Sins Committed in New Hampshire!

No, I do not feel the least bit guilty!

Another fabulous Ledbetter! This one has what he calls a "shell skeleton" on top.

Fiber came from "Farm in the Woods" in NH, and would you look at that? Oopsy-daisy. I've gone and chosen fiber that matched the spindle again!

Here's a nice superwash merino/bamboo blend from Mocha's Fiber Connection. 1100 yds in the Sugar Maple colorway! I don't know what this wants to be yet,but please don't suggest socks! This deserves something more magnificent, like a shawl of some sort. Hmmm...I think I hear the Estonian Lace book screaming my name again!

The Hummers are back!

Just saw my first little fella of the season at my feeder! 6:54 AM EDST. I'm so glad I took Judy's advice and put my feeder out on Monday!

eXtreme Spindling!

On vacation in Stonington, April 19th. We had GORGEOUS weather!



Note: Sooooooooo annoyed! Hubby edited the video for me so it would show properly, but You Tube is now showing it sideways, and I can't figure out how to fix it! If I do figure it out someday, you all will be the first to know.

Steve

I tawt I taw a puddy tat...ent he cunnin'?

More new yarns in my store!

I'm having too much fun again, folks. Here's the evidence. If any of it grabs you, please visit Mad Angel Creations.I had hoped to post a video from my recent vacation in Maine, when I actually plied some yarn off the upper deck at the Inn on the Harbor, on my (formerly Mali's) Golding spindle. However, until I can figure out how to re-orient the video so you don't have to lie on your side to watch it, you'll just have to chuckle at the thought of it. But the upper deck is a good 10 to 12 feet from the lower deck, so I had that sucker going for awhile, and I kept it going, and got a nice 2-ply fingering weight for my efforts. What fun!

I also completely neglected to take any pictures when I paid a visit to Maiysha's home studio, Zebisis Designs. Talk about feeling like a kid in a candy store! Unbelievable stuff everywhere I turned, but the one thing I really wish I had thought to dig the camera out for was the "Welcome Mad Angel" written in the dust on the rear window of Maiysha's van, to let me know I had found the right place. I'm still chuckling at that. It was an awfully sweet thing to see upon arrival, when we really weren't sure if we had got to the right place or not.

I got some gorgeous fiber to spin, which will probably be the first treat I allow myself when I'm done with NH Sheep & Wool, and acquired a couple of new spindles -- green opal for me and a malachite/grass agate for a friend who probably thinks I forgot about it a long time ago. So, it will be a nice surprise indeed when I finally send it out!

Anyone coming to the NH Sheep & Wool festival this year? I am in my usual location, where people are guaranteed NOT to find me, in the Kimball Dairy Barn. This may be my last year participating in the Festival, as my request for a better location has not been honored. I'm still hoping to do better this year, as I have been putting lots of effort into my products, but I'm not letting myself get too excited. I figure, if I don't expect too much, maybe good things will happen, and I will be pleasantly surprised, and will consider returning next year.

If it goes the way it has the last two years, though, it just isn't worth the trouble. It's far easier to be an online presence, and put money I spend on iffy booth rentals back into acquiring good stock people will love.

I'm not really as down about it all as I sound, and if I don't vend next year, there's a lot to be said for spending a day at the festival and simply...enjoying myself. Though I do love meeting the folks who stop by my booth, even if they are all spent-out by the time they find me, and would miss that interaction. It's always nice to see what other fiber fiends are up to!

Gotta Celebrate!

OK, this is another of my infamous before/after shots.

"Before," from November of 2008, about a week before I started Weight Watchers, comes to us courtesy of Joansie's Blog.

Shawl pattern is from the dear, delightful, wonderful, totally, completely, utterly awesome Alison Hyde. It's in her terrific book, "Wrapped in Comfort." There are more of her shawl patterns in my future, too. It's just hard to pick one, as they are ALL fabulous.



"After" shots, taken just this afternoon -- in fact only a few minutes ago -- are courtesy of my kid (Daphne). She was the only family member kind enough to respond to my call for a photographer!











There, now! Doesn't that look a whole lot better on the "new" me? Notice also in rear view shot -- that's MY arse in a pair of Levi's again!

Estonian Lace Stole

Here's the latest project -- a lace stole from Nancy Bush's Estonian lace book. The pattern is easy and a pleasure to knit. I almost have it memorized already.
The yarn is a hand-painted merino/yak blend from Northern Lights Fiber Co in Alaska. This is Kelsey's "Tree of Life" colorway, and it seems that lately I'm addicted to any fibery reference to Trees of Life. This was a must-have, and is wonderful to work with.
I gave the bit I have done a light blocking this morning, just to get an idea of how it might look when done, though of course when I do the final blocking, I will stretch it open more. But one does get a rough idea from this, anyway. I love it.

Phat Fiber has been bad for my budget, but what a way to go! There are some really nice vendors participating, and I can't resist the temptation. Northern Lights Fiber Co is one of those temptations!

And now, for your viewing pleasure, Steve and his Cosmic Catnip mouse!

New hand-dyed yarns in my store now!

Now for sale at Mad Angel Creations!

This is 100% wool sock-weight yarn, really soft and cushy, in my brand-new "Tourmaline" colorway. There's only one lot of 2 skeins being sold together as a unit. 500 yards and 4 full ounces, which would be enough for a fairly generous-sized pair of socks knitted in a plain stitch.

Or maybe a fancy cable sock for an average-sized ladies' foot?Someone please save me from myself and buy this before I decide I can't possibly sell it!
Next up is a 520 yard, 2 ounce skein, also in the Tourmaline colorway, of laceweight wool & cashmere. (85% and 15%, respectively).

This would make a really nice lace accessory item.
There's enough for a generous scarf or shawl, and it's sooooooooo soft!

I love this colorway, and will try to recreate it in future,
but no other skein will ever come out exactly like this one.
Again, someone please save me from myself and buy this
before I decide I really can't bear to part with it!

Datsany's Sweater - Finished!

The sweater is drying on my bed now. I'm really pleased with the way it came out. Also, I really loved working with the Pagewood Farm yarn. It has a wonderful hand, and the colors are fabulous!

Moonwood Farm Roving Report!

So, I succumbed to the temptations of yet another Phat Phiber participant's store. This is 3 ounces of "Disturbia" batts from Roo at Moonwood Farm. I think I got it in the mail on Thursday -- verrrrrrrry fast shipping! -- and began spinning it yesterday afternoon.
I spun about 2-1/2 oz of singles at my friend's spin-in today, then plied it all together to make this beautiful 2-ply laceweight yarn.
I just skeined this and found out I have 331 yards. People, this is 3 ounces' worth of fiber! Pretty durn good yield, if you ask me! I will probably make myself something nice and lacy. Maybe a Morning Surf scarf? And maybe I'll get frisky and add some clear, sparkly beads?
The fiber blend is 75% alpaca, 25% soy silk, plus some "Night" firestar and Silver Angelina for sparkle. I am so pleased with it!

Thank you, Roo! I'll be back....

Datsany's Sweater

My sister and I have been working to design a sweater for her grand-daughter/my grand-niece since the beginning of January. Originally, I was to do the design work, using stitch motifs my sister liked, but as I got into it, I realized we'd never get anywhere if I didn't just knit it myself, to make sure I hadn't made any mistakes in the pattern. I figured, since my sister is not as fast a knitter, that I would hit the mistakes long before she did, and be able to fix them. So, of course there were a few, but now I am very close to done.

The yarn is "Golden," and you can learn more about it and the other fabulous colorways by visiting Pagewood Farm.
My pattern calls for my own hand-dyed DK weight yarn, and that's what my sister is using. However, when I began working on this project over New Year's in St. Paul, I did not have ready access to my stash. So, what's a yarnaholic with a mission to do? I thought you'd agree. Yes, indeed, the solution was to BUY MORE YARN!!!! The color was perfect, and I couldn't resist, although it was a laceweight, which necessiated the purchase of two humungous skeins, so I could knit with a double strand and also be guaranteed to have enough yarn to finish what I started. All I have left to do now is one sleeve, and a crocheted picot edging on all the Feather & Fan parts.There will be a LOT of this yarn leftover, and I'm reasonably certain it is going to become something gorgeous and lacy for moi. Oooh!

The Cat Came Back

This is Steve. He's possibly a Himalayan mix, with what the vet called "flame points," and he was a stray. My daughter found him wandering the streets around Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester, MA. He followed her from the parking lot to the library, where she left him, expecting he'd be gone a couple of hours later when she went back out to the parking lot.

Not only was he not gone, but he miaowed at her continually, and followed her up a very long flight of stairs to the parking lot, and all the way to her car. So, she felt sorry for him, felt he had chosen her, and brought him home, and tried to hide him in her room.

Well, that didn't work out, because he is quite vocal in that Siamese-ish sort of way, and around Thanksgiving, Keith, Daphne, and I were introduced to Lord Steven Catsby.

Did I mention that I have a horrible allergy to cats? As in, full-blown asthma attacks?

Or at least, that's the way it has been all my life, up 'til now. Perhaps breathing filtered air through my CPAP machine is what's helping, or maybe this is an allergy I have finally outgrown, or asthma meds are just so darn much better than they used to be, or....?

I did not react at all to my sister's three cats when I spent a long weekend at her house in January. This is a first. Of course, I medicated the way I always do, but in the past the meds have only just taken the edge off.

So, I have been rather fearlessly spending time with Steve, patting him and holding him, and always being sure to wash my hands well with soap afterwards. So far, so good.

Until Last Tuesday night, when Steve snuck out the door, unbeknownst to my husband. We were up half the night, calling for him out in the woods behind our house, and fearing the worst, as we do have coyotes around here.

We left food out for him twice a day, and the food disappeared, and we knew Steve was the recipient, because we kept seeing him at the dish at odd times of the day and night. However, he would not allow himself to be caught, and if any of us went near, he turned into a hissing Halloween cat. We would have worried about possible disease, if not for the fact that Steve got all his shots on Balls-Away Day back in December. This was definitely a case of him being Ornery, probably due to the fact that it's Spring.

Monday night, we almost had him. He had been coming into the porch twice a day to eat, as we had left the door open for him, in hopes of trapping him whilst he porked down the cat food. Too bad he heard the dogs barking, and Daphne's feet in the leaves as she tried to sneak up to the door and shut it. He was off like a streak, hissing with a vengeance, and Daphne had to back off.

Tuesday, we were out for the evening, and though I left food for Steve, I did not refill his dish until 6:30 AM on Wednesday. As I opened the door, a little white streak dashed away around the corner. So I put food out, and figured he'd be on the run yet another day, and toyed with the idea of buying a Havahart trap.

Then Daphne spotted something white on the stone wall behind the house, while she was waiting for the bus. I didn't hear her say it, as I was at my computer, trying to whip my Etsy shop into shape. So, when Keith yelled, "We got him!" it didn't quite register in my mind for a few seconds, who was "we" and whom had "we" got.

Then, as I went into the living room, there was Phoebe coming in through the porch door with Steve in her arms! Well!

He had gotten in a scrap with another cat, judging from all the scabs on his neck and body, and he had some ticks, which he did NOT enjoy having picked off, but he was back, safe in the house, purring his head off. He is acting now, as if he never left, and we are so happy to have him back!

I gave him two full cans of salmon Fancy Feast to celebrate, and also bought him a new feathers-on-a-stick toy, and a big jar of Pounce salmon treats. His first night back in the house, he slept on the bed between me and Keith. I have never heard a cat purr so loud!

Right now he is sitting on top of my printer, looking up wistfully at my mother-in-law's canary. (I'm only babysitting the bird, and hopefully he'll go back home soon, when my MIL is well enough to take care of him again.)

I feel like I cannot get enough of this kitty! I didn't realize how attached I'd gotten to him, until he was gone and I feared he would come to harm.

Picture above was snapped yesterday, while he napped on my kitchen counter, in between the microwave, the Kitchen Aid mixer, and a bunch of bananas.

Did I mention that I'm thrilled beyond belief that he came back?

Oh, yeah, I guess I did...

I Got Phat!

I participated in the March Phat Fiber sampler box and sent in enough Mad Angel Creations goodies to receive my own box of goodies from Jessie. There's some really great stuff in this little box, and I know I'll be visiting the shops of my fellow Phatties in future, when finances permit. I got a good mix of spinning fibers and yarn samples, and will have a lot of fun playing with them. The spinning samples will be spun on one of my spindles, I think, so I can get maximum yardage out of them.

The March theme was, of course, Celtic, so how could I resist?

New stuff in my store as of today -- some cool, kettle-dyed sock yarns, and better pics of some of my current inventory. I finally figured out I should do my photographs using a tripod, a neutral -- NOT bright white -- background, and an Ott light, strategically placed. It's not perfect, but it's way better than what I was getting before. My spinning batts, in particular, have really benefited from this treatment. Check it out, if you feel like it, and if you do, thanks as always for looking.

What is Paula Wearing?

I am not trying to copycat my friend, James, but couldn't resist saying What Is Paula Wearing, because this is the closest thing you'll ever see to designer fashion on this body.
I bought this suit in Galway in 2005. It's a silk/polyester blend, heavy on the silk. I probably paid more for this outfit than any other garment I own, except my wedding dress. I did not want to come home from Ireland with yet another Aran sweater, when I am perfectly capable not only of knitting, but designing, my own, and doing it with no-name quality yarns on the cheap.Anyway, I haven't worn this too often in the last five years, though it is made of a very "forgiving" fabric. (I.e., it stretches to accomodate my arse, even when said arse is larger than it is now.) But before I lost weight, this outfit made me look "matronly." At 47, I might be of the proper age to be considered "matronly," and I have had two kids, but...

"Matronly." Sheesh! I refuse to go there yet. I'm still painting the gray away, too. I like being a redhead a bit too much. Some of my roots were coming in WHITE. Eventually, I'll let it happen, I guess, but not yet. Not yet...

Anyway, I'm thrilled to death that it feels so good to wear this outfit again. My daughter Phoebe has one in spring green, which she has never worn and probably never will, and I am about to commandeer that one as well. It will make a fine Easter outfit.

How apropos. I do feel as if I'm rising from the dead, after all. By this time next year, I hope, literally, to be half the woman I used to be!

Before and After

The pictures speak for themselves, I think!Sometimes it's hard for me to see progress until I put the images side by side. Granted, I still have a long way to go -- 60 pounds' worth -- but this gives me reassurance that I'll get there in time. The scale tells a good tale, too, as does the change in clothing sizes.

Those Levis I bought about a month ago? One pair, which sits a bit below the waistline, feels like it's going to fall down. The other pair, which thankfully has some spandex in it and falls at the natural waistline, will adjust and fit for a while yet. When they first arrived in the mail, neither pair fit. They were way too tight, and I considered returning them and buying a larger size. Instead, I took a leap of faith and hung them up in the closet for couple of weeks. They weren't comfortable when I first started wearing them, but now?

I can sit, stand, move, and breathe while wearing them, without thinking about it or feeling the least bit uncomfortable. That's progress!

I tried my first yoga workout today, using a video I ordered from Gaiam, which is supposed to focus on weight loss. There are a number of different levels to choose from, but I couldn't figure out how to do that and inadvertently chose the hardest one of all. Duh! Of course, I found out after the fact, but was pleased to find I was able to do the workout, anyway, though I wasn't able to stretch as far as the instructor did. Oh, well, live and learn. Tomorrow I'll figure out how to go back to the paddy-ass version and start slow.

For something that looks so simple when you watch others do it, this workout was surprisingly challenging. I also felt pretty good when I was done, physically and mentally, though I had a touch of nausea at the end. Wonder why? But that feeling passed in time and I was able to eat lunch as usual. It might have had something to do with waiting too long after breakfast to take my vitamins. (If there isn't enough food in my stomach, vitamins will make me feel ill. I found this out years ago, while pregnant. Ended up puking behind a dumpster in a hotel parking lot. Blecch. And it was the vitamins that set me off. I was fine until I took them. Go figure!)

I need to accomplish some spinning today, but it's so gloomy and nasty out, I feel gray and lazy. Perhaps it's time for another episode of Bleak House. I can watch while I spin, or else continue listening to Charles Aznavour and settle down on the chaise with Inishmaan. I finished the front over the weekend, and have started the back. Photos another time, when we have sun again and I can take some out on the deck. Otherwise, why bother? If I did it now, you wouldn't see any of the cable work.

I am so ready for winter to be over, and to have a nice, long spring. None of this instant sumer nonsense, thank you very much!

Soon it will be time to evaluate what plantings from last spring survived our "black thumbs" and the hard winter, and to decide what other cheap, no-maintenance flowers we can plant this year. I'm thinking, nasturtiums again, and marigolds, and zinnias, all of which did well last year despite our gardening ineptitude!This was our last nasturtium, as photographed by Daphne sometime around the 13th or 14th of November. A few days later, the frost finally got to it, and it gave up clinging to the downspout. We were amazed that it hung on as long as it did, considering how its less sheltered brethren had withered away bit by bit in previous weeks as the frosts came.

I love nasturtiums. Can't wait to have a riot of them growing wildly by the back door again!

I Found an Old Friend Again!

As often happens with so many of us, I had a good friend in my last year of high school, with whom I shared a locker and spent hours working beside in Crafts class, and once I graduated, I think we saw each other once, a year or two later. Time went by, and I found him again, thanks to Classmates.com, and we corresponded briefly. As usual, life intervened, and I never did have a chance to keep up any kind of regular correspondence, though I thought of him often.

Life takes funny twists and turns sometimes, and I happened to run into his sister yesterday. One of those friend of a friend of a friend scenarios, and we got to chatting, and she told me about her brother's blog.

Well! Needless to say, I googled for it promptly when I got home, and was delighted to find my old friend, who had always had a great sense of aesthetics and style, has an even greater sense of it now, as well as a grand sense of humor, and he certainly seems nowhere near as shy and quiet as he was so many years ago. I am delighted, and looking forward to staying in touch better this time around. My kids are older, and I have a little more time on my hands than I did a few years ago.

Please enjoy his blog, What Is James Wearing? He really looks fabulous -- and happy -- and I'm happy for him!

A Day Early...

Loved, missed, and never to be forgotten.
Happy birthday, Rory.

Everyone please enjoy a few of his finest moments, and raise a toast to The Wee Man.

It's the Same Thing

Don't Know Where I'm Going

Do You Read Me?

On Lenten Discipline and Food

I sent this to one of the clergy at my church, for what it's worth. Sparked by his musings about giving up dessert for Lent.


You may not know, given as I have not been around church much lately, that I have been wrestling The Food Beast since just before Thanksgiving. I joined Weight Watchers online (I don't do too well in "group" situations) and am doing well, but have a long way to go. The weight would come off faster if I could supplement the diet with exercise, but I injured a muscle in my hip trying to go from 0 to 60 on a new exercise program. It has been an interesting winter, trying to get around in all the ice and snow, and trying not to fall down in the process. I got an ice grip for my cane that could double as a weapon if someone tried to mug me, and all has been well. I do feel like I'm on the mend, but have to be careful about what exercise I take up. Looks like it will be yoga for a bit, as my dear friend Larry, who is nearly 61 and still leaping all over the stage with his Stratocaster, says that's his secret. I, too, would like to move like a 16-year-old when I am Larry's age, so I'm going to try it. Hopefully I will like it, and if I am never as lithe as Larry, that's OK. Just so I can move easily and be healthy. Anyhoo...

I have not given up chocolate. Dark chocolate is one of the things I can eat, that does not have too many "points," and dark chocolate is supposed to be good for you. So, a little bit here and there. what's harder for me is giving up bread and cheese. Bread is such a quick fix when you are tired and feeling run down and don't want to cook on any given day. So is pizza. I have eaten pizza exactly twice since I started this program. Oddly enough, I don't feel a craving for it. (Thank you, Great Spirit!) Weight Watchers has terrific recipes on line, and I have learned a great deal about portion control. I didn't realize how often I was reaching for the "wrong" foods, and that the portions I was eating were not likely to create a state of svelteness.

In November, I found, much to my dismay, that I was 100 lbs overweight and heading into gastric bypass territory. My doctor had said he didn't want to hear from me until I had lost weight and started an exercise program. His exact words, in an e-mail, no less! "You're not going to want to hear this from me, but you need to lose weight and start an exercise program, and then we'll talk about why you don't feel well." A snail mail letter from him a few days later confirmed that, and suggested I book a physical sometime in February. Well, I'm going in early March, and I cannot wait to show that smug little so-and-so that, even though the exercise had to fall by the wayside temporarily, I have stuck to a very good diet, got educated about food, and lost (as of today, anyway) 34 lbs.

In musing on how I ever let myself get as big as I did, I have to keep coming back to self esteem. Almost everywhere I went, it seemed nothing I did was good enough. I did not feel like a temple fit for the Spirit. I felt like a black hole. I felt like it didn't matter if I maintained the temple or not. Despite taking a good anti-depressant which is indeed helpful to some degree, I was getting into that mindset where I did not care much if I lived or died. What gave me a good swift kick in the arse? Dunno, but one afternoon I sat in front of the computer, read about the dismal future of gastric bypass patients, and the failure rate, and if I cried out to God in that moment, I wasn't aware of it, really. It was more like, suddenly I realized I didn't want that radical a life change. I wanted to be able to eat AND live healthily. I have books to write, yarn to knit, fiber to dye, and family to nurture. Too much to do and finish to go belly-up just yet. (And what a belly up that would have been! Yuck!)

Somewhere inside this body lives some sort of God-given gift, and I need to keep this body well, so I live long enough to find it and act on it. Food-wise, every day for the rest of my life, it will be a sort of Lent. I'm OK with that. Happy, even.

But scared, too. This is every day for the rest of my life. One cannot give up food as an alcoholic, theoretically, can walk away from booze and never touch it again. I have gotten thinner in the past, and gained it all back and then some. It has been an endless rollercoaster ride, in a bad way.

Every day for the rest of my life, shoring up this crumbling temple, so the Spirit will not be homeless.

Every day, considering options like: "Well, if I have a quarter of a piece of Keith's carrot cake, that's five points, and it will mean I can't eat much for supper today. I should have an apple or some raw carrots, but..."

Some days I will inevitably fall for the cake. The trick is, to not fall for the cake too often. My treats, when I do feel inclined to cheat, are a few squares of dark chocolate, or a shot of whiskey. Not both. I will never touch beer again. Too many points in a pint!

But if this endless Lent teaches me discipline, and I can stick with it, it will be better for everyone.

New Batt!

I'm liking this new way of drumcarding my fibers a real lot. Meet "FIRE!" It's a nice, soft wool blend of oranges, yellows, and a bit of bronze angelina for sparkle. 2-1/2 ounces for sale in one bundle. Click here if interested. Thanks for looking!

I Lied...

I did not go back to knitting Inishmaan after all. Instead, I processed some more batts. Meet "Midnight Sparkle." Three 2-ounce bundles up for grabs in my Etsy Store right now.

It's soft. It's pretty. It's sparkly. It's calling to you: "Spin me....spin me...spin me..."

I hope to have more in the store by the weekend.