The Visual And The Tactile

So I've been sitting at the Peck House at the HH Museum for the last two days demo-ing spinning as a traditional/ pioneer skill.  There were very few who showed up, which didn't surprise me as most of the people in this town have at one time or another seen me demonstrate spinning... mostly we were hoping to pick up traffic of those passing through our community. There has been such bad weather of late and with all the road closures etc. there are very few passing through our community... still it was fun to show off the art/craft to those who came.  As a result my 150 hour project has been suffering from neglect... not entirely... because I have been working on it from time to time, especially in the evenings, but not enough... never enough!  This morning though I woke early and came downstairs for reasons I will talk about later (like tomorrow if I get the nerve)... and started knitting right away. While I was knitting I decided to pop one of those DVDs that I purchased from the Interweave Hurt Book Sale. I happened upon Margaret Stove's, Spinning for Lace. Wow, it is awesome. It is by far the best DVD that I have viewed in terms of usable information.  She never opened her mouth on the video without teaching me something I didn't know. Obviously there's a lot to learn out there yet.

Now there's something that could be done for a Group Study for Master Spinners.  Hmmmm...! Maybe I should suggest Margaret Stove to come for the Master Spinners who want to keep working.

Next video... A Spinner's Tool Box. We'll see if that one is as good.

So it looks like it is going to rain again this afternoon. After two days of sunshine I am hopeful that those dark clouds coming our way are full of wind and nothing else... otherwise any farmers out there haying are not going to be happy.

Having just got home from the museum, I'm about to continue on with the second sleeve in my shrug. It is looking awesome and it feels simply .... well, there are no words.  I wish we had feel photos.... you know pictures of how things feel rather than just how they look. There is beauty in this shrug that I am making and I am not trying to brag now... but aside from how it looks (which is quite nice)... it is how it feels that makes me want to sing it praises and that is not something I can take credit for.  It feels nice because the merino sheep have been bred to give fine soft fibre, and the silk worms produce an exemplary fibre, and the Cashmere is.... Oh! The Cashmere is beyond heaven... oh heavenly goats!  I have enough knitted and sewed that last night I was able to slip one arm in one sleeve.... and it feels like the silkiest cloud you have ever felt... it makes you want to get naked and just wear it... sorry I had to describe it that way... it would be like rolling in hundred dollar bills for you tycoon types, or,  for a connoisseur, drinking the finest Scotch Whisky and letting it slide over your palette after twenty years of not drinking at all.  If there were Greek Gods they would be fighting to roll in my Shrug.

Do you get my drift... the Shrug is glorious. The only thing I can think of that even closely compares is new born baby skin... on the inside of your arm. Soft and smooth and sleek all at the same time.  I cannot sing the praises of Cashmere highly enough.

 If I could wear Merino/Silk/Cashmere underwear... yeah... I think I would...

Ok.. enough... I won't say anymore... there have been too many over the top images already!

God.. it's really bad having a visual imagination. I'm just sayin'....

So with that in mind here's another image at the other end of the spectrum.... and thank God it is not a tactile photo....

Ha ha... that's it for me today... I'm out of here... ya hear? Gone...