Overdose of Cuteness

There was an alpaca show at the fairgrounds today so of course we had to go.  Alpacas look like they were designed by a toy company.  And to add to the cuteness, they make a little sound somewhere between a kitten's meow and a lamb's bahhing.  And they are soooooooo soft and cuddly.  I'm amazed we didn't bring one home (it did, however, give me an urge to spin more alpaca)

Startitus

"Startitus":  a tendency to begin projects.  Think I've caught it.  Current projects:

Knitting:  black alpaca mitts, white lace sock, squares for another pair of felt slippers.

One one loom, some trim that's been there since August.  Decided that used too fine of a yarn for the pattern to show, so I don't really like it, so it's sitting there.   On the other loom is a mixed-fiber scarf.  In the textile labs that I teach the students are given bags of fiber samples--some we use, and some we don't.  The "don'ts" have been piling up over the years.  Some of them are pretty nice--camel down, yak down, angora.  So I brought them home.  Literally a hundred little bags with a wee pinch of fiber in each one.  It took forever just to open them--for a total of about two onces of fiber which I carded together into a lovely soft gray batt.  For the warp I used some alpaca/silk yarn from a previous failed project--so the entire thing is recycled.  I'm still spinning the weft--using my charkha.  Despite it's small size, it's an amazingly efficient spinning wheel for short fibers.  And a special shuttle makes it more efficient.  Normally you spin yarn, wind it into a skein, then into a ball, then fill the weaving bobbins.  For the charkha, you fill the little spindle, then pop it into the shuttle and start weaving.  Pretty cool.

So of course I decide I need to start something new.  I really had fun making the warp painted fabric for the skirt a few months ago and want to make some more.  Never mind that my dye kitchen isn't heated and it's a mite chilly out there.  I at least wound the white yarn, and figured out my palette.  Now to clear off a loom . . .

So that's five projects in process and another one started.  With my confessions now out there, maybe I can get the antidote to startitus: finishupitis.  It's far more rare . . .

And the Winner Is . . . .

There was a regional scale model conference in Jacksonville this weekend.  Bob has gone in previous years to help improve the finances of the vendors, but he has never entered anything for the competition.  This year his model club buddies and I talked him into entering.  Two models = two first place.  Not bad, no?

This one  (to the left) was scratch built--meaning not from a kit.  Bits and pieces of various kits, odds scraps, maybe plastic from a credit card.   The next picture shows the setup I used to take these pictures.  It's really pretty simple--a plastic storage box, a piece of paper inside of it, and a couple of clamp-on-lights (and one gooseneck.  Use what ya got).  You need the daylight light bulbs.  Are you listening, Michael?  (My brother makes the most amazing woodworking pieces, but pictures are taken just sitting on the dining room table)

So how does one prepare for an ordeal such as this?  With a nap, of course.  Helps if you have a few friends to join you (they're really not quite that demonic.  Apparently "fix red eye" does not work on cat eye shine from the flash.

Road Trip!

Bob's birthday was this week, so we decided on a little road trip to Albany.  There's a very nice zoo/wildlife park there.  I've been there before, but with a group of summer camp kids. 

When we got into town, we saw a sign for the Flint Riverquarium, and decided to hit that first.  What an amazing find!  It's a gorgeous site with beautiful displays.  And I never knew that sturgeon could live in this area.

Like most museums, this one is designed for kids, and who said there's an age limit on being a kid?  The tunnel led around to various back views of the displays, plus a chance to be a display yourself.

We did eventually go on to Chehaw Wildlife Park.  On a weekday, in winter--we had it almost to ourselves.  Much more peaceful than herding a group of kids on a hot summer day.  It was chilly, but sunny, and the alligators were all taking naps.  What is slightly unnerving is that I was not using a zoom to take this picture.  I did use the zoom on the big toothy guy--don't want to get too close to that!

Splitting wood

A chilly winter means fires in the fireplace--which means splitting the wood from those trees we had taken down last spring.    Now that we've reached "a certain age" (to put in delicately) we decided to take the easy route--and bought a log splitter.  It's not motorized or gas-driven, so there's still exercise involved--just not the heavy jolting of whacking something with an ax.  And some of those big gnarly pieces were pretty good at resisting an ax--but not hydraulic + woman power!  Here's the toy, and the result of about an hour of playing with it.  And now I'm sitting by a well-earned fire!

So much for resolutions

But I am at least posting again . . .

Since last post:  Went to a old-fashioned soda fountain in town and were lucky enough to be there when the owner got in three antique (late 1800's) candy cutting machines.  They're lovely display pieces in their own right, but they also work.  Later that afternoon we watched old-fashioned hard candies being made and cut with them.  The Victorians were so cool about having everything be over-decorative.

I've had the bad luck to come down with tinnitus.  This just means that I have a constant loud shrilling in my ears--it's enough to drive one totally batty.  Alas--moden western medicine has no solution beyond "try to drown it out with a radio".  So it's time for alternative solutions.  So far I'm taking vitamin B complex, drinking water with concentrated cholorphyll in it, and tryin acupunction.  But the real sign of desperation is that I am walking around with radish seeds taped to my ears.  In theory this is to apply pressure to acupressure points.  But it does make me feel like I've gone off the deep end.

Bob's been doing some amazing work on his models.  I felt it was a shame that documention consisted of, at best, putting it on a table and snapping a picture.  So I rigged up a mini-shooting studio (and, of course, didn't get a picture of that) with a clear plastic storage box and several clamp-on lights.  Must say that for a first try, the results aren't bad.  Going to have to talk Brother Michael into doing something similar for his woodturned pieces.

And I've woven a couple of scarves.  The black-and-white one is handspun alpaca for Bob (there's a picture of it on the loom in an earlier post) and the copper-and-green  one is rayon chenille for me.

So see?  I have been busy.  So there

Back Decks

While I was weaving on a scarf for Bob last week, he was building me a new deck.  The back steps to my cottage were quite narrow (you couldn't open the door if you were standing on the steps) and in bad shape.  And then they fell apart.  So now I have a nice new deck--I wonder how long before I have dripping dye stains on it (note to self--get some plastic before the next dye run.)  Blogger is being very uncooperative today--it won't let me write beside the pictures, or continue writing below them.  I have to clean house for New Year's Eve and not fuss with the computer, so more later (perhaps my New Year's resolution will be to post more often than once a month or so . . . .)   Happy 2011!!!