Alpaca My Bags!

My kitchen smells like a wet alpaca is living in it. But let me start at the beginning.....


Several months ago, I visited an alpaca farm and bought one pound of alpaca fleece to try my hand at processing and spinning. It's been hanging out in a bag in my craft room since then. I've been preoccupied and my house has been, let's say, in dire straits since the farm visit and I guess I'm that person who can't move forward when I see other things that need done. Since then, craft room has been organized and the rest of the house is well on it's way to being purged of "stuff" so it doesn't feel so cluttered. Now, let's process some fleece!

Keep in mind, I have zero experience doing any of this so YouTube is my friend. I plan on documenting everything I am doing, including all of my mistakes, so maybe others can learn from them (I hope I learn from them too!). I opened the bag of pretty white fleece from Lily and wow...alpaca smell. It's terribly humid out so I plunked myself down in my craft room with the bag, another plastic bag and a trash can. The process of picking out debris (hay, sticks, poop) from the fleece is called skirting and that's what I sat in here and did. It actually didn't take that long because the fleece seemed pretty clean from debris. I've never handled alpaca fleece straight from the animal itself and it was...odd. And still a bit smelly.

Alpacas don't have lanolin like sheep so the whole soaking to get rid of lanolin isn't needed but this bag of fleece was in desperate need of washing. Welcome to YouTube:

I used a bucket in my sink so I could do small batches at a time and I also used Dawn to "shampoo" the fleece. As of this writing, the first batch of fleece is on it's 2nd 30 minute rinse. The water was pretty clearish after the first rinse but I decided one more run won't hurt. I have to remember not to agitate the fleece because I don't want a felted mess.

Since it's so humid out, I'll be spreading the fleece in the front foyer by the big window to dry. I had this terrible vision of putting the fleece outside to dry and watching the birds carry it off. I'm pretty sure that will happen.

I also got my spinning wheel set up, thanks to YouTube again. I bought a Lendrum single treadle and it was fairly easy to set up with the video and NOT with the instructions it came with. I have no knowledge or experience with spinning wheels and it would have been nice for the written instructions to assume that.

I have so much to learn and I'm finally excited to learn it all!

My wheel!

Line. Speed. Beauty.

I am falling victim to inertia. My brain, and house, contain so many things I want to do and learn but once I am home, I just do what I always do. Thankfully still knitting and reading instead of mindlessly watching TV but still. I need to get my body and mind in sync and get moving in another direction.

I heard the title above recently in regards to learning a new skill. It stuck. I think my main problem is, if I start spinning, if I put my wheel together and really have to start, I'll suck at it.

OF COURSE I will suck at it. I've never done it before.

But the thought of sucking at it has caused me to stop before I start.

Line:

Learn the technique. Don't worry about how good you are because you won't be. Absorb everything you can about the new skill you are trying to learn and PRACTICE.

Speed:

Once Line is conquered then you move on to speed. Once the technique is down, you have the confidence to speed up the process.

Beauty:

Get your Line and Speed down then you move on to Beauty. THEN and only then, do you move on to creating art.

This whole process is behind some of the greatest art that is out there. Artists, musicians, filmmakers, everyone has to start at Line. Then they move to Speed. Then they create art and Beauty.

Everything I admire about spinning yarn, all of the people I follow on Instagram and Ravelry, I want to be there someday. And I will.

I will suck at this. But I'll get better. And I'll be blogging about every mess-up, foible, and success along the way.

Line. Speed. Beauty.

How Does That Equality Feel?

A pretty historic day today. One that made many proud to be an American and one that struck fear in the heart of homophobes. Same-sex marriage is legal in all states!!!!

It's funny, I had casted on an asymmetrical triangle shawl about a month or so ago and cast it off late last night. And it turned out to be fitting, a rainbow gradient, for today.

Pre-washed and blocked

We might as well start with

Off The Needles

The pattern is called Ex-Boyfriends but my intent was a simple pattern that will display the beautiful gradient yarn that I purchased at Stitches South this year. The yarn is from Apple Tree Knits and is Socklove Fingering (80% superwash BFL, 20% nylon) in the Chakra gradient. It was an easy pattern to memorize and watching the colors unfold was pure potato chip knitting. I haven't had a finished object in a while but this is a good one to kickstart the mojo.

On The Needles

I had a staycation from work (and it was incredibly needed) and I tried to organize my UFO projects. Reality is, I have way too many projects just hanging out on the needles and I need to get them finished up and moved on so I can cast on more projects. I have several pairs of socks on the needles as well as my Iced cardigan (still!). I recently started a baby blanket for a friend's adopted daughter in Jamaica. She had a baby recently and my friend is heading down for the wedding. I felt the baby needed something to wrap up in when he's cold and to spread on the floor to play on so I started a basic Lion Brand blanket. I purchased 2 colors each of Brava bulky from Knit Picks in Gold, Green and Black (Jamaican flag colors) and am already through the increases for green and gold. This is going to be a giant blanket! The yarn is crazy soft and squishy for an acrylic and will be easy to toss in the washer and dryer. New moms don't need anything extra to worry about.

I also casted on a Boneyard shawl, in theory for Camp Loopy. The yarn I bought from the Loopy Ewe for this is Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock in Minestrone. It's gorgeous and I heard great things about this brand from various podcasters - mostly Kristin from Yarngasm. The colorway reminded me of my friend's photos from her safari in Africa. I originally tried knitting the Mossy Waterfall Scarf but tore it out because the pattern got lost in the colors. I still plan on knitting the scarf, but in a solid or semi-solid so the detail shines through. I've wanted to knit a Boneyard by Stephen West for a while so I went with it. It's turning out very pretty and the pattern is pretty easy to memorize except for the M1L and M1R. I still need a cheat sheet on those.

Not even close to done so it looks like I'm a bad camper. The picture of the animals in handknit socks cheer me up though!

I have lots more on the needles but that's for another day.

In Your Ear

I'm currently trying to catch up on podcasts and managed to plow through about 10 Knitmore Girls podcasts in a row. All that really did was add to my queue.

I also started listening to Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (she of The Yellow Wallpaper fame) through the Craftlit podcast. I'm already halfway through the book and it's just as odd and strange as The Yellow Wallpaper.



More to come as I figure out where I am at and how to get back to my crafty life. Being without Eva has been much harder than I ever anticipated and I know I've let myself fall off of my own radar. I do have plans for more blog writing, crafty and otherwise, so here is hoping I hold myself to it!

Eva

Stitches South 2015: My Recap

Once again, I've been gone for a bit. My knitting mojo left, I think because I had a hard time dealing with the loss of Eva. This, coupled with problems at work (that have since resolved), had me really down in the dumps. I had signed up for Stitches South earlier in the year and went, hoping my mojo came back.

And it did.

But first, in order to really get the mojo, I had to finish up "obligation" knitting. Now that it's out to it's new owner, everything I do is for ME!!!! I think this is one of the big take-aways from Stitches that I left with: it's ok to knit for myself. While it's good to think of others, it's important to think of yourself too. I saw so many things that inspired me and made me want to KNIT ALL THE THINGS.

Stitches South was in Nashville, TN (one of my favorite cities) and I got on board a little late so The Gaylord was full, but I got a room just 5 minutes away so it all worked out. We arrived on a Wednesday and I went and grabbed my name tag and registration then we were off.

First stop: Dinosaur World in KY for a photo op

Next stop: Loveless Cafe in Nashville, TN - THE FOOD! And Moonshine.

A guy working at the Visitor's Center in TN told us about Puckett's Grocery and Restaurant. We choose to have dinner there the first night. Amazing food, great selection of beer and live entertainment. Did I mention I love Nashville?

Puckett's

The next day, I had registered for a class on Amazing Couture Stitches but in actuality, I was downtown Nashville exploring the Country Music Museum. *cough* I really wanted to go to the Museum because the Dylan Cash exhibit was there. I've no regrets.

Before the museum we ate at the Pancake Pantry. No regrets there either!

We also headed to Belle Meade Plantation. It was neat walking the grounds and taste testing at the winery there.

My grandma lived in Hendersonville, TN on Old Hickory Lake, near Johnny Cash. We decided to head over there to visit Cash's gravesite. It took some searching but we found it

We ended the day eating at The Cock of The Walk, near our hotel because we were beat. Giant, family style plate of hush pups, catfish and chicken with cornbread on the side.

The next day, Friday, was my first class and real day at Stitches. I took a cuff down, toe up sock class by Stacey Trock. I had all my homework done and had already knit up some cuff down socks before so I was more eager to learn the toe up version. Stacey was a really good teacher but I think the class had too much content for 3 hours. There were a few folks who didn't do the homework either so we did have to wait on them to catch up. Basically, we got through a version of the cuff down sock and just barely started learning the toe up cast on (of which I mangled badly) before the class was up.

After the class, I hit the marketplace. OH MY...... It was chaos. My sister joined me and ended up holding my bags while I charged into the booths I wanted to hit (pre-planning my marketplace list!). I got into Miss Babs and The Plucky Knitter as well as Erin Lane bags. Later on, I visited the marketplace about 3 more times and hit up A Hundred Ravens, Seven Sisters, Apple Tree, & 2 Guys Yarn Company. Sew Flo had adorable and geeky bags. I ended up with a TARDIS notions bag. I also ended up getting a new knitting bag and t-shirt. Whew. And yet, I didn't buy nearly as much as others!

After the marketplace on Friday, we were off to the Johnny Cash museum! And for a stop at the Goo Goo Cluster store, conveniently right across the street.

I went back to the Gaylord for the fashion show. Let me say now that I really appreciated the knitters and crocheters there. I was alone for the conference but everyone was very friendly and invited me to sit with their groups. I really did appreciate that. I didn't take photos of the fashion show because I was mostly entranced by it. Beautiful garments and, what made me so happy, I could make them myself!! Wahoo!

After the show, we headed to the Rainforest Cafe for dinner because my sister had never been.

My mom and I (and an elephant)

On Saturday, I was pretty excited (and nervous) to take Lily Chin's Tips and Tricks class. Nervous because the homework was to learn the crochet cast on and I just could not get it. I'm really not the type to go to a class without the homework being done. Lily is officially my knitting hero. She was dressed in a handknit, sparkly purple dress with sparkly purple tights and purple boots. She was funny and smart and helpful and she really knew how to pack in all the information she intended us to absorb into 3 hours. This class was worth the entire price of admission to the conference.

This was our last night in town. My sister and I signed up for a haunted tour of Nashville (in a hearse) and were planning on hitting the bars on Broadway. Before that, we stopped at Caney Fork River Valley Grille for dinner. More good food and live entertainment!

Nashville Ghost Tours offers up an open air hearse to tour the haunted places of Nashville. It was... challenging to get into the hearse and slightly creepy. Our first stop was a cemetery then onward to Music Row and the Capitol Records building. It was a really good tour! No bars afterwards though, it was a madhouse with lines to get in a mile long. There had been a marathon that morning so Nashville was a hopping city. Back to the hotel to pack.

Stitches South was just what I needed. I'm already planning on next year and plan on signing up for a lot more classes!

http://www.knittinguniverse.com/STITCHES/

Miss Eva

I've been away for a while.

In truth, it's because I preferred just to sit here with my dog and knit or read. I'm happy I chose to do those things.

I rescued Eva on February 1, 2013 from the Madison County Humane Society. She was a senior dog who was found on the interstate in the middle of  a snow storm. No one had any idea how she ended up there but I know I ended up loving her goofy, gorgeous face and brought her home.

About a year into our relationship, I found out she had a brain tumor. I promised her peace, love and family until the very end.

On March 14, 2015, I held my beautiful dog and let the vet ease Eva's pain. Two years and 6 weeks and she completely, 100% stole my heart. I'm still devastated.

She was not a tiny dog (clocked in at 96 lbs within a month of me getting her) but she lost a lot of weight towards the end. Even so, she still took up a lot of space.

I don't regret getting an older dog. She needed a good retirement home, with her own large fenced in yard, and she got it. She got lots of love, hugs and kisses. But, in reality, Eva made me a better person. I needed her more than she needed me.

"One by One, they pass by my cage, 

Too old, too worn, too broken, no way. 

Way past her time, she can't run and play. 

Then they shake their heads slowly and go on their way. 

A little old lady, arthritic and sore, 

It seems I am not wanted anymore. 

I once had a home, I once had a bed, 

A place that was warm, and where I was fed. 

Now my muzzle is grey, and my eyes slowly fail. 

Who wants a dog so old and so frail? 

My family decided I didn't belong, 

I got in their way, my attitude was wrong. 

Whatever excuse they made in their head, 

Can't justify how they left me for dead. 

Now I sit in this cage, where day after day, 

The younger dogs get adopted away. 

When I had almost come to the end of my rope, 

You saw my face, and I finally had hope. 

You saw through the grey, and the legs bent with age, 

And felt I still had life beyond this cage. 

You took me home, gave me food and a bed, 

And shared your own pillow with my poor tired head. 

We snuggle and play, and you talk to me low, 

You love me so dearly, you want me to know. 

I may have lived most of my life with another, 

But you outshine them with a love so much stronger. 

And I promise to return all the love I can give, 

To you, my dear person, as long as I live. 

I may be with you for a week, or for years, 

We will share many smiles, you will no doubt shed tears. 

And when the time comes that I must leave, 

I know you will cry and your heart, it will grieve. 

And when I arrive at the Bridge, all brand new, 

My thoughts and my heart will still be with you. 

And I will brag to all who will hear, 

Of the person who made my last days so dear." - Author Leslie Whalen

RIP Sweet Eva

Podcast Spotlight: Sawbones

I'm getting addicted to Sawbones. I have a thing for medical stuff anyways, but the hosts are so damn funny, I downloaded the entire backlog and am making my way through it.

Shew....

One of the hosts, Dr. Sydnee McElroy, is truly a doctor so there is a lot of good, factual information. Her husband, Justin, is the comic relief. This podcast is what they say it is: a tour through misguided medicine.

The episodes I've listened to recently include phrenology (feeling the bumps on your head to see what kind of person you are) and plastic surgery. If you listen to the Measles episode, be prepared. They go after the morons who choose not to vaccinate (as well they should) and they give the facts about measles so people can be aware of how bad this new outbreak in America really is.

This podcast started in June 2013 and, based on that, I have a whole lot of learnin' and laughin' to do!

Knit From The Stash, Read From The Stacks

It really didn't take long to break my yarn diet, but more on that later.....

The weather in Indiana is still frightful, with another ice storm heading our way tomorrow. I have to say though, I am going stir crazy and so is the dog. WE NEED OUT! *deep breath*

For 2015, I deemed January and February hat/scarf knitting only. I was going to stash dive, buy NO yarn, and knit hats and scarves for the 2 shelters in Madison County. So far so good. I pulled out all the manly colored yarn and have went to town: 1 hat and 2 scarves are complete! I've casted on another hat in Lion Brand's Fisherman's Wool and another scarf in Lion Brand Wool Ease. The scarves will all be bulky/chunky yarn so I can get more done. I'm going to start some chunky hats as well simply because it's been so cold here I really want to crank these out and get them to the guys!

I'm being completely monogamous with my knitting. ONLY hats and scarves for 2 months. Then the rest of the year is an Amanda free for all! I will finally get my WIPs done and knit things for me!

Stash Acquisitions

I hope this is the only acquisition for the year (besides the yarn clubs). I really really need a yarn diet and really just want to knit the beautiful stuff I already have.

One of my favorite indie dyers, Gnomeacres, is having her 5th shop birthday! She updated her shop with almost 400 skeins of yarn and I didn't think it would hurt to look, right???

I caved.

I bought the birthday candles set. I had previously purchased her Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle set too (that comes in a pizza box!) so I figured this was just destined. Aren't they beautiful? I'll have them in my hot little hands in 3-4 weeks. (Pssst! Her Valentine colors are out!)

For Your Eyes

I've been catching up on Warehouse 13. I'm at Season 5, Disc 1 from Netflix and am super sad it's ending. I've also started Parks and Recreation after reading Amy Poehler's book. I seem to keep jumping in when shows end. Boo. But P&R is really good and I don't normally go for comedies.

For Your Ears

At this point, who hasn't been listening to the Serial podcast from NPR? I just finished Episode 7 of 12 and am thoroughly hooked. I hope they continue this format. Go listen now!

More Butt-tah!!

I'm on a quest to cook at least one recipe from all of my cookbooks this year. Some of them I use on a regular basis (like Nigella and the Tassajara Bread Book), but some I only glanced through and then put on the shelf. I'm tackling

I made the potato cheddar ale soup today and it was mighty good! I have so many recipes tagged in this one that it may take a bit to get through but it will be a tasty journey!

This is part of my second pledge for 2015: ready only from my current books (of which there are about 1,200 in my house). I can get books from the library, but no new acquisitions. So far, holding true to this one!

Don't Make Me Go Back!

After 2 weeks off work, I have to return tomorrow and I'm super not happy. I didn't get nearly enough knitting done. Now I have to put knitting on the back burner while work takes over *everything* again. *grump* I did get to spend 2 weeks with Miss Eva and that has been most pleasant. Naturally, as I head back to work, we're expecting bitter cold and snow. Yay?

I've had a wicked sinus infection for the entire 2 weeks (+ 1 week before vacation). I guess if I already feel miserable, I might as well be at work!

On The Needles

My Halloween socks (now for 2015!) are still in progress. I got some done when waiting at the hospital over break.  But they are not even close to being complete.

I just casted on a scarf for my charity knitting (see: blog post). My friend Becky had quite a bit of yarn and her family gave me a lot of it. I am using her skeins of Loops & Threads Charisma in the Lakeside colorway. It's blues & browns and works very well for a scarf for the men at The Christian Center. I feel good that her yarn is going to help people :)

 Off The Needles

Our silent auction at work went well and one of my co-workers won the hand knit scarf I offered up. Instead of rainbows, she chose Gryffindor colors (sweet!). Luckily, I still had 2 balls from when I made my big ol' Harry Potter scarf and I was determined to finish this while on vacation. It's done! It looks really good too!

Click to embiggen

That will be in the happy recipient's hands tomorrow!

I also casted off, today in fact, a hat for the Christian Center. It's a basic rib hat and it's a pattern called Just a Beanie. It's my go to hat pattern. The label of the yarn is missing but it feels like a nice acrylic, perhaps Brava from Knit Picks.

Click to Embiggen

I also completed a prayer shawl made with Lion Brand Homespun. It was a very pretty light blue, teal and white and I did not get a photo. I wanted to get it done (it's was on the needles for a long while) because I had lots of shawls and chemo caps to send out. I mailed out 2 boxes of caps to Riley Hospital for Kids and 1 box of caps and shawls to Kellogg Cancer Center in Skokie, IL. That made me pretty happy!

I plan on only knitting hats and scarves for the homeless shelters for January and February and then the rest of the year really work on my UFO's that have stacked up and hit my Ravelry queue because I actually haven't made a lot for myself in a while. I haven't even finished my Iced cardigan.

That's about all I have for now. I keep thinking of things to blog about and never get the time but I'm going to make an extra effort in 2015. Somehow I need to NOT let work take over my personal time. *fingers crossed*