Sunday, May 30, 2010


Another busy month has flown by. Last weekend we went camping and hiking at Greenbriar State Park. This weekend we visited the Baltimore Herb Fest, had sushi in Bethesda, and have a super-special project to work on. :) Oh, plus a BBQ tomorrow. Mmmm.

In the middle of all this, I've gotten a little spinning and a little knitting done. My multi-talented knit night friend Kerry has opened her own Etsy shop, Fluffy Stuff Yarns & Fibers. Right now there's washed fleece, dyed roving, hand spun yarn, and hand dyed yarn up, all of it gorgeous! My first purchase was some of the Targhee fleece that she picked out at Sheep & Wool. I have 4oz, and it is incredible. Pictures can't do it justice (though it looks just like hand-whipped whipped cream), because it's the softness that really sets it apart. I wish you could feel!



Kerry was wonderful and loaned me her Ashford cards so that I could get my 4oz. carded and spun. I think I spend more time oggling the fiber than actually getting any real work done, though....

Sometime last week, I finished spinning up singles from a braid of Fat Cat Knits Falkland Wool in "Clay Pigeons."



I had originally envisioned fingering weight 2 ply, but my singles themselves were fingering weight (oops!), so that was obviously not happening. I settled for a 2 ply sportish weight, but when I went to ply, I hated the look. My singles didn't have enough twist, and I didn't like how the colors were mixing and getting muddied. So, I wound it all off, gave it a hot/cold/hot/cold bath, and then smacked it against the side of the tub. Ended up with this:




Couldn't be happier! I think it's what I had in mind for it all along. (I love the long color repeats.) It's 530yds, 18-20wpi.

And finally, Squirrel pictures. I feel terrible.. every time I post photos of my beautiful kitty, she's doing something ridiculous and looks like a dork. But these were too funny to keep to myself! (Plus her grandma will appreciate them!)

Squirrel will eat any green plant she can reach, so we've kept the deck mostly barren. Ryan had the idea to build her a box with grass that she can gobble up to satisfy her green craving. (So that we can put more plants out.) And gobble up she does......








I love animals!

4 comments:

mom said...

I LOVE THAT KITTY!!!!!!
Thank YOU Ryan, for the "grazing spot"......she looks like she has eaten some poppies!!!!!
Emily, Your spinning is beautiful! I LOVE the yarn......I NEED to get going myself........no one here to urge me on..................but I'll get it done.
Have a GREAT holiday weekend!
Love to you ALL!
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxoooooooooooooooooo

Bea said...

Your spinning is amazing, your cat is extremely individual ;-) Seriously, your spinning is truly amazing. I am putting a parcel together for you, all unspun fibre as there is no need for me to send handspun. Hopefully it will find it's way into the postal system next week, been kinda busy cutting up lamb and generally running round in circles ;-)

Jody said...

Awesome spinning!

Love the squirrel pics! You know my dog's nickname is Squirrel :)

cheryl said...

Your cat looks like a maniac in these pictures! I love it!!