Wheels Keep On Spinning!

The Other day my friend, Nancy, posted that she was spinning angora bunny fluff with a drop spindle

for her Tour de Fleece challenge!

Well, I admire her alot for using a drop spindle to spin such fine fluffy stuff from another friend's rabbits.  That post definitely jogged my memory!  

I have bunny fluff too!

Fluff from the angora rabbits I raised in late 1980's!  I hurry to my fiber closet and low and behold, there is a huge bin filled with angora fiber--all unspun, except for a couple of balls.

I'd completely forgotten about this bin!

Here is the bin--pretty full!  It was compacted until I took off the lid and then

poof!  Air took over and the fiber went bonkers!

It feels so good running your fingers through it--so I took this as my challenge to spin

for at least two days of racing.

Here are the few balls that were included in the bin.  

Then memories come flooding back--one of my major juried pieces was handspun angora, woven on a silk warp.

Loved weaving this luxury shawl!  Now, it rests in my cedar chest.

I also knitted angora socks--I wore them when I did spinning demos--especially at the rodeo where there were large crowds.  Kids always want to feel the fiber so I let them pet my feet--the more they were petted, the fluffier the socks became--also kept my feet nice and warm on those cold winter days.

My ear warmer was a great knitted addition to my wardrobe.  Now, we live in a southern state where winters are milder, I don't use it much--just love to look at it and know it's there when needed.

I'm so glad my friend prompted me to remember about my box of fluff!

Books! Books! Books!

  There are books to be read as we relax!  What is your choices for summer time?  There are lists of favorite reads of 2022--here is one list.  I've not read any of these books; so guess they're not on my list of favorites!  Now, here is a list that Goodreads recommends.  I like this list--have read couple--"The Maid" was fun read. And "The Cartographers"--interesting! 

I enjoyed "A Man Called Ove", "This Tender Land", "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo", "The Women of the Bible Speak", "The Last Thing He Told Me", "The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell", "Tobacco Wives" "Where The Crawdads Sing"--just a few that I've read this year. 

I’ll read mostly in the evening but I’m having a hard time with this book—

It is beautifully written, moves along nicely—I just 

Can’t read this story at night!  It is a tale about two sisters living in France during WWII, German occupation of the country; tragic happenings through the time—very disturbing.  It is unbelievable what the people went through—wondering if I could cope if faced with the same situation. 

So, this story will be read during daytime hours.

Therefore, at bedtime I’ve switched to this book

Written by author, singer songwriter, Mike Blakey—

Mike has a way with words and he loves American history.  You can find his music on most audio outlets—we are fortunate that he is living in our community where we can enjoy his music often at various venues. 

“Comanche Dawn” is the story about horses and Comanches—very well documented and researched. 

What are you reading this summer? 

 

Braggin’ Rights!!

 Okay--This is my braggin' time!  Look Who is One Year old?!!  Our great grandson, Waylon, is one year old today!!  Oh joy!  He is the peace of my heart and the pride of our lives!

He is one Dude!  Loves his cowboy hat!

And would love to have his saddle on his horse!

When did the 'smash cake' become a thing?  His mom made the cake and let him at it!

Can I really eat this?  He wasn't allowed any sugar product before his first birthday!

We have been so blessed!

Okay--that's all for bragging at this time!

?What?

It always feels good when you finish a project!!

This one project was a problem though!  The pattern is "Sweet Dreams" from Pat Sloan

The quilt blocks were to represent "Sweets" but in my mind I wanted to make a patriotic top

Here is my version, without borders--I don't think borders are needed for this quilt.

Problem?  I thought I had the right amount blocks to construct--well, not so!  Guess I

can't count!  I had the inner pieces ready and arranged right--it was the outer section that was the problem--bummer!  I didn't make all the blocks--Needed three more!  That took more time--and I didn't have the energy to work on it--one day I said, "Self, get it together!  Finish that quilt top!"

and here it is--ready for the long arm.

I've been saving 'strings' from numerous projects--The box was overflowing--can't bring myself to throw them away--so here is my next two or three projects in that box!

I'm making string blocks--this is on the design wall--funny, how the camera 'eye' sees it different than the human eyes.. 

Since I have so many strings, I'm using them as borders on my 2.5" blocks

Okay, I know the strings are not all the same size--doesn't bother me at all!  In the end it will be trimmed to fit the size--

Why not make some log cabin blocks with the strings--sure--no problem! 

At first, I used paper to sew the strings on; not easy to tear off the paper--forget that--

when making log cabin,  choose a center square and sew around--If it ends up more that 8.5", take the scissors or rotary blade and trim!

Back to emptying the never ending string box!

Tour de Fleece--Tour de France

 It's that time again!  Tour de fleece!  Are you ready?  Gathered your fibers?  Prepared your fibers?  Oiled your wheel?  Emptied your bobbins? Ready, Set, Go!

Tour de Fleece starts on Friday, July 1, 2022 and runs until Sunday, July 24, 2022.

Guidelines (Not Rules):

• Spin every day the Tour rides, if possible. Friday July 1 through Sunday July 24. Days of rest: Monday, July 11 and Monday, July 18. (Just like the actual tour.)

• Spin something challenging on the challenge days (usually the toughest high mountain stage: this year, the first one is Stage 9, on Sunday July 10, when a demanding week comes to an end with the first authentic mountain test. The riders will have to adjust to a new tempo on the consecutive stages in Switzerland, although they won’t push them to their limits. . The second is stage 18, on Thursday, July 21, with the last mountain test presenting all kinds of possibilities. Unexpected collapses, ambushes and twists of all kinds could be on the cards thanks to the linking of the Aubisque and Spandelles passes, the latter appearing on the route for the first time, followed by the final ascent to Hautacam.

• Wear yellow on Sunday July 24th to announce victory. Why not wear yellow on any day you feel particularly successful? (Yellow is the color of the race leader in the Tour - but here we are all ‘race leaders’) Other colors if desired: Green (sprinter - think FAST), Polka-dot (climber - as in uphill), and White (rookie).

• Have Fun!

The purpose of the Tour is to challenge yourself.

Here is my challenge fiber--Cotton!  

Sometimes, when I can not watch the Tour de France live, I will record and watch later in the day--

My challenge is to spin at least 15-30 minutes a day!  A goal I can likely achieve!

Good luck to you!  Happy treadling!

Summer Project

I need a summer time project!  One that I can pick up, lay down when bored with it—something that fits in my hands!  I settled on embroidery that I've put off for some time now.  It's perfect to work with during these hot days, stay inside days, being lazy days.  Besides--the title of the book is 

"Snow Happy"!  Maybe, that will make me feel cooler as I work on snowmen!

Look at all those tiny snowmen!  So much fun to stitch such small delights!  I have the cloth already--it was tucked inside the book--can't believe I planned that far in advance!

I'll be using this handspun, indigo dyed silk thread--it's been in my stash forever!  It's a single yarn, just perfect for this stitching.

Every time I did natural dyeing I would skein off a small amount of handspun silk to throw in the dyepot.  Once rinsed and dried, the yarn was wound around a card--wish I'd written the dye that I used--but ME, thinking I"d remember many moons later, didn't do such a small thing as write the name of the dye plant!!  Of course, not!  that would too easy.  I can remember blue is indigo, yellow is most likely osage orange or onion skins (which to this day I still save for another dye day); deep purple and red shades are cochineal (this I know as I have about 5 pounds of those little beetles)  If it remotely looks like green--then it's an over dye of yellow in indigo.  

 

when I did natural dyes at the plantation, where I was education coordinator, I would dye these skeins for a fellow docent, who loved to stitch authentic pieces for the house (dated 1800--it is a French Colonial plantation, very simple and plain for that time period--not an antebellum)

Anyway, I would wind these little scraps of handspun for her to use in her stitching--she was thrilled!

One of the first skills I learned as a young girl was to embroider.  I only knew one stitch--don't know the name of the stitch but it's what I used for years.  Embroidery is something anyone can learn and use. 

Through the years I learned many of the other stitches that can be used to create lovely handwork.

I have a number of hand embroidered tea towels that my mother-in-law did--she learned as a young girl too--stitching on feed or flour sacks--another history lesson in the world of using throw away products.

ready to take thread and needle to cloth!!

 

Heads, Shoulders, Knees, Toes

 Come on, let's move!  

Do you remember this rhyme from your younger days?  It was a great way to wake up your youngsters, giving them a chance to stretch, learn some simple song lyrics, as well as learn the parts of their body!

while destashing, I found this forgotten pattern--Heads, shoulders, knees, toes-- and I also found

parts of the pattern fabric that had been colored, cut out and sewn--I do remember giving my granddaughter these to color--must have been 15-20 years ago (She's 30 now!) Wow!  Time does slip by--

There were silly parts of the body, which you can re-connect anyway you wanted.

I have all the pattern pieces--all 9 of them--

All the pieces and top part of the pattern were jammed inside of this fabric--guess I planned to use this for background.  

I can not find any details or instructions on how this goes together--guess it will be another one of my "orphan" quilts and I'll 'wing it' to put it together--just need to put pen to paper and figure out a plan--

oh wait!  I don't do that--I just go with the flow, or sew!  

In my research to find more information about this pattern (oh why! did I let the whole instructions go??), I didn't find a darn thing! I did learn that if you search fabric companies--you can find a TON of free patterns!  Just what I needed!