Return of the blog

I've been pretty miserable about working on the blog. I was surprised to discover that some of my Ravelry friends have been reading it. So, I will make a more concerted effort to get my blog up to date. I've been keeping really busy with the spinning. I'm still trying to work my way through all the different fibers on my spinning chart. Its really amazing how quickly you manage to aquire the "stuff" with a fiber addiction. Have you seen the TV show Hoarders? Well, as sad as it may seem, thats what my work area looks like right now. Floor to head height with bags and bags of raw fleece, mohair, angora, alpaca, llama, ... Not to mention all the bits and pieces I've gathered to make funky yarn inclusions (like the huge bag of buttons I purchased so I could make button yarn), or the bags of colored felt and fiber... and this doesn't mention the tools.

I started with a simple drop spindle and a couple of hand cards a few years ago. In that time I've managed to gather a variety of spindles, a home wheel (Mach I by Spinolutions), a travel wheel (The Bee, also by Spinolutions), a variety of spindles, 2 Spindolyns, several supported spindles, 2 hand crafted spindle cups, a Bosworth Book Charkha, a Louet Jr carder, a regular skein winder, a jumbo skein winder, an assortment of niddy-noddys, a variety of dry felting tools, a loomette, a large EZ loom, and I just ordered hand crafted combs and a blending hackle.

I have been spinning on a huge bag of coopworth fiber (in the grease) to make a semi-waterproof sweater and hat set for my husband, sockyarn (for my daughters socky blanket), and some wonderful laceweight in pearly dark silver grey to use in making a shawl for myself, and some cotton in the charkha (because I want to) which I will use either as core yarn for spinning, or to make some cotton yarn that will eventually become a crocheted top.

Perhaps the biggest venture will be the planting of a dye garden (both perennials and annuals). I tried growing cotton, but Vermont is most definitely NOT the place for that. The plants flowered and were in the process of setting bolls when the first (light) frost hit and every single plant died!

I'll post some pictures as things begin to come together.

I'm glad you're joining me for the ride.

Leah