Rediscovering Fiber Preparation

 As part of the Sheepspot Guild, the October/November activity is to prepare some fiber to spin with tools and after spinning the desired yarn, to make something with the spun yarn.  I had originally thought to pull out a mystery braid of fiber and experiment with color and started thinking about that project and then after seeing some of the posts of the others in the guild, I decided to buy some Good Clean Fiber from Clemes and Clemes and pull out my drum carder to spin some yarn to knit the Hamilton Hat.

The red/purple braid was split half and one half was split up into 2 piles of red and purple and the other half was just split down the middle lengthwise.  I used the blending board and it was not that successful but I got 2 rollags off the board with some nicks in my hands.  I spun the red rollag on the first bobbin of my Sparrow.  I then spun the 2 lengthwise strips on 2 other bobbins.  The final rollag of purple was just messy so I decided to put it through the drum carder once and got a great batt which was so easily spun on the 4th bobbin.  I will think about how to ply the bobbins later.

The Good Clean Fiber consisted of 2 colors and 2 different fleeces - Black in Merino x Lincoln x Cormo x Wensleydale #22315 (4 ounces) and White in BFL x Clun Forest x Texel #21137 (4 ounces). The black is much softer and the white more substantial but fluffier.  I used my fingers to open up all the locks and then ran it through the drum carder (I have an electric Duncan carder) twice getting rid of some of the neps. The black had more dirt while carding.  I ended up with 4 - 1 ounce bundles/batts.  I subscribed to Long Thread and received access to the videos and watched a drum carder one to refamiliarize myself with the drum carder.  I also had to reach out to Duncan Fibers in Oregon to order a new drive band as mine had hardened and had a kink so the licker didn’t turn with the drum without getting stuck in the same place.

The fiber is ready to be spun which also corresponds with Spin School month 2 which is all about spinning.

Restart - A New Era in Life

It is almost the end of 2023 and it has been so long since I’ve posted on this blog.  A lot has happened in the world and also in life.  The COVID pandemic changed a lot of us in ways that we may never really comprehend or acknowledge.  So I’m taking this blog up again as a way to get out from under all the negative energy that has taken up so much of the last few years.

I took a long break from crafting as I couldn’t seem to get projects worked through and spent a lot of time just vegging out with books or with TV.  One positive thing is that my Chinese has improved from watching a ton of Mandarin soap operas - some good but mostly so so.

The last few years on the job were also very draining with tons of personnel changes and difficult management.  I finally got my years in and retired after almost 33 years in Federal service.  I was like a zombie for a couple of months.

I then took a trip to Santa Fe for the IFAM festival which was held at a new location within walking distance of where I stayed.  It was so hot, but the craftspeople were awesome and my expandable suitcase was expanded all the way for the trip home.

After that was a land and sea cruise with Princess to Alaska.  I have cruised Alaska quite a few times, but this was the first time I did the land portion and it was really impressive.  

Weather was cooperative and lots of salmon and crab to feast on.

Helicopter to Mendenhall glacier was spectacular and I even tasted the glacier water.

Wildlife was scarce but I was able to capture a bald eagle swooping for fish.

The downside was that I got sick at the end of the cruise so was limping along when we arrived in Vancouver.  I stayed another week in Vancouver recovering and went out to explore a bit before flying home.  Overall, it was a great vacation and nice to be in cooler weather escaping the heat of the Southwest.

I pulled out some of my old projects and did some weaving.  I also signed up for Spin School with Sasha up in Canada with her Sheepspot and joined the guild.  For the first month of October, it was wheel mechanics and I gave my wheels a spa day and cleaned and oiled them up.  I also pulled out some of my knitting WIPs and finished a pair of socks and a cowl.

And lastly I went to see Pink in concert.  She is totally awesome and gave such a great and energetic show.

That is all for now as I’m sort of caught up.  Not sure how often I will be posting but I plan to keep up on my crafting and figuring out this retired life.

Bargello Quilt Number One

I bought this quilt kit in Colorado and pulled it out while I was visiting Val.  I was able to sew all the strips together after cutting them all.

The leftovers I left for Val so she could use the remainder.  I brought it all home to finish and it languished for a while as I didn't quite know how to follow the instructions.

It seems this pattern comes from Cozy Quilts in San Diego and when I searched on Youtube, I was able to find an instructional video.

I cut the stripes according to the pattern and then set about putting it together. It was a bit tedious but the result was pretty cool.  After quilting and binding, the quilt went to Amy.

Saori Loom

Awhile back, I saw a Saori loom in person and I thought it was pretty cool.  However, I already had some looms and didn't need another one.  After a few years, and some unloading, I got one of these looms and it has been a joy to weave on.  I can use up all of my leftovers and have no idea how things are going to turn out.

I ended up going up to Los Angeles and Laura's studio to test one out.  She had a little class where I got to weave some on a loom.

I ended up bringing one home which Laura was nice enough to have dressed already so all I needed to do was to weave on it.

The test cloth was worked on for quite a while and I was finally able to finish it.

It took me a while to get the next warp on and it was super challenging as I didn't quite know what to do.  I had to buy the book after redoing it multiple times and ending up with excess length even though it is a pre-wound warp.

I believe it is ready to go now.

New Restaurants in PB

Jon and Karen took me to a new place called Tacos Mimi in Pacific Beach for some street tacos.  I ordered an asada and a fish taco and then we went right next door and got some detroit pizza from Square Pizza.

There is negligible seating area but we were in luck as we were really the only ones seated at Square Pizza and the tacos were delivered to our table there too.

The pizza was super thick and I'm not a huge fan of deep dish so I wasn't too sure but since the pieces are square and the edges are crispy, it was super good as the consistency of the dough was very similar to french bread.  Very airy and light and very tasty.

The tacos were bite size but perfect for a lighter meal.

Not too expensive as each was $2.50.  There are two sauces (red and green) but both were hot so I just had the tacos with the lime.  Delicious.  I definitely will be back for more.  Parking is pretty challenging here though but there are paid lots around.

Friendsgiving

It is always great to get together with friends for thanksgiving.  Everyone brings food to share and then we all share in the food.

This year was a smaller group but the food was just as good.

No turkey this year, just honey baked ham.  Rolls of course.

Toni's family mac n cheese and Shiela's sweet potatoes with marshmallows and Eric's longganisa.

Jon's famous Brussels sprout salad.

Only one plate for me with no seconds, but I was totally full.

Of course, Karen had pumpkin pie with spiced whipped cream.  Missed taking a photo of the whole pie and before I knew it, it was all consumed.

Great dinner with great friends.  Thanks for another year.

Thankful

It is time to reflect and be thankful for so much.  I have so much in comparison to so many.  Most important being health.  Even though I am working through some challenges, it makes me take a breath to appreciate each moment that goes by.  I am able to get out of bed and eat breakfast; I can sit at home working most of the day without any of the bother of office politics; I can take my dogs out for a walk in great weather and safety; clean water comes out of the faucet that I drink; neighbors are always looking out; friends are dear and fun; family is strong and supportive; money is plentiful; in a nutshell - life is great.

Most of the time, I take all the above for granted.  I exist day to day at times complaining about all sorts of things that don't go my way.  I don't stop to smell the flowers even though they are still blooming (at least the ones I haven't killed).  And we all should.

Life can change in an instant.  A friend of mine is going through pretty tough times now with her son having major medical issues from a fluke fall while on a trip.  He now is mostly bedridden and needs all kinds of assistance and the worst part is that I bet he thought he was on top of the world and he nothing to worry about.  He is in his late 20s and has his whole life ahead of him.  He had just moved out on his own and was starting a brand new job.  Now he is back living with his mom and will probably not work for quite a while if ever.

I had my own little spell a few months back that I'm still trying to recover from. I'm in the investigative stage now trying to figure out what is going on and how it might impact my job.  All I can do is take one day at a time and I'm super lucky that I have a core group of peeps around me helping me along the way.  Hopefully by the end of the year, I will have some answers and a direction to take.

My family is not close by so I'll be celebrating T-day with a group of friends.  It is a potluck and I'm bringing rolls that were a secret hit last year (after the dinner) so better late than never.

For now - humble gratitude and positive thoughts for us all.