A Lazy, Movie Watching, Knitting Sunday

Today has been a quiet, relaxed day. I have spent the day watching movies-Juno, X-Men and The Golden Compass, as well as 3 episodes of Dr. Who. While watching this eclectic mix I have been knitting on my scarf to be donated to the Red Scarf Project for the Orphan Foundation. The deadline is December 15th, so I figured it was time to start my scarf. These red scarves are sent in care packages by The Orphan Foundation of America to college bound students who have aged out of the foster system. I think it is a wonderful cause-to be supporting young people who have no family to support them. Donations are also gladly accepted, as well as gift cards for national chain stores, and notes of encouragement for these courageous young people. If you donate and let Norma, of the blog Now Norma Knits, know about your donation, for every $5.00 donated, your name will be entered in drawings for some fabulous prizes.

I am also working on some Christmas knitting. I got a bit nervous when I looked at the calendar and realized how quickly December 25th is approaching. How can it be that Thanksgiving is this Thursday? We are still trying to figure out our Thanksgiving plans. Caitlin is working from 7-7 and thinks she won't be too interested in turkey after having spent the day looking at it at work. Conor is having oral surgery on Tuesday, so I'm thinking he might not be in too much of an eating mood, so we may wait until the weekend to have dinner together. No sense in rushing into making plans-Thanksgiving is four days away after all.

On the Australian front, Tim is getting ready to leave Sydney and begin his bike ride. He's planning to stop at a surf school on the way. He is a little worried that he might have waited a bit to long to start his ride, as the temperature is supposed to be around 100 in the next few days. Tim's computer was broken, and so, once again, I didn't hear from him for several days. I didn't assume he was dead though, as I did the last time I hadn't heard from him in several days. I am very proud of me for that.

I'd better get back to my scarf knitting. I'll say Happy Thanksgiving, just in case I don't make it back here before Thursday!

Hello, Remember Me?

Sorry for the prolonged absence. Since my Mom's death and Tim's departure for Australia, I seem to have been in a prolonged funk, and writing blog posts has seemed impossible. It's hard to write a post when all one feels like talking about is how much they feel their life stinks at this particular point in time, so I figured I would save you from hearing my maudlin thoughts and not post.

I have been feeling better recently. I think I am adjusting to Tim's being a million miles away, and am very grateful for the Internet as a way of keeping in touch. I did have a few anxious days when I didn't hear from him. Turns out he went on a trip to the Blue Mountains in an old VW bus with four Germans who are in Australia on the same type of visa that Tim is. Silly boy thought that if he was only gone for four days that I wouldn't want to know. This anxious part of my make up is something that I have really worked on quelling over the years, but with Tim's departure to a place so far away, the anxiety monster seems to have reared it's ugly head. I think I am getting it back under control, something I am sure that Tim is happy about.

My knitting mojo seems also to have disappeared at this time. I'm working on a couple of things for Christmas gifts, and have a sweater from Clara Parkes' The Knitters Book of Wool that I want to start, but I can't seem to get started. I have been crocheting some granny squares from some of my hand spun that is autumn colors and I am having fun with that, so maybe I need to go the way of crocheting for a while. I did take some time to design a hat using some of the patterns from Alice Starmore's Book of Fair Isle Knitting. I was quite impressed with myself for the design, although it was quite simple. Once it is finished, I will post some photos.

Over at Spindies, the Hyenacart group I share with some other very talented fiber artists, we are offering a giveaway that ends at midnight tonight. These are some of the fibers that are part of this month's box. If you don't win the giveaway, there are more boxes for sale in the Spindies store. It is 5 ounces of fiber from different Spindies dyers for $25.00. It's a great way to try out different fibers and I think it would be perfect not only for spinners, but felters as well.

To enter the giveaway, please visit each individual Artist’s Spindies Store and tell us in this thread what your favorite item is in each one and why. If you help us spread the news, just write in the same post where you’ve been talking, twitting, blogging etc. Guild meetings and spinning clubs count and you can continue to revise and add these to your post until the contest ends at midnight CST Sunday 11/15/09.

I lifted that right from the Spindies Blog. The wonders of modern technology.

I'll leave you with a fall photo, since no blog post is complete without at least one photo. And I do promise to be a more regular blogger. Not only is it a fall photo, but a rainy fall photo as well, which pretty much sums up this fall.

Sorry, I'm a Bad Blogger

Hello. I am writing this in my living room, looking at two rooms full of stuff that has engulfed my house, thanks to the arrival of a U-Haul truck bearing Tim and all his worldly possessions. It is a good thing that I have a very large house, as this is the second household I have acquired since moving here six years ago. When my parents moved in with me I also received all their stuff. Much of it is still in boxes in my basement, waiting for my siblings to gather here and go through the boxes. I'm seriously considering selling the things on e-bay, since it's been five years and we haven't managed to sort through things yet. But that's another story.

Not only did Tim arrive, but Travis and Alyssa, along with their dog Begonia, and Caitlin with her cat Sterling. Again, it's a good thing this is a really big house so we can keep Begonia and the cats apart. We've already had one casualty, some antique plates, and Seamus was hanging from a curtain rod earlier, but fortunately it's a sturdy rod and it did not break. Gerard has taken up residence on top of the refrigerator. He is grey and the refrigerator is black, so he blends in and looks amazingly like a cat statue sitting among the rooster statues that are up there. Sterling just pulled Tim's mattress over on top of herself. Fortunately it didn't break anything on it's way to the floor, and she escaped unscathed.

It is sort of like Christmas here, with Tim handing out tea kettles and blenders. Conor is getting a double bed, to replace the twin bed he has been complaining is too small for quite some time. I think by the time Tim is back, Conor will be in college, so Tim can reclaim his bed. And Tim brought the most comfortable chair I have sat in for a long time, which is going in my wool room, I believe. It's from Ikea, and doesn't really fit the decor, but comfort trumps decorating any time in my opinion.

In between getting ready for the arrival of everyone I have been dyeing yarn and fiber. I have a couple of custom orders, and I am also dyeing fiber for the October Spindies Paintbox-the color this month is deep plum/ burgundy. I had a good time creating a deep plum color and have dyed some Superwash Bluefaced Leicester in tonal variations of the color. I may make some batts from them, or perhaps leave it in roving form. I am still on the fence about that.

Travis is making roast pork with apples for dinner, along with roasted potatoes and squash. Yummmm! A great fall dinner.

On the Road Again

I'm going to Rhinebeck. I'm on my way upstairs to pack and will be leaving to meet Judy in a half hour or so. I'm very excited!!! I can't wait to start inhaling the yarn fumes. I am packing lots of extra woolens, because the forecast is for quite cold, but it will be invigorating, I'm sure.

I am bringing my computer, so perhaps there will be a post from there, but I'm not promising anything, especially since I don't know if there is Internet access at the motel. I'm thinking probably not.

TTFN.

It's Almost Time for Rhinebeck!!!

It's almost time to go to Rhinebeck and the New York State Sheep and Wool Festival. I am really excited to be going, although it looks like it may be a bit rainy, or even snowy on Friday. That's OK though. I have learned that when packing, layers are a good thing to remember. I am going to work really hard at not letting the wool fumes overtake me, and I am actually going to write myself a list of what I am looking for, rather than wandering aimlessly with no plan as to what I need to buy. That's my plan, we will see how it goes.

I thought I would share a few pictures from last year.

Beautiful fall foliage.

Sheep that look like cows.

Judy, my friend, checking out her loot on a little rest break.

This is what I plan to eat for lunch both days, chicken pot pie and a baked potato. Maybe a few too many carbs, but it's only once a year.

We definitely have to have a meal at the Eveready Diner. Last year our motel was right across the street, which was quite convenient.

I decided today that I needed a new scarf to wear at Rhinebeck, as well as a pair of fingerless mittens. I chose some merino/mohair worsted weight yarn that I had dyed in the colorway "Lichen".

I am knitting a Knitspot pattern, la Novia and am enjoying the knit, it's going quickly and I think that I may actually finish in time.

Time for Dancing With the Stars. I hope to see some of you on the fair grounds.