J is for Joy.

I talked to Pippikneesocks yesterday. She didn’t know the scope of what had been done, but she knew something was going on. So I clued her in and true to form, she said she didn’t know whether to be mad at me or overjoyed. She thought we all had forgotten about her. I think more than the financial help we’re giving, she’s thrilled that we would think highly enough of her to want to help her out.

Symeon also told me that she hadn’t knit in months. She just didn’t feel well enough to. We all know how life can get us down. Well, Monday she picked up some yarn and needles and started to make herself a shawl. Our collective goodwill has got her back on the needles again.

Symeon wanted me to express to you all how incredibly happy she was and how your show of support to her has really lifted her spirits, she appreciates every ones good thoughts and offers of help. And I want to thank you too for bringing a little joy back into her life.

More Joy is coming by way of auctions. Starting tomorrow will be:
The Knitting Experience donated some yarn from the fiber company. It’s incredibly gorgeous and enough to make a sweater. I’m going to donate the last batt I have from Indigo Moon. They’re no longer in business so it’s a rare thing this batt. And Erin is giving up a gorgeous shawl kit from Wooly Wonka.

I will be using Ebay for the auctions so if you’re not signed up there, then you may want to head back over and get logged in and ready. These are only 3 of the things that will be auctioned. I’m waiting for more items to come in included another lace shawl!

Knitters and spinners are amazing people.

I couldn’t get a joyful picture of Symeon but I do have one of my girls.

They had a happy moment together watching a dinosaur documentary. When they’re happy and getting along like that, I’m joyful too.

Symeon North is going to kill me but I’m going to do this anyway.

Many of you new people will not remember her or the fabulous fiber and yarn and spirit she gave to the fiber community. Anyone that’s been around a while will remember her. Her laughter, her politics, her….just her. Many of us have worried and missed her since she disappeared.

I’ve been in contact with her off and on, when she had a phone (she hasn’t had internet for a long time).  Due to a whole mess of crappy circumstances, she’s being kicked out of her home that she shares wiith her man and 2 kidlets. They are living on pocket lint. And I want to help. I know some of you do too.

I’m not trying to give you a sob story or try to guilt you into anything. I’ve given only the base facts because I’d really be dead if I embellished. If you want to help too there are a couple of ways.

If you know Symeon and know her email addy - her gmail one. And you feel ok about just sending her some moolah through paypal, please do it.

If you didn’t know her but still want to help, I’m trying to put together some benefit auctions. I have to do this sort of fast because she’s supposed to be out by the end of the month even though she’s trying to hang in until the kids finish school for the year.

Last week I showed off some yarn and it’s going to be used in a shawl that I’ll auction off.

It’s a Forest Canopy done in my handspun Merino Silk. It’s not one of my colorways, it’s a prepared fiber from Ashland Bay called McKenzie.

So keep your eyes peeled and soon there will be an auction for that shawl and a few other awesome things you know you’re going to want.

How do you know when a cop is full?

The sillier amongst us aren’t even thinking of fiber at the moment but really, I’m not making fun of police officers. It’s taking all I can do to not make the obvious joke, but you know what it is if you’re silly so you can finish it for me.

Ahem.
I’m talking fiber here.
The cop is the bunch of yarn that is wound around the shaft of your spindle and sometimes it gets full. You can wind off early but if you want to pack on whatever you can then there are a few hints and some are pretty clearly a slap against the head. And well, I like to pack mine so sometimes the only clue I listen to are the slaps.

It’s a little different for top and bottom whorls but as a spindle fills up (the same as when a bobbin fills) it spins differently. You can compensate for this and add more of course. Sometimes your cop will slip more. You’ll drop the spindle more. and then comes the slap. The yarn doesn’t stay in it’s notch. If you have a bottom whorl and use the half hitch, you won’t have as much of a problem with this.

The problem with the yarn not staying in the notch is that it will slip around and off creating a mess. Sometimes it seams seated until you give it a good whing off your leg and thats where the mess really happens. I wish I had taken a photo of the last few messes I had. It takes about 10 or so before I clue in and stop. I can put more on a low whorl than a top whorl. Though I am faster spinning a top.

This is a fairly full cop for me. I could put more on there but walking on the treadmill when it falls because it’s slipping, it’s not a good thing. Luckily this was the end of that fiber so I can ply and move on to a new project…Mole

That’s mole pronounced ‘Mohlay’. As in the sauce on Mexican food. Mmmm Mole. It was made special by Abby and It’s my new treadmill spinning along with my new Cedar spindle from Bosworth. Yummy stuff for sure.

But last night I spent some time with the wheel. I stayed up late, so late I stayed up til this morning spinning something special.

It’s for a special project that will be a shawl. The special thing is that you will have a chance to make it your own. Details will come next week.

The fiber community is like the best neighborhood you could ever imagine. We don’t always live in close proximity to one another but we’re nearby in spirit. If someone needs help, the community is there to help it’s other members. If there is rejoicing, we stage a giant neighborhood party. If there is sadness, we all share it. If you’re a part of this community then you know what I mean. It’s a beautiful thing.

Many live in actual neighborhoods of isolation or general crapulelnce (yes it’s a word). That makes the fiber community just that much more special. When our real life neighbors aren’t there, our fiber neighbors are. You know there are exceptions of course and places where any good neighborhood falls, but we’ve also seen this community rally so many times. I would pit our fiber community against anyone’s idea of a utopian neighborhood any day.

Why anyone wouldn’t want to be a part of a great community, I don’t know. Yet there are people that willingly toss themselves on the outskirts, or further. Every now and then I’ll read several posts by someone on one of the fiber boards being flagrantly mean for no obvious reason. I just think that maybe they don’t “get it”. Maybe they’ve been jaded by all the bad neighborhoods out there and just don’t realize how good the fiber community really is.

But there have been recent larger events that are hurting the community as a whole.

If you haven’t heard, there has been some pretty big thefts and vandalism at Maryland and a big theft at New Hampshire sheep and wool events. It’s quite sad that someone that probably was in the community is doing this. And through their actions, the community is likely to change. Or at least the events that we get to meet up at will change. With this stuff happening 2 weekends in a row, I don’t know how the events won’t change.

Then there is the flagrant copycatting of one of our beloved wheel and spindle maker’s spindles. Copying happens all the time. When it’s obvious, it’s sad and hurtful. Copying is not the sincerest form of flattery. There are so many ways to make spindles so I hope the copycat doesn’t stop making spindles, but that they change their design so their work can be unique and wonderful all on it’s own merits.

I’m thoroughly saddened by events of late. Many people report that stuff gets stolen at almost every show. Yes, it’s true, stuff disappears at almost every show. Little things usually but it stings none the less. The fiber community had such a cozy blanket kind of feeling to it. I hope that feeling isn’t lost.

I know it’s doubtful that the person(s) that are creating the havoc in our community is reading this or cares for that matter. But I guess I’m hoping that if anyone that does care about the community and wants it to remain the happy neighborhood that it is, will speak up if they know something hinky is going on. Rally around the community so nothing more happens to it.

I know it’s easier (and sometimes better) to just turn the other cheek, but when it’s hurting the whole, that’s when it’s hard to dismiss. I hope as the show season progresses, we all get to have fun and shop and hang out with our fiber friends without having the atmosphere change drastically.

For Mother’s Day the family took me to NH Sheep and Wool. On the way out of town we stopped at Jay’s Mom’s to wish my MIL a happy Mother’s Day and 7goingon20 picked a Daffodil. Our car was obviously in need of decorating so she tied it to the antenna. 300 miles later and it’s still attached, though not as pretty as it started out.

We Watched dog trials and pet sheep and alpaca. I begged Husbeast to let me take home this little tiny Shetland lamb. It totally would have fit in my bag and it was adorable. If only my Mom had come with me, we’d have come home with a sheep because he really was almost too much to leave behind. Especially when he stuck his nose out of the pen to get at Baby Boogie and 7goingon20. Alas, we really need to get a decent barn built first (no surprise sheep aunt Nancy).

We spent most of our time walking outside of the vending areas. The kids didn’t want to be in there and I wanted the day to be good for them too. I think the day was fun because who would have a bad time petting animals and watching the dogs herd. These are things I don’t usually get to do when I’m vending. It was good. Hopefully those that I ran into and didn’t get a chance to talk to, they’ll be at another festival this summer where I can catch up with them then.

I did get a chance to say hi to a few people and to stop in and see Sheila Bosworth, who helped me pick out the pair of Bossies and a ply spindle that I posted about last week. She was busy chatting so I decided I needed to look at the spindles a bit while waiting. Who could resist? They were all lovely but I knew I wanted a Tulipwood and was just going to wait and then I saw a spindle someone else was holding…and then she put it back….. in my hand….and once it was there….. it was mine.

It’s a 21 gram Amboyna Whorl with a long Bloodwood shaft. Simply gorgeous. And I’ll wait until MA then pick out a match.  I had planned on one more pair for doing some lighter weight spinning.  Then the only pair I don’t have is a pair for lace spinning…

I made another spindle related purchase last week. Related as in, not a spindle. Joann’s had all these wonderful wine gifting containers. Perfect transport for a spindle, they’re really quite sturdy and they’re not bad looking. I chose this one because my tattoo says “live, laugh, love”. It was meant to be.

I used to just carry around my spindle in a bag and make every effort to be careful with it. But let’s face it, I’m a clutz. In all seriousness, it seems like the harder I try to be graceful, the less I am. The case is a good thing.

I can fit in a fair amount of wool and all but the big Mjolinor will fit in there.

I packed in my Lotus project and away we went. Though some may think I am traveling everywhere I go with a bottle of wine.