The Best Days Ever

The house has been a hub of activity the last few days. Toni, Pearl and Mike...Many times, many favours ......from seaming to label sewing and printing and knitting I think we have it all covered. Oh, except for the wall and the hangtags...and all the children's sweaters...

It will happen....Day 4 of detox completed has me feeling better than I have in ages. My brain feels sharper, creativity more fluid. I highly recommend this two week torture to everyone....hey, no one likes to suffer alone.

Today was all about felting and I should have some results to post soon, but in the meantime, here's something I made while at the theatre last night. I'm sorry if anyone thinks it's rude to crochet at live theatre, ......but I need my culture boost and have a show deadline!

With now having every cable channel in the universe at my disposal the knitting is even more late night than usual. There are some great movies to knit to at 3AM. Really.

Drowning in Batts

So many things to knit, so little time, but I find now that whenever I am feeling a bit overwhelmed that cranking the drum carder just clears my mind. Today I received what can only be considered pounds of lincoln locks...It's outstanding to see 5-7 inches of curly cues in every colour in the rainbow...

I have a pound of white locks, several smaller bags of magenta, purples, pinks, blues....and my absolute favourite....a natural charcoal. To die for. I am expecting some merino in slate grey any day now and can hardly wait to see what fun I will have with it..

Oh yes, I think I will post a batt a day and it's inspiration up until Circle Craft and then it will be all show news.

So here's today's batt. Tea Roses

John and I are on the 2nd day of a 2 week detox. We thought it might be a nice idea to suffer together and yet, we are both chipper, alert, euphoric and really enjoying some home cooked meals after all the restauranting in Whistler all summer. It definitely took it's toll on us energy wise and it's been a long time since I've given myself and my liver such a nice present.

TMI----I know, but this weird sense of calm and well being is not usual for me. I like things at a more frantic pace.

Oh, and I have knit and crocheted some very adorable things (if I say so myself).

"Batt'ing a Thousand.....

.....in terms of inspiration I am at my apex. Everything I see can be translated and blended on the drum carder. Things I would have never thought possible before.....For example, please enjoy this photo of my cat.

She is the most amazing colours. Brown, grey, caramel, cream, taupe...a little bit of everything. She is beautifully blended.....

Something like this.....I added a bit of glitz (just for personality).. I am thrilled with the outcome and it spun up like a dream into this.. I started thinking willow branches, then pussy willows

This is plied with Kid Silk Haze and the pussy willows are felted merino. Time stopped for me today as it all fell into place.

I feel like I already made my money back on the drum carder. Being able to translate colour so delicately is something new for me, but something I'm meant to do. If you are interested in the yarn, or the hat, please let me know. I would be thrilled for the excuse to make them both again.

New Toys

If you told me a year ago, or six months ago that I needed a deli scale for my house, I would have called you crazy. I would have assumed you thought I ate inhuman amounts of lunch meat. In other words...it just wouldn't happen.

And now, I am the proud mama of this grand dame. This baby is huge. No more trying to stuff rovings, fleece and batts into something that is meant to weight 50 grams of boiled turkey breast. Isn't she a beauty? I call her Mildred after the woman who might have worked the Kresge's lunch counter that many years ago.

Now I don't have to do math.... And the batts are not crushed and displayed in their full loveliness. Please enjoy Whistler White.

This is a lovely blend of merino, camel, wensleydale, corriedale, glitz and wensleydale locks. It spun like a dream and I plied it with a kid mohair - silk blend.

So lovely, that I had to crochet it into a hat immediately....not this one coming up, but something equally fun. Who knew my spinning inspiration could be reignited by a deli scale....Thanks Pearl.

Grapes of Wrath

Spinning is a great way to break the routine of the serious knitting and seaming. Anything to change things up a bit as I am getting into the home stretch. The new wool is spinning up beautifully and the colours....well see for yourself.

The deep wine tones in the batt range from a deep red to a true purple and just about everything in between. I threw in a small bit of lavender and then decided to make that the pop of the piece. I plied this with an incredible wool/kid mohair blend that gives it the most amazing haze.

Yarn stats.

70 yards
160 grams
thick, thin spin
suggested needle size 8mm.

It was almost too much for the kiwi to take....and just to make sure that it is a perfect yarn for you all, I've decided to test knit it myself. Okay, I realize that this is a bit greedy of me, but you want your yarn perfect, don't you?


It's a full house this morning and a road trip to Dressew. Best get some housework done. At least clear a path to the door that is free of wool, roving, batts, knitting, fabric and WIPs.

Knit and spin yourself silly today. I sense it's going to be that kind of day.

Asleep at the Wheel....

... .or my version of sleep knitting. I realize that I have created a very tight schedule for myself. But with the help of friends, it's all coming together. So why I fell asleep last night while knitting is a mystery to me. Even more puzzling is the fact that John let me sleep with the needles and half done work in my lap even more so.....

until I found out he fell asleep at his computer with work he brought home from the company as well. Two workaholics in once household does not a balanced life make.

In case anyone is wondering what I have been up to, I have taken PluckyFluff to heart and fallen in love with the translucent yarn technique. It is a bit awkward to spin but the results are tantamount to spinning a cloud.

You start with a core yarn (which thanks to Joan's donation) I have been fortunate enough to use silk as a core. It has such luster and strength that it is perfect for this task. The fleece itself is carded wensleydale, merino and camel. The goal in spinning is to actually see the core thread through the clouds.

Crochet just seemed like a better option for the finished wool. Something that would be a bit more open and airy. This is a very warm yarn, but surprisingly light.

And now back to the mess and hand. This is what I fell asleep on last night.
So, just a bit of untangling, a PST filing and a nice hot bath and sleeping in my bed. What a novel concept!

If an apple a day, keeps the doctor away......

I think these people will live forever.

The start of the Festival is exciting and mystifying... I haven't seen line up this long for the Rolling Stones.


Within hours on the first day, several varietals and tasting times were sold out. The enthusiasm for the simple apple is staggering.

I missed getting the photos of the sticky faces and fingers enjoying caramel apples, pie, chips and all things apple-like.

I was able to spend the two days with Claire vending next to me. I enjoy her work immensely. I also found out this weekend that she feels the same way about paper that I feel about wool!

Although rain and cloud was predicted, we didn't get either. There is something about this festival that makes it poor weather immune. I am so glad. The last thing I need right now is a hundred apple hats drying in the basement.

I felt the love. I soaked up the sunshine. I was able to take it all in. Friends stopped by --Toni, thank you for the Americano, I savoured it all morning. It was nice to see Holli, who is extremely busy teaching right now, but managed to get Devon out to enjoy the day.

The best part of the day when it was all over the 2nd day. The tents were gone, the crush of people had left and the botanical gardens were returned to normal. Relatively undisturbed by the massive human interference of the event.

And even better than this (if it can get any better). My tent is put away for the season. No more outdoor shows until May 2009. Now that's something to celebrate...I think I'll have an apple.