Mojo

Well, with all the hubbub around here since Christmas, I was beginning to feel like the weaving mojo was taking a vacation. I took pity on Gene the destroyer of all things knitted and woven, and decided to make him a scarf. A sturdy one.

I had been looking at my stash, and mohair was out, some merino and alpaca was out, mostly due to color, but it isn't really up to the abuse Gene wrecks on his wearables.

Low and behold, like Cupid with an arrow, Dona at Websters made a passing comment about the new Crazy Zauberball yarn I was looking at for socks. It was simply, wonder what it would look like woven.... Can you see the light bulb going off?

Well, it did. Sock yarn is tough (75% wool 25% nylon) and this sock yarn has long color changes that don't repeat. What an interesting warp it would make indeed. I chose the colorway Submarine. I only needed some weft and found that in lovely skein of Mountain Colors Winter Lace, colorway Wild Horse. Geez, even the name was perfect!

So Sunday I measured out the warp got it on the loom, threaded, sleyed and then

re-sleyed. 10 epi was just too open even for me and not having the grab of a mohair or fuzzy yarn, it just wasn't going to work.

I went up to 15 epi to maintain the warp patterning and got to work on weaving in earnest yesterday. I was so grateful for bifocals using that 15 dent reed I have. I've also made a mental note to avoid using it if at all possible.

The kitchen rag rug runner is almost done on the Barbara V loom. I want to try weaving some baling twine after I'm done with it. I certainly have a lot of it.

The sweater knitting is coming along, I have about 6 inches done on the front.

On farm news, we've had a little nuisance snow, the temps have been normal for this time of year. Juno got locked in the basement by accident. Gene left the door ajar, then went and closed and locked it. Last night at feeding, no Juno. I checked all the trees she usually gets stuck in, calling out in the snow storm and then back tracked to where

I had seen Buzz hanging out. Ever faithful Buzz, waiting by the basement door, and there peeking out a window, Juno. Curiosity and cats, need I say more. ;-)

Some Things You Just Can't Fix

No matter how much you would like to.

We are waiting for the official word from blood tests and biopsies, but it is a fore gone conclusion. Angel Cakes has lymphoma. Prognosis, 2-6 months maybe a little longer

if she responds to Prednisone therapy. Angel isn't a particularly old dog. She's around 10ish. In other words, one of the youngsters. I've been blindsided on this one. Well, not really. Somewhere in your head, the first time you cuddle that new puppy, you know sooner or later they are going to break your heart. And then we happily forget all about that and just get down to the joyful business of falling in love with them and living with them.

We have the opportunity to make sure we enjoy our time together. We can target all the stuff she loves to do, like goat herding ( her way) and walks with Gene. Special little treats and extra attention. We have time for some good-byes. They are our good-byes. I'm not sure animals have the capacity to know beyond a short time that it is time. Those contemplations are for another day. Today, we're all here and that's enough.

The Cranky Post 2009

Well it is apparent that 2010 is right around the corner and like most everyone, I am hoping it will be a much better year for so many people. For the most part 2009 wasn't a bad year. I had numerous blessings to count and the universe was generous to us in many many respects. But before I can truly put 2009 to bed, I need to go over some things that either bugged the crap out of me or made me very happy to see. Here goes.

1. The Party of NO. Saying No and offering up tax cuts isn't working. It's silly and childish and you really need to get over it and come to the table with constructive new ideas, for yourselves, your party and the country.

2. To the Party of Yes, find your courage. If you are the majority and you want to lead for god sakes you better find the balls to do it. No one is happy with a weak party, no matter how good your ideas may be. Maybe you should all go back and read Lyndon Johnson The Senate Years.

3. To Clothing Manufacturers: Good grief, it's almost 2010 and can you all make this the year you get together and standardize clothing sizes for women? Seems you can do it with men reasonably well, but I am tired of picking up size 10's that fit like 14's and 14's that fit like 8's. I have a few other suggestions for you too.

a. Does every pocket on every vest or jacket have to have a zipper? They are simply uncomfortable as you pass a naked cold hand into a pocket. They catch on knitted gloves and mittens and always make the pocket seem too small to be of much use. Stop putting them in sweaters too.

b. Stop putting Spandex in all my cotton tops, in fact stopping putting spandex in sweaters too. Some jeans it's okay in and I like it in yoga pants, just a little, but nothing beats 100% cotton.

c. Please, stop designing everything for the young tall slender teen with a naval ring.

I look like a frumpy old lady because most of what you make to fit me is frumpy. Simple as that. And while I'm at it, most of what you offer is so poorly made it would look frumpy on that teen too.

d. Polar fleece is a nice, but does everything now have to be made out of it. In winter when you are most likely to be wearing it, it makes static like no one's business. I really do prefer wool for all my winter gear, without zippered pockets.

4. To All Manufacturers. Please, American made. I drove myself nuts this year trying to buy American made or at least mostly American made. It was ridiculously hard. In fact it was impossible.

a. Packaging, I know you can do better.

5. To Our Government, you have to do something about trade agreements with China.

Why are we still doing so much business with a country that poisons our animals and kids? I know it's a difficult problem on so many levels but we have to start somewhere.

Maybe we could start paying them back so we aren't so beholden to them.

6. To the Philadelphia Eagles. I have always believed in second chances and I am sure football fans around the world think you guys rock for giving Michael Vick one. Myself, I just cannot find it my heart to be so generous. Thank you for making any Texas team viable to root for.

7. Pet stores that sell puppies and kittens from mills instead of adoption and featuring needy animals right from your own local shelter. YOU should be ashamed of yourselves for the pain you cause thousands of animals every year. This should be the year we take away all licenses to sell live animals as retail merchandise. That goes for pocket pets too.

8. Prisons and youth programs that are rehabilitating needy animals and the incarcerated at the same time get two thumbs up. Nursing homes that have resident pets also get my heartfelt thanks. You can add good programs that bring the disabled time with horses, dogs and cats. Library dogs for kids to read to, Dogs for the Deaf, dogs for our homecoming veterans etc. All good works.

9. Climate change. Can we straighten this mess out once and for all. Both sides seem to have tainted the science and it's criminal. Period.

10. Whatever did happen to just the news. I don't want your opinion or analysis especially offered in a factual context. Just give me the facts. I have a mind, I can use it. If you think we should all be better informed then maybe the information should be better and more precise.

11. Fiber folk and blogging, a great first year for me. Thank you so much for stopping in and commenting, reading my blog and sharing yours. It's all been wonderful.

A Very Woolly Holiday

Well, I am still stuffed from two days of marathon nibbling. It seems the house miraculously fills with stuff that we love all at once. Cookies, pies, candy, cheeses, fancy crackers and that is just the tip of the ice box!

Christmas Eve brought the reading of Dylan Thomas and sadly, a candle was lit to honor the passing of Sadie's old friend and companion Rudy. We always knew you two would be together, just not so soon.

Presents have been opened and in most cases enjoyed at least a little bit amid the busy Christmas day. The turkey stuffed and unstuffed and restuffed into us! We looked like Weebles by 6:00p.m. last evening. I won't even say how the kitchen looks right now,

but no elves slipped down to make magic on THAT mess!

It certainly was a woolly Christmas for this weaver and knitter. A lovely basket of yarn, beeswax candles and local honey was a gift from special friends. The basket and everything it contained was all in lovely warm honey tones. It was just beautiful!

Gene came through with the much coveted ProWeave computer program and I had time to start playing with a bit.

There were gift certificates to the Web-sters and the local bookstore, and all sorts of fun gadgets and such for stocking stuffers. My Dad sent one of his lovely cotton twill towels to me.

My mother, who while seeming to be the most practical of people, sent a check with the very specific directions that I buy myself a piece of art that I love. I did Mom and thank you. Naked sheep! ;-)

Gene tells me his favorite gift is the coffee maker.

I'm not surprised. I've never seen anyone so in love with a beverage! I had only bought him a little coffee my last foray into town, hoping he would be low by the time Christmas rolled around. He had run out and here he is, (after getting up early yesterday morning to lend a hand with prep work and going to bed very late trying to get the Proweave up on my computer as a surprise) thinking he would have to endure my instant coffee for the day!

Peter was enjoying being snuggled in Papa, quite the treat at 5:30 ish in the morning.

The dogs got nylabones, the cats tuna, the horses all got carrots, apples and pears cut up in their buckets. The wild birds got new and additional feeders.

I finished up the back to my Dad's sweater and got started on the front. There is the beautiful gift basket and yarn.

Everyone was tired by the end of a very bountiful day. How dogs manage to sleep like this I'll never know.

Ready, Set, Track!

While Christmas proper is still a bit away for those of us in North America, Santa needs to get moving to hit all the worlds time zones just right. There's lots of cheer to spread and he has to pace himself and his eight flying cohorts.

For the young and the young at heart, you can follow St. Nicks progress on his annual

global trek right here.

From our herd to yours,

Merry Christmas!

Talk About Timing!

Mother Nature and Old Man Winter came through with this lovely Solstice surprise.

Might just be a white Christmas after all.

It's warm and cozy inside though. Jack is waiting right on the other side of door, as he always does whether I'm gone for hours to town or just popping out to check on everyone and snap a picture.

Smoochie and Rodger have found the holiday spirit of sharing, at least for a little while.

Right up until Rodger decided to use Smoochie's back leg to kneed on. I woke Smooch up with the camera, his tongue is still sticking out from sleeping.

Colors of December

This has been inspired by Sue over at Life Looms Large. These aren't the colors I expected to be showing this time of year, but it is what it is. That goes for my picture taking ability too. ;-) It's not the greatest. Rather than caption each picture, I'm giving you the whole lot of them together to see. There is a snap of a lovely little critter trail through the undergrowth, a long shot of the top of my barn, complete with red fox whirligig, heavy dew on Ponderosa pines, and a lovely purple and pink sunrise, or at least what passed for sunrise yesterday. Even past 8:00 am yesterday it was a quiet, dark and dewy morning, dense with smells of damp earth, hibernating worms, cedar, fir and pine trees. Everywhere I stopped to take a picture I threw my gloves down, a jarring royal blue against the never ending backdrop of greens and rust and jewel like drops of water waiting to fall from the trees and withered blades of grass. Off to join others and descend into the earth, into what I imagine, as a never ending tangle of roots holding up my universe. All thirsty for the wet bounty above.

If I forget myself at this time of year, remove the barriers of body and preconception, I swear I can feel the earth writhe and struggle beneath my feet. A hundred million tendrils, each growing at an almost imperceptible rate, moving ever outward to lay the underground in a spiders web of infinite battles won in mere millimeters. All is silent and dormant or dead looking above, a fine slight of Mother Natures hand. While most Decembers are about sky and air and whiteness, a cold melting buffer from the grounds endless strife. This December is about earth, dark, rich and mysterious.

Frustrating Diversions for the Clumsy and Uncoordinated

Or maybe how I was lured in.....

I decided to send a good friend who is learning to spin on a spindle a special one to make her efforts if not easier, at least a little prettier to work with. While I was on my Internet jaunt looking for the perfect one to have shipped, I found myself taken with the beauty of these little works of art. I just had to have one myself. After much consultation with Cindie, the oracle on fiber, weaving and now spindles, I was steered to a couple of good makers. This one happens to be a Jenkins Turkish spindle in Beeswing Nara ( or Narra).

It fit the bill in a number of ways. Locally made in Oregon, the Jenkins use only wood from sustainable harvests (and go out of their way to make sure of that) and it was appropriate for a beginner. SCORE! It arrived Thursday and other than take it out of the box and put it together, I have done nothing but fondle it. I know that once I try to actually use it for its intended purpose, it will become an evil little piece of the devils own making. Stay tuned for updates on the coming saga.

Friday, as always was shopping day. Lots of things to do, the one more gift for Gene to get after finally having a eureka moment for something both practical and fun for him.

He is very tough to shop for.

Of course there was the stop at my favorite store for a book I had ordered long time ago, before it had even been released.

This is actually a re- release and I have drooled over the designs for a long time but could never afford the $300.00 plus price tag when I stumbled on it in the used book market. $24.95 I can do. And these mittens, they truly ARE magnificent. I also found I could do a little sock yarn. Something special with Cashmere maybe? Once I saw this color and felt it, I knew it was coming home with me. In fact like a cat who sees a bird and imagines the thing all in roasted form, I saw this yarn and knew just the sock pattern I wanted to do for it. The yarn is a hand dyed sock yarn from Pagewood Farm named Alyeska. It is merino, cashmere and nylon in color way Bird of Paradise.

The sock pattern is out of the same book by Cookie A ( Sock Innovations) that my Dad's socks came from.

I have been diligently working on the sweater with a goal of finishing in by the end of January. Might actually do it too. Size 10 needles sure go faster than size 6! The Louet

is constantly taunting me with her nakedness.

On farm news, dare I write it? I may have had a Bond visit. There were some dug out places around the tack room. No breach, but maybe my little smelly friend has decided to put Runamuck back on his excursion list.

The package for my folks finally left yesterday morning. Gene REALLY procrastinated on this one and I am sure it was sent in the nick of time. We bumped it up from Priority to Express mail, so hopefully it will all get there round about Tuesday.

Weather wise we've had nothing but the promise of snow, only to have it rain. I am so bummed. I really want a white Christmas, heck, I'd be happy with it white from the end of November to mid-March. Maybe the first of the year will bring a true winter rally.

I can always hope!