Physical Therapy

I consulted the same 'Doctor' who told me my ankle and knee were merely sprained not broken.

She subscribed me unlimited spinning on Rosie for PT, and no housecleaning for the next 3 days. I mean really, do you realize how much spinning works your ankles? Just nice gentle repetitive motion...

I love my 'Doctor', and so does Rosie, she's been sitting all neglected in the corner, poor thing.

Blue Christmas

I'm into blue right now evidently. Blue reminds me of the ocean, of the sunset, of the sky, and all the shades in between. There are no colors that I really get tired of, but I think blue makes everyone happy. It surrounds you with a level of peace.

Blue Caribbean scarf

Blue hat

Blue merino/cashmere yarn

And of course we need happy colors here because we got another 20 inches of snow over the weekend. I have pictures, but I'll save those for another post. Except for these as an illustration as to how deep this snow is, remember, we already had quite a bit on the ground.

That is a 7 foot high sign, the snow is piled so high you can't see around corners

And it makes snow mountains and sculptures

The Painted Tiger

I get several fiber clubs. Some with knitting patterns, some without. In my crazy day that was October, I didn't get a lot of spinning done (understatement), especially the last couple weeks. But I got 2 of my fiber clubs from The Painted Tiger partially spun.

This one is from September, isn't it gorgeous? Love the fall type colors.

And then there is October. Sometimes fiber clubs surprise you. This one, I fell head over heels in love with, though I probably would never have purchased it myself.

Neptune is also obsessed with my fiber from TPT. Why? I think it's the name. Neptune always helps me to unpack boxes but when TPT comes he rolls in the fiber, and takes it over kneading it into a batt for me. He and I have come to the agreement he can play with it, and lay in it unless it's what I'm spinning. Anyway, here is Thriller!! I still miss Michael Jackson every day, but this brought a smile to my face - and to Neptune's!

We may have to come to some sort of agreement about TPT yarn too...

Biggest Spinner and other absolute randomness

I tried starting fingerless mitts tonight. Of course I didn't have the right size needle (why do I never have the right size needle?) and first they were really too big (baby hat size), then almost right, (but still too big), and then a smidge too small. I am still working on that one under the theory that they'll stretch. I'm knitting them in this lovely merino/angora yarn that I made The Sock out of back in April. It's beautiful yarn. Really too nice for socks, but would be so warm for fingerless mitts. If I can ever get gauge.

Definitely too small. Probably doing it wrong anyway. Frog.

I started knitting because my wrist is killing me, I think I pulled something spinning yesterday. Or maybe working at my real job. Or a combination of both. In any case, I thought that spinning might make it worse. Knitting didn't seem to stress it.

Spot the real cat

Meanwhile I am feeling guilty because I am not working out while watching the first episode of the Biggest Loser, instead I am nursing a spinning injury. Oh well, maybe people will think I got it in spin class.. Good story anyway.


Favorite things pictures: One of my tanks. Last night I did the filter in this one, and despaired of ever getting it looking good again. But it's decent tonight. We won't talk about the turtle tank where I killed the filter, only to have it miraculously revive in the middle of the night. Still a good reminder I should probably stop buying fiber and instead get the canister filter I've been meaning to buy for Slider.

Random fish tank picture

My new angelfish. I can't seem to keep them alive in this hard water so don't get all bonded. But this time I'm trying them in an established planted tank. If it works, I'll plant a bigger tank, age it,and set them up in there. Cause I love them. The upper picture is the same tank, with my rescue Blood Parrot. He was almost dead at Walmart and I took him home. That was 18 months ago. He's still little, but growing!

I knew I forgot something!

Like the 5th yarn that I'd spun, a fun N-ply skein of around 50 yards. It's from Fleecemakers. Isn't it pretty?!

Strangely enough, I found this skein, downstairs in a plastic bag that was open on a table. My question is, how did it get there? I blame the cats. Seriously, they probably did carry it down there.

I also spun and plied this today. It's the August Fondle This! Club offering from Spunky Eclectic. It's supposed to be made into fingerless mitts. This holds great possibilities. Though I spun this a bit too fine. I got 200 yards here. I could cable it, but I think it's fine. It's merino/angora, so pretty, so soft.

Yarn, what yarn? I don't see any yarn!

Falling Through Time

Is anyone else looking back and going where did 2010 GO?! I am! It's becoming fall in Minnesota. This is a good thing in some ways.

It means:

• The mosquito swarms are calming down.
• There are apples for apple sauce, apple butter, apple cake, apple pie!
• There are pumpkins to cheer us up.
• Cool crisp mornings
• Warm afternoons
• The trees are turning from green to reds, and the crops to gold.
• It's time to cook hearty stews, or today, chicken and dumplings. Which make the house smell amazing, and makes everyone happy.

However, the fact that fall starts here in September is just wrong. It should still be late summer.

The fact it leads into winter, snow, and blizzards is tragic.

Fall colors!

I am still preparing. My September spinning is going well, though I keep getting sidetracked from my goal yarns. Now I'm spinning something for a special project. Or else maybe I'll use commercial yarn, and do the project. I am rather hoardish about my one of a kind handspun. I admit that.

Starting with the silvery gray on the left: 250 yards of merino/silk Ashland Bay. 
Brown in the middle, cormo/alpaca 150 yards
Gold and pink on the right: pure silk (A verb for keeping warm, I think) 200 yards
On the bottom in the hot pink 140 bulky yards. Paintedtiger.com

All Navajo-plied. Only 4 skeins this week, but hey, it's another 4 down, and this was a heavy work week around here.

American Idol Finale

And spinning time... I got one of my fiber club subscriptions today, and I loved it. So Spunky Clubs Fields of Screams became this.. The 4 oz behind it is half spun. I'll finish it in the morning before work.



As for American Idol, I'm just glad Lee didn't pass out on the stage though that would have made for exciting live TV! And I wonder if all contestants have to sign a contract saying they'll sing corny songs together for the rest of their life on the show..

And here beginneth the sock quest

First let me say I am a spinner. My knitting is simply a way to utilize the yarn I spin. Spinning is relaxing, spinning is a way I keep in touch with the earth. After all, the earth spins too.

Knitting was a rebellious thing. First see above about utilizing yarn. Second, I came from a crocheting family. A conservative crocheting family. I am a liberal knitter. It was my version of mild rebellion. Besides, crocheting involves counting. Inevitably when I crochet my straight lines become curves, knitting I don't have to count - as much.

So I am a champion scarf knitter. Thick scarves, skinny scarves, short ones, fat ones. My scarves are a veritable Seuss book of variety. I never wear them, I simply gaze at them where they sit in a drawer interspersed with hats, and crocheted items done by my fiber talented mother and sister. My knitted scarves simply exist to be.

And then there is the sock dilemma. I have no interest in championship fair-isle knitting, or in learning entrelac technique. I am quite thrilled with my knit and purl stitch. But I posses a burning desire to knit a sock. Actually a pair of socks. This has sat in the back of my mind for 2 years now while I churned out yarn and scarves. Just a basic sock is all. I did attempt it once.. I got about an inch in, realized it was too small and set it down never to find it again.

But lately, I have refocused and resolved to knit a sock. Actually a pair of socks. Socks that I will wear on the cold frigid Minnesota winter nights. This is late April. That means I have approximately 4 months or 16 weeks before winter nights are here again.

And so begins the sock quest..