So......What's New?.......

So, got all the grape colored merino spun; plying it now with the dyed Shetland.  Blue socks are done; re-knitting the beaded tam. 

Put the zipper in the blue sweater only to discover that one front panel is longer than the other by about 1 1/2".  How the hell did that happen??  Oh, I was soooo disgusted!  Are you kidding me??!  This sweater was knitted in one piece, sans sleeves.  Crap.  Crap.  And not to mention, the sleeves are about 2" too long.  Triple Crap.

So when the tam is finished, I will be doing some serious alterations.  Hey, but the zipper went in like butter!! 

Yesterday I finished the outside work.  All yard ornaments, lights, fencing put away for another year; perennials all cut down.  A couple Saturday's ago we had a good dusting of snow - like maybe 1/2".  And just this weekend, we had 19 degrees overnight!  I might've just made it under the gun.

Saturday we went to a fiber festival in Cambridge, MN.  It was a spur of the moment thing.  It was just a one day affair, and I asked a lady there how many years it's been going on.  She said this was the first year.  I certainly hope there'll be many more and that it grows like Lake Elmo.

A nice mix of vendors, a lot of alpaca.  But I did score 2 bags (8oz. each) of Border Leichester from the same gal I got 2# from last year at Elmo.  Only this time it's roving; the other was batts.  And get this......$1.00 an ounce!!!   It's beautiful wool; white; spins great; feels great.  I commented to her about her prices, saying I can't believe she sells her wool at such a great price.

Her response was,  she's not looking to get rich doing this, she has a lot of sheep and just wants to make the fiber affordable for everyone.  Then we got to talking about how the price of wheels, accessories and fiber has gone through the roof over the past years.  We both agreed that the fiber craft has really taken off, more and more people getting into it.  Why do the prices have to be so prohibitive for those who also have a burning desire to learn and create?  So sad.  Do most suppliers want to be rich?  Is this their "gold ring"?  Sad. 

Anyway, she was a woman after my own heart.  I've been preaching the same ideal since I started crafting and selling some 20 years ago.  It should be affordable for everyone. 

Off my soapbox now.  Anywho, BH is planning on getting the woodstove up and running this week.  Good thing.  We have one more day of warm weather and then it'll be back  to the cold and dank.  And even though that stove has saved us tons of money for heating all these years, I do hate the damn thing.  Always hated it......except, maybe, when it's -30 outside with 25mph winds.....then maybe I like it...just a little.  Well, one more winter after this one and we'll be in our new apartment!  Yep, we'll be joining the 21st century...... with all the modern conveniences! Utilities be damned!

I Done It!!

Well, it's done.  All my knitted items are listed on Etsy, with more to come hopefully.  If you'd like to take a gander, just type  in HomeSpunHandKnit in the Etsy search bar.  

We went to the Casino last week...my birthday celebration.  Had a coupon for 2 free nights!!!  And.....2 free dinners...one at the Buffet and one at the restaurant.  How could we pass that up?!  Of course......in reality......nothing is "free".....if you get my drift....."casino".   But we had a great time, very relaxing.  BH and I both agreed on the way home that it seemed we were gone for more than 2 days.

Frost has been hitting us every morning.  Of course all the flowers have been dead for over a week now.  I just haven't been able to get outside to clean up.  It's either too cold and windy, rainy or I've been busy with things in the house.  Ahh, but Monday and Tuesday next are supposed to be in the high 50's.  I will make a serious attempt to get to the gardens.  Before there's a heavy blanket of snow over everything.

BH asked me the other day "what's the harm if things get stuck outside for the winter and the flowers don't get emptied or cut down?"    Nothing, says I.  Except it reminds me of people who leave a dried up Christmas wreath on the door and Christmas lights up around their house through July!!  Oohhhh, that bugs me!!   Or when you can see curtains or drapes in someone's window and half of them are hanging off the curtain rod.  Yikes!  I want to go knock on the door, push myself into the house and rehang the damn curtains!!

I think my OCD is showing.

Well, it's back to knitting and spinning.  I've been working on 2# of a wine colored SWMerino (whew!) I'm on the 6th bobbin and will probably get another 1 and a half.  I love the color (obviously!).....it reminds me of Concord grapes.  Got big ideas for this yarn.....which may not see the results till sometime next year!!

I'm just about done knitting the 2nd blue "tweedy" sock.  Boy, those have taken me forever!  And then they'll be up for sale.

Gotta re-do a beaded tam.  The first has a couple of stains that will absolutely not come out...with anything.  And since I have fingerless mitts to match....well, the tam has to be knitted again.  Crap.

We have not started the wood stove yet.  Been muddling through with the infrared heaters.  BH has intentions of getting the stove ready and firing it up next week.  It does feel like we're going to have an early, very cold, very snowy winter this year.  Time will tell.

Son informed me that he and his buddy will be coming up here the last weekend in October.....from Thursday night through Monday morning.  Yes, they're taking 2 days off from work.  It's the last weekend for Trout fishing, don'tcha know.  Good grief!  Gotta get my "Chuck Wagon" personna and menus in the ready.