboxes for television service. The cost is somewhere around $70 a month for this with reasonable Internet upload and download speeds. Today, I tried to reach Verizon to ask a simple question. The automated helper is at least five levels deep and none of the selections fit my question. I became aggravated.

On a lark, I decided to see what cable services would cost - how much more would it really be a month? I called Comcast. After wading through THEIR automated assistant, I was told the address wasn't coming up on the system and please hold while the lady saw IF she had the number I should call. I waited on hold for 4 min. 32 seconds (it said that on my phone). I hung up. When we rented the apartment, we were given a little sheet with the name and number of a Comcast guy who did the service hookups in the complex and had been told he had "great deals." I called the number - out of service. I tried to find out the best price online at Comcast and could never get to the "bundled" services for our area and got a message to "call." No way was I going through that again.

So, I called the apartment complex to see if, perhaps, they had a new service guy. The leasing agent told me she didn't know anything about that, but that there was, now, cable TV already hooked up in the apartments. Oh, and by the way, they accidentally shredded some of our documents and they all need to be signed again and, oh, yeah, can we bring copies of our W-2 tax forms to verify income again. We never gave them the W-2's in the first place. It's not a real big deal, but it's kind of the frosting on the cake. It doesn't affect anything, except I had to dig in and find them. Also, while I'm glad cable TV is now included, I wish she had told me that BEFORE I got all involved in setting up utilities.

So, I ask you: Why is everything so difficult? It used to be just governmental agencies that were such pains in the arses. Now, it appears everyone wants to receive the "Biggest Arse Company in the World." Maybe there will be a televised awards program. Of course, none of us will get to see it because, by that time, no one will have us in their systems and we won't have TV.

I used the remaining Colourmart cashmere for this shawl. This was a really easy pattern, except for one thing. Once you get the inside triangle knitted, you pick up stitches along the two bottom edges of the shawl in a particular way and you're warned that, should you pick them up incorrectly, the border will fall apart. Well, you knit what seem like endless rows of stockinette stitch and are quite happy when that part's done. I must have picked up my stitches wrong the first time because guess what? It fell apart.

I rewound my border yarn up and knit the boring edge stitches again. This time, I finished binding off and realized I'd forgotten to drop a needed dropped stitch on the border and this would mess up the frill part. Now, I didn't mess up near the end where I could have, perhaps just frogged a few repeats. No! Not me! I messed up on the second repeat. That put the entire border off by one stitch. So, I ripped again.

I set it aside for a week, or so, so I wouldn't tear the whole thing apart. Then, I knit the edging, yet again (I could have knit a sweater in this time), and, HOORAY! it worked.

Here's my Flowers and Frills:

As you know, I'm a member of the Southern Cross Fibre Club, located in Australia. This past month's offering was corriedale fiber. There were two colorways, but I received a double dose of one of them - Enchanted. I was interested in the colors because they were a total departure from any dye job I'd seen before. It was greens, turquoise, a tiny bit of yellow and dark chocolate brown. Usually, people seem to stick to bright or pastel colors in one roving and put the dark browns and other deep colors into other rovings. They are rarely in the same fiber. What's more, the color blocks were very large.

This presents a lot of different opportunities for different color mixes. You can split the roving lengthwise into 2, or 3, or 4 or more pieces, spin the whole thin in one big run (in which case, the yarn would have very, very long runs of one color at a time). You could spin these split pieces into any number of long runs and ply them together as 2-ply, 3-ply, etc. You could also spin the splits or the big piece into one long thin singles and then, Navajo or chain ply it. That's like using your hands as a crochet hook while simultaneously putting twist into the resulting chain. This makes the colors stay very clear and vibrant but cuts down the lengths of each individual color block by a divisive factor of 3.

I started out splitting one of my 115 g pieces into two. I spun one of those into a very thin singles. I had planned on doing the rest of the fiber the same way and chain plying it. I decided, though, to keep the first piece as a lace weight singles and splitting the remaining 170 g of this fiber into smaller lengthwise pieces, spinning those into long singles and chain plying them. BUT, I really love this lace weight yarn.

I named it Lake Erie because it reminds me of said lake in the late summertime when the skies start to turn gray again and the lake gets a kind of opalescent look.

So, without further ado, I hereby present Lake Erie: