I'm Employed!?!

After many months, I finally have a job. It all happened very quickly and just in time. It was the last week I was eligible for unemployment when I got the job offer. It all happened so quickly. I hadn't gotten any interviews and all of a sudden the last week of May I had a phone interview, 1st interview, and while in NJ for Memorial Day got the call for a second interview. I got the job offer on Wednesday and started on Friday (June 3rd). I had forgotten how good it is to work and also how draining. That might be because I have to be at work at 7am. I am not a morning person. I've also started right off working overtime.

I'm thinking seriously about entering both the State Fair and the Fall Fiber Festival with some of my hand spun. This is the only year I can qualify as a beginner and might actually have a chance. The alpaca I'm working on right now is spinning up very nicely. If I can ply it half way decently, that will be my entry.

I also want to seriously learn to drop spindle. Jim is going to be away the week of July 4th (I can't go because I don't have any time off in the new job) so I think I'm going to spend that week in intense study/practice.

Adventures in Plying

I decided to ply my tea dyed singles with a natural one (both KP Wool of the Andes). The two look good together despite my amateurish skills. Of course it didn't help that my sweet Georgie decided to “help” me. Most of the time he's a good cat and doesn't bother my knitting and spinning while I'm working with it, but Friday night he was totally fascinated. The singles spinning round and round as I plied was more than Georgie could take. He kept stealing them and carrying them off. I have one little bit that didn't get plied because the tangles are a bit severe.

I will begin spinning my green self-dyed fiber tonight. I also ordered some more fiber. I need to get a lot of practice in this week before the Sheep to Shawl demo at Meadow Farm on Saturday.

10K and Spinning

Well, the Duckaroo and I survived the Monument Avenue 10K yesterday. Neither one of us posted a personal best. The push is on to train for the Spring Lake 5 Memorial day weekend.

Birthday wishes for my sister Sue B. (yesterday). Birthday outing next weekend!

I signed up for a spinning challenge with Clothos Children that's due in May, so I've been practicing. I'm still not really good but I'm better than I was before I spent the weekend with Lois.

Today I spun up some Knit Picks Wool of the Andes fiber that I dyed using a tea bath (a combination of King Tut and hybiscus. The dye bath was kind of a dark red-brown, but the fiber came out a lovely shade of tan. Hopefully I'll have photos posted in a couple of days.

I'm wishing I had had more fiber to dye. There's good news, bad news, and good news with this beginnners attempt at dying. The good news is that the fiber didn't felt. The bad news is that the fiber really compacted and made it much harder to draft. The other good news is that spinning is a really good therapy for shin splints!! Too bad I don't have a double treadle wheel. My right leg is feeling so much better after a couple of hours of spinning.

I have some more fiber (more Knit Picks) to spin up this week. I dyed it it using Wilton paste dyes. I mixed up a wonderful blue green color but the dye "broke" and I ended up with an interesting marbled green and blue combination. I can't wait to work it up.

Well, I must go because Georgie is insisting on attention and everyone knows a cat cannot be denied!

Pre-Valentine's Day Weekend

It was a very good weekend. My niece who is a senior in college sent a wonderful bouquet of tulips. They were delivered on Friday and came with a small box of chocolates and lavender bath stuff. She also sent bouquets to her aunt Sue and of course to her parents.

Today my hubby took me to brunch at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens. I do love going to the Robins Tea House, and it was a nice day for walking around the gardens after we ate.

I fixed us a good pasta with squash, peas and smithfield ham in a lemon cream sauce for dinner. And now it's time for bed - if I can get the cat off my feet.

Well the spinning wheel is finally put together. I went out to Stony Mountain Fibers today to get an Ashford maintenance kit. It was a beautiful day for a drive - hard to believe it's suposed to snow soon. Now the wheel actually spins. All that is left is to oil it and use it! Photos to come in the next couple of days.

My new running skirt came today. I ordered it from Athleta and it fits! Now if it was just warm enough to wear it.

A New Start for the New Year

2011 should prove to be very interesting. After being with the same company for 11 1/2 years my position was eliminated this past fall so I'm out on the market. I'm also taking up a new hobby - spinning. I'm still keeping up with my knitting, I've started riding my bike again and I've signed up once more for the Monument Avenue 10K. Yes - a very interesting year ahead.