Not as Bleak as it Looks

Although at first glance it looks like the roving on my clothes line is the only color in the February. landscape, but that seems not tot be true.  Here in western. North Carolina, the early spring and winter are in competition.  I took a walk around my yard and found many more shades of green.

When I look closely there are lots of tiny splashes of color. But looking closer is the key.  When I take a moment, I can admire the snow drops. These tiny flowers that are a reminder that spring can't be far away.  They  are so cute, even without any snow to help them show off.

It won't be long before the daffodils are blooming . With our frequent warm spells, these bulbs take advantage of sunny days to get a head start. And with Mardi Gras just a few days away, the Lenten Rose has begun to begun to bloom.

Today was chilly and breezy but with the moist feeling that feels like spring is coming soon.  Last year I was so late getting the early spring veggies in, that I didn't even bother with peas and spinach.  That won't happen this year.  The bed is already prepped and waiting.

The recent dye activity is to fill a good sized order for an upcoming felting class.  I want to be sure that the students have plenty of choices and I don't mind having extra dyed fiber around. 

What a Sweet Gift

A lovely surprise came in the mail the other day.  For a few years I have been a member of a fiber marketing initiative called 'Phat Fiber.'  Indie fiber producers contribute to a sampler box and each month these are made available for purchase.  If people like your yarn or roving or stitch markers, they might buy from your online shop.

Along with this, a community has formed along with the fiber exchange.  We decided this year to move the gift exchanges away from the traditional holiday season to a less busy time.  After all, who need more to do during the holidays?  We decided to move it to early February - a time that can be a bit quiet both in the fiber business and people's lives.  Although I don't always join in gift exchanges, thought this one might be fun. 

When I got home from work the other evening, a decorated box was waiting for me. It's from Melissa at Hello Purl.

When I opened it  up, there was a note...

And it was full of goodies...

Jammed full...

I found a fabulous art batt in Hello Purl's 'Fire Pit' colorway, hand dyed silk hankies, an ounce of charcoal grey Lincoln locks, 2 hand made walnut buttons, a box of Tazo tea and a package of way cute chocolate truffles in the shape of bears! With lots of cool stuff in her Etsy shop, Hello Purl's work is fun and creative.  I can't wait to Spin up the art batt the mix of fibers, colors and textures is so rich!

Thanks Melissa!  I am happy to be part of this amazing group!

Random Thursday Bits

Well, it seems that the only way to blog more is too...blog more. So, a few bits of blog...

1. Current knitting is a basic vest of my own design - hand dyed, handspun BFL in my rusty red colorway.  I'm knitting it in one piece to the underarms, then I'll separate the fronts and back.  Deep vee cardi. I'm very close to the separation point

2. I've been spinning a good bit lately, both the red BFL above and it's blue green cousin.  Also, even if the singles have been on the bobbin for and unconscionable time, you can still ply them.  Who knew?  That adds some lovely medium brown and creamy white to the stash.

3. I'm on my second round of sock classes with 2 fine students.  Since I knit along with them, I have (or will have) lots of new socks. Making a serious dent in the sock yarn stash, which is a fine thing.

4. Next weekend is the Winter Retreat at Friends & Fiberworks in Asheville.  Classes, vendors, yarn party all around.  Kind of hoping one of my classes doesn't make so I can take one.

5. Just got a big honkin' order for dyed mohair locks.  Kind of like these...

That's about all we have time for today.  Back to work (lunch hour blogging!  I like it!); then time for the little red Car-Car to get new tires.  Car-Car needs a new pair of shoes!

Still Knitting...

Yikes!  It's been since September?  Seems impossible that the whole fall season - ok, semester - has gone by without a post.  So, here's some of what happened...in no particular order...

SAFF - A wonderful weekend of fibery goodness.  I was holding down the action in the workshop building, so I didn't get around as much as I liked, but it sure was fun. Smoky Mountain Fibers sponsored the contemporary sheep to shawl demo, dyeing the yarn and roving in my Saturn colorway. 

Sock class - I taught a couple of people to make socks.  I knit my little fingers to the bone to keep my samples up to speed with my students & ended up with a pair of cozy purple socks.


Designing woman - Since my collaboration with Friends and Fiberworks, a yarn shop in Asheville NC, I am knitting lots of  small projects to show off the yarn.  Sometimes we knit up samples in the yarn companies' patterns but whenever possible we make up a simple pattern to give away with yarn purchases.  None of these are fabulous creations, but they are all just unique enough to declare an original.  And it really helps the yarn find its way to a new home. 

Knitting along - In addition to teaching classes, I'm also hosting knit-a-longs at the shop.  This evening it will be 'Fast, Fun Fingerless Mitts', or as I call them Fast & Furious Fingerless Mitts.

Just plain knitting - Both for myself and the various shops who carry my hats and scarves.  Now, can we get some cold weather, please? 

Dyeing - Both for my Etsy shop and the local trade.  I am currently spinning some delightful Blue Faced Leicester roving that I dyed in shades of orangey red.  And it's actually for ME! I have a vest in mind...

Other than these few little dibs and dabs, working most Saturdays at the yarn shop, the day job has been keeping me busy as well as my usual activities - yoga, gardening, dancing, goofing off with friends & family.  You know, life! 

On the line

It's been all about dyeing at Smoky Mountain Fibers this season.  Between 3 very nice orders and my regular business, I've been keeping the dyepots pretty darn warm.  My collaboration with Friends & Fiberworks has resulted in a good uptick even in the traditionally lean fiber months.  And with SAFF and the rest of the fabulous fall fiber frenzy, I won't stop until well after the winter holidays.

Although I'll be holding down the fort at the shop, my fiber, hats and patterns will be going to lots of shows this fall.  Some are local; others are far away - Stitches East in Connecticut to be exact.

One the production schedule this weekend...

• Overdyeing some lackluster yarns
• Pumpkin orange
• Leafy greens
• A bit of spinning
• Work Saturday afternoon at the yarn shop
• Taking care of my SAFF responsibilities
• Updating my bookkeeping (the decidedly unsexy part of the business).

I'll also go to an English dance, do a bit of yard work, and tackle the pile of paper on the dining room table.  What would life be like without a bunch of things (and people) I love!

Birthday Greetings...

...to the best truck ever.  This week my stalwart companion of 16 years turned 240,000 miles.  Yes, my 1996 Toyota Tacoma reached quite a milestone.  Truckie came into my life when she was a mere pup - just 7600 miles.  Her first owner turned her in to get something with a lower payment, the salesman said. So on Memorial Day weekend  '96 she came home.

I'd never owned a truck before, but ever since Datsun and Toyota started selling small pickups in the early 70's, I loved them.  Truckie is a red queen cab, 5-speed, 2 wheel drive model with sport wheels and a camper top.  I've driven her across town and across the country. I have a youth bed mattress that fits perfectly in the bed and I've slept in her in Chapel Hill, NC, in the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia, in Big Bend National Park, Texas and plenty more places.

A few years ago she started showing her age, so I adopted her cousin - a red (of course) '09 Toyota Matrix, who coincidentally turned a mere 50K the same week.  Truckie is no longer my daily commuter, but she still holds a special place in my heart.  She is happy to be a loaner to my friends, but I don't take her on the road to gigs.  I drive her about once a week, mostly to keep the battery charged and to justify owning a second vehicle.

Seems kind of funny to write a love note to an aging pick up truck, but this may be the best vehicle I'll ever own.  Long live Truckie!

Riding the Rails

View from the Jackson Street Blue Line stop

I'm writing this short post aboard the CTA - from O'Hare airport to downtown Chicago.  Whenever I travel, I like to take public transportation if I can.  In DC, I take the metro.  In Minneapolis, it used to be the city bus from the airport to my sister's house, now it's light rail.

Today I am traveling to Chicago for a 2-day business meeting.  I'm on the blue line and writing this post on my phone.  Multiple new experiences at the same time!  Since I had better than an hour, the train @ $2.25 seemed like a good value as well as a cultural peak into big city life.

Earlier this month my friend Sally and I took Amtrak to DC, a long night train ride.  This is very different. We trainsters are moving along while the cars are crawling. People getting on the trains include people in suits and Tshirts, speaking English and Spanish.  They chat, read the paper, play with their phones, write, and just sit with eyes open or closed.  I started to knit, but then decided to write this post.

Requisite knitting content:  A short trip, I brought only the llama-cotton vest.  I guess I am making an assumption that all will go well, though I did bring an additional book and MP3 player.  The vest is kind of a slog.  It is knit top down, with yarn overs that make each row progressively longer.  It's the second one, destined to be a combo shop sample and class 'knit along' but the class didn't make.  So now I just want to get it done!

I'll try to post this with a picture, though the learning curve will likely take its toll.

OK, I posted the picture back in my office a day or two later. A fine trip, everything ran on time and I even snuck in a trip to the Chicago Art Institute.