My big contribution

It's finished now, but I don't have a picture of it.

Work and The Dog

I'm here at the ranch, and the director graciously lent me a computer to use while I'm here tonight. There is a girl here for respite who has Prader-Wili syndrome, and needs one on one supervision, so I'll be here for a couple of weeks, mostly full time I think. The shifts run in 24 hour periods, so no matter when I'm working, it's going to be at least an over night.

Porter is turning out to be a great guy! He is very gentle with the residents and has so far stayed calm through both tantrum and seizure. He tells me when he's has enough for the moment and goes to the door. Sometimes I'll see him looking in the screen door, but when I open it for him, he just stays on the step and declines to come in. He just watches from the door for a bit, and when he's ready to join the group again, he lets me know. The residents love him and he seems to understand that this is our work now. He's always ready to go home to his own house and yard, though. For me, as well as Porter, this job is a challenge and a learning opportunity that seems to have come along at just the right time.

I now have cable TV, telephone, an internet service, but unfortunately no computer yet. I've gone shopping for one, and was amazed at the desktop computers that are available now. Monitor and CPU all in one unit! Touch screen. ...and everything sold separately. No more of everything in one box. It was a little daunting for me. I didn't have the money to buy one (luckily), so I have more time to figure out what I want and what I need.

Thanks again for thinking of me and for leaving me the great comments! And to the people who leave me comments in Japanese: I'd be happy to publish your comments if they were in English, and of course not spam, but I can't read Japanese. Please leave your comments in English so my friends and I may enjoy them.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter! This year my Easter is different than I thought it would be. I've had a week's holiday, which was great, but today I'm here with Celeste, and O is in Trujillo with his family. He left on Friday and will be back on Monday. It is a visit with dual purpose. He's there to check on the purchase of the house that we are helping with, and to see what is happening with his father. He left late Friday, promising to take pictures of the house and whatever is happeneing in Trujillo, but I see that he's left the camera on the desk where he put it while packing his back pack. Hmmm.

So, because I have nothing more interesting to show you, here are two spindles that I recently acquired:


Mahagony and paduak wood top whorl spindle

Reclaimed ash top whorl spindle.

This spindle maker uses only wood from old furniture that might otherwise be left in the landfill. I think it's a great idea to recycle and reclaim wood and other materials in this way!

And, I'm working on a funky crocheted skirt. Deep green, the top of it is mesh, ad the bottom is...well, the bottom part, I'm still working on. It's a process of evolution. I've experimented with several options and ripped out each one. I've got one more option in the works and if that one doesn't work out, I'm thinking about a whole skirt of crocheted mesh work, with maybe some beads on the lower edge to give it some weight. And since I have the camera, I should be able to put up some pictures of it later today, when I have it all figured out.

Crochet Video - Not What You Might Think...

Fiberwebs

I've been doing some spinning...




The read, blue, and black sparkly stuff is Vardo, from Farm Witch. The brown skein is handspun of wool from Maggie's Farm, Inc.





And a little bit of crocheting. The beret is of handspun Flickabunda wool that I got from Maggie's Farm.









Hmmmm...I thought this would be the underside of the beret, but...

with ruffle...

Brown acrylic blend, drawstring waist, size small - medium.

What I've been doing...

These are fingerless mittens made from handspun superwash merino and a few multicolored seed beads. Fun!

This is one of the crocheted skirts I made while I was waiting for the pain to subside. Drawstring waist, worsted weight yarn, size medium. I like it! I've already worn it to work, and it's nice, but it's still a little too hot here for me to wear it again till fall.


These are some shots of the crocheted lace I made from the teal romney. I don't know if you can see the crystal beads in the photos, but in the sun they catch the light and sparkle like raindrops.

Here's Celeste, patiently waiting for me to get out of bed.

Well!

Well, yes...I've been busy, and have several photos to show you, but unfortunately not in this post. O has lent out the cable that connects the camera to the puter, so I haven't been able to download photos for about a week and a half. Grrrr....

But anyway, I have almost finished the lace stole that I've been working on. Teal Romney lace weight yarn with gold glitz spun in and crystal clear seed beads scattered randomly across the piece...sounds nice, doesn't it? Well, I love it, but you know...those photos will have to wait till I can get them on the computer. Maybe by the time the stole in finished, the camera cable will have returned.

And...I've finished up a pair of fingerless gloves made from handspun superwash merino. Shades of blue and purple with seed beads at the upper edges. Those sound pretty, too, don't they? Yes! They are, but you know the story...no cable to download pictures with.

And...I received several batts and rovings to spin up - all in a rainbow of gorgeously rich colors...but...not a cable in sight to download those photos. Wah. And a pair of new lace weight spindles came from Heidi in Colorado, but nope - no photos of them either. Phooey.

And, I have a few photos of Celeste with her "I hate cameras" face.

Several of my students come to class badly in need of a shower. I know it's hot, but when someone arrives to the 7 am class smelling like they've not bathed since last Sunday night (today's Friday), it just about waters my eyes when the student approaches my desk. I have a hard time telling students "Hey buddy, you're a little over ripe. Why not treat yourself to a shower before you go to bed tonight?" Not only would he (or she) not understand, but maybe they don't have access to water on a daily basis. Some people here only have water at certain times of the day, and some have to haul water from the truck that comes once a day. So I feel really bad about telling someone here that they need a shower.

But - today a student came to talk to me and I swear, he must not have washed for a very long time. The body odor was overpowering. How do you tell someone in a nice way that they really reek and need to scrub off a little bit? I have noticed that several student take their daily bath in the institute sink, where there is clean water and soap always available. I know they do this because they walk out of the bathroom soaking wet from hair to shirt to shoes. In the heat it doesn't take long to dry. I know these students are more comfortable, so I wonder why more of them don't take advantage of the availability of water and soap?

The Crochet Mojo is Back!

Whew! The Sambuca Jacket is done, except for weaving the ends in and sewing on a button. Today isn't that hot, probably only in the 80's, and I got my crochet mojo back. The sweater is in the wash now, soaking and then to be blocked and left to dry. Too hot to wear these days, but in a couple of months, it'll be perfect with my purple skirt and a light blouse.

I love this pattern. I think I need to spin enough yarn to make it in "Bundaflicka Tweed. The blue would be great! It's quick knit, but spinning enough yarn for it will take me a couple of months, I think. So, right after the teal laceweight if finished, I'll get started on the blue. I only have 4 more batts of the teal to go...laceweight is a killer to spin for me. I just don't have enough time in the day to get it all done at once. I love doing it, though!

updates

We're having a heat wave....a tropical heat wave....

Before the heat descended upon us, I got about 90% of the sambuca jacket done. Then all my crochet mojo left me and I put it aside. Today I pulled it out of it's bag and took a couple of photos, still unfinished, but should be finished shortly.




I also did a little spinning, taking a break from teal laceweight. This is "Berry Harvest". It's merino with a little sparkle in it. There was only 4 ounces of it and I got about 380 yards of sock yarn out of it. Not too bad, and I can supplement it with some brown if I need to.

Smokin' Sambuca

Whoa! The Sambuca Jacket is moving along MUCH faster than I imagined it would! The prototype looks...well, eh...I knew that making a jacket with worsted weight yarn instead of the DK yarn that was called for would result in a bigger size, but I didn't allow THAT little detail to deter me for a second. I'm finished with the body of the sweater and am moving right along on the first sleeve. Even though the sweater will turn out to be bigger, it'll still be a wearable piece for me. I have planned to make "the good sweater" of some very nice alpaca yarn that my sister sent with me last year.

Of course, I have made a couple of little changes to the basic pattern...couldn't resist...I made it longer than the original is (mine is hip-length), and I left the lower edge wavy rather than straighten it out. And I have added a buttonhole rather than send away for a sweater clasp.

Gosh, I just had no idea this project would move as it has been going! Yeay for crochet! This afternoon I'll edit this to add pictures (after I get camera batteries.)

Set in motion

I have started a crocheted jacket called "Sambuca Jacket", pattern by Doris Chan. I have her book, Amazing Crocheted Lace, and it's in this book. This one will be the practice project to make sure I know what I'm doing, then I'll choose another yarn to make the "good" project from. The photo shown is not mine...mine is only partially done. I still have most of the body and the sleeves to do. But it's a top-down pattern, so I can try it on as I go. I hope there's not a lot of ripping out to be done.

And I've finally spun just over 600 yards of the teal romney, and am ready to cast on for my lace stole. After searching through the patterns, I have finally settled on SeaScape, the designer's photo is pictured below:

I plan to add crystal seed beads to it and am marking the chart to be sure I know what I'm doing. And, arrgh! I re-read the pattern as I was placing bead markers and, apparently, I need about 100 yards more of the laceweight, so I'll be continuing to spin while I'm still off work this week. Not quite as ready as I thought I was.

I wonder if this is a good way to start the new year...loading myself up with projects. At least I'll be busy!

The next crochet project

This is my next crochet project. My copy of Interweave Crochet FINALLY arrived and I fell in love with this shawl as soon as I saw it. Mine, of course will turn out differently, since I cannot leave a pattern alone and make it as it is written, at least after the first time I use the pattern.

A pattern is really more for inspiration and guidance than for following to the letter, in my own mind.

I think I will make the first one as the pattern is written, just to understand how things are supposed to go, and then I'll make a cape of this kind of thing. I saw a great one this afternoon in a movie. It was a filet crochet cape, just a rectangle of filet and a draw string to gather it around the shoulders. Mine will have flowers like this shawl has.

What do you think? Could it be fun? It COULD be fun!!!

circles and beads

This year seems to have been all about playing with circles. I've been fascinated with the circular vests and have a round gray shawl in the works right now. I'm not sure why I'm so interested in circles, but hmmm...there it is. The shawl looks like a table cloth, so maybe it will be one of those garments with more than one use - when it's not being worn, it can just be thrown over a round table for afternoon tea! I hope to have all my current projects finished by Sunday.

I've also gotten into beading more this year than ever before. I understand the technique of beading crocheted pieces better and things don't look so clumsy now.

Nothing ever comes easy

Let's see...where were we? Oh yeah, the hot water heater. Yes! We bought the heater. And on Tuesday, the man came and installed it. However, he did NOT hook it up electrically. He said an electrician would have to do that, and he didn't bring one with him. How inconvenient, but since we had been without hot water only for ALL FRICKIN WINTER, we probably could wait till whenever the electrician came. But first we'd have to get an engineering consultation, then call the electrician, but he'd have to look first, then come back at a second appointment to install the parts and connect the wires. And, of course, he wouldn't be responsible if he did it wrong.

WHAT??? That was a crock of bull.

This morning, I sent O to the hardware store for the breaker and gathered a few tools. I opened the switch box and took off the face plate. Shutting off the main power to the apartment, I removed the wires to the hot water heater from their little slot and stripped the ends of them. O arrived with the breaker and I connected the wires in the same way that the others were connected...blue on the left, red on the right. Tightened the connectors down, snapped the breaker into place, and yup - time for the "smoke check"! (That's aircraft electrician lingo for "see if you did it right." Yes, I was an aircraft mechanic and electrician in my former life.) And the little red indicator light came on and the water began to heat. We NOW have hot water. Did I mention that O momentarily stepped out of the room before I flipped the breaker on? Heh...men. Oh, ye of little faith. No guts, no glory, I always say.

And, I finished a vest done in a triple curve stitch. The yarn is in shades of pink and old rose. I took several photos of Celeste modeling it and a few of it spread in the traditional way on the bed, but then the batteries in the camera went out and I need to replace them before I can post them.

I am doing one more triple curve vest in shades of blue, and this time a size larger and longer, because I want one for myself. It's about a third of the way done.

AND...I painted the laundry room. No more Celeste finger paintings on the walls and the window sills. It is painted in satin finish, washable paint - salmon color. I can wipe off the dirt without the paint coming off too. I still want to decorate the walls with stencil or border, but there are neither of those items to be found in my part of town. So I'll go to Hobby Lobby when I get back and check out the stencils and stenciling materials. And to Walmart to look at borders...maybe I'll find something that suits me, or maybe I'll get the stuff to make my own. I'm thinking of a sun stencil on the wall, done in metallic gold. Against a salmon background? Ooooo, pretty!

The Illusionist, Mimsy, and crochet...

I recently found a new movie (well, new for me), The Illusionist. As usual, I watched it several times. At first, I thought it was a beautiful love story. But with successive viewings, I began to understand that there was a hidden plot to kill one of the characters. The more I watch it, the more I understand that, yes, it it a love story, but also there is a plot to do away with one of the characters, very meticulously planned. Granted, the character of Prince Leopold is a dangerous one, but I watched the plot unfold and it could not possibly have happened without the cooperation of many, including the chief of police. The more I watch, the more intrigued I am at the subtleties on the plot and the story line. Amazing!

I also am still watching The Last Mimsy. Although there are many who apparently disliked this film, I am enjoying it.

Have you seen these? If so, what did you think of them?

I've also almost finished the black circulat vest. I'm on the last and seemingly endless round of the outer edge. I'm almost out of yarn, and I hope I can finish this without having to rip it out and think of another, less yarn-intensive edging, because I have no more black alpaca yarn, nor do I have more black novelty yarn after these last half-skeins. Then I need to block the vest, and I will not wash it, since there's still no regular sunshine and warmth, and I don't want it to mold. So I'll press it with steam and take care not to melt the gold monofilament in the novelty yarn.

I've got another hat finished that's ready to felt - it's of bright pink alpaca yarn and gray Peruvian sheep wool, one strand of each knitted together. I'm hoping for a nice mauve color, but I won't be felting it here, once again because there's no sign of the sun on a regular basis, and I can't risk putting a wad of mildew on a potential customer's head, not to mention that my hat form (the insert of an ancient tamale cooker) is in storage there at the farm, at least I hope it is...So I'll wait until I arrive at The Wooly Works to do the felting.

packages!

Yeay! My package from Mountain Rose Herbs arrived! I ordered goodies in preparation for the drier months that should be coming. I use their massage oils on my legs because they help my skin and because the aromas are so YUMMY! This time, I chose "Goddess Dreams" massage oil. Although I'm not using the oil yet, I couldn't resist popping open the top to sniff...MMMmmmm. I also ordered a tiny bottle of Amber Patchouli aroma oil. It's a very subtle and lasting perfume oil, just strong enough that I can smell it and still not overcome the room with scent. And I ordered 2 essential oils - corn mint and patchouli. Patchouli gets better as it ages, so I can use it sparingly and if it lasts for a few years, all the better.

I also received a package in the mail from Amazon.com. Doris Chan's "Amazing Crochet Lace" and "Folk Style", by Mags Khandis will be keeping me busy for months! I had also ordered another book, but it hasn't been released yet, and, duh, I didn't notice that fact until they sent me a notice to tell me that it would be shipped when the publisher released it. I hope it arrives before I go to the US! I want to see it!

Celeste models a doily

The Siberian Siren has stooped to modeling half-finished garments and doilies. Behold the blue-eyed wonder sporting a purple doily and relaxing in the unfinished black circular vest:







It all seems to be okay if she has a slipper near or can rest her head on my shoe.

And here's a shot of the unfinished vest, from my perch above my bed.

the vest is proven

I was on the verge of ripping out the hippy vest yesterday. I'd made the mistake of reading the review of the pattern book I used while window shopping on Amazon.com. Someone said that everything in the book had to be re-calculated because it was written in Great Britain, and that nothing turned out correctly if one didn't do the calculations to make the proper changes in terminology. AND that the reviewer hated the vest pattern because it looked like a tablecloth.

But something told me to hold off, so I just laid the vest across the back of the sofa and let it rest. Later, Mario and Lili came over and Lili saw the piece on the sofa. Lili is a short, round, voluptous woman - flamboyant to say the least - and she couldn't resist trying the vest on. Holy Smokes!!! The vest transformed her round shape into an hourglass figure and she was THRILLED. She was busy twirling in front of the mirror for a few minutes before I managed to get the thing off her. I guess we'll see how things go. But I know now what to get Lili for Christmas.

Hippy-style Vest

It looks like a small round tablecloth. It's a little bit too hippy-ish for my taste, but still, I like this piece. It turned out to be a size 14 - 16; too big for me, but on the right person, this could be a knock-out!


Here's a shot of it a few days ago, when I had about 3 rounds left:






And here's a couple of shots of the back of the finished vest:













And finally, the detail of the front...the green top kind of clashes and the wooden button is hidden by the crocheted lace, but I hope you can get the idea of the thing...this vest is for sale.