The feats and foibles of a fiber fanatic.
7/30/2005
Well, mom’s 50th birthday was yesterday. Dad was baling hay so my sister, mom and myself went to St. Cloud and had lunch at Red Lobster (somewhat disappointing, but still a treat) and did a bit of shopping. Then, the real fun was today,
Mom was kind of pissed at dad for yesterday as my uncle always takes days off for people’s birthday, but dad always thinks he is invaluable if any small thing is going on. But, he made up for it, LOL! My sister lied and said she had to work at the portrait studio today, which would normally be 9:30-5pm. I said I wasn’t feeling good after the long car ride and all the shopping yesterday and needed to go into g’ma B’s for a treatment on the nebulizer and soak in the tub but that I also needed to take a muscle relaxer so I couldn’t drive myself in. So, we planned with dad that he’d come in at 12:30pm and get me from g’ma and g’pa’s and we’d do lunch. So, g’ma fibbed and told mom she had a present she forgot to give her yesterday to get her to come into the house. Mom totally didn’t pick up on anything. We kept thinking she’d comment about the food smells - asking g’ma what she had made for lunch etc. But she didn’t so Amber said “Happy Birthday!” Then mom just about died, LOL!
We grilled chicken seasoned with lemon pepper and had all kinds of yumy garden vegetables with it - kolrobi, rutabaga, swiss chard, baked potatoes, coleslaw (cabbage, peppers, onions and cucumbers - a little twist, but really good), and fried zucchini. Yumm! I dished up all the veggies and didn’t even have room for chicken on my plate. I think I could have skipped it all together except that my sister is a seasoning master (I’m not bad myself, but it’s a treat to have her seasoning). Then grandma made Rhubarb dessert and our neighbor was going to show my sister how to make sour cream rasin bars (think the pie, but with a sort of oatmeal cookie crumble on top instead). However, her sister is just moving back to MN from Calafornia so she just went ahead and made a batch for us.
It was definitely easier to pull the wool over mom’s eyes since my sister and I could read each other’s lips and pass notes without mom being any the wiser. Though I have to give props to my aunt Renae who talked to her on the phone last night for nearly an hour making it even easier to plan and let dad in on his role.
We did have a few worrisome moments. For example, last night I supermanned in my bedroom. I have to keep my bedroom door open so the AC in my room can get to my sister’s room but I can’t let her cat in there so we have two baby gates set up in my door. Well, when I’m going back and forth (such as getting ready for bed) I leave the bottom one up. I was coming into my bedroom to put on my PJs before brushing my teeth and such and my foot caught on the baby gate that was in place and then caught the other baby gate that was leaning against my door and I totally went airborne. I caught my head on the corner of the bed, tried to catch myself with my arms so bruised both wrist and actually hit the floor first with my knees. So I’m pretty banged up and not feeling too well. Dad had taken some Tylenol PM about 30 minutes before this all happened so he came to see if I was okay. I couldn’t get up but I wasn’t bleeding so he went back to bed. Mom had to harness Gaston up and go to the barn to get ice packs (picture will be forthcoming from my sister’s camera - it was super funny). Well, mom luckily got the ice packs and was in the house just before my sister got home from picking up the bars from our neighbor which were to be stored in the freezer in the barn. Then this morning mom just about beat us out to the barn to put the ice packs away before we got the bars out. She totally would have found them if someone wasn’t smiling down on us.
What was funniest was my sister totally put on her drama queen hat and was complaining to mom about how there was no way I’d be ready to go in 45 minutes and that I had better not maker her late for work etc. etc. Then, 5 minutes before we’d need to leave for her to make work she bitched me out and told me I needed to get a move on because if I wasn’t ready she was going to leave me behind and I wouldn’t get a nebulizer treatment or a soak in the tub, LOL! Mom still randomly cracks up when she things about that great bit of acting she did. It really was too funny!
But, it all worked!
I travel most of the day on Monday. Mom and I will come into town on Monday morning and mail my box of stuff out and perhaps stop off here at Northern Grounds so I don’t come home to lots of work to do and then we’ll be off into the cities and to the airport. I’ll get to Ft. Collins about 10:30 pm that night. So, I might have a post on Monday morning or it might be later. I do have my first Flatiron Clog sock completed and a small start on #2 to show you when I return.
7/26/2005
On Saturday we had tickets to the matinee of Little Shop of Horrors at the Orpheum theater in downtown Minneapolis. Not too far away was a shop I had seen advertised in Spin-Off called Creative Fibers. So, we headed out a little early (which was a *very* good thing as we stayed mostly ahead of some really severe thunderstorms) and visited this shop.
I had chosen two fibers for spinning and was looking at the sock yarns while mom was getting help picking out some economy yarn for a baby blanket. She was done and was checking out and to my surprise dad not only bought mom’s yarn and new circular needles (I’m trying to convert her as I think she’ll have less trouble with dropping stitches if she uses circs and grandma’s eyesight isn’t well enough to pick up her stitches anymore if she drops some, but she knits Scottish with a needle resting on her thigh) but he bought the two fibers I had picked out. Mom accused him of paying me to come visit and he said it was for driving mom around and helping with getting groceries and cooking while I’m home…
Anyway, I picked out this Color Me Woop Top in “Earthy.” There is no indication of the wool type. I suspect it is probably a blend of some sort. It is 8 oz and the colors are right up my alley for fall weather which I know will be on it’s way before I know it, despite the 110+ degree temperatures in Colorado last week.
Then, they had a luscious blend of 70/20/10 Merino/Silk/Angora that I couldn’t resist. I got 4 oz thinking I’ll perhaps make a scarf from it. It feels wonderful against the skin! *drool.* Of course I think I will fall prey to letting it age until I feel I can do it justice though… But, then again perhaps not. I think it might work quite nicely on my new Cascade spindle…
I really wish there was some way to show you how soft this is!
Then, I bought myself some yarn. For more socks, of course…
I love the colors of these. It’ll be a bit more of a departure from my wardrobe, but won’t require me to buy new clothes to wear with it. Despite the difference both balls have matching dye lots. I’m suspecting one was wound in the other direction, so I’m probably going to want to ball these again on my ball winder whenever I’m ready to knit them.
Then, because of the novelty and the fact that this is a luxury yarn and dyed right in St. Paul, I had to buy these…
The colors remind me of the MN river valley in the fall. The fiber is Chineese Camel (and it’s softer as heck). It comes from Silk Road Northwoods in St. Paul. It was $14.00 per 170 yd skein *gulp* but I was really hoping to find something that I could not readily get at home in Colorado and this was just the ticket. 170 yds will be a bit scant for socks, though it is more of a sport weight. But, I think I should be able to still get a 5 inch cuff or so as long as I don’t use a highly textured stitch. It will probably be the perfect time to make my first toe-up socks 
But this is the ultimate in souvenier yarn purchases
Now that my sister is home, thus ends the fiber shopping. She would not enjoy driving around the countryside going to yarn and spinning shops, LOL! That’s why we squeezed it all into my first week home. That still leaves several shops to check out in the metro on my next visit home.
I’m also very excited to get mom knitting again. It means when she comes and visits (we’re giving her free airfare to CO at the time of her choice for her 50th birthday - ssshhhhhh) she can come to Stitch ‘n Bitch and meet all the people I’m talking about all the time, LOL!
I probably won’t be writing much more this last week since there will be no shopping. Though I should be finishing my first Flatiron Clog sock soon. I ran out of yarn and am about 2/3 of the way to the toe shaping. I’ll want to have a decent start on the second sock before (whether it is a new Socka sock or the mate to Flatiron) I fly home. I hate trying to start a sock on the airplane or in a movie vehicle of any kind.
All you SnB gals, I’m missing you! We really need to get together that first week of August so I don’t go through full withdrawl symptoms
7/25/2005
On Friday mom and I ventured up to New London, MN to go to Uniquely Knit. It’s right in the heart of downtown and is a nice little shop. She had a huge selection of Cascade, Lopi and Brown Sheep and a lot of novelty stuff. The sock yarn selection was kind of sparse, but this is a very small town and the shop is quite small in space so I’m not surprised. But she had shelves from floor to ceiling. They had no spinning stuff, though I expected that from the location and name of the shop. I still made a few purchases…
I of course had to buy some sock yarn from Minnesota so I’d have socks to remind me of the trip. I don’t see Socka around in our area shops at home. I think Lambspun might carry it, but I try not to go there if I can help it. So, I picked this up in the nice dusty greens, blues and neutrals. It has a touch of flash that may or may not be evident from the photo. I think these will fit into my wardrobe seamlessly!
Then, I’ve loved the Lucy Bag since I first saw a photo a loooooong time ago, but I hadn’t noticed this pattern at the shop I mostly frequent back home. So I bought the pattern and the yarn needed to make the largest version…
The yarn is a heathered purple so it has a lot of depth and I think will look really great when felted.
My mom also bought two skeins of Lopi and a coordinating eyelash yarn and a felted bag pattern for our neightbor’s youngest (and best friend of my sister). She’s a relatively new knitter but really enjoys knitting bags and mom fell in love with this bag that was on display and decided to get her the main supplies. It will be up to her to get the proper needles, but I suspect by the purse she was carrying when we gave her the gift that she may have them in her inventory already. We also gave her info on where to see the sample and the shop owner (whom we discovered my mom used to visit with when my dad used to play in raquetball tournaments well after we left the shop) said she’d be more than willing to help her should she need some assitance.
So, that concluded the fibery goodness on Friday.
7/21/2005
I’m having a nice time in Minnesota. We got home so late on Monday night that most of Tuesday was a bust and we napped. But, Tuesday evening we went to Jackpot Junction (a casino near Redwood Falls) and met up with an aunt and uncle that live in Redwood for the 1/2 price buffet there. Since it’s mom’s birthday month whe got $5 back and the three of us ate for $14.50 , LOL! Can’t beat that, even at fast food
We decided that yesterday was the day to do a road trip to Maple Plain (about 1hr 20 minutes or so from the farm), as we know my very unhappy sister in Grenada would not be cordial about going on a raod trip just for fiber. So, mom, Gaston (her Seeing Eye Dog ™) and I pile din their mini van and headed out on a road trip to Detta’s Spindle in rural Maple Plain.
Detta’s house was mostly filled with spinning goodness, with a bit of knitting stuff and commercial yarns. She had TONS of wheels, a fair selection of spindles and a lot of books and fiber. She managed to damage the checking out pretty good yesterday. But, I didn’t drive three hours round trip to not spend money, right?
Know that there is likely an afternoon of dyeing in my future I focused mostly on natural color fibers, wanting to get a variety of different types as well so I can get hands on experience to what I’ve read in In Sheep’s Clothing.
In the upper left is roughly 1/2 pound of Blue Face Leicester, which I’ve been reading that Theresa just loves BFL so when I saw this I had to pick it up, of course Then the small package in the clockwise direction is nearly 2 oz of Tussah silk, just to try a bit of. Then I got a pound of Punta Wool Top. The slip of paper in there says this is the same top that Brown Sheep uses for their Naturespun yarn, though it is not marked mill end as some of her bags were. But, this should be a good intro to spinning some different fibers that Snow hadn’t already set me up with and allow me to have some fun dying experiments as well.
I of course needed something with colors that remind me of home. This is actually a little more green in color that this picture indicates and the blend of colors in this Ashland Bay top reminds me of the lakes and the flora and fauna around them. This is 4 oz and may become a scarf in the future.
Then, in my quest to try out different fibers I picked up this 8-oz bag of 70/30 merino/eco-polyester blend fiber. Based on the coloring, I think this might also be Ashland Bay? I’m not sure if they make that blend as I’ve not become too familiar with the offerings yet. But, even though it isn’t all natural fibers I was intriqued by the use of a synthetic made from the recycling of soda bottles. I figure with the synthetic in there it will make for a nice sturdy yarn for socks and the merino will add a nice warmth.
You may also notice in this picture a drop spindle. Those who are observant will notice it is a new one. Yes, I have a Suzie Pro that I *love* to death. But I’m finding the spindle very enjoyable for traveling And, since my current spindle is a rather heavy 1.7 oz (great for plying though from my understanding) I succumbed to the siren call of a Cascade Spindle company Mt. St. Helen’s spindle. The wood of the whorl is absolutely gorgeous and check out the wonderful concave top that matches that of Mt. St. Helen’s peak?
This one is 1.0 oz and the groove for the yarn is deeped than my current spindle which I think will be nice. I haven’t given it a try yet, but I’m excited. Any recommendations on my purchased fibers as to what might work best with a 1.0 oz spindle? Mom says I probably don’t want to spin at their house because Gaston is really shedding a lot right now, but I can spin in my bedroom, as he and the cat aren’t allowed in there.
Speaking of spinning, here is some of the Coopworth I got from Snow on my first spindle. I’m guessing, based upon the targhe yardage that I’ve got roughly 50 yds on there right now…
It looks as though I’ll get to go to Creative Fibers before we go to the Orpheum on Saturday, but the other two shops will have to wait until my next visit. Which, is totally fine. I did enough damage at Detta’s I think.
BTW, Snow & Amanda - I picked up a catalog from her for each of you, so if I forget to give it to you when I get back remind about it, okay?
Northern Grounds in Willmar rocks for their high speed Internet! I’ll probably check back in sometime next week with another report of fiber stash enhancement from Saturday.
