Anchorage is currently getting its first real snow of the season. We had about an inch or two earlier this month, but this is the first sustained snow. It's a winter wonderland! Especially so because everyone puts up white christmas lights in their yard or on their porch to light things up during the *long* winter nights (today's sunrise: 9:10. today's sunset: 4:17.) The effect is very festive.
I've been alarmed to read how all of my blogging compatriots are already doing ... or, god forbid, have finished ... their holiday knitting. I guess I should resign myself to the fact that there's not really going to be any holiday knitting this year. I'll be lucky to FINALLY finish the lace scarf I started in March! (And no way am I giving that away!).
If I were a good person, I would at least finish Indiana's baby blanket before her impending first birthday. If only.....
and one more thing before i got off to work this cold dark morning (aren't they all?). check out this great directory o' hat patterns!
speaking of hats, here's some food for thought. a friend of terry's (a boy, naturally) asked me yesterday, "not that I'm thinking of doing this, but how much of my own hair would I need to spin and knit into a hat?" anyone? anyone?
hoo boy! exciting times in midtown anchorage yesterday. fortunately, that wasn't my green subaru.
Since I've been so absent lately ... thought I'd post something useful to the spinners in my e-life. I recently ran across (thanks to the Spindlers group on yahoo) this great big list o' folks who process fiber.
Could come in handy someday, she says, gazing over at that big stack o' unprocessed fleeces....
Goodness I didn't realize it'd been so long since I posted anything here. I guess it's been a commensurately long time since I've done anything fiber-y.
A few weeks ago I went to the Anchorage Yarn Expo -- pleasant enough, but it was no Stitches-West. In fact, it wasn't even the entryway to Stitches-West. But I did buy some merino-silk blend roving, and have had a dreamy time spinning that up.
In particular, it was a nice break from what I was spinning before -- uncarded locks of black shetland fleece, "in the grease." Actually, I should take a photo of that -- I feel like I spun and plied that stuff for days, and when I knit it up I had about a washcloth's worth of yarn. Unbelievable. Part of the problem was that I Navajo-plied it, so the length shrinks to 1/3 what it was. I needed to ply it because the singles weren't very strong, but I didn't have 2 bobbins worth (and actually I've never plied anything using my so-called Lazy Kate that Mr. Purl,Interrupted made for me. We never got the tensioning part right, so I don't know if it'll work. SO I really only know how to Navajo ply. Which, while cool, really kills the volume of whatever you're working on...).
Anyway, so I took a break from the smelly stuff and spun some dreamy, dreamy silk. All I can say is ... wow. That's nice stuff.
Unfortunately, my shoulder started bugging me a lot and I started to get the idea that maybe I'm not supposed to be spinning yet. Maybe I'll try some knitting and see if that's any better for my arm. Karrie sent me a nifty vest pattern, so I need to see if I have any knitting skills left after a long hiatus. Sadly, I still don't have a knitting group here in Anchorage, but apparently knitting guild folks meet at a cafe on sundays, so maybe I can go check that out and force myself to be social and productive.
My only other fiber development: I recently purchased Alden Amos's Big Book of Handspinning. Now I have something to do during those long Alaska nights.
Speaking of which ... it's cold here now. Damn cold. I'm about to go outside and start up my poor little car in the 11 degree temps. I think it's time to buy one of those auto-starter things you can activate from inside your house and start your car. Ah, perchance to dream>...