My Summer Camp Dreams

My Summer Camp Dreams

It’s Tuesday and you know that means that Carole is wondering about something. This week she wants to know:

10 Things You Loved About Summer Camp

Well….

This poses a serious problem for me, because I never attended summer camp as a child.

I know. Talk about deprived!

However, it did get me thinking…If I could go to summer camp now, what would it look like?

  1. Knitting Camp, I mean really – how could this NOT be fun.
  2. CIA Boot Camp seems like the perfect way to spend a week!
  3. Or perhaps Wine Camp could be the thing!
  4. And after Wine Camp, the only thing to do is to go to Cheesemaking Camp, of course!
  5. Spy Camp? Really, this could be so.much.fun. Sans stilettos, of course.
  6. Perhaps something to rekindle my inner child at Soul Camp
  7. There are options galore at the John C. Campbell Folk School.
  8. Perhaps Language Immersion at one of the Concordia Language Villages?
  9. Knitting in Provence, Tuscany, or Norway – I mean really. Can I leave now?
  10. Yoga and Nora Gaughan Camp…in Maine.

There you have it, Gentle Reader – a plethora of choices for the camp yearning adult. Where would you go?

Photo courtesy of bluebirdsandteapots

Weekend Meditations

Weekend Meditations

It was a rather somber weekend here in light of the news of the past week – it seemed a bit wrong to be overly excited about a weekend when you take into consideration the families whose lives were forever altered last week.

PicMonkey Collage

But, there were meals shared and we caught up on The Great British Baking Show, which is perhaps the best cooking competition show ever.

There was spinning, which was most meditative.

There was a minute amount of knitting (3 rows on the last clue for the Mystery Shawl)

I crossed an item off my summer bucket list – I treated myself to a pedicure on Sunday and my feet are so happy about it!

I “taught” (Thanks YouTube!) myself some rudimentary crochet skills this weekend so I can make a little something for a certain someone who is turning ONE this month. To all those people who say it is much faster than knitting – these 2 squares took me hours to make. So, crochet for me is so not faster than knitting, so this is not likely to be completed before the big day. Also, instructions that have multiple country abbreviations are likely to cause problems. I have simplified the pattern (by printing out the US only instructions, omitting the UK instructions which are not the same but, really – why aren’t crochet terms universal?) Anyways, I think I am on track now, and I have started another block and it is full steam ahead!

Book Bingo Card

I also read and read and read! Hamilton: The Revolution by Lin-Manuel Miranda. What amazing dialog, what fantastic photos! What incredible history! And, I am using it for a square on my Book Bingo – Nonfiction in a graphic novel format. Last week Carole helped me out with a suggestion for ‘A literary magazine or journal.’ I read the latest issue of The New Yorker as well this weekend. I am now sufficiently immersed in all things political (I hope you can read the sarcasm here as apparently, politics has become life as we know it!) I am also almost done with A Man Called Ove – I should have it finished tonight at the very latest. This has me excited, because I have some very good things in my Kindle queue!

Here is hoping that this week will be much kinder and gentler everywhere.

How was your weekend? Care to share?

Fiber Friday: In Search of a Yellow Jersey

Fiber Friday: In Search of a Yellow Jersey

yel·low jer·sey

 noun

  1. (in a cycling race involving stages, especially the Tour de France) a yellow jersey worn by the overall leader in a cycle race, at the end of any one day, and ultimately presented to the winner.

I have been spinning up a storm in week one of the Tour. I have spun up the Columbia rolags, the Merino/Yak roving, and the Gotland roving. I am working through the vintage batts, and I have to tell you, while I was skeptical about how this would look at the start, I am LOVING how this looks spun up!

Still to come: Montadale top and Coopworth roving.

I am not sure how much time I will get to spin this weekend, and day one of “rest” comes on Monday.

The next rest day is July 19, but there is plenty of time yet to spin.

Let’s talk about spinning and plying for a minute. I think that I have been in a real spinning rut – same kind of yarn spun every time had pretty much been my modus operandi. However, I broke out of that shell significantly over the last year in the Sheepspot Fiber Club. I tried new things, spun fibers differently, and generally learned that not all fiber should be spun the same way. While, in theory this might make sense – it did not to me. I had my preferred rhythm and drafting method – don’t move my cheese, right?

Well, it moved and I found I liked it in the new spot!

I envisioned this Merino/Yak spun in a worsted weight yarn that would be soft and squishy, like the fiber was. I think I nailed it. I wish you could feel how soft it is. I have not set the twist yet, because I think I am going to re-ply, it could be better and more uniform.

That gets me to plying…that was truly my log jam in spinning. I can spin a nice single, however plying is a hit and miss prospect for me. More misses than hits. I have tried plying with Scotch Tension, but it really is awkward for me. The take up is sometimes too hard, and I think that does not allow enough twist into the yarns.

But, I watched a couple of videos last week that really were huge “aha” moments for me. One by Rachel Smith, aka welfordpurls (which will be available to the public in a couple of weeks) and one by Sasha Torres, aka Sheepspot.

So, I sat down at my wheel and left it in double drive and tried the things that Rachel and Sasha talked about. And, guess what…THEY WORKED!! I am so excited by this, you just cannot imagine and it has really spurred me to finish up the spinning project for my sweater. I have the singles spun, but I have been holding off because of my inept plying abilities! I will definitely be plying those singles up ASAP. The fear has been vanquished!

Update on TTL MKAL – I finished clue #4 – I know! YES! I have not started clue #5 but I am sure I will at some time this weekend.

All in all, it was a fantastic week in fiber!

Friday Linkage:

That’s all I have for this week, I have miles to go in search of that elusive yellow jersey!! Have a fantastic weekend! See you back here on Monday!

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An Update, More or Less

An Update, More or Less

The first half of the year is behind us, and I thought it was a good time to check in with this post and see how I am doing on the things I want to do less and the things I want to do more.

Starting off with the weighing less and moving more – there is indeed less of me (almost 20 pounds less of me), which means there has been more moving. This is such a good thing and I am enjoying wearing clothes that did not fit (or did not fit well)! I have more energy, and feel better about myself.

This also means that the focus on healthier eating is definitely in the win column.

I am sorry to say that hand stitching has fallen by the wayside, which makes me sad – especially seeing the beautiful stitching that Bonnie Sennott does each day. I am going to get back on track with this by adding stitching to my daily calendar and I also moved my stitching to my desk – so it is visible to me. I am hoping that the combination of these things will help.

However, in spite of the lack of stitching, there has been lots of making in the first half of the year!

PicMonkey Collage

I am feeling much more organized, but there are still some places in my life that need a bit of Kon-Mari. I am not sure that will happen yet this summer, but maybe if there are a couple of good rainy days it might get started! It is not easy to work in the basement when it is so glorious outside.

Now the hard part – the complaining/gratitude balance in my life. As you know, I have struggled with this. It seems that being grateful is a difficult process, at least for me. So, I started a daily gratitude page in my journal. I am just writing a simple word or phrase about something I am grateful for that day. It does not happen every day, but it is happening more than it did! I am not sure this is eliminating the complaining in my life, but it is causing me to stop and think.

Did you make resolutions this year? How are you doing on them?

Holiday Hangover

Holiday Hangover

Trying to get back into the rhythm of the week after a long weekend has not been easy this week. I am off my game, seriously behind, and today I am determined to get this train back on track.

It is a new day – a do over, as it were.

So, with list in hand – I am on a mission to get things done today.

Included on the list is to finish clue four on the TTL MKAL.

But, before I can do that there is a kitchen and a bathroom on my list.

Oh, and laundry.

Good thing I have something excellent in my ears today –  The Summer Before the War will make the work lighter so I can get to those last 10 rows! I finished up Dead Water and thus filled another square on my Book Bingo card! No bingo’s yet – and now comes the hard work of the card..

Book Bingo Card

Have a fantastic Wednesday. Joining Ginny in her Yarn Along.

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