sheepless in suburbia...

Welcome to the Dog Days of Summer ...

Meet Tanner. He is a member of the sheepless "extended families" canine unit (which includes Cosmo the Airedale, Jack the Scottish Terrier and the star of today's blog - Tanner the Eski-poo). I am told he loves the boat.

I want to be that dog!

sheepless TDF10 ... lot's of crashes!

Thus far sheepless TDF10 has been less then spectacular. I'm not as driven with the spinning, as my main goal is to spin when the riders ride, and there's been so much high drama during the race, it's not easy to do both! (Like spinning on cobblestones so to speak).

Judi Day... and taming the stash

 

So for today's Judi Day effort, I decided that I would continue working on "my room". You may remember I swapped rooms (yet again) with Youngman #1 a few months ago, when it became apparent he was downsizing (he's a minimalist kinda guy) - and I was up-sizing my craft-as-art pursuits yet again, by adding sewing and quilting to my repertoire.  In the photo (above) I installed a photo shelf. Being the handy kinda gal I am, I pulled out my hammer, metal tape measure, and my pink multi bit screwdriver. I borrowed the old guy's level, and his electric drill. I enlisted Youngman #1 to do the grunt work.

As you can also see from the photo above, I have a shwack of spindles sitting in a clay pot. I wanted to improve that. I also have a habit of picking up picture frames at garage sales and thrift shops (I intend to get pictures into them, but never quite get that organised).

And so... this is what I've done - voila!

 

I'm very pleased with the look of the whole wall if I do say so myself. Although only 7 of my spindles are actually hanging, they can be easily switched around with the remaining dozen or so in the smaller pot which is also displayed.

So let's meet the spindles...

  

• a - Orchard spindle by Tom Forrester.
  
• b - Acorn support spindle
• c - Turkish spindle from Ray's Spinning Accessories
• d - Mongold spindle (this is my second spindle which I bought for $50.00 - I thought the price was uber-expensive at the time, but justified it on the fact that it was cheaper than a spinning wheel, made from recycled materials and virtually indestructible! (They are no longer is production and very hard to come by. They only seem to show up on ebay causing all sorts of bidding wars).
• e - and this little baby? This was my very first spindle. The whorl is made from a cupboard doorknob and a dowel. It was set aside in a mug at a vendor's booth because it wasn't quite spinning "true". She cost me $5.00. I sat up with her all night (along with Connie Delaney's Spindle Spinning: Novice to Expert) and the rest is history.
• f - Ahka spindle by Tom Forrester (do you get the impression I "heart" Forrester spindles? Yes I most certainly do, and I possess a fair number of of them).
• g - Royale Hare Spindle - I got this spindle in a "spur of the moment" trade. "Hey that's a nice spindle... wanna trade?" "Sure".
• h - Navajo spindle from Edward's Spindle Shop. This is my most recent acquisition and I have christened it - Kismet. It is a testimony to keeping your money in your pocket - even when it's burning a hole in it.  I had bought a few things at Fibre Week, but kept a bit in my pocket - just in case. As the the final hours of shopping were drawing near, a young woman walked by with a big beautiful Navajo spindle. It was gorgeous and I had to inspect it. "Now where did you get this?" I inquired. "From Ed... But he's only brought 2 to conference".  She had no idea what had happened to the other.  Now as chance would have it, Edward had been sitting across from me for the past few days while I volunteered at the registration desk. We both had been spindling on our spindles during the quiet moments.  And so...  "I hear you may have a Navajo spindle?" And yes he did. He wanted me to try it out... just to be sure... and so I did. The whorl is walnut. Have I told you that walnut is one of my favorites? The shaft moved steadily and effortlessly. And now to business. "How much do you want Edward?" I ventured. "How much have you got in your pocket?" ... ahhh! Kismet.

Fibre Week 2010 photo review...

Fibre Week 2010 is now finishing up. Today is the last day of classes. I came home on Wednesday. I am  s l o w l y  unpacking - but before I head back to my suitcase, I thought I'd share a few more pictures from the week:

 

Fancy Footwork Socks Exhibit & Exchange

The many colours of Shetland Sheep - handknit lace scarf samples

Joan Ruane - "the Cotton Spinner" extraordinaire

The many colours of cotton -

 This weaving from Casa Corazon represents the many colours that cotton can be grown in.  The cotton is wild and has not been genetically crossed. The colours are natural and have not been chemically or naturally dyed - the colours will not fade, but deepen with washing.  This photo does not do it justice - and to get a true appreciation for it, you need to touch it. The weaving itself is complex - yet it was handwoven on a simple backstrap loom.

Unpacking continues ... more photos to come.

It's Magical - It's Monday - It's Judi Day...

 

It feels like it has been a very long time since I had a Judi Day. I had a few things to do (such as filling the planters on the deck). I decided to get my blooms in order. I also decided to spend the morning in the back yard garden. I'm extremely fortunate to live in a so called "established neighborhood." It's been around for about 50 years. It's a secluded little nook of heaven. Lots of mature trees. A quiet street. We have birds, and squirrels, and rabbits and ladybugs and bees. Right now we have loads of bees!

And so the morning was spent in bird chirpin' - bee buzzin' bliss.

 

After a soul refueling morning I was ready for lunch. So I prepared my favorite sandwich. (Beware copious drooling ahead).

The Infamous "Judi Day" Summer Special Sandwich

• 2 slices of fresh San Fransisco Sourdough Bread
• generous spreading of Hellmann's lite mayo
• sliced Avocado
• sliced Tomato
• Swiss cheese  (I use thin slices off the wedge ).
• lettuce (romaine / red leaf /mixed greens)
• Optional: 1 - 2 slices bacon - crisp ( this is only optional if there's none in the house).

Lightly toast the bread. Build your sandwich. Enjoy! Today I ate this with a side of grapefruit, followed by a mug of freshly made Ice Tea.

And now?

World Cup Soccer Highlights and knitting the of "The Sock".

Ahhhhhh! Judi Day!

Taking the "process pledge"...

So, I've been flipping around the web, looking for information on quilting. In the infamous words of Liz Lemon- I want to go there. While perusing blogs, and admiring everyone's work, I came across Silly Boodilly's blog (love the quilting here) and ended over here at  ROssie's blog. 

Although I'm not a quilter (yet) I think I am a process person. I love taking photo's of works in progress. I like writing about "the process". I think this is because I run low on "end results". I can spend as much time taking pictures of the cookies as I do baking them. And so in the interest of the "process"...

 

Getting to know my new machine - you see lots of presser feet!

Aw! Complete with 20 "automatic stitches" - state of the art in the 60's

 

Look under the hood - and it's clean as a whistle!

All the little red dots -this is where the oil goes

Replace the needle and do my first stitch sample. It's delightful.

Aaaaaaaahhhhhhh ... process.

Yes folks - I'm baking...

... this weekend I baked cookies. These cookies. These are Soft Oatmeal Raisin Cookies ( page 96) from "Baking Unplugged" by Nicole Rees. They were quick and easy and they are... delicious. They have pecans (Youngman 2 is allergic to walnuts) and instead of raisins the recipe calls for dried mixed berries... and I just happened to have a package on hand.

Last week I roasted up these:

And made a big batch of Butternut Squash Soup with Cumin and Coriander.

I'm on a diet. I'm embracing a healthier lifestyle.

Let's do the Gingsberg "Howl"...

...be sure to wear flowers in your hair.

I admit it. In my heart I am a certified tied dyed in Rit  hippie. And I know that I missed everything that was happening by 3 lousy years ( I was only 13 when everyone went to Yasgur's Farm) ...and now I've likely been "co-opted by the Man"...

But hey - like I always say "Better late than never".

... And so we return to San Francisco. I missed SF in the 60's and  70's, and now I'm going as a tourist. I will see the Citylights Bookstore. I will buy my children  Trip Trap - Haiku on the Road. They will roll their eyes with the silent reaffirmation that their mother has lost her mind. I will give my mother Leonard Cohen's Book of Mercy and she will know I am still grounded.

We have a full agenda. Chinatown, Golden Gate Bridge. The SF Museum of Modern Art. The Museum of Fine Craft.

We will eat - lots.

We will walk - miles.

We will take pictures.

We will shop. Pawnshop Sally is home now and I have a few patterns waiting for fabric. My hotel room is a few short blocks from the best fabric store in the whole world...

I'll keep you posted...

Per request...

Here is the link to Val's  Fibrewetopia Blog : Family Of Man's Woolly Leg Warmers... It you click into her Flickr shots you'll find more... they are really super!