Hit a little snag

In Spinning and Dyeing:

So I'm getting ready to soak and dye a bunch of fiber for a big ol' dyeing session and etsy update when I notice that the water is looking a little bit like this:



I have no idea what happened to it, but I do know we have well water and I expect it has something to do with that fact. I churned out a few braids already using our well water but I refuse to put them in the shop--they were oddly dingy and kind of blah looking, not the vivid colors against a strong white backround that I'm so used to.

I think that until I get the water situation handled, I'm going to have to just fill the shop with my personal handspun stash, which is expanding daily. I'll never use it all, thats for sure, so I might as well pass it on and work towards my goal of saving up enough cash to get to Yarn School in the Spring. I actually wanted to go to SOAR, but I just don't think heading to Oregon is going to be an option. Kansas is much closer to home--potentially drivable if I bring enough audiobooks!

It really bugs me that I can't go to SOAR this year--it will be in the Poconos, which is so close to my current location I could spit and hit it.

I think yarn school will be just as fun, if not for the simple fact that Adrian Bazila of Hello Yarn will be teaching! I love her and frequently buy her very nicely priced goodies. (had to plug you Adrian, love your fiber)

I think that it will be a much more one-on-one experience, and I might actually get to know some people, since you room in groups and basically spend the whole weekend with those people. You know what really sold me on Yarn School? The look on all those fiber nuts' faces in the group photo! Be sure to check out the other pics in the Yarn School Spring '08 flickr pool as well, they are fun! If you are interested in Yarn School, I think they are still taking students for the fall session, and certainly for Spring.

One more bit o' fiber news: I got this month's installment of Spunky Eclectic's Fiber of the Month Club! Its called eclipse, inspired by and named for the selfsame solar eclipse occurring August 1st. I love love love it. I am especially happy because the fiber is Romney, which I simply adore spinning. Its a pretty scratchy wool, but it is a delight to spin because its so darn EASY PEASY! A beginner could definitely start with romney.



In Knitting News

We took a spontaneous vacation from the heat here in our little heatbox of a house by spending a few days at my parents' house, where central air reigns supreme. Of course the day after we get there we checked the weather in Bloomsburg and found out that the heatwave broke and it dipped into the upper 70's. It figures.

How is this knitting news? Well, its a 6 1/2 hour trip to my parents' farm and if you figure the round trip, thats 13 hours of knitting time (minus maybe an hour to fiddle with the kids throughout the ride). That is a lot of knitting! I got the majority of Alsace Monstre Doll knit for Sebastian, who fell in love with him even before he had limbs. He slept with him while i worked at the arms, legs, eyes, and horns. Yes, thats right: he had no eyeball or teeth for that matter, but I felt wierd about him sleeping with this thing that looked like a blue bowling pin with a funky black wedge on top. So I crocheted the eye and duplicate stitched some teeth, so the thing would at least have a personality.

Here he is, "Monsty":

I had a hard time getting a pic of Monsty alone, so I had to get him in a pic with his new buddy. Sebastian was watching Ben 10 and wouldn't look at the camera. This is his "I'm trying to ignore you" look.




I'm making what seems like decent progress on my silk shawl. Of course its slow because now the shawl grows exponentially, but I at least feel as if I'm getting somewhere. It doesn't look like much now, but that's how lace is. I can't wait to snap that "after" pic-- its always such a cool transformation from "wierd looking fabric with a bunch of holes" to "knitted jewel"!



I also got yarn for the up and coming Secret of the Stole 3 by Nautical Knitter. I wasn't sure the Mango-colored yarn would be the right choice--you never can tell with computer monitors--but rest assured the orange is exactly what I hoped for. Somewhere between peach and orange, a lovely shade, and I hope my pic does it justice.




This will be a heavily beaded stole--I think the number is something like 600 beads?!? I think I found exactly the right beads for this project too, from Beadaholique--a nice clear bead with copper lining (seen in the pic above). I don't think sign-ups are closed yet, so if you are interested, get on over there! I really hope I like it as much as I liked Guinevere, Nautical Knitter's first Secret Stole. I wasn't crazy about her second SOTS, Savanah and Georgia--good thing I didn't have time to participate! All previous SOTS patterns by the Nautical Knitter can be seen/purchased here.

I also got a project done for a Swap, but I will refrain from posting pics until my partner recieves her package!

Thats it for now! Stayed tuned next time, when I share with you a couple of book reviews!