Hooville Happenins

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Last Saturday I took a little roadtrip and met up with knitting friend Robin H. in Charlottesville.

We rendezvoused at one of C'ville's fine yarn establishments:

The Needle Lady

which, wouldn't you know it, just happened to be having a 40% off sale on select items. I managed to resist most of the temptation and got out of there with just a handful of this:

Noro Blossom
color # 15, Lot A

which will probably make a nice... well... you guessed it -- a hat.

Afterwards, we had a delicious lunch across the way at Hamilton's and were met there by Robin's friend Chan, and then walked back across the mall to Cville Arts:


a cooperative gallery with a really lovely assortment of beautiful handcrafted items, including this gorgeous mosaic bench on display out front:


as well as framed art, pottery, jewelry, and even knitted items and handspun yarn. The owner raises angora bunnies and spins the fiber into yarn, and then knits that yarn into bunnies. Art imitating life! I picked up one of the bunnies:

Uther pen Dragon
hand-knit angora bunny

to give to my niece who has a birthday that's near Easter. The owner puts a lot of love into the creation of these, and was so cute when she wrapped him up -- she gave him a little impromptu kiss on the head, to send him on his way to his new home.

Next, we headed 7 miles east to Stony Mountain Fibers, and met up with two more knit-blogger friends, Margaret and Roseanne.

Such a pretty drive up the road to Barbara Gentry's place:

where she keeps a couple dozen head of Cormo sheep:


Inside the shop, we descended on Barbara's inventory like a plague of locusts, (well, not really, but it's fun to imagine it that way). Here's Robin amidst some pretty yarn and fiber:


and here's the whole gang:

L-R: Robin, Rosanne, Margaret, Chan & Barbara

Barbara was gracious enough to allow me to try out some of her spinning wheels, including a couple of Fricke's, a Majacraft Susie, and her very own Ashford Elizabeth. My favorite was the Majacraft - I really liked its smooth action. And although I'm not a whole lot closer to making a final decision or a purchase, it was still good to get a little more hands-on and feet-on (treadling) experience under my belt.

Barbara has a big bin of pin-drafted Cormo roving from her own flock, which was just too lovely to pass up, so I picked up four ounces:

Cormo

Barbara has her fleeces processed by Zeilinger's, who clearly do a lovely job, so I've made a mental note of that for future reference, should I find myself with a fleece after an upcoming fiber festival. Zeilinger's does have a booth at MS&W after all. But, no, I have no business buying a sheep's worth of wool until I own a wheel, and perhaps not even then, at least not right away....

Soon it was time to say goodbye to all my fiber friends, and head back home down I-64E while being buffeted by Saturday's high winds, which, I was soon to discover, knocked out power at my house. Oh well -- that happens. Just makes you appreciate modern conveniences all the more....

On my way home, I hit another milestone:


Stopped on the side of the interstate to get that shot, as fierce winds whipped the car and traffic whizzed beside me. But you gotta catch these moments while they happen....

Anyone want to take bets on when and where I hit the big 100K?

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...and W also stands for...

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wow.

As in, check out this architecture:





which sits incongruously across the street from this:


Yep, that's where I was taking a class last week. Way cool.

I did not make it to another yarn shop before I left, but did find a sushi place in town, so it's all good.

I have to be back there again for another class, week after next, and found out that Susan's Fiber Shop, a mere 45-minute drive away, is having a spinning retreat the weekend following my class, so I'm going to extend my visit through the weekend, and attend the retreat! She's going to loan me a wheel, since I don't yet own one, (and even if I did, I wouldn't be lugging it on planes with me).

Can't wait!

Closer to home, but on the same subject, I think I may attend this weekend's local spinning guild meeting -- it will be my first time. They're having a silent auction, which should be interesting. I look forward to meeting some other local spinners!

I have lots more things to blog about, but will try to post more tomorrow, (I hope).

Ta!

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W stands for...

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...white:



...wool:



...and Wisconsin, where I am through Wednesday. Yep, managed to find a yarn shop less than 24 hours after my arrival, and within 2 miles of where I'm taking a training class. And what a great little shop it is. A really nice selection of yarns, a Ladybug spinning wheel that anyone can try out, a little bit of fiber and even some spindles. I resisted the yarn, but yes I did add another spindle to my collection - a 1.1 oz Schacht hi-lo, which I plan to use as a high whorl only (but it's always nice to have options).

The best part about this shop, I think, is that the owner was smart enough to realize that knitters really do love to eat and drink while they knit, and with that knowledge, she devoted half the shop to selling lovely coffee drinks and sandwiches, including a warm seating area where one can sit and knit and/or eat & drink. The shop stays open until 8:30 on Tuesdays & Wednesdays, (another smart move), and I believe the owner said that every other Friday they have a wild, late-evening knit night until 11 pm. That's my kind of yarn shop! The owner, (whose name I failed to catch) was incredibly friendly and welcoming. I've got to be back here in the Madison area twice more over the next two months, so I think I'll be paying her shop another visit. There's also one or two other yarn shops in the Madison area; perhaps I'll try to visit the one near my hotel tomorrow.

Speaking of hotel, here's the view out my window this morning:

that's my rental car there, in the middle

The weather last night and this morning was nothing short of wretched, especially in comparison to the 60-degree temps I left on Sunday. Last night there was pouring rain (an odd "warm" spell for them with temps in the high 30's/low 40's), and rolling fog that made driving the very rural roads from the airport to the hotel a white-knuckled joyless joyride. At some point overnight, the rain turned to snow, and there was a new 2" of the white stuff coating everything by the time I scraped the car before heading to the training site. You know it's a bad sign when the hotel concierge, a Wisconsin native, says as you're walking out the front door, "you're going out in this?".... So, yes, another white-knuckled icy-road experience this morning, but I made it without harming myself, anyone else, or the rental car. My class instructor told us that this has been the worst Wisconsin winter on record - more snow than they've ever measured before. So, I guess I should be grateful that it wasn't -11 degrees like I heard it was a few weeks ago.

But these northerners are nothing if not efficient, and by this afternoon the roads were salted & scraped, clean and dry, with the help of some late day sunlight, so the driving back to the hotel was easy. High temperature today was about 25, which is surprisingly tolerable if one is wearing rabbit-lined leather gloves and the wind isn't blowing. I've always said that I like the cold, and winter, and snow, and that hasn't changed. In fact, when introducing ourselves today we had to share our favorite winter get-away; I shared that I'd never been this far north in winter, and was loving it, despite the horrible driving conditions. I believe tomorrow (Tuesday) should be cold and clear; Wednesday is supposed to see more precipitation.

-

It's very pretty here, if you like rural, snow-covered pastoral scenery, and I really do. There are farms and barns and silos everywhere, and clapboard houses rule the day -- nary a brick rancher to be seen anywhere. The very modern architecture of the complex where I'm training is quite a departure from the surrounding scenery -- I will try to get a photo or two of it tomorrow. But it stands in stark contrast to the surrounding countryside. Case in point -- that first photo up top was taken from my classroom window.

On one of my next trips up here, I may have to take a little road trip to visit Susan's Fiber Shop, just an hour or so away, in Columbus, WI. I hear nothing but great things, and was quite amazed at her offerings at SAFF last year. It would be fun to see her shop in person.

Well, it's been a full day, and I must say goodnight.

Until tomorrow, I wish you well!

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Wanna Buy a Yarn Shop?

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Friend and fellow Tuesday Night Knitter Mary Jane Watkins has asked me to post the following message on my blog, and as sad as I am for her that she's facing such a transition, I will happily do whatever I can to help her out. So, feel free to spread the word:

CONTACT INFORMATION:

email: mjwatkins@live.com

web: http://www.unraveledrichmond.com

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Fear of Plying

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Since my last post about my drop spindle collection, I've acquired few more, which I need to blog about at some point, just so I'll have some documentation for my own memory as to where I got them, and what they're made of, etc. It's truly become a serious collection, with no end it sight, so it seems. I daydream longingly about a couple of gorgeous one-of-a-kind vintage Goldings that go for as much as some wheels. Still haven't found the justification to get one of those, but I haven't forgotten about them, either!

One of my more recent acquisitions is this Jenkins Turkish made from Amboyna Burl:

pretty, no?
(and nope, I've not heard of that wood before, either)

After having relative success with my various top whorl spindles, this Turkish was a definite departure, and therefore had a bit of a learning curve, especially as I found very little decent information online about how to spin with one of these. I ended up ordering Wanda Jenkins' "Learn to Spin with a Turkish" book & DVD, and the book itself was good enough to where I was able to figure out what I needed to do. Never did have to watch the DVD....

The learning curve with the Turkish involves the fact that the "whorl" (really the two cross arms) is on the bottom, and there is no hook. Instead one must use a leader yarn and tie a half-hitch, and that took some practice to get the hang of doing smoothly. The nice thing about Jenkins' Turkish spindles is that they have a little nubbin at the top of the shaft so that the half-hitch doesn't slide off until you want it to. These spindles are not only beautiful, but also very well made, incredibly balanced, and spin for ages, so if you're in the market for a Turkish spindle, I'd highly recommend a Jenkins. Their customer service is superb, as well -- I dealt directly with Wanda Jenkins, and she was kind enough to email back and forth with me several times to answer a few of my questions. As seems to be the case for a lot of these mom & pop spindle-making operations, Wanda is the spinner & fiber artist, her husband Ed is the master woodworker. You can't help but have a quality product with that kind of partnership.

The cool thing about a Turkish spindle is that as you wind on your spun singles yarn around the cross arms , you create a center-pull ball that is ready to ply or knit with right then and there. This went a long way in helping me get over another learning curve, namely, plying.

When I was giving my friend Rita her drop spindle lesson a few weeks ago, she teased me that I kept buying spindles because I hadn't yet figured how to ply, and needed new spindles to spin up new yarn once the old ones got full. Well, she wasn't far off. I'd plied yarn on a spinning wheel, but never on a spindle, and for some reason, I had a mental block when it came to spindle plying. It wasn't that I didn't know how. I've been reading up on it and talking to everyone I could about the subject, and could speak intelligently about at least three different ways of plying spindle-spun yarn. I was just afraid to try it -- afraid I'd make a big tangled mess that would frustrate me so much that I'd be permanently turned off of my adored newfound hobby.

But, finally, once I mastered spinning singles on the Turkish spindle, I decided I wanted to use it for plying up two other spindles full of singles yarn -- it just seems so well suited for that.

Before I could ply up those other spindles of yarns, however, I needed to decide what to do with the tee-tiny little practice ball of singles already on the Turkish -- I hated to waste it. Since it was already a center-pull ball, why not ply that to itself? And that is what I did.

To ply my little center-pull ball, I decided to use my Louet top whorl student spindle instead, (top left in this photo), and I just made sure I had it spinning counter-clockwise (S-twist), since the singles were originally spun clockwise (Z-twist).

Here's the resulting tee-tiny hank of 2-ply yarn, all 8 yards of it:

what d'ya think -- fingering weight?

After I plied that tiny ball of yarn, I was just so proud of myself that I had to take pictures, including the obligatory dime-with-yarn photo. (I never knew how much of pain those damn dime photos are!) The fiber, by the way, is a little sample that came with the Turkish spindle, and according to the receipt, it's Crown Mountain Farms Corriedale pencil roving in their "Azure" colorway, (which doesn't appear to be currently available on their website). I'm a big fan of CMF's pencil roving, so was delighted to get another nice sample to play with.

I still haven't gotten around to actually plying up the other two spindles of singles, as was my original intention -- that will have to wait for another day.

And my days are about to become quite full, as tomorrow I start a brand-spanking new job, right here in River City. After 2½ years of self-employment and 8 years of working for people in cities other than my own, I've decided to take a job working for The Man -- the kind of job with a commute and benefits and orientation and evaluations and a dress code. I'm a little daunted by the thought of all that structure again -- I may find myself bristling against it. Here's hoping I don't freak out and run screaming from the building on my first day.

Speaking of a dress code -- how much of a nightmare is the phrase "business casual"? Enough to strike terror in the heart of this fashion-challenged gal. My entire wardrobe consists either of consultant clothes (way-too-formal suits and dresses), or homeless-wear (sweats & t-shirts). Not much in between. So I found myself having to hit a few department stores recently, to try and fill in some gaps. I met with decent success at Talbots and Dillards; Macys and Saks were a total bust. I may try Nordstroms if I can work my way over to Short Pump tomorrow after orientation. I need some decent shoes, too, and Saxon's purports to carry the odd sizes that'll fit my Fred Flintstone feet.

And speaking of orientation, I've got a boat-load of paperwork they want filled out before tomorrow's first day activities, so I guess I can't avoid it any longer -- better get to it.

Nighty-night!

(Doesn't seem fair that my first day is on a federal holiday. And so, the griping begins...).

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Happy VD

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;-)

Go Dukes!

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I am an alumnus of James Madison University who happens to have:

• 2 brothers
• 2 sisters
• 1 brother-in-law
• 2 sisters-in-law

who also attended that same fine school. Therefore, it's no stretch of the imagination to believe that we were all quite beside ourselves when the oldest grandchild decided to attend our fine alma mater, home of the Purple and Gold.


So, I've been wanting to knit my freshman nephew D. a hat to wear around campus, and I finally finished and mailed it to him last week. (See -- I still knit on rare occasions, when not completely consumed by the drop spindle!)

Anyway, here be the hat:

my same basic formula, just different colors

Specs:

• Yarn:
• * Main: Elann Peruvian Uros Aran (50/50 wool/llama) in "Dusky Purple" (#1012), ~100 yards
• * Stripes: Elann Peruvian Uros Aran in "Mayan Gold" (#1190), ~20 yards
• Gauge: 4 stitches per inch
• Needles: U.S. size 8 (5 mm) Clover bamboo 7" DPNs
• Pattern: cast on 88 stitches, join in the round, K2,P2 every round for ~1-2", then knit every round for ~4", add stripes where desired; decrease & finish according to Super Simple Hat Calculator
• Size: ~22" circumference
• Recipient: Nephew D., freshman at JMU

College boy plays snares on the marching band drumline, and last fall they had a "band parents weekend", so a bunch of his JMU-alum aunts and uncles (myself included) horned in on the day to watch the band warm up before the Towson football game.

Here's a little taste of the warm-up:


(Feedblitz email subscribers go here to see video.)


This proud Auntie shot lots more video, but won't bore you with it here.

She will, however, bore you with a few more photos:

the proud parents

I love the following photo because I inadvertently captured the proud papa, (white hat), grandpapa, (green hat), and (bored) cousin (wrapped in brown blanket) in the background:

And yes, he already has a JMU hat, but it's not lovingly handmade by his aunt. So there.


Here's a little bit of the football game:

JMU won

Halftime show:

Here's the best part -- the JMU Marching Band will be performing in this year's Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. Guess where I'll be on the 4th Thursday in November? Anyone know any good places to stay along the parade route? :-)

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Saturday with Friends & Yarn

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Last Saturday, some knitting friends and I participated in a little yarn crawl about an hour east of Richmond. Linda, Issy, Sheddy, and myself met at a local Starbucks, and Linda drove, while my GPS ("Nigel") and I navigated, and Sheddy & Issy provided entertaining commentary from the back seat.

Within an hour we had arrived at our destination:

Sheddy, Linda & Issy

-- none other than the fabulous Knitting Sisters yarn shop in Williamsburg, VA. I'd never been to that shop before, and had heard nothing but good things, so was eager to check out their offerings.

Shortly after our arrival we met up with two more knitting friends:

Robin H. & Pam

Shortly after their arrival, another knitting friend, Jennifer, joined us, and while some of us sat and knit in Knitting Sisters' comfy knitting chairs:

Pam, Linda & Jennifer

...others of us shopped their lovely wares:


They carry a lovely assortment of yarns, and I think if I'd been left to my own devices, I might have put a hurtin' on their inventory, but with the distraction of friends and conversation, I was able to resist, and left there empty-handed. I'll definitely be back there, though, next chance I get!


I couldn't resist capturing a little video of the sheepy cuckoo clock they have on the wall. Check it out:

(Feedblitz email subscribers go here to see video)

On our way back to the car, we walked by a home & garden shop with this gorgeous bench out front:


I love garden benches, and weather-proof concrete is surely tempting, if ridiculously heavy, (and probably outrageously pricey). It's fun to dream, though.

After we left Knitting Sisters, we decided to eat lunch at Old Chickahominy House:


They were fairly busy and couldn't seat us right away, but no matter -- we were able to browse their lovely gift shop while we waited:


Lunch was delicious. I had a basic cheeseburger and a piece of chocolate pie for dessert; others in our group raved about the traditional Brunswick Stew, ham biscuits and coconut pie they were served.

Afterwards, Jennifer made a scruffy friend in the parking lot:



The next stop on our journey was Coordinated Colors yarn shop in Yorktown, (click link at your own risk; it's a very busy website), which has a fairly unassuming exterior:


Inside, we were amazed at the quantity and variety of yarns carried in this shop, where you might find Red Heart in the same aisle right next to the Lily Chin. We all agreed that she carried many yarns we had never heard of; her sock yarn selection was incredible. The store owner told us that she donates much of her discontinued yarns to charity, so if you're a charity knitter, give her a call -- she said she's happy to box up yarns sitting idle in her warehouse and send them on to someplace where they can do some good.

I admired this particular entrelac triangular shawl that was on display:

with a very interesting fringe:


I believe Linda purchased the pattern for this shawl, which was knit with a Jojoland yarn. Seems like Noro Kureyon or Silk Garden would work well for it, too....

But again, I left another yarn shop empty-handed. (What's wrong with me? I don't know, except that I think I'm currently a little disgusted with the size of my yarn stash, and am also currently in more of a fiber and drop spindle purchasing mindset.... Look out Maryland Sheep & Wool!)

After leaving Coordinated Colors, we made another stop, this time at Trader Joe's in Newport News, a first-time visit to this grocery chain for many of us. What an interesting place! They were jam-packed with pre-Super Bowl shoppers, but the checkout lines moved quickly. I managed to grab a few yummy items (granola, chocolate-covered blueberries, sweet potato chips, etc.), which I've been munching on all week. Word is that there's a Trader Joe's coming to Short Pump, (which might as well be Newport News, as far as this southside gal is concerned), but it's a nice store, so I'd be happy to shop there again next time I'm near one.

After we left Trader Joe's, we hopped in our cars and went on our way home, but made one last stop to hit the ladies room:


...and look who was going through the drive-thru at the same time:


Fun times, everyone! Let's do it again!

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I don't mean to be reclusive...

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...but sometimes I'm just quiet.

I'm an introvert, after all, which is why I really don't mind living alone. When I'm working from home, much of my week is spent in quiet solitude, save for the occasional cooing over one cat or another who wants attention. (Single female, lives alone, two cats, knits, gardens -- could I be any more of a cliché?)

Sometimes I get so caught up in my introverted ways that I get out of the habit of blogging. But I do have several things I want to blog about, and hope to accomplish that in the next few days. Right now, however, I thought I'd take a moment to write about where I've been this evening.

I have a small group of friends whom I've known for almost 20 years. When our schedules have allowed, we meet weekly around one friend's kitchen table, to share our joys, weep over sorrows and pray together over ongoing concerns. One friend is retired, one is an accountant, one is a school nurse.

I hadn't seen these friends in months -- we all got busy last summer and just hadn't had a chance to meet in ages. In early December, Linda, the nurse, invited us for a Christmas dinner at her house, but that was hastily postponed after she learned that her only son had been wounded in Iraq. He's now stateside at Walter Reed and recuperating amazingly well, due in no small part to the prayers and good will of many, many folks.

Tonight, Linda was finally ready to host that postponed Christmas dinner, and it was such a joy to see these women I have known and loved for so long, but hadn't seen in months. We picked up right where we left off, and at one point this evening I looked around the dinner table, feeling incredibly blessed, thinking about how long we've known each other, all the things we've carried each other through, and how blessed I was to have that bond.

As we came through the front door tonight and hugged each other hello, Linda couldn't wait to tell us the latest news about this brave son of hers, who just a few weeks ago had made the difficult decision to allow surgeons to amputate his severely damaged leg. Linda told us that today he walked his first few steps on a prosthesis, unaided. His rapid recovery and incredibly high spirits have amazed and inspired friends, family and doctors alike. Again, I feel blessed to be a witness to such a miracle, when by all accounts he should not have even survived the explosion of that IED, the same explosion that took the life of one of his buddies.

As much as I hated missing my fiber friends at knit night tonight, it sure was wonderful to get to see these other friends, and be reminded of how much they mean to me. Here's hoping we'll be able to get back into our regular weekly meeting schedule around the kitchen table. But don't worry, TNK'ers, I'll make sure it's not on Tuesday nights -- you're stuck with me! :-)

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