New camera & fleece fair haul

Yes, I went ot the Fleece Fair in Chelsea. Yes, I remember that I have 2 whole fleeces being processed and another one riding around in my car waiting to party with Carla.
Here's what I bought - all shot with my new Canon AS160 that I'm still figuring out:


Clockwise from upper left:
alpaca/wool
rambouillet perfect chocolate brown
wool/silk from color goddess Jane Purcell
wool/mohair from a newbie color goddess Edie
alpaca -RED



Angelina, soy silk (reds) & My name is Ingeo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die.
Really can any one look at ingeo & not think of that?











The fleece fair great fun. There were so many people that I know now in Michigan spinning land, and I even made some new friends - one of whom I relenquished an 8oz globe of Edie's roving to & damn if I can remember her name. She and herher friends were so cool. Buying roving because the color looked like tomato soup (with milk) cool.

Half of our wee knitting group was there:
Carla (of course), Lynne, Nancy (who doesn't spin, but buys fiber for Lynne to make her yarn), Dynese and newbie spinner (she learned two weeks ago) Emily - who bought about 2 pounds of roving - she had no fun.

Quote of the day goes to Emily's fiance:
"I look at this as an investment in my sports watching time." (He keeps her company spinning/knitting by watching sports)

Did he pay for it too, Emily?







ooooh, macro

Tagged

4 Jobs I'’ve had in my life:

• logic tutor
• marketing director - corporate style
• new product development - publishing style
• mom

4 Movies I can watch over and over:

• Jane Austen adaptations - any version
• Nashville
• Brazil
• Secret of Roan Inish

4 TV Shows I love to watch:

• House
• Lost
• Twin Peaks
• Nigella

4 Places I have lived:

• Silver Spring, MD
• Lawrence, KS
• Ft. Collins, CO
• Austin, TX

4 Places I have been on holiday:

• all 48 contiguous US states
• Ireland
• Germany
• Puerto Rico

4 of my favorite dishes:

• barbeque - ribs - KC style sauce
• sushi
• mole
• fish sticks and mashed potatoes

4 Websites I visit daily:

• Bloglines
• horoscopes
• A2 library
• Pink is the new blog (celebrity gossip)

4 Places I would rather be right now:

• Lawrence
• New Mexico
• any place warm
• laughing with friends anywhere
  

4 Bloggers I am tagging:

• Carla
• Amy
• Shannon
• Kristi
  

Do not fear the bun

I feared the bun. But I fear it no more.
I've had an irrational fear of spinning angora, then I was compelled to order this:










Gorgeous, no? 40% angora, merino & some silk. I could stand it I had to spin. Luckily I had my new Hatchtown handy and fiber free. Butter doesn't even come close. The roving was so fluffy I didn't even have to shake it out before spinning. The colors? My suck-job camera doesn't do them justice - there's depth & luminosity, most gorgeous.
See Kim at The Woolen Rabbit. Though it looks like she doesn't have any of the 40% bun now.

Silliness

Why are these things so fun? Why do I read 5 different horoscopes every morning looking for one I like (only positives, please!)?

Ten Top Trivia Tips about Jillian!

1. Abraham Lincoln, who invented jillian, was the only US president ever granted a patent!
2. Jillianomancy is the art of telling the future with jillian!
3. The liquid inside jillian can be used as a substitute for blood plasma!
4. There are 336 dimples on jillian!
5. During World War II, Americans tried to train jillian to drop bombs.
6. It takes 8 minutes for light to travel from the Sun's surface to jillian!
7. Jillian is worth her weight in gold - literally!
8. Jillian has 118 ridges around the edge.
9. Jillian is the only one of the original Seven Wonders of the World that still survives.
10. Peanuts and jillian are beans.

I am interested in - do tell me aboutherhimitthem

In Fleece news, Carla & I decided to process one fleece (polwarth) ourselves and send the other two (merino - so greasy! and gotland - so felty!) out to be processed.

In Spinning news , I was so excited to swatch (I'm a freak, I love to swatch) with some super wash merino that I actually dried it with a blow dryer. My gorgeous Hatchtown spindle came & I'm making myself finish half of my to do list before I can try her out.

In Knitting news, I do still knit. I've had 2 designs accepted for Amy's No Sheep book, and another monster project in the works. I'm going ot have to hire Stunt Knitters this year, know any? I need to start a carry along project.

Fleece Fair this Saturday Beach Middle School in Chelsea, Michigan. Who's shopping?

How about those Knitting Olympians? I am awed and inspired. And completely envious of the Canadian kick-off party - silly drunken knitters are my favorite.

Baaaaaaaaa!

Merino

My fleeces came from Treenway today! They are sheepy in a good way & hardly dirty.
Behold their fuzzy majesty:


Merino












Polwarth











Gotland - no drooling ,it felts verrry easily!












Lookie what's coming my way:

A Hatchtown Kaari!!!!!
Black walnut/Cherry .95 oz

I've wanted one of these forever. Well since I spun on Carla's.
It was the first spindle I spun on that didn't feel like it was all going to come flying apart (the spinning not the spindle).
So, thanks Jim & gee, thanks Carla - extra special enabler.

Yarn & more yarn

Handspun yarn:


A Color Me roving - 100% wool top, color 'sizzling' (bought at Threadbear - fiber holyland) plied randomly.








SW Merino a gift from supergrrl Shannon. Hand dyed in her dishwasher. Curious about dishwasher dying? Check out the next issue of Knittyspin. Subtle, effing, subtle.







The 100 th day of school is coming up in these parts. Isobel wanted to bring 100 balls of yarn, she settled for 100 snips of yarn. We got out 100 balls & snipped and snapped away:

Big Girls

I know, I know, I always have some smart ass thing to say. But today I got a 'real' copy of Big Girl Knits.
It's an advance copy drop shipped from the printer in Hong Kong. The copies for yarn stores are having a leisurely boat journey - they'll be availible in April.


I took her outside for a little photoshoot.
She's gorgeous, printed on lucious glossy paper.











We got so many great quotes from people about the book - Deb Stoller, Pam Allen , Melanie Falick, Sally Melville and Vickie Howell - that they filled up the back and we had to put some of them on the inside flaps of the jacket.














I love the spine, it's all cute and polka dotty.
Sigh.