Holy Crap! I have a BLOG????

Oh yeah, that is something I seem to have forgotten about. Oops. Sorry guys to have been silent so long, It has just been one heck of a few MONTHS.  Really. And right now welcome to my World Of Vertigo. As I sit here at any moment I am in danger of the world around me spinning off into nowhere…and in reality its sitting still. Its just my equilibrium in turmoil. Bleh. Well its that or be zonked out by the nightmare of a prescription i got from my doc. Either choice has been no fun, so i’m just hoping this random dizzyness just goes away. (BTW– in case you’re wondering, he thinks its something with my middle ear. mostly I’m okay, but right now… NO)

So here’s my mosaic and the ensuing narrative to get you up-to-date in my world. Thank you Lisa, I love getting ideas from friends. (Ah yes, and as for the new header up top, i spun that yarn as a sample for Coby to use for her neato colorway, Rosie and Mick, I spun the yarn, but the roving and colors are entirely hers. )

This is a full mosaic of what i have been doing lately…..(if you want one…Click HERE)

Descriptions start from top left to bottm right. Hope you keep up. (i think if the pictures are too small for you to see, just click on one, and the entire thing will pop up bigger than life….)

First of all, we start wAAAAAAAAyyy back in July and August, when my hubby and i took a great vacation to Mackinac Island and Mackinaw City. We visited both forts there, the colonial fort on mainland and the civil war era fort on the island itself. So much fun! Lots of fudge, horses and I was happy to say, lots of history with fiber thrown in. You can see the Straits of Mackinac, with the Bridge, colonial dudes with their cannon (so fun) a butterfly indside the Butterfly house on the island, my hubby on a horse (kind of sexy, he doesn’t have much experience on the backs of a horse, but he’d make a fine looking cowboy, well, for an Native American anyways )

After that, we tooled around Mackinaw City for a while, and since i was having some withdrawals from not having much time with the knitting or spinning or my online stuff like ravelry and plurk (where i can reach my fiber friends 24/7/365!) my darling spouse acquiesed to some time at Cynthia’s -  a local yarn shop in the city where it is simply CRAMMED to the gills with cool stuff. Everywhere i looked there was something I hadn’t seen before. It rocked. In addition, Cynthia and her daughter are just super cool and nice. You can see Cynthia’s daughter here where i do a Yarn-Harlot-esque move– I photographed her with my sock.  I was working on my thistle-lace socks at the time. She probably thought I was crazy, but that’s half the fun.  After that, we spent a short time at the Historic Mill Creek (sawmill picture up top the clapboard building) and I also couldn’t resist taking a picture of the hot and lonely sheepies at the Colonial fort.  No one there but me was interested in the poor babies.

Next up, you see one of the fleeces that was gifted to me by my brother’s wife Holly. She has Llamas, and she had sheared them, so i said, “i’ll take it” and she gave it to me. She was going to THROW IT AWAY. Amazing.  I have already picked, washed,  carded, and spun some of the fiber. Its pretty cool. Pictured up top there you see the big fleece that needs LOTS of picking. will do soon. Carding is the hardest part, since its fine enough that i have to take it to my friend Coby for the carding. My hand cards are too coarse. They’re meant for wool.  anyhow, it is really easy to spin and makes a nice yarn.  You also see here my brand new hand cards (bought by Mr. Fixit himself) and the first yarn i ever made from the fleece to the yarn…How cool is THAT????

Things i have also spent my time doing as of late? Spending time with the Backrow Spinners…(you see the Corgi-puppy-lady-who-she-and-her-hubby-make-great-brownies i don’t know her name, i’m too new. she’s spinning on a wheel she just bought from Betty), hanging out with my cats (see Tasha in the screen door. she does this any time i go out that door, so cute) Hanging out with the Windswept farm crowd (their sheep-shearer at work, Heather and her daughter and a new cat-smart boy, on the wool already and it probably is still warm from the sheep)

I also spent a little time with my family for my birthday — the cow you see there is JB my brother Tim’s pet jersey steer. Sadly that was the only picture i remembered to take that weekend. I really like that cow. He’s really sweet.

Spending a LOT of time at work (we did 2 weeks straight training in the Hubbard Management System) Here’s an honest-to-God Halloween Kitty, he did this on Halloween, no joke, and a cute becostumed (is that  a word?) boston terrier named Winnifred, with a ball and a vet. She is the cutest dog ever, and always full of energy and happy to see you, especially if you want to play.

Nest is a whole SLEW of pictures from the Ann Arbor Fiber Expo. I spent the weekend there helping Coby of CJKopec Creations with her two booths there. Well four of us did. Me, Erica, Lisa and Coby herself were there, we were busy, we didn’t get much sleep, but we had a GREAT time (at least I did) Photos are a little dark, but you can see the four of us together, me with a cute little bunny (i wanted to take him home) Lisa knitting a sock, Coby posing for a photo, and the booth, there was A TON of stuff there, and it looked great. It was the best looking vendor there if i do say so myself. Oh and don’t forget the peeper behind the pink yarn in the pic — that is Rita of Yarn Hollow, who has the neatest stuff ever (well BESIDES Coby) And she has the added benefit (just like one of my good friends) of being a super-nice person as well. Whenever i see her, she is always really nice and conversational and happy to see you. I’m spinning some merino-bamboo i bought from her that weekend.  

Lastly, i have been spinning, (here’s a hank of handspun for ya) Spending time with friends, knitting, watching TV (Bourdain is MY BOY!) and knitting.  I’m loving the autumn weather and am also pursuing a new venture (yes, i have been cheating on the fiber a little…) i learned wire jewelry techniques as well as silver soldering and metalsmithing. I’m hoping to get pics up at some point ( i really want a new camera) and I’m toying with doing etsy in a small way. I don’t know. Still thinking. Well guys, must be shutting up now. Glad I got everything up to date.  Polls are closing in twenty minutes you know. Go Vote. I did.