Halloween 2011 brings out the Scary Cat!!!

Peanut wanted to be a cat. I love it.  She is very thin but very tall and the costume fits although it needs a few inches of length.
She did her own make-up.  I think my little girl is growing up.



In the spring we planted a pumpkin plant. The variety was named Jack-O-Lantern.
We only got one pumpkin on this rather big sprawling vine.
I told Peanut that it was her pumpkin plant. She watched over it like a mother expecting her first baby. She waited and waited for it to get big enough to pick.


We picked it in the first week of October which I used it in my autumn sock photo, Honey Badger Socks. BTW they are finished!!!


Honey Badger don't care!!! (look on YouTube to see why)

Shhhhhhhhh!!! they are a Christmas present.

So yesterday 10/30 Peanut took her pumpkin outside to carve. She didn't want any help. See what I mean that she is growing up?  She did a very good job I must say.




Mr. Pumpkin (or is she a Miss/Mrs.?) sat in our window with a battery powered votive candle.  It was so cute.
We left for the big Hallelujah party at our church.  Peanut had a blast. She did the bounce houses and the petting zoo. She did some arts and crafts and games.  Oh and she got some candy. It was very nice family fun.
Now we are home. She is tucked into bed and sleeping like a rock.

Happy Halloween Everyone!!!

{This Moment}

{this moment} A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, visit SouleMama leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

{This Moment}

{this moment} A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, visit SouleMama leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Butterflies Watercolor Painting of Pyrgus olieus

I painted these in May of 2011.  This was part of the Imaginary Visit to the Garden.
I deviated from the lesson and did a watery background trying out a new technique that I had read about.  I like it.

''Keep your hands open, and all the sands of the desert
can pass through them.  Close them,
and all you can feel is a bit of grit.''

Taisen Deshimaru

{This Moment}

{this moment} A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, visit SouleMama leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Spinning up a Storm

I have been spinning like crazy around here.  I had 2 finished yarns to share with you.

I finished up my Crown Mountain Farms Club Mystery Fiber 2011 - Debouilet. I love this fiber so much that I ordered another 4 oz. I want to knit a cable cowl and matching cable mitts. This yarn finished up soft and very bouncy. I can’t stop squishing it. The color Eternity is so vibrant yet is is difficult to capture the color with the camera. 
I set out to make a 2 ply. It plied beautifully. I spun this fiber with my new Wooly Winder and I plied with the Wooly Winder too. I think it helped me spin more consistently. When one bobbin was was empty I then did an N-ply with the remainder of the other bobbin. I’m glad that I did a 2 ply on the majority of the singles because I wanted a worsted weight, not a bulky weight. But I think according to a chart I saw, any WPI less than 12 is considered Heavy. 
This yarn has been washed in Soak, rinsed in water with vinegar, (forgot to Wack it) then I  hung in the autumn sun and breezy to dry.

Debouilet fiber 3.75 oz or 104 g. colorway: Eternity 
spun semi-woolen

2 ply - 3 1/8 oz or 96 g. 183.33 yards and 8 WPI 
3 ply - 3/8 oz. or 12 g. yardage ? 6 WPI

The 3 ply. Looks like my bush has a purple catapiller!!! 

Here is the 2 ply

Here is the 2 ply (large skein) and the 3 ply (mini skein)

I finally finished my Crown Mountain Farms club fiber: Columbia.I wanted a lofty yarn so I chose to spin a semi-woolen. I let the twist come into the drafting zone. I really liked this fiber and spinning it. I did remove the big nubs but left the little ones. I really like the finished yarn. It is not super soft but soft enough for some colorwork mittens or a hat. 
This fiber is so smooshy and airy. I started out doing a 2 ply but I didn’t like it at all so I broke off the single. Then I switched over to an N-ply for the majority of the fiber. I found it funny that the 3 ply and the 2 ply almost had the same WPI (wraps per inch). I had just bought my Wooly Winder and so one bobbin was spun with it and another bobbin was with the Lendrum bobbin set up. I plied with the Wooly Winder. I love it. 
I washed with Soak, rinsed in water with vinegar, Wacked, and hung to dry outside in the fresh autumn air.

Total fiber weighed 3 7/8 oz or 109 g. Columbia Top, colorway: Eye of the Tiger

3 ply skein is 3 3/8 oz or 97 g. and 193.33 yards. 3 ply had 8.5 WPI 
2 ply skein is 3/8 oz or 12 g. and 20.5 yards. 2 ply had 9 WPI

Here is the 3 ply, chain plied

Here is the 2 ply that I don't like much.

Here is the 3 ply and the 2 ply together.

And here is the Columbia and the Debouilet together. 

So that is the hand-spun yarn.  The purple Debouilet is a worsted weight and I plan to knit IrishGirlieKnits new cowl and mitts. They are called Comfort Food. Comfort Food Cowl and Mitts.   The pattern wants to have a yarn that glows. I think the purple in my Debouilet has that quality. 

Happy Spinning!!!!

Carol

{This Moment}

{this moment} A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, visit SouleMama leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.