All the Wooly Things I’ve Been Up To

Note: The GiveAway Llama visited me early this AM. She has Stuff she wants to giveaway. I told her that this post was already a wee bit on the long side, so The GiveAway Gifts and How To Get Your Paws On Them will be posted this Thursday, Sept. 26. Patience. I know. It’s sooo hard to wait for our lovely Ms. Llama.

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You

I read the comments you left for me on my last post..and then kept sitting down to write a response to the kind, loving, wonderful things you all said…but the truth is,  I just purely don’t know what to say.

Yet.

We all need time and space to grow into what we are to become… This little girl, already adopted, is one of the patients at the Natick Animal Hospital in Natick, MA. Picture courtesy Jean Joo.

Except: Thank You and blessings to all those who have been following me around the internet all these years. You have all changed my life, touched my heart, and made me laugh and think and knit and spin and weave throughout the years, so for all the joy YOU have brought ME: HUGS. (take as many as you need/want, they’re free!)

I’ll get back to you on those comments, once I’ve had a chance to process them. You all said some Big Things that I need to think about; thank you for those gifts and for the gift of love and trust that you bestow on me every time you click on my blog.

What Have I Been Up To?

I haven’t done a project update in a while…so let’s see what’s in Sandi’s WIP pile.

Knitting

Hiro
Design by Julia Farwell-Clay
Yarn (85% Polwarth, 15% silk, thank you very much!) dyed by Knitted Wit

Below are the two sleeves, and as you can see, I couldn’t resist inserting my own little bit of whimsy into Julia’s wonderful pattern. The colourwork section on the second (green-cuffed) sleeve is done by now and I’m halfway up the stockinette section. The body is done up to the yoke, so as soon as I finish this second sleeve, I can join all three sections and begin to work the pretty yoke section.

I’d like this to be my Rhinebeck Sweater, but let’s not get our hopes up just now.

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Leftie
Design by Martina Behm
Yarn by Jennifer of Holiday Yarns

This is one of those fun projects that seem to never end. That’s both a Good and a Bad, in that I’m having fun knitting it, but I think I’d have even more fun WEARING it.  I love the yarn, I love the colours, I love the cleverness of the pattern.

AND I’m knitting as fast as I can. However, this may not make it to Rhinebeck either. We shall see.

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Spinning

Wheel-Spun Category

Dyer: Briar Rose Fibers
Fiber: Polwarth

Isn’t. that. just. the. most. awesome. 6 0z. of. polwarth. you’ve. ever. seen?   🙂

It’s spinning up nicely, one of my cures for the change in seasons.

Singles, Briar Rose Polwarth

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Hand Spindle Category

As usual, there are several works-in-progress, but this one seems to be my favourite carry-around:

Spindle: Golding Dogwood
Fibre: Polwarth, colourway “Dove” by ThePaintedTiger

The cute owl spindle case may have something to do with the fact that suddenly, all my fave spindles are the shorter ones. (Walmart, $6 CA, look with the pencil cases!)

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All Things Wool and Fleece

I think that this is a lovely Debouillet fleece drying just inside the front door.

Tim, however, thinks it is a wonderful new fluffy cozy bunk-bed just for him.

Let’s be clear:  That fleece is FINE, and that fleece is MINE.

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Washing/Processing Fleeces

I have spent much time over the summer washing and processing several fleeces in the name of tidying up my studio. The Debouillet above, a little bit of Cormo, two colours of Bond (white, brown), and two half-fleeces of black Double-Coated Shetland. Mmmmm, Shetland. And Deb Robson’s new eBook on Shetlands is out! She told me she is in Shetland right this very minute doing research…or something she CALLS research.  🙂

BOND: Locks and Sausages

I have at least two, if not three, bags left to wash. I find fleece washing to be soooo relaxing and fulfilling. Start out with greasy smelly fleece, end up with fluffy lustrous wool. I’m experimenting with amounts of wool wash and water temps and what have you, because I feel as if I have quite reached the “sweet spot” in terms of the results that I want.

But this Bond came veeerrrrrryyy close.

Fluffy Clean Bond!

Yeah, Baby. The name is Bond, Sheep Bond. Feel my fluffy locks and be in awe…..

Chispas

☄  This is so awesome that I just can’t add anything intelligent:

☄  I have lots of librarian friends who will be horrified at this story: Librarian Fired For Actually Getting Kid To Read. Well, now. God forbid that anyone should actually want to READ in a library.

☄  The perfect cast members for a GREAT movie:

EDITED TO ADD: Some folks let me know that they did not know who these three handsome gents were.
Left: Sir Patrick Stewart, esteemed Shakespearean actor and Captain Jean Luc Picard of the Starship Enterprise.
Middle: ELMO! THAT’s ELMO. Elmo likes to sing songs about friendship and eat cookies. He’s an honoured denizen of Sesame Street.
Right: Sir Ian McKellen, world-reknown stage actor and more recently, a very tall wizard with a very long beard: Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings movies.
I think they are in disguise, laying low, so as to not attract attention on the streets of New York.

☄  Did you know that America has two truly native tongues, meaning languages created post-Mayflower by the European settlers? One of these languages, spoken only by the residents of a tiny town in California, is slowly dying out. I love the explanation of why the language was created in the first place. We’re ALL just ten years old inside.

☄  Ever wondered why cats groom humans? Me, too. Some folks think they know the answers. What do you think?

☄  This article was wonderful food for thought given last week’s post: The Real Reason Creative Workers Are Good For the Economy. Don’t know that I buy it, but see what you think.

☄  Last but not least, when you’re in a hurry and someone asks you to explain the difference between worsted and woolen spinning, here’s a helpful suggested response.

See you Thursday, kind readers. May there be sunshine inside your spirit, even if it is not sunny outside.