Finally, pictures from my Tour de Fleece 2008 challenge. This is the cashmere that I spun on my spindle during the alloted time...

 

 

....and the BFL sock yarn....

...that came from this...

The challenge was easier for me than I thought it would be, and my only real obstacle that would crop up from time to time was my desire to do something besides spin (usually knit socks).

So the Ravelympics are coming up on Friday, and I have set myself a difficult challenge for this one. First, I'm going to complete a pair of (cabled) socks in those 17 or 18 days, when a pair of socks usually takes me 3 weeks or so, if I concentrate. And on top of that, because I am darn sick of not being done with it, I'm going to finish a work-in-progress (wip) that I've been working on for over a year, my Icarus Shawl. That should challenge me. Or put me in the hospital. Either way, it will be interesting.

For more pictures of our summer, I'd like to introduce the newest members of our family,

River

and Simon.

A brother and sister pair named after the brother and sister in Firefly. Greg wanted to name them Luke and Leia, but the children pulled a veto.

Finally, we've been spending a lot of our summer doing this...

at our friend's pool. Happy Summer!

 

I've forgotten how much I can get done in just 15 minutes. I have great hopes of finishing both my 4 oz. of cashmere and the second skein (3 oz.) of BFL sock yarn. Woohoo! Then I can maybe work through other stash, and feel just fine about getting some roving for more handspun socks. I'm hooked. I love knitting socks, and I love knitting with my handspun. The two together were destined to be an unstoppable combination.

I'm joining the Tour de Fleece this year, which I first heard about at Stephanie's blog. My challenge will be to spin 15 minutes on my spindle and 15 minutes on my wheel each day of the challenge (making up the time for Saturday and Sunday that have already passed). I'm giving myself bonus points if, in that daily spinning, I finish the two in-progess works on each of those tools. If I finish off the fibers before my challenge is met, I will move on to some other wip's that are in hibernation! I'm on a finishing/using the stash spree. Somehow, what this seems to do is cause more yarn to appear. Of course, finishing a spinning project fits right in with that.

 

PS: Um. How do I add the Tour de Fleece button on my sidebar here?

Happenings all over the place lately. April was the month of music, as I had several gigs with the band. They were really well received, too. At one job, for the first time, someone I don’t recognize told me they were a groupie, and one person had to leave, but when he heard I was singing another original, turned around and stayed for that song. The tip basket has started to fill up, I had an encore at one gig, and a shouted-out request and a standing ovation at another. Some of you may have seen the newspaper article too. So now I am working on original songs so that I can have CDs for sale at a future job. I’ve got more than half an album’s worth now.

 

 

Other than that, it’s mostly politics right now. I’m watching current developments with interest, although some detachment. If I get too caught up in the pundit barbs and “analysis” (yes, the quotation marks are used purposely), I get dejected and frustrated, so I watch from a few steps back, and just keep praying for the best outcome for all involved.

 

Oh, and war. Sock War III, that is (click the link for a description). This is my first time participating, and it’s been a little rough. I don’t know that I will be doing it again next year. Not just because of the glitches, but about halfway through the first sock, I start wanting to do my own projects again. I have some Noro sock yarn that is calling my name. And a Central Park Hoodie. And the Tangled Yoke Cardigan. Ahem.

 

Anyhow, here is a picture of pretty Sock War socks. Enjoy.

 

 

A friend of mine at work approached me recently and asked if I would give her a refresher course in knitting. Little did she know just how obsessed I am. So I made her up a little "crack pack" or half skeins and even some whole ones; hand-dyed, hand spun, soft as clouds, itchy but colorful, almost all natural fibers. Something to spoil her and share just how wonderful, tactile, creative, expressive and beautiful knitting can be. I also loaned her these books. Today, we spent a lovely lunch hour in her spacious and peaceful office, knitting and chatting away. She's decided to start with a simple hat, but once she saw my finished sock, she got that gleam in her eye, and declared that her next project would be socks. I think I might have a knit buddy, and yes, I am a geek. But a happy geek!