getting better all the time

Can you see the boy there? A little to the right, head thrown back in the blue shirt? He is a might Tiger and he is cheering with his team. this is really what the Tigers do best-cheering. Yay!

We have been doing alot of this. And, yes, I'm one of the obnoxious swim mommies who cheers loudly for her kids every time they swim. As if that will keep them afloat? I don't know, but it IS primal. And I often leave with a sore throat.

Despite neglecting the garden greatly this year, we have had some blooms. These were taken with the big zoom lens i use for swim and dive meets, but I rather like the effect.

I know i am late, but i did do a small update today. You can go here to see the Dragon sock and Sea sock I have put up. Next week, I will start dyeing again. Looking forward to it, in fact. I guess i can't quit; i would miss it too much.

I leave you with pictures taken at a fun meet we had last year. Not by me. Look at that tuck!

Must be some circus performers in his gene pool, don't you think?

Some kvetching, and an UPDATE!

Ok, so the other half of my etsy store update never really happened. Sorry about that. I got sucked into the whirlwind, or the black hole or something. And got super-stressed, with an inflamed jaw and everything. No worries, it's all better now. I powered through (finally) the wholesale order and have been attempting to get things in perspective (again!) so i can keep going.

I still have to actually get the boxes to UPS, but that will happen tomorrow. I'm taking a tiny break from dyeing to try to get my house in order. Filing, that kind of thing. And then i'll get to work dyeing sock yarn for sock summit. One of the things that has kept me from declaring myself done with this whole indie business thing is that i have a plane ticket to Oregon, so i might as well get ready. One Day At A time. It seems to work for me some days.

I signed up for an exercise class but it seems to be weights and ball and I think it's dumb to do weights once a week. Clearly, i should have made it a Yoga class. Next time, Yoga!

In knitting news, I have completed the funky cable panel for the Shell Tank. The proper way this time. It is quite pretty. And i'm 6 inches into the back panel and seem to be following directions as written so far. Whoo!

Maggie's socks are finished and lovely, but two different sizes. I told her this and she said it made her feel better about her knitting. Way to re-frame, Maggie! I may give them to her or I may frame them or i may throw them in the trash and never knit another pair of socks. Stay tuned.

I am past the heel turn on the Brand New Malabrigio sock, which I am going to complete before ripping the other one out and doing it again. maybe it will take me a year to knit this pair of socks! They will be great when they are done, tho.

I did go to spin in at Gryphon's and did bask in the fabulous company of Gryphon, and Sarah, and Corrine, and Jess, and several other lovely folks, but was too much in a stressed-out fog to remember names. I do remember Elizabeth's name, though, who rode with me from Annapolis and kept me entertained as usual with stories about her brood of children and fluffy, fibery pursuits.

Are you wondering how i can be so stressed out and busy and still get knitting done? No, i am not knitting at work (I share and office with my boss!) i am engaging in the time-honored practice of knitting at the pool. Through swim and dive practices, and two, sometimes three swim meets and one dive meet a week. thank goodness i love my pool, and the people at my pool. My 11 year old mermaid is learning how to be a teenager this summer at the pool. It is a bit hair-raising to watch but i trust (?) that her good sense will prevail. Of course, if it does not, i am right there to provide some.

Pictures coming soon, once we take the big lens off and i can photograph small things up close again. And, unless, the sky falls or my house is blown down, i plan to update my shop tomorrow afternoon! See you there!

Half-baked

I wanted to let you know that I have done part of my update. The other half-ish will be completed tomorrow. After the last day of school is over.




Hurray for more Dragon Sock and Sea Sock! 'Night.

Finally! Here comes summer!

School's finally out on Tuesday। Hurray! It has been an excellent year, but a long and busy one. I realized fairly recently that that feeling i have of always running to catch the bus and never quite making it is only partly related to having two jobs on top of parenting. i also have been driving the "Mama Express". My middle schooler goes to an arts magnet school (sheer luck, that's all there is to it) and needs to carpool to get to school. Both kids were swimming in a pool that was a distance from here, and the boy child was usually playing two sports. Add scouts times two, and choir and youth group for the princess and a husband who is in grad school and, see, I'm hyperventilating already. Luckily, ULH (usually lovely husband) is a very involved daddy!

We have been lounging about at the pool, which for me means knitting while every one else swims। Summer swimming and dive teams are underway and competition is imminent। I have had a very lovely kindergarden teacher drop in my lap to watch the kids while i am at the hospital and plenty of teenager to help out as well। It is a good thing because there is yarn to be dyed।

I think I mentioned that I am working on another Loopy Ewe order, right now, and simultaneously am getting ready for the summer knitting event of the year, nay, the sock knitting event of a lifetime। I have no website update at this point, as my webmistress has started a big new job. Congratulations, Jess!

I am planning an update for tomorrow evening with Sea Sock

Dragon Sock

and Dragon Lace (finally dyed some new yarn in this base). It looks lovely in Rocky Top, too.

My knitting has been a disaster! I have seriously lost my competent knitter mojo! I always do a summer tank this time of year. Because one can never have enough knitted tanks, right?. I decided to finally knit the Shell tank from Norah Gaughan's Knitting Nature (I don't have to link to that really, do, I?) I probably don't have to tell you want to knit pretty much everything in that book! Don't you? Gorgeous patterns! Except maybe the Bubble Sweater. Not my thing, there.

I ordered yarn (KnitPicks CotLin) and began to brood over the best way to lengthn the body so that my NOT-washboard stomach doesn't peek out. Trust me. No one wants that. I read the rav posts on it and decided to lengthen at the straps and cast on for the center panel. My theory is that I need to knit that first to see how long to make the other pieces. I ripped it out three times before I acknowledged that I really was going to have to follow the pattern as written and Pay Attention! Then, I started again, leaving the other panel as it is. I will rip it later. Seems less painfull to start again with out ripping the first piece out (again).

Next post, i'll actually show you my progress:)

In other knitting news, I actually completed my Maggie socks. We had a "footing" and I was able to adjust the toe on one sock to fit properly. Then, I took off the toe of the second sock and have tried twice to knit the second toe to come out like the first. I have put that project in time out.

I have become so disgusted with the way the Malabrigio sock turned out, that I just pulled the needles out (It was all finished but the cast off) and started on the next one. Knitting round and round in stockinette seems to be going fine so far! Good swim meet knitting. Except i pulled out a needle getting up to cheer. After I complete sock number two, I will rip out number one and re-knit.

Spinning has been going well. I have been woolen spinning Elizabeth's Finn, along with some Muscet Shetland I have. The skeins are all coming out a bit different.

but the sweater is not bad, in a wild and unfettered sort of way.

The neck will need to be steeked and enlarged. Mostly, It is too hot for me to work on a chunky weight wool sweater.

Fleecie washing has been the most interesting activity around here. I have been processing a Bond-Romney cross purchased from Lesley of Cedar Wool farm. The fleece is filthy dirty and full of hay, but man, the fiber is so nice, it is totally worth the attention I'm giving it to get it clean. Here are some lovely, lovely locks I have washed twice and dyed.

I arranged them for combing so they are approximately lock length and all pointing in the same direction.

Doing this pulls out some of th junk and makes it easier to "charge" the comb. technically, I should probably arrange the locks so that the "butt" end is close to the teeth, but who has that kind of time? This is a 5 # fleece!

After combing, it looks like cotton candy. And feels like super long staple cotton (as in 6 - 7" staple length. Yum!)

I don't have a diz (yet!) so I just pull the combed fiber slowly off the comb, until I start to see some junk combing off. I'm not concerned about nepps in this case, as this fiber will go to Steph and ultimately be carded into fabulous Loop batts. So, here they sit in adorable little roving balls. Really, they are sliver balls, as all of the fibers are aligned together in the same direction and would spin up as some kick-butt worsted-style yarn.

Trudge wishes you to know that they are not all cotton candy pink.

And the winner is...

Robin! Hurray! Congratulations! I just want to say, thanks so much to everyone for playing! I've met so many great people both in real life and on the web in the last few months, well, years, really, and you have all been so supportive of my business and my crazy desire to paint colors on yarn. It seems like Dragonfly Fibers has really taken off lately and I blame you guys!

On the subject of the new sparkly website itself, Jess and I will be meeiting soon and I can't wait to see what she has done. The color suggestions were all fabulous, and some of the other suggestions were very helpful too. You are all right, of course. You'll have to stay tuned to see the new look for Dragonfly.

One thing that became immediately obvious as I set about publicizing my very first blog contest is that I need a Rav group to communicate with customers। I won't say "fans", even though you guys do make me feel sooo great! So please look out for that to come up in the next little while. I'm trying to come up with a clever name. Suggestions, are of course, totally welcome. The best suggestion I've had so far was Karen's "Dragonfly Fiberphiles" but we thought it was too close to another indie's name (fiberphile).

All of your fabulous support has had other benefits for me, too. The lovely Sheri of The Loopy Ewe fame has offered to bring my yarn to Sock Summit. Serious happy dance after that email! But, I decided to fly out to Portland and join Gryphon and Sarah in their booth. The Sock Summit will be history after all. I haven't registered for anything, but to be in the same city block with Anna Zilboorg and Barbara Walker, beyond ultracool. really. And who knows? maybe they'll come say "hi". I'll give them free yarn:) I had such a great experience meeting the Southern Knitters that I have to imagine that going to Portland will be excellent for my business too! And, thanks to the magic of the internet, I will be staying with a lovely knitter, Nikki of Kurokids on Ravelry। I met her at Maryland Sheep and Wool as she'd travelelled cross-country to go to Gryphon's Dye camp. Can't wait!

In the meantime, back in cold and rainy Maryland, we are starting our summer and ending our school year, all at the same time। The kids and i are attending an endless parade of end of the year parties and overlapping sports practices. All fun, but real life can really get in the way of blogging! And dyeing yarn and fiber for that matter. I expect sunshine this weekend, and in the meantime will be dyeing in between the raindrops. Also scouring fleece and dyeing it. And picking it with my new fancy kitty picker. Next time, pictures, I swear!

And Robin, can you please send me your contact info so we can get you your winnings?

Last call for free yarn! And, an update

Hello! Thank you so much for responding to my request for help! I have received so many thoughtful comments and great ideas. I want to let you know that the end of the contest draws near. All comments must be in by midnight tonight, and we will pick a random commenter, probably tomorrow evening. The mer-children can't wait!

The shop has been updated for the week with some fabulously soft rovings. I particularly like the bfl roving; it is so lustrous and soft. And not too compacted. Should spin into some wonderfully soft woolen-style yarn.

and finally, look at this extremely cool bug I found on my patio table. It looked like distressed metal; in fact, I went to pick it, thinking it was a hair barrette! And check out those beautiful eye spots. Any one know what this beauty is?

Attempting the art and craft of the short, succinct blog post and My First Contest!

If i cd just write less, i suspect i'd post more frequently. So here goes, poor typing and punctuation and all. First, Happy Memorial day! I worked at the hospital for about 6 hours, til a colleague asked me to trade a few hours of today for a few hours of tomorrow. So, i even got out with my family a bit. Yay!

It was a spinning bonanza for me this weekend. Friday night, the lovely Steph and Elizabeth came to spin with me. I'd scoured and dyed some fuzzies for Steph to use for her batts, so it was like a business meeting, yeah, that's it. When i take some pictures, i'll show you the delicious core-spun yarn i made from the fluffy, soft, beautiful baby cakes she brought me. yay! baby cakes! Elizabeth came, i believe, to m ake us laugh so hard we almost hurt ourselves. Get her to imitate her children for you, seriously.

Sunday, lauren had her monthly spin-in, which was stuffed to the gills with fabulous spinners. if I list them, I'll miss a name, but I will say that Sarah, fate the third, was there. more yay! Did I tell you she and gryphon have become partners? now there ae two talented dyers behind the Sanguine gryphon name! And they have some other very big plans as well. as soon as i have a link, i'll send you to Moxie. Go ahead, ask them. It was history also, because it was the last time we'll all be together before the lovely lauren is a mommy. I can't wait to meet the little angel; and, oh, i think it may be time get knitting! only a few weeks to go. I think i'll shut up now, cause i never know who might be reading...

have I told you that jess, that BunnySquirrel herself, is making me a website as we speak? It is not clear yet what i/we have gotten ourselves into 9to me, at least) but I'm hoping having a geeky hisband will some how help.

So, here is where I need you. I need help figuring out a "color scheme" as we speak. I just can't seem to narrow things down. i know i don't want pastels or primary colors, but there are so many fabulous hues to choose:) That's why i dye stuff.

Here are some of my favorite Dragonfly yarn pictures. Please let me know in the comments what colors you think will work well as my color theme/website color scheme. Ok? I have some pretty new spinning fiber and some yarn to put up on my site, hopefully tomorrow after i send Jess some write ups she needs for the site. so, leave a comment with some color help for me and the merchildren will put all of the names in a bowl and choose a name randomly. You'll have till the end of the the week. the winner will get to choose a skein of yarn or a braid of roving from my etsy store. ok?

In addition to looking for an update this week on my etsy shop, if your a Baltimorian, you can now find Dragonfly spinning fiber at Spinster Yarns and Fibers. Go by; it's a lovely little yarn shop. I hear their spin in is pretty great, too.