Yes, She Does

Spin, that is. I've done posts about a lot of things (mostly opportunities to buy stuff), but I actually USE the stuff I buy too.

I wrote about a trip to the mountains and a sale by Kid Hollow Farm (KHF ). This is the first I've spun from that. I carded in some gold firestar to add a little spark. I got 3 skeins of about 150 yds each which is becoming a shawl.


Very soft and smooshy!

This is another batch from KHF - fuschia, teal and purple. I happened to have some silk in those colors too, so I'm carding the two into fluffy rovings of the individual colors!


I like the sheen the single has.


To relax from all this carding I'm spinning this lovely Butterfly Girl batt from this summer.


I want to use it with that cashmere/silk blend for a shawl or wrap. If anybody reads this, I could use suggestions.


Back in October we went to the Virginia Fall Fiber Festival and I got an Alpaca/Merino blend.

Half became a Christmas scarf, and half went off for sale in a LYS.


And I really have been knitting with my handspun. This is the shrug I have been making from my first usable stuff (Sea cell and wool).


Check Ravelry for details!


Well that's about it for now. I'm off to work on my February Lady's Sweater, because I WILL finish it in February!

My Podcasts are Back!

My year started out right with episodes of both Cast On and Craftlit after what seemed like a long hiatus. Since I got high speed internet and my first MP3 player I have reveled in the wealth of audio entertainment – both crafting and non-crafting related.

When I first started out I would listen to anything. That changed REAL fast. The first podcasts were long established ones with wonderful production values. Well scripted, not rambling (except for Lime n Violet – and I suspect the rambling there is more intentional than it appears). Sound quality that is clear and consistent – not whispers and ear blasts. Sometimes I wonder whether the people making the podcasts ever listen to them on a player.

I listen to a variety of shows. Those that educate me - Craftlit, Yarn Spinners Tales and Stitch It. Those that make me think with well written essays like Sticks and String and Cast On. Some purely for their entertainment value – Lime n Violet, and Y KNIT.

Then there are those that expose my geeky side. Escape Pod, Pseudopod, and Pod Castle. Each one with a well-read story every week. Sci-Fi, Horror and Fantasy.

These aren't all the podcasts I listen to while I mow the lawn, clean the house, and knit or spin. With over 43,000 podcasts to choose from I check out new ones all the time. I also listen to multiple episodes before I delete the feed. New people getting started need time to learn and develop their style and content. I can wait!

FYI – I haven’t done all this listening on an Apple iProduct. I use less expensive options to catch and play my shows.


The library’s eBooks doesn’t work with iProducts, and there is more money for FIBER!