har og ra fee

On second thought
Originally uploaded by there’s a b

Probably not the best way to organize my desk.

(That’s lip gloss next to the glue sticks, on the off chance that you don’t recognize the small tubes as necessary to daily life.)

I just got a belated birthday gift from an awesome, awesome friend.

You can read it here.

The way I figure it, I’m still owed 25 more.

Right?

Right?

Isn’t that how it works?

Damn.

A girl can dream.

I think I want bangs.

(It’s all Crazy Aunt Purl’s fault. If you click the link, scroll to the bottom picture.)

I don’t really want to cut my hair - I love my hair, although I really should pay more attention to it than running a brush through it after I shower. I just want something different.

Crenellations

Originally uploaded by there’s a b

Who knew that castles were also preventing skateboarders?
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Teach Yourself Visually Handspinning by Judith MacKenzie McCuin: Her name is a hard one to miss if you read knit/spin blogs. The book lives up to her stellar reputation with very clear pictures, explanations, and more information than you can shake a stick at. I want to buy this book, if only for the section on how to prep different fibers and how to set the twist and care for finished yarns using different fibers. I’d recommend this to anyone who is learning to spin or teaches spinning. I’ve seen a few of these “Teach Yourself Visually” books, but this is the only one I’ve looked at and I was very impressed - if they’re all this good they’re definitely worth looking into.

Spinning in the Old Way: How (and Why) To Make Your Own Yarn With A High-Whorl Handspindle by Priscilla A. Gibson-Roberts: I admit that I didn’t read every word in this book. It has some interesting tidbits of information.. I was thinking about what my issue with this book is, and I think it’s that it doesn’t have a focus. It has a bit about high whorl history, a bit about how the author found high whorl spindles, and a bit about how to spin with high whorl spindles which I didn’t find very useful at all - either it was general spinning knowledge no matter your tools, or I couldn’t quite duplicate what she was describing. Get it from library if you’re interested in high whorl spindles, but as a general spinning reference it’s not worth it.

I also ended up with Alden Amos’s Spinning Wheel Primer, although I thought I clicked on his handspinning book, but oh well. This is the perfect book if you have an old wheel you want to fix, or are thinking about building a wheel yourself. It is chock-full of very precise details.

I have read (and re-read) so many books lately, if there are any you want to hear about let me know.

I’ve done some knitting in the past few months. I might start on some Christmas gifts now. Maybe. I’ve been spinning a lot more, burning through my stash with a rage. Having a Woolee Winder helps a TON - not having to stop and go and stop and go has significantly improved the smoothness and even-ness of my yarn. Hooray!

I have been reading - I got three spinning books from the library and after perusing them all I have some very definite opinions I will share eventually. Maybe tomorrow.

In other news, holiday cooking continues apace. I had the landlady replace the oven (yay!) so now I can bake. I am very very pleased.

I am all prepared for today - the turkey is in the oven, roasting away. On Tuesday I made pumpkin bread. Yesterday I made the Italian dressing (cheese+bread), sweet potates, creamed corn casserole, and the ubiquitous green bean casserole. I also did the chopping for the turkey stuffing so I had do to today was toast the bread and tear it up.

Today, aside from the turkey, I have extra stuffing that will be cooked on the side, and I’m making cranberry meatballs as a pre-dinner snack.

It’s weird how all turkey instructions say basting isn’t necessary, it doesn’t do anything, don’t add any liquids to the pan — and I’ve been around four distinct families during Thanksgiving and they all add liquid and baste the turkey. I just don’t get it.

I also have an old cookbook (”Dear Daughter: Time Tested Recipes of Four Generations of Women”) from the 60s or 70s that says that a turkey MUST be cooked breast-side down so it doesn’t dry out. It seems like it’d work, but then that’s the meatiest part so it also seems like it’d take longer to cook… who knows. Someday I’ll try it.

I hope everyone has a calm and restful holiday weekend!

Sewing Machine Hates Me

Originally uploaded by there’s a b

This is what my sewing machine does, the top thread doesn’t always “grab” the bobbin thread - it goes nearly halfway around the bobbin circle rather than all the way around.

Also, the top thread tension part is completely borked. Still. I spent $70 on this machine about six years ago, and another $140(!) to get it fixed two years ago.

I think it’s time to let it die. Opinions?

Handspun - Bluebirds

Originally uploaded by there’s a b

I did some spinning this past week.

To be fair, I took a class from John Pitblado at A Mano Yarn in mid-October, and it was wonderful. I learned so much in just a few hours, and became infinitely more comfortable using my spinning wheel instead of a drop spindle.

I’m calling these skeins “Bluebirds” since it’s Bird of Paradise plied with indigo roving. I had extra Bird of Paradise left over, so I navajo plied it and got a wee little skein. It’s all quite beautiful.. can’t decide what to make with it, but it’ll probably turn into a Christmas gift for someone.

Just not really in the mood for socializing lately.

More wedding & honeymoon photos have been added to my flickr (see last post for a link).