Catching Up, Part 1

I left off posting back in mid-February.  I don't why I stopped posting, but feel it was a combination of needing time to think and consider what direction I wanted to go with weaving, needing a break from just about everything in my life, and needing time to process events in my life over the past years and what is yet to come.

We had the "new" usual WI Northwoods winter, fewer subzero temp days/weeks, and less snow than we used to get years ago.


After a snowstorm,...



A welcoming wreath,...



Then came mid-March, and like many other parts of the country experiencing unusual weather, we enjoyed several days of 70-75 F. temps.



A few days after this photo was taken, the ice went out on our little lake, in March!

What else could I do with such warm weather except set up to do some long-neglected drumcarding of wool, outside on the lakeside porch.  I had left a "banquet" table out there for spring and summer wool-washing, so I only needed to move my bag of wool and Louet drumcarder out there and get to work. 



Louet drumcarder and one of three bags of wool.



Nicely carded wool.

In the photo above the wool looks gray, but in reality was more of a cream color.  This particular fleece has white, cream, and gray, and I was sorting them out as I carded.



Spinning wheel placed to work in winter sunlight.

When winter returned a few days later, I took my bin of newly carded wool and moved to the spinning wheel.  I had rearranged my second floor living room, aka "studio annex," so I could spin or crank socks and enjoy afternoon sunlight. 



2-ply handspun.

  


From bobbin to skein,...



After a wash & rinse to set the twist, drying outdoors in those warm mid-March temps.



One of several finished skeins, ready to knit.

About this same time, I had ordered a bit of roving from Riin Gill, Happy Fuzzy Yarn, in Ann Arbor, MI.  She had only 4 oz. left, at that time, of "Art Nouveau," so I ordered it along with some Merino (still needing to be spun) to see how it would spin up.  I want more Art Nouveau!



Art Nouveau is center and right, above.



Art Nouveau singles (later plied).



Art Nouveau, plied.  I want more of this colorway!

It occurred to me again this winter, I am not getting any younger, and the clock and calendar seem to move faster all the time.  This, of course, means I am slowing down!  Stashed away in this house, in various closets and bins, are a bazillion unfinished projects.  So this winter I decided it was time to start finishing some of these projects.  First was a piece of needlepoint, for which there is no photo, yet.  It needs to be blocked and become a cushion.  I have not been near a proper fabric store in months, and yes, I know, I should weave a piece for the back and cording.  We'll see.

Next up was a stitchery piece I'd started, also to become decorative cushion for a bed.  It is not an original design, I took the design from one of the Kindred Spirits books, stitched on a pale teal cotton using DMC floss.  The stitching is now finished, see above for the backing issue.  (So really, they are not quite finished, but on my radar.)



Stitchery piece, in progress early this spring.


I still eventually post photos when they are properly "finished."

The last project, a Granny Square afghan, was started about 35 years ago and is still not finished, put away all the years I was raising my family.  I brought it out and it sits now in a clear plastic bag (to keep the cats away) where I can see it.  I need to dig deep into a long closet for the bin holding more of the needed yarn.  How much yarn is left will determine how many more squares I can make as I also need yarn left to crochet the squares and rows together, and perhaps three rows around the outside of the entire afghan.  Please, do NOT ask me how many bins there are.  Let's just leave it as "too many!"
 


Granny Square afghan, to keep me warm in my old age!

 So you can see, I did keep busy this winter, spring, and early summer, along with weaving (Catching Up, Part 2), and cranking some socks (Catching Up, Part 3).  Time for a break, then come back and do the next two updates!