In a week that just FLEW by, we find ourselves at the start of the weekend.
This week there was lots of spinning! Some spindle spinning.
And lots of wheel spinning.
And, this really was just a couple of evenings worth of spinning. I had forgotten how quickly spinning can go if you just sit down and do it! Haha!
I am happy to report that I am 1/3 of the way to spinning for my sweater. I hope to have the spinning completed next week. This is a doable goal as we have a weekend of much colder temps and, yes, more rain, so outdoor work will be curtailed.
I have been reading some really good posts on Rachel’s blog and if you want to learn more about fiber, she shares some great information! Plus, Fiber Friday is such a great thing!
Now for some rabbit hole links for your knitting (and spinning) edification:
In an attempt to hold myself accountable to the blasted list….
Listening: To Cleopatra, the new album by the Lumineers. It is so good.
Reading: Cockroaches by Jo Nesbo and Mink River by Brian Doyle. Still. I know. Hopefully this will be the last post in which I lament to you that I am still.reading.them!
Watching: The final season of Wallander on PBS starring Kenneth Branagh. Need I say more?
Cleaning: The Black Hole of a Freezer. Yes, I am crossing this off the list! Boo Yeah!
Planting: Onions and garlic. Tomatoes and peppers are on deck this weekend!
Harvesting: Rhubarb. Syrup making to commence shortly and it will perhaps be featured in tomorrow’s Cocktail. But, at the very least, there will be Rhubarb Sodas!
Anticipating: Our usual Friday Snacks and Cocktails – life has been busy the past couple of weeks and I have missed them tremendously.
Contemplating: If anticipating Friday Cocktails signifies something. I am not sure, but I am not contemplating any kind of meetings so I think I am okay!
Planning: A summer long knit-a-long for anyone who wants to participate. Details coming next week, stay tuned!
Grateful: That tomorrow is Friday, or should I say FriYAY!
That is my life in a right now kind of moment. What does your right now look like?
It’s already Wednesday?? Does anyone else feel like this week is just flying by?! Here it is the week is almost half over, I still have lots of stuff on my “To Do” list. This is perhaps because my list this week is filled with things I really don’t like to do and I just cannot procrastinate about them any longer.
Yes, I am an expert at procrastination!
However, today is Yarn Along and I should be sharing what I am knitting and reading today, but I have been carding rolags to spin for a sweater. My basket was full of rolags and I started spinning yesterday, and have two equal bobbins that are ready for plying.
I also pulled out the November Sheepspot Fiber Club Coopworth roving and spun half of it up last night. I will ply it today and get the second half of the fiber spun up.
My reading has been in fits and spurts. I read nothing all weekend and have two books that I need to get finished so I can return them to the library. I am about halfway through both of them and it is really inexcusable that I have not finished them! I am a reading slacker!! But, we have more rain in the forecast so the outdoor gardening work is in a holding pattern so I think I will find time to get them finished this week.
The leaves of Pincha are growing slowly and I have a sock in the wings as well.
As you can see, I have plenty to keep me busy, but my list calls! What is nagging you on your list this week?
On Friday, we headed off early with the thought of stopping along the way to do a little sightseeing. It was not raining in Pittsburgh, however the closer we got to Maryland the darker and more ominous it got!
And, before we crossed the Pennsylvania state line, the rain started.
Hard rain.
Sheets of rain.
Yeah. Stopping along the way was not an option. However, the hotel was fantastic and we were glad to have a dry place to stay for the night.
It did not rain on Saturday even though it looked like it could at any moment. However, the mud.
Oh, man, the mud! Neither one of us planned for the mud! This kept us out of some of the vending areas. Lesson learned, be prepared for anything!
However, we got there bright and early to get in line for a Jenny the Potter mug! And we were successful – not one, but two mugs were obtained! And it was so nice to talk with Decibelle Doughnut and Janie Sparkles Dad, Stephen Houghton, we talked bread. My bread book list has grown by one and I am going to hopefully have some seedy rye guys in my future! Jenny the Potter’s booth was the best place to start the festival!
We went from there to Amy King’s booth. A huge fan girl moment for me – having been a Spunky Club member, and having taken her Craftsy class on spinning. Can I just say that she is more lovely and generous in person!
The line at Miss Babs was legendary.The crowds were not at all daunted by the weather or the mud. It was so nice to be surrounded by people who love fiber, sheep, and wool!
However, I heard that there was a Flat Iron present and I really wanted to see it! It did not disappoint. Oh, man. Want! The footprint of the wheel is so manageable if you live with limited space! I am eagerly awaiting them to be on the market soon!
We saw sheep. So. Many. Sheep!
Almost the best part of the trip was seeing so many different breeds. I even saw some of the Roclans Farms sheep – they won some nice awards with their fleeces at the festival this year and their sheep are really beautiful!
I met up with the group from Sheepspot. Janelle even had freshly spun and plied Perendale yarn from the latest Breed Club shipment! Gorgeous yarn, Janelle!
We headed off to the Fleece Sale and I turned around and before my eyes was Clara Parkes. My mouth engaged before my brain and I said her name perhaps a bit loud. Her manners were far better than mine as she asked me if I was enjoying the festival. Clara, thank you for your being so gracious in light of my star-struck-stupidity! But, really. Clara Parkes, people!
I looked at a good number of fleeces but did not succumb to the temptation. I actually was fairly moderate in my purchases! Outside of the Jenny the Potter Mugs, I only left with a skein of Briar Rose Fiber’s Stella, a batt from ITW, and a very unique skein from Wool out of Wales!
By late afternoon on Saturday Steve was ready to go, so we got in the car and headed back towards Pittsburgh. The drive home seemed to go much quicker than the drive there. I even managed to get a few pictures of the trees in various stages of new leaf growth – a beautiful tapestry of green covering the mountains around us.
On Sunday, the sun was shining brilliantly here and while my Mother’s Day was quiet with all my kids scattered about the country! I did spend some time in the garden in the sun. The temperatures were moderate and the sun felt so wonderful. My herb garden is planted and I also got some eggplant in.
There was even a bit of knitting time later on in the day. The perfect ending to a wonderful weekend!
