When life gets in the way

So things have been busy, lately, and I haven't had time or much in the way of inclination to post.

I got sick with food poisoning at the end of August, and it took me nearly two weeks before I could eat anything besides toast, chicken broth or turkey hot dogs, plain. It was awful.

I've been working on a tatted bracelet, similar to the black one I made for myself a few months ago. This one is hot pink and black, a la The Kimberly Trip pink-and-black. Don't know what I'm going to do with it, but it's nice to work on.

A co-worker and friend is expecting a baby girl in early December. I am working on a corner-to-corner, shell-stitch crocheted blanket, in Bernat Softee Baby in a pink, white and lavender variegated blend. I dislike baby yarn -- it's too soft and oddly-textured, and the plies keep splitting. But it is coming along nicely. I got the pattern idea from Britt, who is also working on a baby blanket for her sister-in-law.

For my birthday, my husband bought me some lovely yarn that I'd been admiring for a while. It's a darker, oceany teal than what the pictures show, but it's lovely. I want to make something out of it, but I'm just not sure what. I'm going to be pattern-searching for a while.

We recorded another podcast finally. I need to edit it during the week and get it prepped to go. I purchased a used microphone on eBay - a really heavy-duty one that normally goes for over $100. It seems to make a huge difference in the sound quality. I hope it works out.

Happy and sad...

Yesterday I came home to find my mail strewn across the front porch. Joy. The mailman, because I had a package arrive that was too big for our mailbox, left ALL our mail on the front porch, rather than the large box, with the rest of the mail in the ample-sized box. No rubber band, nothing to secure it. It was windy yesterday. I have no idea if everything was still there when I got home -- I had to carefully reach to rescue our utility bill from a small gap between steps and wall. I hope nothing else is down there...

Anyhow, the huge box contained eight ounces of a 70/30 Romney/Mohair blend, in this lovely colorway. (photo ganked shamelessly from the eBay auction I won)

It's actually a little darker than how it's displayed - but I am not complaining. This came from Fibers of Michigan, and it is soft, clean, and oh so pretty. I can't wait to try them out on Wheelamina, once I get some practice done (with some other fiber, so I won't guilt myself for "ruining" this stuff).

The other goody that arrived on the porch yesterday was my order from ArtemisArtemis - the shiny and pretty things I mentioned previously. The peacock mini-batt got serious squee time from me; the silk-mohair Selkie was a joyous surprise. I thought it was a different, more blue-green and lavender colorway; instead, it's a liquified Monet... all the pretty pastels. I have no idea what I'm going to do with it - it's only 25 yards - but I'll find something! (maybe trimming some fingerless gloves?)

Both sellers get an A+ from me for being timely and using sturdy packaging.

My excitement at getting packages (I love getting stuff in the mail; I also like getting lots of small presents instead of one huge one, typically) was quashed shortly after my husband arrived home. He came over, knelt down next to where I was sitting, and broke the news that my parents' cat (used to be my kitty before I moved out 10 years ago, though Daddy was his favorite person) didn't wake up that morning.

It wasn't wholly unexpected... he was sixteen this month, and had been feeling unwell off and on over the last year or so... but it really hurt, especially since I'd been thinking of him just that morning, and anticipating Labor Day, because we would be at my parents' house for a BBQ, and no matter what was going to be barbecued (tri-tip, hot dogs or filet mignon - depends on my mom's mood), I would be sharing a good portion of my food with the cat... shredded into mincemeat for him, since many of his teeth were gone, and he had a hard time chewing big things. I spoil my babies rotten, I do...

So we had to go to my parents' house last night (I sobbed and howled most of the way there) to say goodbye and bury him by the pool, near the four other kitties I've lost in the last ten years.

Never fear, the FyberGeeks are here!

Or maybe you SHOULD fear...

Our first podcast is up, a couple of weeks late.

Oh, well -- life happens. Take a listen, and see what you think. Britt, Rich and I are just getting our feet wet, and becoming familiar with this whole editing/publishing thing, so bear with us... to quote Rufus: "They do get better."

I admit to much excitement about this.

May I introduce...

Lady Wheelamina Woolerton of Ashford, ye olde spinster.

(dammit, I did it again with the forgetting to take pictures. Imagine a pretty spinning wheel here.)

We finally had a chance to get together over at Rich's (we meaning Britt and myself) for dinner -- the first time in nearly a month! I brought over my spinning wheel, gleaming from her Murphy's Oil Soap-based spongebath, and two intense massage sessions with the Howard Feed 'n Wax. The finish looks much-improved, and the wood has a healthy appearance.

Rich tightened the screws, replaced the leather bit connecting footman and treadle, replaced the washers under the mother-of-all with copper washers he made right then and there for me (pennies...heehee!), added an extra screw for stability, and set up the scotch tension before taking it into the kitchen to give things a good oiling.

She runs quietly; the only noise being a slight creak from the leather bit, and a soft whirring from the flyer. After a bit of practice, I have discovered that once I get the treadle moving, I can actually minimize the noise of the creaking leather.

Treadling moves muscles in my leg that are not used to being moved. Bit of an interesting burn, there. If I can get it positioned to treadle with my left leg, I wonder if that will help strengthen my bum knee (arthroscopic surgery six years ago after having a kneecap dislocated for seven or eight months).

I asked Rich to please come up with a name; I knew I'd either come up with something stupid ("Jenny. huh-huh-huh, as in Spinning Jenny"), or fuss over finding the "perfect" name.

So Lady Wheelamina Woolerton of Ashford, ye olde spinster it is. Wheelamina for short, or Mina for even shorter. I think it suits her, being an early-70's Ashford Traditional.

I had to play around a bit last night with a bit of roving left over from my failed attempt at drop spindle spinning (hi - I will never be able to handle manual transmission in cars)... I screwed up because I'm clueless, but it was still neat to see how it worked. I have a few books on spinning, and of course the variety of videos on YouTube to get started with.

And new bobbins and pretty roving on their way in the mail. Woohoo!

Impulse shopping, redux

I was reading someone's fiber-art blog, wound up clicking a link, which lead to another site reviewing someone's Etsy shop, and the next thing I knew, I had purchased a shiny and a pretty.

Why did I buy a batt of fiber when I don't even know how to use my spinning wheel?

Because this is an addiction, yes.

And I bought the yarn because that way, I will have something finished in a similar colorway, so if when I screw up the fiber batt (which was not expensive at all), I will not be too disappointed.

I need to buy something simply and light-colored to practice with.

But first, I need to get the wheel up and spinning.