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I love reading all your blogs. I checked them out every morning. Sometimes afternoons and evenings.
And I love to send you comments. Everyone likes to know if other bloggers are following them, like to get positive feedback on their thoughts, their life, their crafts.
So, here's the rub....while commenting this morning on a bloggers beautiful pair of socks, I mistakenly called her by another's name. I like to use your name. It feels more personal. Some bloggers don't give their names in their profiles or at the end of a blog.
If I have referred to you by another's name, I sincerely apologize. It wasn't carelessness, really, just another "brain fart". I'm getting old; what can I say.
To prove my point.....I even call my own children by someone else's name. As they're standing right in front of me. Often. Very often. Always have since they've been small.
I will try to do better. Thank you for your understanding. My kids just shake their heads, their eyes glaze over.....and they walk away. Please don't walk away.
What do these do things possibly have in common? Aside from the norm..nothing....unless you happen to be spinning Alpaca.
Yes, folks, I stupidly decided that the ball of grey alpaca I've had for years would be the perfect compliment ply to the oatmeal generic wool that was just finished being spun.
I don't know if it's the dryness in the air or a forgetful memory, but the last time I spun alpaca (over a year ago?) I'll be danged if I remember it being soooo fly-away. Yikes! I'm talking hair everywhere, including all over my clothes, up my nose and down my throat.
Hence, all day yesterday and all last night, I was coughing, hacking, cackkking.....like a cat trying to bring up a hairball. I felt little annoying wisps all over my face, in my eyes, on my arms, even though nothing was visible.
Well, I don't want to throw the alpaca away! That would be crazy talk. It's so silky, so smooth, such a beautiful grey. And I know how it can transform a so-so yarn into something luxurious when it's plied with even a generic wool. So what's a spinner to do?.........Surgical masks!!
So I went over to the storage house and dug out 3 masks. It's gotta work, right? I'm going to try it today. If it doesn't, and I'm still coughing up hair balls tonight, then I might consider ditching the fiber. And that would break my heart. Because.....there's 4 ounces of white alpaca in the storage bin waiting to be spun.....at another time. Maybe in a couple of years. When the memory of the hair ball causing, fly-away fiber is very, very distant.
I just hope I don't try to sip my coffee while forgetting the mask is on my face!
We made it through the storm over the weekend. Much of it in anticipation. Forecasted for Sunday....morning.....afternoon......late afternoon......night......depending on what tv station we watched, at what time of the day. Well, it finally came in about noon, with a fury, and ended about 7 pm. Total about 8".
Son and grandbunny were supposed to come up for the weekend, but I called him Friday, asked if he heard about the coming storm, explained the timeline to him, and he decided to stay home. Why is it that grown kids do not listen to weather reports?? Never. I already had the meals planned, food defrosting, for his visit. I like to send him home with food. So the Chicken Chow Mein is in the freezer, after 2 meals; and the spaghetti and meatballs are also in the freezer, after 2 meals. It was a win/win situation.
Anywho, I am almost finished with the back of the wine colored vest. Right side is done; just have the left side to do. The pattern calls for knitting 3 pieces separately. I hate seaming. I knit the whole thing together on circulars.
I am trying....trying.....to get up the energy to clean house today. BH will be outside most of the day taking care of business. I absolutely hate house cleaning. It's a waste of time and energy (I keep reminding him). But I can't stand the very visible layers of dust all over everything.
My daughter just called at 7:15 am to tell me she received a bill from the clinic she frequents. She never receives bills. She is disabled, on SSI and is covered by Medicare and MNCare. So a phone call to the clinic is in order today to find out what the hell this is all about.
You know....if I were to get paid for my secretarial, doctor, nurse and advocate services.....
I am almost finished spinning the oatmeal colored batt. I'm about ready to puke. There is so much veggie matter that needs to be picked out every couple of rotations that I can barely force myself to get it done. Can't wait to get on to the Shetland roving (to be plied with the oatmeal). Hopefully no veg matter and things will spin along smoothly.
I've also been having a hell of a time with the wheel. Squeak, squeak, squeak. Enough to drive you nuts. I have oiled and oiled and oiled. Seems like every hour. The crank, the footman, the treadle board pins, the flyer. Where the hell is it coming from??!! And I love this wheel - Ashford Traveler.
Then it occured to me......is it the drive band? Could it be the drive band? How can it be the drive band....it seems taut enough. Ehhh..what can it hurt.....I'll change the drive band (cotton twine). Viola!!!! I guess it was stretched out more than it felt or looked. No squeaking! Hurray! I'm a happy spinner again. Except. for. the. godawful. veg matter. in. the. fiber. Which is almost finished.
Anywho, I better get my rear in gear. Get the damn housework done. Phone calls to be made. Bills to pay tomorrow. More spinning. More knitting. Because Friday......Friday......is Casino Day, Baby!!
Yep. That's how I've been feeling these past couple of weeks. Winter. Is there anywhere the temp is always 75, no cooler, no warmer, all 4 seasons? That would probably be "Heaven", right? And we're not there yet!
Anywho, trying....trying....to do things. Baked 4 loaves of wheat bread yesterday; got 2 loaves of Italian bread rising; will make a good dinner tonight. We've had chili 3 nights this past week. Although Sunday I made chicken wings....with pizza (store bought) and cheese and crackers. Tuesday it was leftover wings, shrimp cocktail, cheese/crackers/pepperoni. Fill in the other nights with.....chili.
This weekend there will be cooking.....son and grandbunny are coming to visit. I like to send him home with cooked food.
Saturday morning our cable went out. All stations. BH says "call the cable company". I say "it's Saturday. They're not open; it'll just be a recorded message. Ok. I'll try". Well......lo and behold......after the initial "office hours are Monday thru Friday from 8 am to 5 pm" it said "if this is an emergency, leave your name and number. An afterhours tech will contact you shortly".
Well....hell Yeah! it's an emergency!! It's "Super Bowl" weekend! So I left the pertinent information. Sure enough, 15 minutes later the tech calls. He will be out our way in an hour. By 2 pm, all was right with the world..we have cable; our Sunday is saved!
Monday, 6 am.....no cable. Nada. Zilch. Zero. Call again. They will send a tech. I should tell you now....the problem is not with us, but with the main junction box at the fork in the road, about 1/4 mile from us. Just so ya don't think...we're being careless.....with our cable line.
Not so good. No cable all day or night. No cable Tuesday morning. Called again at 8:15 am. "What's going on with cable?" I ask the guy who answered the phone. "Why? Is it out?" (jerk!) "Yes! Since yesterday.....all day!...." "I'll let the tech know and they'll get to it". Jerk.
So, by late that afternoon, we had cable. The tech stopped by to tell us about cable lines freezing, shrinking, breaking....yada, yada, yada. Thank you!
Wednesday morning.....no cable. Aaarrrggghhh!!! Is this some kind of "Dish" conspiracy??!! Ahh, but this time the tech stops over and tells us the city snow plow hit the junction box!! He'll have it fixed shortly. And he did. God bless you. Then....in the afternoon....there were 3 short glitches when the cable went out. Came back on within seconds. Cable tech stops over again.....asks if we're ok (cable-wise)......because......the city snow plow....hit......you guessed it!......the junction box......again.
And this is our life in a small town.
Now I don't want you thinking that we are total couch potatoes....with 417 cable channels. No. No. No. It's a small, rinky-dink, only-one-in-town cable company. And we elected some years ago to go for the "Basic" cable package (read: cheap). We get 11...yes...11 stations. Because we're in the "boonies", an antenna will not do. However, last year, son with bunny hooked us up with ROKU. If you don't know it, you should look it up. Anyway, we get our Netflix streamed to the tv through ROKU. You need an internet connection. We have internet through......you guessed it again!.....the cable company. No cable. No internet. No ROKU. No tv. Period.
And now, a totally different topic. Here are some pics. The first is the vest recently completed -- completely! Knitted of the copper/navy/red/brown. I'm really happy with how it turned out.
This picture shows the true color of the yarn. It is more brown than orange-y. The buttons were bought years ago, I think in a big tin with a million others, from an auction. They're gold metal with a stamped design on the top.
This is the same vest pattern on the needles. It's wine colored with grey heather tones. You can see the cables more noticeably.
And as soon as I learn how to use my new camera...and fix the color of photos.....or get good closeups that aren't all smeared......there're more pics I'd like to post.
Stay warm.....stay cozy!
