Happy New Year!

How 'bout that...managed to get through another year.  For the most part, this last year of kind of benign, but, to be honest, there was lots of not-good stuff over the last decade.  Enough of the past, except to show that I actually get some stuff done around here.

Mittens were knitted (and even mailed) in time for Christmas.

These are socks for Mom.  EZ's moccasin socks...look wonky, fit great and are fun to knit.

There are a bunch of mittens still to be finished (none for the holidays).  3 pair of felted mittens (1 grown up, 2 kids), all in some stage of doneness.  My plan is to get these done before starting anything else.

I have lots of plans and ideas for projects for 2011.  I think my resolution ought to be to try and be more productive!

Be-Weave It

 OK, so I stole the title from Handwoven's e-newsletter.  Anyway, I've been weaving and knitting.  Much delayed projects that assorted activities conspired together to eat up time that I should have spent at the loom.

The blue and white runner is almost 60 inches long with plain fringe.  The green and gold runner is 48 inches long with twisted/knotted fringe.  Both are commissioned pieces.  How 'bout that?  Who would have thought that someone would order handmade stuff from me?

 She also bought the green scarf that was done earlier this year.  Love it and am glad that I have more yarn to make more of them.

 I've also been knitting many mittens to be felted:  3 down, 2 to go.  One pair was supposed to be for an adult, but felted a bit on the small side, so I'll just knit them again using the next size up.  Good thing there are children next door!  No pics of them yet as none of them have cuffs, not the best look for a mitten.

I've also got a few more projects to knit for Christmas presents.  Not entirely sure they will all get done, but we'll see.

I have all the decorating to do, but that actually goes pretty quickly.  A fair amount of shopping is done; need to do some online and then a few stocking stuffers.  Not bad for the first week in December...how about you?

Spin This!

I dare you.

It's a Grape Day in the Neighborhood...

 Last post was all about the peaches.  This post is all about the grapes.  DD has mostly green grapes, but has a few Concords, which we used for the pie filling.  Granted, the picture does not show the full extent of our madness:  7 qts. pears (OK not grapes, but I'm including them anyway), 30 qts. grape juice, 10 qts. grape pie filling and 15 pints of grape jelly.  I'm happy to say that there are no more grapes.  However, there are many, many apple trees and the first bushel is already in the garage waiting for me.

September is the month that our guild sponsors the Finger Lakes Fiber Festival.  I was really quite restrained this year:  one Corriedale fleece (already washed), 4 rovings, a couple of patterns, some honey and some beeswax candles.

Just so I don't have to find a home right now for my acquisitions, the indigo dyed wool is spun, the lime mohair/shetland blend and the brown shetland/mohair blend are both partially spun.

I finally decided to get a picker for myself; a box picker that should be coming in the mail this week. I will, of course, blog about it.

The skein & garment competition (which I coordinate) was as stunning as ever.  Our members and area fiber artists are truly talented and it is a pleasure to get to see their entries every year!

I'm still debating on whether or not to go to Rhinebeck this year.  I really don't need a thing, so it  might be fun just to go rummaging about.  The only problem is that the bus leaves very, very early (like 5 am and it's an hour's drive just to get to the bus).

Recently, we tried something new:  giant puffball.  They're OK, lightly mushroomy tasting and quite soft in texture.  This is one of 3 that we found and is about 12 inches across and about 8 inches tall.  Take it as you will, one way it's kind of heart-shaped and the other way is more of a full-moon shape.

I'm Peachless, Just Peachless

The town is doing a bit of maintenance on a nearby road.  While I appreciate the warning about loose gravel, I'm amused by the placement of the signs.  I know that I don't really need to be told not to pass while only about 50 feet from a stop sign, not to mention that you will run out of road shortly after that.

The last few weeks have been all about peaches.  Many, many peaches.  DD has about a dozen peach trees on her new property, so there has been much picking and processing.  We have done frozen peaches, peach jam, peach butter, peach syrup, peach bread and peach crisp.  For something completely different, 4 loaves of zucchini bread were baked today.

I can honestly say that I am very glad that peach season is over.  There are no more peaches on those trees.  Being peachless is a good thing right now.

I'm Melting...

Wow, it has certainly been a very warm, very humid summer this year.  It's about 90F with a humidity around 70%.  It's so hazy that it almost looks foggy.  The dogs have retired to the basement where at least the floor is a little cooler and the cats have melted.

I am not even going to attempt anything more strenuous outside other than dipping in the pool (water temperature is a balmy 87F).  This is a welcome break from the yardwork.  I'm going to try to get enough fans near my loom to weave for awhile today.

There has been minimal spinning as I just don't want to even touch wool when it's this warm.  I have, however, been knitting.  Not knitting anything hugely exciting:  dishcloths and swiffer covers.   I'm stocking up on these as they've been selling well.  I'm also almost out of catnip mice, so will spend an evening making more.

Other news is that I'm going to participate in a arts show for the first time this month.  Last year, it was billed as the Recession Art Show, so my inexpensive bits & pieces should go over well.  DH has a bunch of Victorian end tables that we'll take.  They are so reasonably priced and nice looking.  When I look at what we're taking, it seems that we are actually a bit on the trendy side...used, but fabulous furniture, repurposed materials into pet toys and cotton accessories made from US & Canadian yarns.  Hmph, how did that happen?

WWKiP Day

For the first time ever, I actually remembered that it was Worldwide Knit in Public Day.  Not only is it WWKiP Day, but it appears to have grown to 9 days.  I'm sure there are many stories behind that.  Some of them probably involve knitters having no real sense of how long it really takes to knit something.

I think that sitting in the back of hubby's pickup, keeping daughter's dog company and me out of the way counts.  We had all been drafted to help load up auction purchases.  Luckily enough, I got to spend a fair amount of quality time with this summer's traveling sock...started out close to where I wanted for leg length and wound up well into the gusset.

Also learned something...when you knit on 11" circs and forget to grab a couple of dps to work the heel, it is quite possible to knit the flap and turn the heel with all stitches on the circs.  I thought about setting aside the top stitches on a string, but realized that I was also without a crochet hook.  Slightly awkward, but definitely doable.

Clearly, I need to do some restocking of the necessities!

Freight Trains

Saturday was our regular meeting day for the spinning guild (Genesee Valley Handspinners Guild) and is something I always look forward to.  Of course, I was running a bit behind and got behinder as I was stopped at a RR crossing for a 10-minute long train.  Would have been easier to wait if I had gotten around to starting another travel sock or if Tim Horton's were on this side of the tracks, not the other.  Finally got on my way, stopped at Tim Horton's and there despite many fey maneuvers by other drivers on the expressway.

When I went to leave, a friend said that I might just want to check one of my tires.  I did and it was close to flat.  I drove down the street far enough to get some air in it (which is when I found the rather large screw in it) and made some phone calls.  The air l put in lasted as far as the repair shop where the time estimate went from an over 2 hour wait time, to one hour to now.  Yeah, I wandered off and bought the crew some cookies.  I was real happy with that as I had a hot date with another freight train.

That train was the Freight Train Tour that had 3 really great performers:  Chris Young


Josh Turner (gotta love that low, low voice!)

And last, and definitely tallest,Alan Jackson

The people watching was almost as entertaining as the concert itself.

What a great evening...out with the hubby, daughter, her boyfriend, cold beer and some of the best country music you'll ever hear!

How did that happen?

I don't really know where the time went.  It really doesn't seem that long ago that my girl baby came into this world.

It seems like I've been one step behind her (and often confused) ever since.  Meg has always chosen her own path with great determination and often finds success down that path.  Sometimes not, but she learns from it and moves on.

Most days, I'm still confused.  Where did this smart, funny, gorgeous, competent and responsible young lady come from?  Most of all, how on earth did she get to be 25 years old tomorrow?

The Finish Line!

There have been a number of projects around here, but I'm happy to say that I can cross a whole bunch off my list.

• Finish painting the hallway, laundry area and bathroom:  Done
• Wash & mend Sugar's blankets (DD's horse):  Done
• Reinforce seams on Mom's PJ's:  Done
• Scrape finish off 8 drawer oak file cabinet (1st step to repair/refinish by Hubby):  Done
• Traveling socks from last year:  Done (SSS had set in, but I was really getting tired of the same old carry-around project.)
• 2 scarves planned, woven, off the loom and look like what I intended:  Done

and, last, but not least,

• Skew Socks for Knitting Olympics:  Done (A week late, but still done.)

In my defense, may I offer the following:

• Painting:  Something else always seemed to get a higher priority.  By the way, if you paint inside in the winter, the paint dries so quickly that you can immediately start on the second coat...went much faster.  I can't tell you how pleased I am to be done.
• Mending horse blankets:  Must wash first and it takes days for them to dry this time of year.  They have to dry outside as I really don't want the house smelling like a barn.  It's a good smell; it just has it's place.  There's already another to do...horses sure are tough on their wardrobe!
• Scraping finish:  It's a dirty job and the basement is kind of cold, so it tends to get towards the bottom of the list.  Good thing is that there have been a few nice days so I've moved outside, weather permitting.
• Weaving:  A highly addictive activity
• Second Sock Syndrome:  I have developed a nasty case of it.  The traveling socks have been languishing in my purse since last summer, getting a couple of rows done at a time.  The Skew Socks for the Knitting Olympics fell prey to SSS and over-confidence...I have a week to knit one sock...no problem!
• Wii:   DD wanted me to go along on a couple of excursions that I couldn't really knit during (it was dark).  She was after a Wii console, which turns out to be a bit more difficult to obtain than one would think.  She was also successful...how do you say no to "Play with me, Mommy!" (even if she is 24)?
• Late winter snowstorm consisting of heavy, heavy wet snow.  Broke down and shoveled path up the stairs for our Gypsy.  Even after all the rain over the last few days, there are still remnants of snow.  And now it is mud season.  Gypsy really doesn't like playing "dunk the foot in bucket until clean".  

In addition, I answered an ad on craigslist for some pencil roving.  I love this stuff to knit with as the garments are just as light as a feather.  When I got there, I found that there was 6-1/2 pounds of the stuff in three colors (white, light gray, dark gray).  He also had a set of hand cards, a metal clamp-on Nilus LeClerc Swift and a ball winder.  Yep, all of it went into the truck.  Looks like a pretty good reward to me!

2010 Winter Knitting Olympics

Our Yarn Harlot is at it again, but this time she has help.  Good thing, keeping track of this sort of thing is monumental!

I wasn't really paying much attention to the fact that time was running out for me to choose, if I was going to choose, a project for this year's Olympics.

Today, when checking out Winter Knitty's surprise patterns, I found one for Skew Socks.

They will be perfect for the Olympics.  Socks for winter, strange socks that offer many opportunities to become a better instruction reader and that also support Stephanie's idea of creating one's own sock club.

All I need to do now is to go stash diving and choose a yarn!

I'm Still Here...

I still don't know where the days go.  They just run one into the other; each one much like the other.  That actually sounds kind of depressing, doesn't it?  Well, I'm not depressed, just trying to become a bit more efficient and effective.

My only New Year's Resolution was to make myself To Do lists so that time didn't just waste away.  It is working, but this is the first time I actually thought to put "blog" on the list.

It's winter here in western New York state, so that does involve a lot of gray and snow occurring at pretty regular intervals.  No storms, just an inch or two or three at a time.  February may be the shortest month in days, but the longest for those of us in the north.  Even tough-girl Gypsy has decided that a coat is not a bad thing when the wind gets to howling.

There has been some business planning, end-of-year paper arranging, errand running, spinning, weaving and knitting.  Actually a fair bit of all of those.

Knitting projects have ranged from mittens (lots of mittens/mitts) this year, a shrug and a vest.

These are a pair of mittens for SIL...the final project in the hat/scarf/mitten series.  Next year, I'll actually have to think of something for a Christmas gift!  Wouldn't you know it, she was just ecstatic over mittens...said that she could stop darning the ones I knitted for her years ago.  I reminded her that all she had to do was ask and there would be mittens for Christmas.

I've even finished our guild's exchange project for this year.  This year we exchanged fiber to spin, then knit into a gaiter/neckwarmer.  A new twist for this year is that we know who we are creating the gaiter for.  This helped me quite a bit to decide on a style that would work for the recipient.  Can't show a picture as there is a chance that they would read this post.

Weaving is still quite new to me, but I still think that it's magic.  I wove these table runners/dresser scarves recently.  I'm quite pleased with how they came out.  This one is an overshot pattern, the others were point twills.  Currently, I have a more complicated (at least to me) project on the loom that is almost done.  It is a 3/1 reversible twill.  I made many, many mistakes, but learned much (including how to fix mistakes) along the way.  I think it will be a computer case (likely to show up on Etsy).

A few years ago, I purchased a Border Leicester lamb fleece at Rhinebeck.  Well, it's finally yarn.  14 skeins, just over 3 pounds of 2-ply, light worsted weight.  Some of it is destined for one of those sweaters from Knitter's Arans & Celtics.  No, I have not decided which one...there are many in the running!

I may even wait a bit to knit it up.  Our Fiber Fest has an entry where you spin a pound or more of yarn, describe the project and display nicely as the first year's entry.  The next year's entry is to have a finished item.  We'll see.  I do have 2 sweaters in the queue that the yarn is ready and one that I've just started to spin up.

A bit of felting has happened in between larger projects.  My SIL's dog got skunked just before Christmas, so what better way to commemorate the event that to needlefelt a skunk?

I've also needlefelted a little something for Valentine's Day.  Mini-garlands that are just plain cute (and available on Etsy).

On that note, Happy Valentine's Day to all of you that still had faith that I was lurking around the blogosphere somewhere!

November is Variable

It really shouldn't be a surprise to me, but here it is, early November, and I have started the first second daytime fire to warm up the house.  For quite awhile at the beginning/end of the heating season, we can get away with just a fire in the evening to take the chill off.  I was on my way home today last week and ran smack dab into the first snow squall of the season.  It was pretty impressive considering that it was about a 70/30 mix with rain; even so, the road was slushy and snow accumulating at the grass line in a matter of minutes.

The pumpkins sold really well and now we're moving on to other fall-themed objects.  The Canadian geese turned out quite well (and can be found in my Etsy shop).  I'm working on a turkey, but need to figure out a better way to do the tail before it's ready for prime time.

There has been much knitting.  Mittens for a grown-up neighbor, mittens for the wee ones next door and fingerless mitts for the shop where I have stuff consigned.

I have begun thinking of what to do about Christmas gifts and must get cracking on those.  There's a pair of mittens on the knitting list and will probably weave something (like placemats or table runners maybe).

Hmm, must finish posts in a more timely manner.  They say if you wait a bit, the weather will change around here.  They're right.  Ever since that ugly, slushy day we have been enjoying Indian Summer weather.  Some days are better than others...yesterday I pulled my "Cheeto" chair out into the sun and out of the wind.  Nice comfy spot to knit a bit!

Mornings are still quite chilly.  This morning I noticed that there had been some hoar frost.  I just love the way it looks, so popped outside before I had even had my first cup of tea.  It is such a fleeting occurrence and it was melting off as I took pictures.

Another thing I noticed?  Well, Bambi has been busy.  Not the kitty.  I guess I'll see if hanging a bar of soap will deter the big lug before he does any more damage.  Darn things are a real nuisance around here!

T

Frosty Start

We had a very frosty start to the day. Actually, it was not our first frost. The tomatoes, squash & eggplant had already had enough.

We have made a concerted effort to pick up after our garage sales and have taken even more off to Salvation Army. Some horse stuff sold at a tack sale last weekend and I have sucked it up and started listing on ebay again. The first items have only been listed for a few hours and there are already people looking. No bids yet, but that often does not happen until towards the end of the listing.

The pumpkin factory is going strong. The shop in Leroy took my entire

stock of them and would also like some geese. A friend placed an order for a pumpkin and I'll be making a bunch to take to spinning guild this coming weekend. 50 of our guild members will be bussing it to Rhinebeck, but there will still be many attending our regular meeting.

A farm stand down the street from us really puts on a show at Halloween and I couldn't resist taking some pictures.

Pumpkins, Lots of Pumpkins

Here it is, another October. It's an iffy month around here. It can range from absolutely perfect shiny, brilliant fall days to weather we would rather not talk about. I haven't been terribly observant and noticed the other day that we have, indeed, had a mild frost (probably the end of September) so the tomatoes are pretty much done. The peppers are up by the house, so while a bit unhappy, are still OK.

Our Finger Lakes Fiber Festival was probably one of the best ever. Every year, we try to smooth over any bumps in the road from the previous year and it's really starting to show. Our skein and garment competition is a fabulous display. And I'm not just saying that because I'm the coordinator...see for yourself:

It's a really nice festival, so if you haven't been yet, make sure you block off next year's calendar (3rd weekend in September).

We also had a garage sale and sold a few things. As it was set up, we even had it over two weekends. The second weekend, it occurred to me that it was October after all, so I needle-felted some jack-o-lanterns and one goose. None of them sold at our sale, but 5 pumpkins and 1 goose sold tonight at our local spinning group.

This is a good thing. However, I need to make a bunch more as my Mom arranged for me to meet with a gift shop owner to show her some of my products, so I will need to make some more by Friday. There is also a horse equipment swap-n-shop on Saturday that I would like to have some of them available for. And also our regular spinning guild meeting on the 3rd Saturday of the month... I guess I'll be making lots of pumpkins!

16 Ways to Tell That Fall is Coming

1. The pool is very, very refreshing (a balmy 68 F a few days ago). How did I know? Well, I was quite warm from doing a bit of gardening and decided that a dip was a good idea. That may have been the last dip of the season.

2. I'm thinking that my newly-painted Adirondack chair needs to move into the sun, instead of the shade. Rather than tangerine, I'll call it pumpkin.

3. The trees lose that vibrant green color...it gets kind of flat and muted. There are even a few early birds that are starting to turn color, especially south of here in the hills.

4. The sun goes down much earlier. For some reason, this comes as a surprise to me every year.

5. There's not as many song birds around. Just crows, the flock (a huge number of starlings that make one think of the "The Birds") and Canadian geese (lots of those milling around).

6. You haven't seen a lightning bug in quite a few weeks.

7. When you cut the grass, it smells like fall.

8. The show season is winding down. I was both a bad mom and a bad blogger today as I totally forgot to bring a camera to watch DD compete in goat tying for the first time. I had no idea that my daughter could fling and tie up a goat that neatly (and come in 4th of 8).

9. You wonder where you put your sweaters.

10. You wonder where you put your long pants.

11. You wonder where you put your socks. Or for that matter, your shoes.

12. You start stash diving for larger projects...spinning or knitting, doesn't matter as long as it's warm and woolly. Unless, of course, you just finished something large. In that case, may I suggest mittens, a hat or socks?

13. You start thinking about cooking again. Things like bread, lasagna, pot roast and pies.

14. The cats decide that helping you with anything woolly is the most important part of their day.

15. When the Yarn Harlot says she's looking for a mitten pattern, you drop everything and look for one. I didn't find one that I thought was just what she was looking for, but I did find Cats and Horses. Ahh, the wonders of the interwebs and instant gratification. Other than stash diving, I'm good to go!

16. The Finger Lakes Fiber Festival is 6 days away, September 19 & 20 in Hemlock, NY. It's a very nice festival and I'm not just saying that because I help organize it. We have over 80 vendors (with wonderous products to keep you busy and inspired), excellent food vendors, a growing Farmer's Market, workshops and competitions for fleeces, skeins & garments. You can see it all in one day, but two is better!

Summer's Here!

Finally, summer got here. A little on the over-achieving side, but I'll deal with it. Of course, we've been quite busy, like most of us get in the summer.

The other day, I was behind a dump truck. Has anyone else thought that this sign is one of the dumbest signs ever to have on the back of a truck? You can only see one of these signs if you

are following the truck. What am I supposed to do? Turn around and go the other way?

Last Sunday, DD showed at Erie Co

unty Fair outside of Buffalo, NY. This fair has been right up there competing with being the largest fair in the United States (including state fairs).

I had heard that it was better than NYS Fair and you know what, it is. The grounds are clean and well organized, they have maps, there are exhibits, there are cheesy midway shows, there is a midway, animals, etc...way too much to see in one 95 degree day. Yes, it was hot. Very hot. Despite the heat, DD and Sugar did very, very well: 4 2nds, 1 3rd, 2 4th, 1 5th. They showed English, Western and Games, so were busy all day long.

I've been helping hubby on a job site. My job...stripping wallpaper. The interesting turn of events is that we used to own the house. Yes, I am stripping the wallpaper that I put up over 25 years ago. Let me tell you...always, always size the walls. It sure has made the job move right along. I must say that I did a pretty good job hanging it, too. Other than places where it had been much abused by the interim owner, it's still on the walls.

As far as future fiber biz is concerned, progress is slow. It's summer and many people that I need help from are on vacation and/or very busy. As much as I want to go faster, I'll just keep plugging along on the planning end and just keep on calling people until they answer!

I've gotten some very good feedback on the survey and I thank everyone who's participated. It's still active on Survey Monkey, so Click Here to take survey.

As summer is winding down, I'm sure some of you are thinking that school starts (or even has started in some areas) soon. So, how about an "Ivy League Cat"?

New Stash Management

We had been using a large (very large) carpenter's toolbox as a coffee table. To be honest, it was a little too big for the space. A fabulous piece of workmanship, but very large. It looks better at the end of our bed.

DH brought home another carpenter's tool box that was just the right size, so I claimed it as our new coffee table. It is gorgeous (now that he's worked his magic on it), made from maple and mahogany and is just right as far as scale.

Not only that, but the trays in it are just ideal for such things as needlework tools, needles and a whole bunch of yarn! The contents of one plastic bin (and I usually get the ones with the attached lids), just covers the bottom

of this chest. There is much more room available in this one for future expansion.

I had offered the inside of the other one to DD for off-season storage, but since she hasn't taken advantage of the offer, I believe I'll just fill that one up, too!

On a completely different note, DH and I were off gallivanting the other day and passed by one of those new windmills that there has been much controversy over. Mostly the "not-in-my-backyard" variety. I had always wanted to get close enough to one to hear just how much noise they really make. We could park directly under this one. There was a nice breeze yesterday so it was operating. Let me tell you this, you could barely hear a slight swish that most any other noise masked (like a passing car or even the sound of the breeze through nearby greenery). As far as birds flying into them, well, let's face it, birds fly into houses all the time (and they don't move) and I bet they fly into trees, cliffs and other natural obstacles, too. For that matter, so do people...ever notice how there is often a rash of incidents that involve people walking, bicycling and driving into buildings? Are these buildings leaping out in front of them? Am I missing something (besides buildings)?

Note: Amy asked where to find carpenter's tool boxes. Please send me your email address and I'll ask DH if he has any similar pieces. dseelyATfrontiernetDOTnet

Busy, Busy, Busy

Summer is always a busy time for all of us, including me.  Besides the so-far-unsuccessful job hunt, I've been trying to catch up on various loose ends and UFO's around the homestead and even succeeded in some cases. 

Mom took me on a short bus trip over the 4th of July 

holiday to the Hudson River valley.  The highlight of the trip was the boat ride down the Hudson and mooring in the river to watch the Macy's fireworks.  There were just no better seats to be had...there was nothing between our boat and the fireworks but the Coast Guard.

Outside stuff is underway for the season.  Various projects are in process or in maintenance mode:

--Like weeding (it never ends, especially with all the rain we've had)

--Keeping the pool clean enough to use in between previously mentioned rain showers

--Getting some much neglected gardens beaten into submission (also in between the rain showers).  

--Being a horse show Mom...actually I'm more of a fence post, but it's nice to be needed.

Actually, the rain usually comes in deluges; we have l

iterally had a stream running through our back 40 quite often this summer.  Thanks to some raised beds that DH put in last year, the veggies are not drowning and are growing, well, like weeds!

The inside stuff list actually has some things completed:

--The floor in my sewing room/office has been tiled (to match the kitchen floor).

--Everything is pretty much back in the sewing room (no small feat there)

--I have boxes of stuff marked and ready to go to the flea market with a friend, or sell on craigslist or ebay (or maybe even having a garage sale? eek!)

Inside stuff that's partly done:

--DD's western show shirt (needs final fitting, collar, cuffs & bling)

--Business plan 

Business plan, you say?  Yes, even though the economy is pretty shaky, I'm looking (seriously) into starting up my own fiber processing mill.  I have an appointment this week with an advisor; it's amazing what help is out there for the asking.  I've got my plan to the "needs editing" point.  There's a good chance that we (need DH for advice) will be visiting some mills later this week to see different manufacturer's equipment in operation.  

If you'd like to participate in the planning, I've created a little survey that will help me determine my future customers' needs.  It's at Click Here to take survey (it's on Survey Monkey).  Thanks, in advance, for your help!