Spinning epiphany

Just wanted to share the fun I had spinning over the weekend.  I have been working on spinning a pound of mill end roving that I had ordered to practice with.  I haven't had time to spin for going on 3 weeks so I had to work out some initial rust.  I also thought I'd try out a couple of new techniques I had read about.  What I ended up with was a disappointing thick/thin yarn and a feeling that maybe I would never progress in my spinning.  I went back to drafting the roving the way I had been doing and my yarn improved but I was still disappointed in my inability to master a short forward draw which is supposed to be a beginner's drafting technique.

I was really getting tired of the mill end roving that it seemed I had been spinning forever and decided to just go ahead and try something new.  I pulled out the half a bag of alpaca I had left from what we bought when we went to the fiber festival in Virginia and thought I'd give that another try.

It was all the fiber I had when I went to my first spinning guild meeting in November.  The ladies in the guild told me it was not a good beginner fiber so I bought some corriedale from one of the guild members who is also a vendor and put the alpaca up for later when I was a better spinner.  I took the corriedale home and spun it all up while waiting for the mill end roving I had ordered to practice on to arrive.  

I pulled out that alpaca on Friday and thought I'd give it another shot.  I was (and still am) amazed at how easily that alpaca spun up.  I finally got to experience what people mean when they say a fiber spins like butter.  I was spinning a very fine yarn using the short forward draw with no problems.  I felt like I could probably have spun with a long draw if I had wanted.  It was spinning up that easily.

I worked through what I had left of the alpaca way too quickly.  What a difference!  I understand now that it wasn't me, it was the fiber.  I understand what people mean when they say the fiber just wanted to be spun thin (or thick).  I feel so much better about all things spinning.  I went back to spinning the mill end roving with the understanding that the mill end roving was meant to be spun at a medium thickness using my version of the short backward draw.  The mill end roving needed to be split about 4 times and pre-drafted once or twice while the alpaca needed no prep whatsoever.  

I'm using the mill end roving to finish filling the bobbin that is currently on my wheel and I need to ply what I've got left on another bobbin with this bobbin.  I've got to do this to free up a bobbin for more spinning since I only have three.  I need to order another woolee winder bobbin and some more alpaca to spin.  I've got some superwash bfl and merino to work on and of course my mill end roving.  I'm really looking forward to trying out the merino and see how I do with that.  If I can spin that well, then maybe I can spin up that merino my mother picked out at the fiber festival and send her some beautiful handspun yarn.

The day after Christmas

Well, all in all Christmas went pretty smooth.  Everybody got along and there were no fights (only one of the usual main instigators was there).  The worst thing that happened was Mike dropping William's new tv and busting the plasma screen.  He's out now taking it back to Best Buy to get another one.

I think everyone was happy with their gifts.  I got a spinning wheel from my parents and a woolee winder from Mike.  I love them both and only wish for time to spin.  I am determined to get some time in with my wheel (Miss Lilly Ann) today.

Ugh!  My laptop is giving me fits.  I need to take it in for a good cleaning and get some memory added.  I don't know why the thing runs so slow except that it is old in computer years.

Mike just called and he's on his way home with a Sony tv for William.  He's going to get it set up and hook up the gamecube then go get William.

I got a little device from my parents that monitors not just your steps but your activity.  It's pretty cool. It calculates your activity level, the calories you've burned and for how long you have been active.  This is a good weight loss device and I definitely need to lose weight.  My dad said he'd pay for a membership to weight watchers but I think I may check out some other weight loss sites and see if there is something out there that I might could join that would make use of this new little device I have.  I was a member at ishape for awhile and they have a good program.  There's also ediet which is supposed to be good.

The Redskins finish up their season this Sunday.  It's hard to believe football season has come and gone.  The Redskins started out so promising and I guess all things considered are fortunate to be assured of at least a .500 season.  I hope they bring back Jim Zorn for another season.  It just wouldn't be fair to fire him after just one season.  He needs to have the benefit of a full offseason and to be allowed to show what he has learned from this past season and how he can move forward and build on it.  I'm undecided on Jason Campbell.  I think he deserves another year and then if there's no definite improvement...well let's see what CB5 can do.  (I'm also aware he will be a free agent after this next year.  That's a tricky one and I'm glad it's Vinny and not me making those decisions.)

I think it's time for me to do some spinning.  I need to practice spinning from the fold and my short forward draw.

I tried to crochet with the yarn I had navajo plied and it's some pretty rough yarn.  I was going to make Mike a hat but I don't have enough yarn and I also messed up somewhere and the hat was way too small even for my head.  I frogged the whole thing and re-wrapped it into a center pull ball.  Maybe I'll navajo ply what I'm working on now and then have enough for a hat.

Wow...I just read back through this and what a random stream of consciousness.  Oh well, blogs are what you want them to be...right?

One week in

We're one week into the new school year and DS's assessment is "Fifth grade rocks". He has done his homework without a fuss everyday this week and has been getting his work done at school as well. I don't know how long this will last but so far so good.

I'm sitting here blogging instead of crocheting or cleaning and I desperately need to be doing both. I am down to an arm and a half and the bonnet on my doll but then I have the rr to go. It would be very good to finish the weekend with a completed doll. I don't think the rr will take me long at all since it only has to be big enough to fit the doll.

My ww isn't going as well as I'd like. I gained a lb last week even though I thought I did pretty well. Oh well, a new week begins today so I'll just keep on keeping on as the saying goes.

Mike's first painting

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Originally uploaded by PogoJr

Take a look at Mike's first painting. Didn't he do a great job? I always knew he had the talent. He did this following along with a Bob Ross DVD but he did some things different to make the picture his own. I am amazed. I could never in a million years do this and this is what he got with his first attempt.

Weight Watchers

Well, I signed up for ww again today. I'm going to do a few days eating as I normally do just to see how many points I eat a day. I don't know when I'll start for real, maybe next weekend.

The Crochetville 2008 Crochet games are underway and I have been having the worst luck getting started. I think I now have everything and am ready to get going. Maybe I can get a lot done during the Skins game tonight (yeah, right!).

Congratulations to Art and Darrell, my new tote bag, etc.

Redskins

Well today is the big day for Darrell Green and Art Monk. They will be inducted into the NFL HOF and for Art it's about time. I would say I'm excited about watching the induction ceremony but DH has decided we're going shopping and out to eat for my birthday tonight. I'm sure Redskins.com will have video of their speeches which is all I'm really interested in anyway.

Oh, and did you know the Skins play their first preseason game tomorrow night? I can't wait even though there are going to be very few starters playing. I'm just excited to see my boys in burgundy and gold back on the field and playing some football. Go Skins!!!

Crochet

DH called me earlier as he was leaving to go haul hay to tell me we had a package in the mailbox. I was hoping it might be from a C'ville elf and took off out the door in my scrubs and flip flops in 90 something degree weather. It was a trip worth making (we have a looong driveway) because the package was indeed from a C'ville elf. Inside was a beautiful handmade tote bag! It was done in a variegated yarn the incorporated some of my favorite colors. To my eyes anyway the burgundy and gold really stands out. Isn't it beautiful?

A week from tomorrow...

Redskins
Can you believe it??? It's almost here!!! Football season!!! I didn't think we'd ever make it back and so much has happened in the offseason. We have a new head coach, a new defensive coordinator and a new offensive coordinator. Thankfully we didn't make any big free agency splash although we traded this week for Jason Taylor after Philip Daniels went down with a torn ACL and is out for the season. Getting JT seems to have energized the team and the fans. I'm anxiously awaiting the ES write up of today's scrimmage.

Crochet
My current crochet project is a name filet I'm working on for my now ex-manager. She was a wonderful manager, probably the best I've ever had. I'm really going to miss her and it scares me to think who they may get to replace her. I'm working on the solid border, then have to add the fan border and I'll be done. I'm ready to be done too. I want to work on something else. I bought some I Love This Cotton yarn at HL yesterday. It is so soft!! It must be new because I have not seen or heard of it before. I bought 2 skeins each of aubergine, buttercup and white. I'm thinking seraphina.

Orioles
My baby birds aren't doing so well right now. We've lost 4 straight. We're playing the angels right now who have the best record in baseball, then go to play the yankees who are doing their second half surge thing, then out to the west coast to play the angels again. This is going to be a rough stretch that's going to test DT and the team like never before. Our starting pitching is in shambles and there's no one in the minors ready to come up and play. One positive though is our offense. We're hitting like nobody's business and that's good to see and keeps us within stiking distance in most of our games.

What I'm reading
I just finished Odd Thomas for the second time and it was just as good and just as sad. I have started Forever Odd (also for the second time) but am only on the first chapter. I'm rereading the Odd Thomas series so everything will be fresh in my mind when I finally get to read Odd Hours. Then I want to read the Christopher Snow books as I hear his hat is worn by Odd in Odd Hours. So many books, so little time....