Russell Yarn

More Lists...

I tell you what, lists RULE my life these days!

Obligatory Julip Bags news: Etsy has asked me to host another Virtual Lab, "Bigger Than a Breadbox: Photography for Medium to Large Objects" on Wednesday, September 30th, at 8pm EST, as part of their "Prep Your Shop for the Holiday Rush" series.  Yay!  And I'm now waiting to hear if I was accepted into the Detroit Urban Craft Fair...keep your fingers crossed!

Knitting: as I've decided that all the family that is getting gifts this year is getting handknit socks, I had JP help me pick out sock yarn from the stash in "Mom," "Dad," and "JP" colorways.  Yes, he still picks out his own sock yarn.  And straight from that yarn snob's mouth: "I can only have Koigu."  WELL LA-DI-DA!

Spinning news: not me (HA!), but because I do still get inquiries here and there, yes I did sell my Ashford Traditional wheel.  Amanda's super-fab squeeze Matt bought it for her for Christmas, and being that he is a great boyfriend (and that she's impossible to keep a secret from), she's already spinning happily away on it.

Russell news: Jerry seems to have recovered completely from his pinched nerve.  After much stress (as he kept tweaking and re-tweaking it because he's a hyper little bastard) I have decided that the next time this happens to EITHER of them, massive doses of tranquilizers for both the Russell and for me are in order.  

Spinning Wheel for Sale!

I recently rearranged the furniture in our living room and discovered that, as dear to my heart my first wheel is, there is simply no room for it in the house any longer (and um, I do have two other wheels that I use much more frequently).  So if anyone in the metro Detroit area is interested in a wonderful starter spinning wheel, my Ashford Traditional is up for sale:

The link to the description on Craiglist is here, it comes with an orifice hook, two bobbins, some fiber, and a copy of Spin Off magazine's The Spinner's Companion. 

ETA: I have my Ashford Handcards up for sale over on Ravelry now too, those can be shipped anywhere.

I've Been to the Promised Land!

Happy Belated Fourth of July to everyone!  As I do every year, I made the road trip down to my parents' home in Kentucky...but unlike every single other year I didn't bring the Russells!  I can't even begin to tell you what a wonderful restful relaxing vacation has resulted, since JP (who had to work, of course) agreed that Mama had earned a vacation away from the furballs.  Result: I got to visit with friends in Lexington!  I got to take a leisurely tour of the Liquor Barn on Harrodsburg Road!  (Seriously, I LOOOOOVE Liquor Barn for their wine selection AND liquor is MUCH cheaper than in Michigan!)  I got to have father-daughter bonding time at the shooting range!  And best of all...I got to go here:

The Woolery.  Y'know, Mecca for spinners and weavers?  They who I bought Furthur the Hitchhiker from a few years ago?  They moved to Frankfort, KY earlier this year, which placed them within an hour's road trip of my parents' home!  So today, off my mom and I went, and YES, it was everything it's made out to be!!!  I haven't bought fiber since I don't know when, but today I definitely fell off the wagon.

My mom checking out a Dorothy Loom.

Spindles ahoy!

Oooooooh.......

One of the loom corners.  Weaving is one fiber art that I don't enjoy, but I get the feeling my mom will have a floor loom before I come back down here again.  My dad is resigned to this fact (as he should be).

Kinda makes you want to rip off your clothes and run frolicking through the aisles, doesn't it?  Or is that just me?

The end of the Fiber Mile and beginning of Dyes 'R Us.  So. Much. Pretty.

So what did I bring home?  (Not a wheel, sadly.  Three plus a spindle is enough for now.)

These names absolutely cracked me up, but are super-soft...50% angora, 20% merino, 20% tussah silk, and 10% alpaca. 

It doesn't get much softer than this!  Although...can someone explain to me how a Russell hair got in there five seconds after I opened it when they're over 400 miles away?  Gah!

Camel down, which I had to have because I've never spun it before (I love exotic stuff!).  It's very fluffy.

100% soy silk, of which I own some and have spun a little.  But really, I bought it for the label...it's called Happy Hippie in the Haight Ashbury colorway.  Gotta have it!!!

And because I love a challenge...one pound of stinky raw merino.  And I do mean STINKY...fresh off the sheep!  Looks like I'll put those long-neglected hand cards to use!

My only disappointment was that I was looking specifically for local fiber, something I love to do on any roadtrip...it's my favorite souvenir.  None of the super-crunchy-looking fiber was labeled with where it came from (as opposed to Heritage Spinning and Weaving, which tells you not only the farm but oftentimes the name of the sheep!).  Some of them had blue ribbons from Maryland Sheep and Wool...but still, no farm names or anything like that.  There is really only a token amount of straight knitting stuff (needles, commercial yarn, etc.), but there are a TON of books (including damaged books on sale), and spinning and weaving supplies out the wazoo.

All in all, however, the employees were super-friendly and helpful, wanted to hear all about my drive down from Michigan, what I like to spin and knit, etc.  Definitely worth the roadtrip...if you're coming down I-75, it's a quick side-trip down I-64 just north of Lexington. Definitely check it out!!!

Although...to my shame I did not think to take a "Roaming Julip Bags" picture out front.  This may necessitate a return trip.

No Gold For You

So I guess I'm having one of those moments where, when someone famous that you didn't know personally dies, it hits you harder than you would have expected.  Sandy Allen, the world's tallest woman, died today, and it made me really sad.  She had such a grace and wonderful sense of humor about standing out in such a dramatic way, I really admired her. 

Knitting: my Ravelympic dreams officially went kaput on Saturday.  I discovered that in addition to the lovely handpainted yarn being a bit too "busy" for the pattern, I kinda dropped a stitch.  Fifteen rows ago.  And in 100% silk, that can be tragic.  So the Kimono Shawl is one project I don't regret having to frog, I'll just concentrate on Ene's Scarf for now. 

Spinning: I ordered 4oz of Oh Cherry Baby from Copperpot Woolies...

pic (c) Copperpot Woolies

And the day I received it, I had to go back and buy eight more ounces, because really, it IS that gorgeous.  And 100% merino too...I'm itching to get to spinning this stuff!

Crackberrying: Now that I'm not the only gadget ho on the block, I'm discovering Crackberry friends!  Namely the Love Thy Blackberry group over on Ravelry!  Today I discovered how to have my Crackberry track down the cheapest gas closest to my house, and being that I need to stockpile supplies, load up on ammo, and ride out the apocalypse this weekend, that'll come in handy!

And We Give Some Luv to YouTube...

Following a link from Ravelry, I found this fabulous YouTube video on how to Navajo ply...if you're a fan of Lime & Violet you'll really like her sense of humor.  She's got a whole list of spinning/knitting video how-to's here, and my personal favorite, a tutorial on backward knitting.  Enjoy!

I Was Bored, And So...

Something very strange and horrible happened tonight.

After a fairly busy day, involving cleaning our gutters, tidying up the house, and sucking three Dyson canisters' worth of Russell hair out of the carpets, JP and I were ready to chill tonight.  He settled down to watch some awful Adam Sandler movie on TV, and I found myself...

Restless?  Agitated?  Twitchy?

No, I was bored.  I don't even remember the last time I was bored (barring times when I didn't have control over the circumstances, such as boring meetings at work).  I could knit, I could spin, I could sew, I could read...but I didn't want to do any of those things.  I didn't want to clean any more.  I'd already napped, we'd played with the Russells, I'd pruned my roses, all my Julip Bags shipping was up-to-date...I had nothing to do that I WANTED to do. 

I'm very rarely bored/un-busy.  I've always got something to do.  I'm one of those Type-A's that can't just chill and sit on the couch, I start feeling guilty unless I'm doing something.  Then I remembered what my doctor had said last time I saw him...what it boiled down to was I needed to find a happy place.  A place to chill, a place to relax, a place to FORCE myself to admit that it's okay to not always be "DOING."  He recommended laying down in a quiet bedroom for fifteen minutes after I get home from work (not feasible due to Russells scratching/howling at the door and a husband asking me repeatedly what I want for dinner).  Or perhaps sitting quietly in a park before going home (not feasible since after an hour of commuting I really DO just want to get home).

So in a moment of rare clarity a few days ago, I remembered something that used to bring me joy, brought me peace, brought me a great deal of happiness (and yeah, some associated stress and exhaustion, since I'm honest)...

Here is where we begin another "Thing You May Not Have Known About Me."  I started playing flute in 6th grade (after playing piano and cello before that).  I was in "real" marching band from 6th through 12th grade, concert band 6th through my senior year of college, and pep band all through college.  A music scholarship based on my flute-y skill paid for a bulk of my college tuition.  My high school graduation present from my parents was my beloved Gemeinhardt (above) and then I studied under Sonny Burnette at Georgetown. 

Then, probably like many musicians before me, I graduated and got married a year-and-a-half later, and rarely even picked up my flute again.  Especially since on the rare occasion that I pulled it out of the closet Mickey would howl along in an angry Russell fury that made me WANT to pack the flute up. 

Well, tonight I pulled it out of the closet again and was able to find peace, joy, and happiness in the fact that the rusty connection between my brain and fingers regarding flats and sharps wasn't entirely busted.  Mickey howled along for half an hour until he finally gave up, and JP was appropriately appreciative of my efforts.  Then after I packed up the flute (since my chops are shot and my lung capacity ain't what it used to be), I found this blog and found inspiration in dragging the HitchHiker out of my office...

Mmm....merino..................

Orifice Hooks and Such...

JP simply cannot get over the term "orifice hook."  He is convinced it sounds inherently dirty.  I tell him he needs to get over it.  He persists in giggling about it.  Ugh...  (for you non-spinners, it's a hook that pulls the fiber through the orifice on your spinning wheel so you can get down to spinning it, nuthin' naughty there...)

Well, anyway, to celebrate my 100th Etsy Julip Bags sale, I ordered a custom ORIFICE HOOK from Chiwawa's Etsy shop (and in case you didn't know, Chiwawa is Kyra, a blog-friend and fellow Russell Mama), told her to make it look like Mickey or something and have at it!  To say she came through is the understatement of the year...

Check out the tennis balls, Mickey's Favorite Thing in the Whole Wide World (after carrots)...

Yes, the white blur in both the pics is the actual Mickey, who is a total ham.  He gives this hook a total "two paws up," as did JP...

Seriously, go check out Kyra's shop...she's got ORIFICE HOOKS, handspun and "Econo-Kates" there too...which makes my inner-Bezzie cheer!  (Sadly, I don't have an Econo-Kate but rather a Busted-Ass Kate, which is a post for another day!)

Let's see, what else do I have pictures of (since Anice looks exactly the same, just a lot longer)...how about Amanda's kitty lurking in a Hannah Bag?

I went over for a bit of knitting and movie-watching on Saturday, and we decided that we needed pictures of Chloe in Amanda's Hannah Bag.  We tried luring her in, possibly we tried stuffing her in, but being a cat, Chloe pretty much told us to get screwed.  It wasn't until I left that she decided to pose/hide/baptize it in kitty hair...

Thanks to Amanda for the pics!

Last Socks of the Season...

Today I finally finished a pair of socks for JP that have been dragging on since...aw damn...not long after Knitterpalooza....

My first pair of socks from Socks That Rock yarn and WARNING, KNITTING HERESY TO FOLLOW I'm genuinely not that impressed.  The colors are beautiful and vibrant, yes.  But the yarn kinked up so badly the entire time I was knitting it, it was a complete pain in the ass to work on, hence the multiple-month sock project.  I'm used to sock yarn kinking and twisting a bit while I work on the heel flap, and sometimes the cuff, but this was NONSTOP.  JP was happy, though...

Looky there, on his feet for twenty seconds and already sprouting Russell hair!
Now I'm off the hook for knitting husband socks until September!

I actually dusted off the poor Traveller and worked on some decadent alpaca/silk blend...

Mmmm...spinning luxury!!!

La la la la Queen of Hearts...

Ok, I will completely admit I don't know a single damn word of or a thing about that song, except that it was sung by Juice Newton and it was on Vh1's 40 Greatest Soft Rock Hits (or was that "Angel of the Morning?").  But I can't help but think of the melody when I look at my new yarn.  Because you KNOW it didn't last too long once I started spinning it...

This would have been great Navajo-plied, but I only bought 4oz and I covet every inch.  The finished result:

The other thing I'm working on today is the edging for the Anice Shawl, which is knit sideways and then stitches are picked up on the long edge for the body of the shawl...

Nope, not that far along yet, but it's a quick repeat and I'll have the edging done by the end of the day.  Yummmmm...Kid Silk Haze.....

Thank you SO MUCH to each and every one of you for your well-wishes for yesterday...unfortunately it didn't go as well as I'd hoped, and due to some complications I've got to have surgery on March 11th, and this time they're putting me completely under.  Now I'm a pretty tough cookie when it comes to pain and doctors and such, but general anesthesia freaks me out to no end.  Sooooo...I'm going to make another one of my never-attainable-but-I-give-it-a-try-anyway goals and try to have Anice done by the 11th, if for no other reason that I can snuggle with it in recovery.  Ok, actually my reason is so I can knit frantically every time I think about the idea of being "completely under."  I'll make JP wear it while I'm in the OR!

Also, I just wanted to say...as I mentioned in my previous post, I have no intention of talking about details of what all this medical stuff is about, due to the public nature of this blog and the psycho nature of some people on the internet.  However, if you know me in person I have no problem talking about it, in case you're curious.  I will put one wild rumor to rest, though...no, I am NOT having a boob job done, increasing OR decreasing!  This was apparently the popular one with JP's coworkers.  Eeesh!

Weekend Roundup

Okey-doke...for the morbidly curious among you, here is a picture of JP's holey sock:

As you can tell, it hasn't been darned by EITHER of us as of yet.  I'm sure you can understand why I would rather knit him a new pair than try to fix that mess.

In the Crock Pot today...Brunswick Stew!  It's from the same book as the artichoke and onion soup and the Yankee Pot Pie..."The Gourmet Slow Cooker, Volume II" by Lynn Alley.  I have her first book on order from Borders, and I can't wait to try a few recipes from that as well.  In explaining to people why I, a confirmed anti-cooker (as opposed to a can't-cooker, I can, but why should I since I married a chef?) am doing fancy-dancy recipes instead of easy ones...well, I like a challenge.  If I'm going to do something it had better be interesting, and tossing canned peas and mushroom soup over a pot roast just isn't interesting to me.  Plus I'm seriously spoiled by excellent food.  Which is why I'll be sauteeing chicken and carmelizing onions today...and probably burning myself again on JP's big pans.  War wounds, y'know.

Now I also have proof that I've been knitting:

The Modular Tomten Jacket from Elizabeth Zimmerman's "Knitting Without Tears."  It's a gift for my work officemate, who is having her second baby in mid-April.  The yarn is Cascade 220 Superwash, my favorite go-to yarn for baby stuff.   Machine washable, but spares me from knitting icky squeaky acrylic.

And I'm spinning:

The colorway is called "Field of Violets" and it's 345 yards of 100% Romney, purchased at Heritage.  (I'm not sure what that gnarly string is sticking out right in the middle, or how I missed it while taking the picture, but I don't think it's Russell hair this time.)  I find I'm becoming more and more of a singles person...I would say this is a fingering weight (I haven't measured the WPI) and I plan to leave it unplied.

Next up on the wheel (and I'm VERY excited about this):

My first Etsy roving purchase, from Freckle Face Fibers.  100% merino and I LOVE the jewel tone colors.  I've got to clear an afternoon for this stuff, though, because I think once I start spinning it, I won't want to stop!