Seasons

The cooler temps and sunshiny days have made the days wonderful for the last week or so. This evening is Halloween...tomorrow is November. Didn't this year just start a week ago?

We seldom have any Trick or Treats show up at our door. The highway is much too busy even at night for children to be walking up and down the road. So we miss much of the fun of the holiday. But plans are underway for Thanksgiving and Christmas...

With both of us recuperating, there has not been massive amounts of "hobbying" being done. But the evenings do require something in the hands..grin So the coffee 2-ply is slowly becoming a naalbound scarf. It's done in a tube which will be warmer and will have fringe closing the ends. The coffee color does not show up well in the photo due to the warm tones...(will have to change that setting on my camera!) I tried it on my neck and found it a little scratchy... will have to get to my Yahoo spinners group and see if all Corriedale is that way or if it is something I am doing with the dyeing process...

Good Company, Lovely Roses and Wine

Had company from Dallas come in last night. Brought the lovely roses (that smell really good by the way) and Pouilly-Fuisse' wine. I have never had this particular wine, so am anxious to try it.

There's nothing quite like good friends and good conversation.

And It's Red..& Blue.. & Green

Yesterday was dyeing day for all the Corriedale homespun.

I had the green in a pot that was so deep that the center did not get much of the dye.. parts of it not any at all, but it is spread out enough that I think I will call it variegated instead of re-dyeing it. I love the way the reds and blues came out. I think that perhaps I have enough for an afghan.. perhaps small, but an afghan at any rate.

It's the Magic...

I've had several people watch me spindling or spinning (or doing whatever hobby I'm working on at the time) and say "You know.. you really can buy that stuff." And I readily agree.. I could. And it probably would be cheaper in the long run... I guess it's like fishing.. buy the boat, the rods, the reels, the bait.. then catch a couple of fish.. how much would those couple of fish actually cost per pound?

I was discussing this with a friend the other day... her answer... "It's the Magic!" And you can't buy that. So it feels like magic as I work with my homespun and have begun a shawl with my green. I guess I am still new enough with the spinning wheel that I am awed by the fact that this yarn was spun and dyed by me...lol It is definitely "Magic".

All's Well..

It's been another while since posting... In the interim my DH has had TULP (which is laser prostate) surgery on the 19th. All went well and he is recuperating very nicely. Up and about and off to daily afternoon coffee with friends yesterday..grin

The pic is my first try at coffee dying. I just used the left over coffee in the pot and added enough water to cover the yarn and about 1/4 cup vinegar...heated it just below the boiling point for about 30 minutes or so and then let stand overnight to cool. I'm really tickled with the light tan color and now am looking forward to trying a medium and darker color.

DH's Surprise!

DH went for some groceries yesterday. He had me sit at the kitchen table as he brought in the "surprise" from the car.

Look what he came back with... Twelve place setting of porcelain china for a real bargain.... He had been wanting to replace our dishes for about 5 years and he finally did! grin

Oh, Look What I Have!

Dear Daughter Paula came to stay a couple of days with us and has been a blessing... keeps me laughing all the time. While she is here she has made me this adorable little bunny to put my hand spindle spun and knitted tiny scarf on... Isn't it adorable.. It's a first for her as she is just learning the joys of sewing. Love you, darlin'....

No Stent Needed

Well, am back in my usual spot for early morning coffee...happier than expected. No new stent was needed, just a little cleaning out of the one I already have...grin Get to take the pressure bandage off later this morning and will be good as new... yayyy

Up and Around

We're up and around this morning...early...whew... And that's bad when you can't have a cup of coffee....ummmm Off to the hospital in about 30 minutes for the cardiac cath. Will keep you updated..grin

Fischer's Market

Last Saturday, after spending the morning playing with Jim's new treadle sewing machine, we all decided to go to lunch and to Fischer's....

About a 45 minute drive from here is a very small town called Muenster.. yes, as in the cheese...;) It is a truly German small town and has a German store called Fischer's Market. Well, this is where we went on Saturday. They have everything from German Sausages to Hot German Mustard to home made sauerkraut.

I decided to try some of their home canned things this time and was totally surprised to find Peach Cobbler (with pie dough) canned. Wow.. had no idea you could do such a thing. We haven't tried the Chow Chow yet, but when the Hot Asparagus Bullets say Hot... they mean "Hot!".

We had lunch at a restaurant called Rohmer's, where they serve all kinds of German food. Very good German food. All around good day.

I Failed the Test!

Had to go for a nuclear stress test this week and it seems that there have been changes in my heart since the cardiac cath of last year. Sooo...we are off again on Wednesday for another cath and probably another stent. Booo...

From Roving to Pouch...

Well, here is the first thing I have completed using my hand spun since I had the spinning lesson. I can't begin to describe how much softer and how much easier this yarn is to work with than the first yarns that I was spinning. Wonderful. Hand dyed yellow yarn.

It is naalbound using my oak needle that I made from a scrap of oak in the shop... The pouch is made using the Oslo stitch with an edging at the top using the blanket stitch. The drawstrings are twisted cording from the same yarn.

I have about 800 yards of handspun and am working toward having enough for an afghan. But.. couldn't resist making something small because the yarn felt so yummy..grin And I wanted to see how it would work up in naalbinding. Love it....

Harry Potter...Gasp!!!!

Did you know that the Harry Potter series of books...beloved by millions (including my grandchildren) has made it to #1?

#1 on the Challenged Books List according to the American Library Association.

According to the ALA... "A challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group. A banning is the removal of those materials. Challenges do not simply involve a person expressing a point of view; rather, they are an attempt to remove material from the curriculum or library, thereby restricting the access of others."

My opinion: There are many books out that I personally would not read. If someone else wants to.. fine. But that's just me... (Personally, I like Harry Potter and find these books a wonderful read... )

It's kinda like the television...if we don't like what's on, we turn it off... but we don't demand that everyone else turn it off too....

By Golly...She's Addicted...!!

It seems that this is where I find myself every day... I find myself thinking of my grandmother's treadle sewing machine as my right foot rocks the treadle of the spinning wheel. Very soothing..and exciting too.

The box is filled with Corriedale wool. The orange floral metal box is filled with Morino wool.

Thought I would put this out of focus, grainy pic up (the only one I have) so the kids who live further away can see my new obsession.