Christmas Shawl 2011

It started with a little ball of yarn in a jar, and grew pretty rapidly:

The ball got smaller . . .

The shawl got longer . . .

Until finally, it didn't fit in one picture:


Or if it did, it was a really long picture:

When it dried, I folded it up.

Packed it back in its wonderful Japanese silk bag (thank you, Mayra!).

And generally made it ready for its grand tour trip to Seattle before being mailed to Belgium. Christmas 2011 is on its way!

TV for Knitters?

I found this in the paper this morning in an article by Joe Flint:

". . . digital-age audiences don't just focus solely on their screens these days. . . . networks executives are facing viewers who are often fiddling with their computers, phones or iPads."

Sound familiar? My tv has pretty much been a radio for years. Now, they are going to start creating shows for people who are only half-way paying attention -- tv for knitters, spinners, needlepointers, beaders -- finally!

New Camera

Here it is, the very first (out of focus) picture with my new camera:


It's Bev's next skein of yarn, 100% Blue-faced Leicester.

Broken Camera

My camera stopped working in the normal way right after Barbara died. I'm going to buy a new one to take regular pictures, but I'm going to keep this one and use it because it's so cool!

That's Bob Hughes, my Clark College advisor.

We were at Lapellah, in the bar. This is the view I had out the window.

I think this might be what was on the table . . . .

This is Anne & Jim's house out my window.

I don't know what this is! It might be a picture of the bar and bar stools.

The camera comes and goes. This is the most recent picture of the tree in the back yard.

What I'm Spinning

Here's what I'm working on (when the parts come):

80% Merino, 20% Tussah Silk (spun, plied, delivered)

100% Polwarth (waiting for parts)

100% Blue Faced Leicester (just waiting)


75% Blue Face Leicester, 25% Tussah Silk (next in line)


50% Merino, 50% Cultivated Silk (the next one)



100% Silk (the last one!)

I can't wait to get the parts!

A Real Spinner at Last!

I've had my spinning wheel at least nine years, and I finally feel like a real spinner: I have to replace parts!

I'm making some yarn for my aunts, and some of it is silk, which I have never spun. So I asked Lisa, who dyed the fiber, for advice. She said (among other things) that I should tighten the brake. Which meant I had to find out which part is the brake (I'm a really well-schooled spinner!). And I found out that mine is worn out, so I ordered a replacement, which arrived in a couple days, and I went on spinning some BFL. When I finished, I started some Polwarth; there was a horrible noise, and the treadle broke off the part that moves the wheel (really well-schooled, I'd say). So I had to order a footman to treadle connector; in fact, I ordered two (I hate ordering on the internet!), and, while I was at it, I ordered a spare drive belt. Are there any more breakable/replaceable parts on this thing?

Anyway, here it is a quiet, gloomy Sunday, and I can't spin until sometime next week when the parts arrive. I guess I'll have to read . . . .

Timing

It's not the number of times Barbara wakes me up at night; it's the intervals. Last night I was reading in bed. I turned the light out at 1:00 am. She called me at about 2:00 am. And 20 minutes to 4. And just after 6. And about 7. And at 8, when she wanted to get up.

I figure it takes a minimum of 10 minutes for me to fall asleep again. Each call takes about 15 minutes. So last night, I slept for 5 hours, 20 minutes, interrupted four times.

No wonder I'm cranky. And tired.

Oh, by the way: since she came upstairs at 8, she's been sleeping. I haven't.

Banks and Fees

I am probably pretty naive about how banks work, but here is my impression:

I give the bank my money.

The bank invests my money to make interest.

The bank gives me part of the interest.

The bank uses the part of the interest it keeps to cover expenses and make a profit.

If the bank can't make enough money to cover its expenses and pay some interest, they aren't very good bankers, are they? So what's the deal with charging fees? My money is moving to credit unions . . . .