Colors of the Season

So far, no repercussions on yesterday's Birthday Post :)!

Today is Sue's Birthday!!

Today, Thursday, December 17th is Sue’s birthday. She is 70!!
(I am so going to pay for this.)

Sue is a local friend, a mother, grandmother, former state worker, veterinarian's assistant, chef, hospice worker, and licensed ordinary seaman, now a traveling companion, fiber person, homesteader, avid gardener, singer, and guild member. She is cheerful host to a monthly knitting group:



She does beautiful spinning and knitting:


(This shawl was on the cover of Spin Off Fall 2009!)

She is also a weaver:






She has sheep and goats, and has provided me with fiber for several years now:


We've traveled together all over this country by conveyances large and small:





Sue threw a wonderful birthday party last Sunday, catered by local chef and new guild member Wendy (Ravelry link). Sue also hosted the guild Christmas party Tuesday night, opening her beautiful home to guild members and their spouses.

She usually avoids notoriety:



Not today :)!. If you know Sue, give her a call or send an email wishing her the best on this, her birthday!

(I am so in trouble. Watch this space.)

A Good Beginning

There is nothing quite so nice as a warped loom, ready to begin:


Given the gift-like nature of the month, the other loom is warped too:


It's early enough in the month to be relaxed about completing these gifts, weaving being a quick thing to accomplish.

Good thing, too, because the storms hit:


We've had 12 inches, give or take, followed by very cold weather, wherein it just does not seem prudent to heat up that tent out in the yard:



The sun has threatened to shine and usually warms things up:


Not this time however: the days are too short, the air is too Arctic.

So the looms remain patiently idle. In the meantime I've been doing some knitting, some spinning and working with those spindles. The power has remained on, and I've got books to listen to, tea on hand and food in the pantry. Not much suffering here, just waiting.

Spindle Yarns

When does a new activity become an obsession?


I've been stealing time from other holiday preparations to spin:


First I tried all sorts of different fibers and spindles. Oddly enough, for someone who does not use spindles (until now), I had quite the collection.

But, as is the case for 'most any new process that needs to integrate into the larger picture, I'm done with the playing around, and on to the planning of projects, and spinning towards a few goals. This will be a pair of gloves:


The blue mix is some of my first spinning, and the orange blend I simply had to have when I saw someone else spinning it at Olds. I think they will look nice together, despite somewhat of a variation in grist.

This is some of the very first yarn from that same spindle, Lincoln, for pile:


Much of the first spinning will in fact be pile yarns: very forgiving in that they will end up as 1" cut lengths :).

The blue is my carry-around spinning, a wool-silk blend from Lambspun, which will join a few skeins of wheel-spun cashmere-silk and wool-silk already destined for a shawl:


It must be some part of my Virgo personality that makes it imperative that I spin for something, rather than just spin. Lots of spindle spinning lately, which I am sure will improve my technique, and also give me a nice shawl, some gloves and yarn to add to the pile pile.

Obsessed. Is this a problem?

Distractions

Sometimes, the little distractions can take up days and days: first the idea (which always comes late at night: too late to go into the studio).

The next day, there is a mad scramble, searching for materials, cutting, sewing and finishing the prototype:



Cute! There will be more of these.

Right Place, Right Time, Right People

Sometimes we try to push things. Rightly so, in some cases: we need to get things done. Sometimes, though, everything in it's own time and place.

I've not ever been much for spindle spinning. But soon, in a year or so, I will be somewhere very far away for a period of time, working on a project for which I would like to spin. I do not plan to ship my wheel, nor do I plan to buy one while there. I might be able to borrow one, but I have not investigated that. A spindle is the portable answer.

I started serious spindle investigation when I was at Olds College this past June. Two of my suite-mates were teachers in the Master Certificate Program, and we talked spindle spinning. They showed me a few things. I told them what kind of yarn I would be spinning, and they marched me down to a vendor booth where I bought a spindle and some wool:



I practiced a bit. It was not hard to do, I just needed to practice. And a few tips, encouragement and advice from a Blue Duck (Ravelry link).

Then, several things coincided. We were at SOAR, and Deb had a Mongold spindle:


Heavy, durable for travel, no longer available, and not wood (there is a restriction against bringing wood products into Australia. I did not know if a spindle would be confiscated, so I planned to buy one there, just in case).

Deb handed me her spindle. A gift, she said. I could have it. Perfect! I even had wool with me to practice with: Cotswold. I practiced. I'm getting better at it.

In my new-found pleasure at using a spindle, I bought another, smaller one:



It's wood, though, and thus not Australia-bound. It is the right weight and size to spin the wool/silk blend given to me by Sirley and Penny from Lambspun. Perfect again!

You know, having been sickly and puny for the last 10 days (two weeks??) has allowed me to sit and stare, practice spinning, and also read:



Lovely advice, history, photos, and spindles on every page. It has helped me in this learning process, and came at a perfect time for me, right now, with the time to slow down and perfect a slower method of spinning. Also, it's just a nice read.

I am not planning to give up wheel spinning. I do love that this path to learning spindle spinning has involved so many people who could help, give advice, help me find the perfect tools, and even provide me with the perfect tools. And no one ever stared, shocked with dismay, when I told them I wasn't much of a spindle spinner. They just helped.

The Gift That is SOAR

There are a lot of gifts about coming to SpinOff Autumn Retreat. The most obvious is the friendship of like-minded people, learning from and teaching each other. There are formal classes, of course, but much is learned informally, over lunch, in the hallways or lobby while sitting among other spinners, and we also learn about different areas of the country as the conference travels around.

There are tangible gifts from friends and associates too: a beautiful crocheted doily from Lotto, a wool silk blend and some soap from Shirley and Peggy at Lambspun, Chopsticks Of Vacuum from Michael, a Lantern Moon basket from Michelle Coburn, calendar and a fair trade woven bag from Interweave, the sponsors of the event, and soap from friends who borrowed wheels and tools.

We all love gifts, the tangible and the not so much. What we are not so thrilled about is the gift of the SOAR cold: fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, loss of voice (a hint?) and general malaise. Thanks. Thanks to whomever, I will try not to devolve into whining.

But I am sorely tempted. Waaaaaaaaaah!

Homeward bound today, after a few lovely Fall days in Oregon, visiting the town of Sisters and the High Desert Museum. We had the Sage Springs Spa to ourselves every afternoon for a very welcome jacuzzi and steam bath, which did ease the discomfort of the cold.

It should be a glorious drive, and I have my tissues. Wah.