Daughter #1 has just made blunder #1. She came home this evening at 5 p.m. with a pile of homework and a test tomorrow. She had just spent two hours at the arena with her horse.
Stipulation 1: There will be no horse fun in the afternoon when there is a pile of homework.
Why do kids break the rules?
They want to see their parents bald from pulling out their hair.
I hope I don't regret this horse!!
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
We All Are What We Are
I decided a while ago that once a week I would try to find a blog written preferably by a woman that was international (so not Canada or the US) and not political, but something written by a woman with a normal life that was primarily interesting and somewhat diverse. If I liked it well enough I would add it to my favorites.
So far I have found a few but not as many as you would expect. I got started on this because I thought about all the people out there who are blogging regularly and it is one chance in hundreds of thousands that you hit them and while some of them are not worth looking at, (partially because they are not maintained) there are many that are worth looking at. I found just such a blog tonight since this is a day for taking it easy (and wiping my nose a lot... I hate colds!)
I really like this blog because her pictures are inspiring. I really like this blog a lot because she talks about all aspects of life. I like this blog a lot because there is so much about art. From hand made tiles from Algeria to fashion from Afghanistan, this woman has a lot to say about lovely things world wide. How interesting.
Sometimes I read other blogs and think why can't I make my blog interesting like that. But ultimately we all are what we are and we can only hope that someone reads what we have to say and find it interesting enough to take something away. How cool it is to be able to touch someone's life and not even know it. It is very fulfilling.
Oh yeah check out my links for her blog. Anarkali
So far I have found a few but not as many as you would expect. I got started on this because I thought about all the people out there who are blogging regularly and it is one chance in hundreds of thousands that you hit them and while some of them are not worth looking at, (partially because they are not maintained) there are many that are worth looking at. I found just such a blog tonight since this is a day for taking it easy (and wiping my nose a lot... I hate colds!)
I really like this blog because her pictures are inspiring. I really like this blog a lot because she talks about all aspects of life. I like this blog a lot because there is so much about art. From hand made tiles from Algeria to fashion from Afghanistan, this woman has a lot to say about lovely things world wide. How interesting.
Sometimes I read other blogs and think why can't I make my blog interesting like that. But ultimately we all are what we are and we can only hope that someone reads what we have to say and find it interesting enough to take something away. How cool it is to be able to touch someone's life and not even know it. It is very fulfilling.
Oh yeah check out my links for her blog. Anarkali
It's Coming
I look out my window in front of my computer and see the dullness of the day and I haven't been able to get warm all morning. We separated our lambs yesterday morning and saw the end to our old friend Jelly. She had been ailing for days and I knew there was no out for her. We tried everything that we could find in the books but all she did was hang her head and stand listlessly in the barnyard then she started throwing up green stuff and we knew we couldn't let her suffer any longer. We knew it was coming but it was still a shock to our systems when we put her out of her misery. Daughter #2 went inside so she wouldn't have to see and Daughter #1 and I stood helplessly by with a few tears for our old happy faced sheep. It was a quick end and she was buried in our yard as our good friends always are. Meanwhile the lambs were not happy with being separated from their moms. I like to wait till the end of September before weaning the lambs as it gives them every opportunity for growth. Problems is we always know what's coming next. Two days of solid baaaa-ing from the lambs and moms as they complain about being separated. But if we want lambs next year they have to be weaned now. That brings me bake to looking out my window and not being able to get warm...
Last night after an afternoon of paddling, and a morning of lambs and sheep my body finally gave in to whatever Daughter #2 came home from school with on Friday. She was feeling miserable all weekend and last night I started to notice my throat was feeling sore. I hoped that a good night of sleep would help me shake it off... but I knew it was coming. With the H1N1 virus around I feel this ominous presence hanging over me. Sore throats this year are nothing to sniff at. Daughter #2 is home today and we both had rotten nights trying to get good sleep. It didn't happen and somehow when I went to bed I knew that was coming too.
I just checked the forecast and they are calling for snow in the next few days and while I knew that was coming somehow I didn't want it for a while yet.
So here I sit... I was supposed to be spinning today with a friend on the level 3 homework but instead I'm just relaxing with a little knitting and some Tylenol and a box of tissues. I'm working on a new project for my Christmas gift exchange with the guild. Our theme this year is totes. I am making mine with a fat yarn in pretty autumn colours. I hope it is nice when done.
Between winter and H1N1 and a few deadlines, sometimes I hate it when I know things are coming.
Last night after an afternoon of paddling, and a morning of lambs and sheep my body finally gave in to whatever Daughter #2 came home from school with on Friday. She was feeling miserable all weekend and last night I started to notice my throat was feeling sore. I hoped that a good night of sleep would help me shake it off... but I knew it was coming. With the H1N1 virus around I feel this ominous presence hanging over me. Sore throats this year are nothing to sniff at. Daughter #2 is home today and we both had rotten nights trying to get good sleep. It didn't happen and somehow when I went to bed I knew that was coming too.
I just checked the forecast and they are calling for snow in the next few days and while I knew that was coming somehow I didn't want it for a while yet.
So here I sit... I was supposed to be spinning today with a friend on the level 3 homework but instead I'm just relaxing with a little knitting and some Tylenol and a box of tissues. I'm working on a new project for my Christmas gift exchange with the guild. Our theme this year is totes. I am making mine with a fat yarn in pretty autumn colours. I hope it is nice when done.
Between winter and H1N1 and a few deadlines, sometimes I hate it when I know things are coming.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
BC River's Day
Did you know that the last Sunday in September is World River's Day? 
Here on the Peace River we celebrate World River's Day and B.C. River's Day all at the same time. It is a day to acknowledge the river that you live on and enjoy the activities that rivers offer all around the world. 
Hubby and I have been celebrating this day for many years even when our kids were little tykes. Usually it is a great day and weather wise we've had very few bad ones. I feel I am privileged to live in a region of the world where freedom of movement is not curtailed and where things like rivers are celebrated for their beauty and for their accessibility.
Hubby and I took our canoe and we paddled a mere 6ish or so km on our mighty river The Peace. The weather was lovely and there was a good turn out at the event with about 15 canoes and 3 or 4 river boats (motorized) participating.
When we pulled into our destination our community supported a lovely little party. There were about 50 or 60 people in all and we enjoyed good music, good food, a few displays promoting our river, and some draws for prizes. Most of the people are long time supporters and we all know each other and really like to see each other and visit. Some of the people come from surrounding communities and we haven't seen them since last year on B.C. Rivers Day. Meanwhile behind us the Peace river sparkled with beauty as the water rippled by in it's never ending flow northward to Great Slave Lake. The cliffs on the other side of the river stood majestically watching our small activities
as it has watched human activities for a millennium. You have to wonder what they have seen!
If there is a river near you, you might want to think about taking care of your river and maybe remember that without them this world would be a sad place indeed. They are placid gifts of creation and they calm you when you sit near them in places where the river slows, they excite you when the river is turbulent, they give you joy when water animals and fish abound. I can't imagine not being able to go sit by a river. I look at ours even when there is snow on the ground and I think what a beautiful place to be and it draws me to it with a longing that I can't explain.
A few years ago Hubby and I took what turned out to be a second honeymoon and paddled the Peace from HH to FSJ. We had an awesome time. We could easily have spent many more days on the river if we only had had the time. It was something that I will never forget.
The river greeted us each morning and we saw sights that we didn't know were there. Each time I paddle the Peace on B.C. Rivers day since that time I remember the evenings of spindling by the fire while Hubby fished a few feet away. The breakfast shared with the smoke from the fire mixing with the golden sunrise, the eagles that watched us suspiciously from perches high above us on old trees hanging over the water, and kingfishers that swooped from branch to branch as they followed or led us down the river, the flash of the silver backs of fish as the jetted away from under our canoe, the grand daddy beavers that slapped their tails in a territorial display as we passed their dens. Pictures cannot do that trip justice. We explored down channels unknown to us and were pushed by flowing currents controlled upriver by our dam. We passed sand bars where a herd of deer were drinking peacefully, and other sandbars where geese were flocking by the hundreds. Through it all Hubby and I soaked in all things river. We came away, I think, changed people. It drew us closer together, with something so much bigger than ourselves, as a shared experience.
I want to go back.... I really want to go back....
it is a true thrill to feel the rhythm and flow of The Peace.
Here on the Peace River we celebrate World River's Day and B.C. River's Day all at the same time. It is a day to acknowledge the river that you live on and enjoy the activities that rivers offer all around the world. 
Hubby and I have been celebrating this day for many years even when our kids were little tykes. Usually it is a great day and weather wise we've had very few bad ones. I feel I am privileged to live in a region of the world where freedom of movement is not curtailed and where things like rivers are celebrated for their beauty and for their accessibility.
Hubby and I took our canoe and we paddled a mere 6ish or so km on our mighty river The Peace. The weather was lovely and there was a good turn out at the event with about 15 canoes and 3 or 4 river boats (motorized) participating.
When we pulled into our destination our community supported a lovely little party. There were about 50 or 60 people in all and we enjoyed good music, good food, a few displays promoting our river, and some draws for prizes. Most of the people are long time supporters and we all know each other and really like to see each other and visit. Some of the people come from surrounding communities and we haven't seen them since last year on B.C. Rivers Day. Meanwhile behind us the Peace river sparkled with beauty as the water rippled by in it's never ending flow northward to Great Slave Lake. The cliffs on the other side of the river stood majestically watching our small activities
as it has watched human activities for a millennium. You have to wonder what they have seen!If there is a river near you, you might want to think about taking care of your river and maybe remember that without them this world would be a sad place indeed. They are placid gifts of creation and they calm you when you sit near them in places where the river slows, they excite you when the river is turbulent, they give you joy when water animals and fish abound. I can't imagine not being able to go sit by a river. I look at ours even when there is snow on the ground and I think what a beautiful place to be and it draws me to it with a longing that I can't explain.
A few years ago Hubby and I took what turned out to be a second honeymoon and paddled the Peace from HH to FSJ. We had an awesome time. We could easily have spent many more days on the river if we only had had the time. It was something that I will never forget.
The river greeted us each morning and we saw sights that we didn't know were there. Each time I paddle the Peace on B.C. Rivers day since that time I remember the evenings of spindling by the fire while Hubby fished a few feet away. The breakfast shared with the smoke from the fire mixing with the golden sunrise, the eagles that watched us suspiciously from perches high above us on old trees hanging over the water, and kingfishers that swooped from branch to branch as they followed or led us down the river, the flash of the silver backs of fish as the jetted away from under our canoe, the grand daddy beavers that slapped their tails in a territorial display as we passed their dens. Pictures cannot do that trip justice. We explored down channels unknown to us and were pushed by flowing currents controlled upriver by our dam. We passed sand bars where a herd of deer were drinking peacefully, and other sandbars where geese were flocking by the hundreds. Through it all Hubby and I soaked in all things river. We came away, I think, changed people. It drew us closer together, with something so much bigger than ourselves, as a shared experience.I want to go back.... I really want to go back....
it is a true thrill to feel the rhythm and flow of The Peace.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Screwball Days
This has been a seriously screwball day. It started with a horrible nightmare that woke me up at 5 a.m. The weird thing is that I woke with rain starting to fall and knowing instantly that I had to make a mad dash out to the deck where I left a plastic storage container with a whole pile of clothing in it. It had air holes in it so i knew, just knew it would get wet. Anyway I digress... rain.... clothes on deck.... yes it was 5 a.m. when I awoke with a start. I bee lined it for the deck and got the clothes in before it rained hard and headed back to bed. That's when I realized that I had just cut someone's head off in my dream and it had bounced across the floor in front of me.... blood, death and gore abounded.... needless to say that I wasn't going back to sleep any time soon.....
I headed for the computer and promptly forgot that I had turned on the kettle on my way along.... we now have a black kettle that Hubby thinks needs to be replaced.... me oh my, I'm burning far too much these days....
By this time there was a little light in the sky. I tapped away at the computer drinking my tea that I had to prepare in a pot. As I sat there working, up came the sun which started with the reddest sky I have ever seen. The pictures from two days ago can't even touch this red sky. I had left my camera in the truck and it was steadily raining by now or I would have gotten a picture.... I know you're wondering how can we have a red sky and rain at the same time. That is what's so weird! The rain was fairly localized off to the west, obviously, while in the east the sky was still clear.
As the sun came over the horizon the sky changed from red to an even more weird colour or, in this case, set of colours. By this time the clouds with the rain were moving ever closer to the eastern horizon and yet there was no cloud low on the horizon.... so picture this... the sky is red, and then not so red, and then ever so slightly the sun rises over the horizon and there is a small band about two fingers above the horizon where there is no cloud that turns pure gold... I mean wedding band gold not golden coloured but shiny sparkly gold... and above that is the oncoming clouds which are a vivid purple. That's when the trees turned bright orange. I've never seen anything so spectacular. If I could immerse myself in colour all I would have had to do is walk out in the garden. It lasted about two and a half minutes and then everything turned a mundane grey. Then the wind came up and the rain came down in a torrential downpour only it was horizontal too, and all the gold medallion leaves started to tumble across the ground like thousands of mini tumbleweeds. Let me tell you it was too cool!
The day continued in this weird manner. I had to go to a meeting today in FSJ. But before I did, I got an email to go pick up Hubby at a JCR campout...... now! So I quickly got dressed and headed off with Daughter #1 as we would stop along the way to feed Dreamer, the new horse. When I got to the campout site a half hour drive from our home, I discovered that our Patrol leader was having chest pains and was headed off to the hospital and that there had been a mistake... no they weren't canceling the rest of the campout as there were enough chaperones to cover the loss of our leader and that I hadn't needed to drive all that way after all, as Hubby wouldn't be coming home till later in the afternoon. I was thankful that hubby hadn't been hurt or worse.
We went back to town and fed Dreamer at her boarding place and headed for home. By this time the sun was baking again. The skies were brilliant and beautiful. I gathered my gear and the girls and I headed for FSJ. We had ice-cream for lunch at DQ (a serious treat) and then on to my meeting. I was wearing a light sweater and a tank top underneath. I was not cold when I left HH. FSJ proved to be a different story. The building where we hold our meetings is old and cold and before long I began to quake with the cold and by the time we finished the meeting the temperature outside was considerably colder. Brrr!
I now remember that we live in the North and jackets are required clothing any time after the middle of September no matter what the day begins like.... I forget this rule every year and need to relearn it all the time.... I will have to live in the North 50 years before this will actually sink in... and only maybe then.
It was on the way home that we had a creepy thing happen. We got stalked. Yes stalked. We were driving down the highway and this jeep came up behind us out of nowhere. It slowed right down to the speed I was doing and kept pace with us far closer to me than i cared for. Now I love to drive the highway between here and FSJ this time of the year because the colours of the trees are outstanding. I usually drive at about 85 km (on a 90 km road) and enjoy the eagles and the beautiful colours. Besides I wanted to eat my lunch... I mean it was 4:30 p.m. and I was hungry, having only had an ice-cream for lunch. So I slowed down even more in an effort to get the jeep to pass me. He didn't. Argh! I hate creepy drivers that stick too closely to your bum. That is what this creepy jeep driver did.... for over 40 km. I did everything outside of pull over to shake the weirdo. Finally, after slowing way down a number of times and touching my break to let them know I wanted them off my tail and as many tricks as I could think about to encourage them to pass, I did pull over... now if you have ever been stalked pulling over is not the wisest thing to do. But I did. Finally numbnuts passed me and I gave him the finger as he passed.... he sped off down the road and I carried on my way with the two girls discussing the freaky driver. We did notice that the jeep had Alberta plates. (I won't make any derogatory remarks about Albertan drivers thinking they are still on the prairie... ok.)
We are driving along about a mile and half down the road when we come around a turn and freaky driver up ahead is pulling in on the shoulder of the road.... ok we're really freaked now. We are getting closer wondering what is going to happen when out gets the driver.
She had to be 70 I'm thinking, and her husband who was trading the passenger seat for the driver's seat was a sweet looking bent old man. OMG I gave these old (bad but sweet looking) drivers the finger. (sigh) I drove past hoping they wouldn't realize that I was the same lady who had just given them the finger.
Yep this day couldn't get screwier I'm thinking. So far, the rest is fairly standard except we went for supper and there was a fly stuck to the honey bottle the waitress gave me for my tea. Oh and I just found a dead fly floating in my glass of lemonade.... I hate flies. Arrgh!
So I'm hoping that no more dreams tonight will screw me up for tomorrow. I think I'll go to bed. I just want a nice normal night of snoring with no bouncing heads in my dreams.
I headed for the computer and promptly forgot that I had turned on the kettle on my way along.... we now have a black kettle that Hubby thinks needs to be replaced.... me oh my, I'm burning far too much these days....
By this time there was a little light in the sky. I tapped away at the computer drinking my tea that I had to prepare in a pot. As I sat there working, up came the sun which started with the reddest sky I have ever seen. The pictures from two days ago can't even touch this red sky. I had left my camera in the truck and it was steadily raining by now or I would have gotten a picture.... I know you're wondering how can we have a red sky and rain at the same time. That is what's so weird! The rain was fairly localized off to the west, obviously, while in the east the sky was still clear.
As the sun came over the horizon the sky changed from red to an even more weird colour or, in this case, set of colours. By this time the clouds with the rain were moving ever closer to the eastern horizon and yet there was no cloud low on the horizon.... so picture this... the sky is red, and then not so red, and then ever so slightly the sun rises over the horizon and there is a small band about two fingers above the horizon where there is no cloud that turns pure gold... I mean wedding band gold not golden coloured but shiny sparkly gold... and above that is the oncoming clouds which are a vivid purple. That's when the trees turned bright orange. I've never seen anything so spectacular. If I could immerse myself in colour all I would have had to do is walk out in the garden. It lasted about two and a half minutes and then everything turned a mundane grey. Then the wind came up and the rain came down in a torrential downpour only it was horizontal too, and all the gold medallion leaves started to tumble across the ground like thousands of mini tumbleweeds. Let me tell you it was too cool!
The day continued in this weird manner. I had to go to a meeting today in FSJ. But before I did, I got an email to go pick up Hubby at a JCR campout...... now! So I quickly got dressed and headed off with Daughter #1 as we would stop along the way to feed Dreamer, the new horse. When I got to the campout site a half hour drive from our home, I discovered that our Patrol leader was having chest pains and was headed off to the hospital and that there had been a mistake... no they weren't canceling the rest of the campout as there were enough chaperones to cover the loss of our leader and that I hadn't needed to drive all that way after all, as Hubby wouldn't be coming home till later in the afternoon. I was thankful that hubby hadn't been hurt or worse.
We went back to town and fed Dreamer at her boarding place and headed for home. By this time the sun was baking again. The skies were brilliant and beautiful. I gathered my gear and the girls and I headed for FSJ. We had ice-cream for lunch at DQ (a serious treat) and then on to my meeting. I was wearing a light sweater and a tank top underneath. I was not cold when I left HH. FSJ proved to be a different story. The building where we hold our meetings is old and cold and before long I began to quake with the cold and by the time we finished the meeting the temperature outside was considerably colder. Brrr!
I now remember that we live in the North and jackets are required clothing any time after the middle of September no matter what the day begins like.... I forget this rule every year and need to relearn it all the time.... I will have to live in the North 50 years before this will actually sink in... and only maybe then.
It was on the way home that we had a creepy thing happen. We got stalked. Yes stalked. We were driving down the highway and this jeep came up behind us out of nowhere. It slowed right down to the speed I was doing and kept pace with us far closer to me than i cared for. Now I love to drive the highway between here and FSJ this time of the year because the colours of the trees are outstanding. I usually drive at about 85 km (on a 90 km road) and enjoy the eagles and the beautiful colours. Besides I wanted to eat my lunch... I mean it was 4:30 p.m. and I was hungry, having only had an ice-cream for lunch. So I slowed down even more in an effort to get the jeep to pass me. He didn't. Argh! I hate creepy drivers that stick too closely to your bum. That is what this creepy jeep driver did.... for over 40 km. I did everything outside of pull over to shake the weirdo. Finally, after slowing way down a number of times and touching my break to let them know I wanted them off my tail and as many tricks as I could think about to encourage them to pass, I did pull over... now if you have ever been stalked pulling over is not the wisest thing to do. But I did. Finally numbnuts passed me and I gave him the finger as he passed.... he sped off down the road and I carried on my way with the two girls discussing the freaky driver. We did notice that the jeep had Alberta plates. (I won't make any derogatory remarks about Albertan drivers thinking they are still on the prairie... ok.)
We are driving along about a mile and half down the road when we come around a turn and freaky driver up ahead is pulling in on the shoulder of the road.... ok we're really freaked now. We are getting closer wondering what is going to happen when out gets the driver.
She had to be 70 I'm thinking, and her husband who was trading the passenger seat for the driver's seat was a sweet looking bent old man. OMG I gave these old (bad but sweet looking) drivers the finger. (sigh) I drove past hoping they wouldn't realize that I was the same lady who had just given them the finger.
Yep this day couldn't get screwier I'm thinking. So far, the rest is fairly standard except we went for supper and there was a fly stuck to the honey bottle the waitress gave me for my tea. Oh and I just found a dead fly floating in my glass of lemonade.... I hate flies. Arrgh!
So I'm hoping that no more dreams tonight will screw me up for tomorrow. I think I'll go to bed. I just want a nice normal night of snoring with no bouncing heads in my dreams.
Fat Yarns and Cotton Hand Cards
This is a spinning blog.... right? Well ok... not quite... but today I'm actually going to talk about spinning and knitting.
So my first day of the schedule was Tuesday and that day was spent discovering that my all purpose hand carders suck when carding ginned cotton. Cotton is a very short stapled fibre and it is also pretty lumpy bumpy when it comes in the ginned form... at least my ginned cotton is pretty lumpy bumpy. When you card ginned cotton the teeth on the cards are supposed to comb out all of those lumps and bumps. Mine did not do that and so I decided to actually count the teeth per inch in my hand cards. My hand cards come out at 64 ppsi (points per square inch). That is pretty good for carding cloth if you are carding wool. Cotton is a whole other set of problems. I decided that perhaps I should invest in a good set of cotton cards.
I have a friend in FSJ who sells such things and so I decided to email her and give her the business. She emailed me back with the information on the cotton hand cards that she sells. Ashford is a manufacturer of cotton hand cards at 108 ppsi which is good but I had learned that good cotton hand cards have over 150 ppsi. In light of that not so good. Louet who she also deals with manufactures their cotton cards at 60 ppsi... they don't even make it into the ball park.... so what do I do. Of course I call a friend in FSJ who actually does have a set of cotton hand cards, to find out how many ppsi hers have. She owns a set of Schacht cotton hand cards and they sit at a healthy 208 ppsi. I will be spending a day spinning with her and so I will give hers a try and see if I like them. At the same time that I was calling my friend I emailed my level 3 instructor and asked for her opinion. She seemed to think that the Ashford cotton cards were sufficient. She also gave some very valid reasons for not getting seriously fine cotton cards. Primarily her reasons were that the finer the teeth the more susceptible to damage that they are. She also felt that blending cotton with other fibres such as wool would limit me because the wire used on cotton cards would be too fine for wool. She also thought that 108 ppsi was sufficient when using them on other fine fibres such as fur, like bunny, or quiviet, or yak. This led me to a serious few days of research on cotton hand cards.
The results are as follows:
Howard Brush student sized cotton cards at 190 ppsi $55.00 (AMD) These can also be gotten in a 120 ppsi
Schacht cotton hand cards at 208 ppsi $81.00 (CAD)
Ashford cotton hand cards at 108 ppsi $63.50 (CAD)
Strauch small cotton hand carders at 255 ppsi for $61.00 (AMD)
Clemes and Clemes Flat Backed cotton hand cards for $72.50 (AMD)
I like the thought of having a set of hand cards that are more than multi purpose since the hand cards that I have now are considered that. I know I can card and blend fine fibres on the hand cards that I own. While the points that my instructor made are valid, I do want something that is substantially different from what I have now. Having said that, I am taking very seriously the points made on the fact that very fine cloths can be damaged very easily. I am hard on my tools.... enough said! So I think that the Howard Brush cotton hand card in student size meet my every need. I will purchase the hand cards in student size which is 6" because I have small hands (the only small thing on me except for my ears) and also because I want even distribution across the card with very little 'waffling' in my punis. While the Howard Brush cards have a fine carding cloth, it is not as fine as the Strauch or the Clemes and Clemes or the Schacht, therefore less susceptible to damage and lifting of the cloth when carding vast amounts of cotton. The Howard Brush sells theirs as "virtually indestructible" and hopefully they are.
Meanwhile I'm still on a fat yarn kick. I have been spinning fat yarns left, right, and centre. Louet has a lovely product they call Northern Lights. Northern Lights are lovely woolen pencil sized rovings that you can spin without drafting and ply together to get wonderful fat yarn in no time at all. I love it and for a product to sell at farmer's markets and craft fairs it is marvelous. I spin huge amounts of it in no time at all. The problem is that if I am going to sell the stuff, then I have to find tried and true patterns to go with it. Joe Blow off the street is not going to buy yarn without a pattern for it because most people who knit will not test the knitting Gods by chancing a pattern of their own with a new yarn they have never tried before. And so my search continues as I try to find fat knitting patterns that will suit my new yarn.... we shall see. Maybe I will have to develop my own.... hmmm.
So my first day of the schedule was Tuesday and that day was spent discovering that my all purpose hand carders suck when carding ginned cotton. Cotton is a very short stapled fibre and it is also pretty lumpy bumpy when it comes in the ginned form... at least my ginned cotton is pretty lumpy bumpy. When you card ginned cotton the teeth on the cards are supposed to comb out all of those lumps and bumps. Mine did not do that and so I decided to actually count the teeth per inch in my hand cards. My hand cards come out at 64 ppsi (points per square inch). That is pretty good for carding cloth if you are carding wool. Cotton is a whole other set of problems. I decided that perhaps I should invest in a good set of cotton cards.
I have a friend in FSJ who sells such things and so I decided to email her and give her the business. She emailed me back with the information on the cotton hand cards that she sells. Ashford is a manufacturer of cotton hand cards at 108 ppsi which is good but I had learned that good cotton hand cards have over 150 ppsi. In light of that not so good. Louet who she also deals with manufactures their cotton cards at 60 ppsi... they don't even make it into the ball park.... so what do I do. Of course I call a friend in FSJ who actually does have a set of cotton hand cards, to find out how many ppsi hers have. She owns a set of Schacht cotton hand cards and they sit at a healthy 208 ppsi. I will be spending a day spinning with her and so I will give hers a try and see if I like them. At the same time that I was calling my friend I emailed my level 3 instructor and asked for her opinion. She seemed to think that the Ashford cotton cards were sufficient. She also gave some very valid reasons for not getting seriously fine cotton cards. Primarily her reasons were that the finer the teeth the more susceptible to damage that they are. She also felt that blending cotton with other fibres such as wool would limit me because the wire used on cotton cards would be too fine for wool. She also thought that 108 ppsi was sufficient when using them on other fine fibres such as fur, like bunny, or quiviet, or yak. This led me to a serious few days of research on cotton hand cards.
The results are as follows:
Howard Brush student sized cotton cards at 190 ppsi $55.00 (AMD) These can also be gotten in a 120 ppsi
Schacht cotton hand cards at 208 ppsi $81.00 (CAD)
Ashford cotton hand cards at 108 ppsi $63.50 (CAD)
Strauch small cotton hand carders at 255 ppsi for $61.00 (AMD)
Clemes and Clemes Flat Backed cotton hand cards for $72.50 (AMD)
I like the thought of having a set of hand cards that are more than multi purpose since the hand cards that I have now are considered that. I know I can card and blend fine fibres on the hand cards that I own. While the points that my instructor made are valid, I do want something that is substantially different from what I have now. Having said that, I am taking very seriously the points made on the fact that very fine cloths can be damaged very easily. I am hard on my tools.... enough said! So I think that the Howard Brush cotton hand card in student size meet my every need. I will purchase the hand cards in student size which is 6" because I have small hands (the only small thing on me except for my ears) and also because I want even distribution across the card with very little 'waffling' in my punis. While the Howard Brush cards have a fine carding cloth, it is not as fine as the Strauch or the Clemes and Clemes or the Schacht, therefore less susceptible to damage and lifting of the cloth when carding vast amounts of cotton. The Howard Brush sells theirs as "virtually indestructible" and hopefully they are.
Meanwhile I'm still on a fat yarn kick. I have been spinning fat yarns left, right, and centre. Louet has a lovely product they call Northern Lights. Northern Lights are lovely woolen pencil sized rovings that you can spin without drafting and ply together to get wonderful fat yarn in no time at all. I love it and for a product to sell at farmer's markets and craft fairs it is marvelous. I spin huge amounts of it in no time at all. The problem is that if I am going to sell the stuff, then I have to find tried and true patterns to go with it. Joe Blow off the street is not going to buy yarn without a pattern for it because most people who knit will not test the knitting Gods by chancing a pattern of their own with a new yarn they have never tried before. And so my search continues as I try to find fat knitting patterns that will suit my new yarn.... we shall see. Maybe I will have to develop my own.... hmmm.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Freight Trains And Fat Yarns
Last night was an odd night. I was weaving a little on the tri-loom just before bed when there was a shift in the planets equilibrium. Suddenly I felt like I was going to drop of fatigue when only moments before I had lots of energy. I put down my hook and told Hubby, who was quietly working on the computer, that I was done and heading off to bed. I headed up the steps and that's when the freight train hit.
This area of the world is subject to what is known as Chinooks. Generally Chinooks happen in winter, but every so often you get an odd one at other times of the year. It is strange, for those of us who have experienced Chinooks, to think of them as such when they come at the other times of the year because they are so rare. What a Chinook is, is a strong wind from the west that signifies a huge change in the air pressure. When they come they usually bring a huge increase in temperature that only lasts as long as the wind does. Chinook winds are a welcome relief in the winter because the temperatures can increase from -40 degrees Celsius to +10 in a matter of a half hour.... and let me tell you that when you have been having -40 for a week, going up to +10 in temperature, is a lovely change. When these air pressure changes happen the wind is so strong that it sounds like a freight train is driving down the valley and is hitting the top of your house and peeling off your roof in an effort to take it along as it merrily goes on it way. It is quite scary and you really do wonder if the roof will lift off. It only lasts for a short time, about a half hour or so, before it dies down to a steady wind at about fifty or sixty mph. Still a strong wind but substantially less terrifying.
The Chinook wind of last night was odd since it is not winter and the temperatures have been absolutely balmy. That's why I know there was a shift in the planet's equilibrium. One good thing that came as the outcome of last night's Chinook, we now know that the roof, which was only attached in the spring, will stay in place in a big wind which pleases me no end.
All night I listened to the wind as I kept my window open a crack and listened to the leaves rustling. It meant for an uneasy sleep. I'm tired today and have decided to blow off exercise class as I would not be very energetic anyway. I may go for a walk in the forest later if I can handle the thought of a tree possibly falling over on me!
I have decided to work on the closet in my bedroom today, in and effort to try to get our room to the point where we can hang up more of the clothes that spills from boxes everywhere. The wind is still blowing this morning and Hubby says he heard a tree crack off late last night. It doesn't surprise me that we have lost a tree after such a wind. I'm amazed that we didn't blow away. But it means that it is a good day to work inside. And so onward to my closet is the name of the game.
The other thing of note is the fat yarns I have been working on lately.
I have finished three.... yes three.... different fibres that have been kicking around for the last few months. The first fibre that I tried to spin as a fat yarn was pencil rovings from Louet that I spun as a single and then plied with a gold thread. 
It turned out better than expected.
The next fibre I spun was Alpaca pencil rovings that I again spun as a single and plied with a variegated silver/turquoise thread.
It is soft and lovely but I liked the other one better. Yesterday I spun some Polwarth rovings in a variegated colourway this time I plied it on itself and am very happy with the results.
Once you have been spinning a while it is really hard to spin thick since your spinning technique becomes so refined that spinning takes on a life of thin, thin, thin. I was so happy this summer when my instructor for the level 3 taught us an easy method for spinning a consistently fat yarn.
One of the reasons for wanting to spin a fat yarn is because the tri loom takes fairly thick yarn for weaving. My first attempts would be considered a worsted weight and yes it is much too fine for the loom.
There will be a great deal of shrinkage when it comes off the loom, I'm thinking. But that is ok as I will weave two triangles and put them together into a lap blanket. It really needs the equivalent of a chunky weight yarn. My next attempt on the tri-loom will be a shawl with a much thicker and puffier yarn in the variegated Polwarth. It should be lovely. It is simply fun to do these projects.
Yesterday was my day for working on the commission but that didn't happen as I spent most of the morning looking for the fibre that I needed. Then I spent the afternoon washing a bunch of it as the stuff I already washed back a while ago is not near enough. Today it is drying out side in the wind and sunshine. I think that this scheduling thing is going to work though as I am seeing progress in most of my projects..... lets just hope that no more freight trains come through my house and keep me awake all night long. I'm much more productive when I've had a good sleep.
After two days of following my schedule I'm not sure I can say it is a success. I didn't get much done on Tuesday on the level 3 homework and on Wednesday I didn't get much done on my commission. Both days I got distracted by problems or other projects. (Go Figure!) This is not an auspicious beginning. I guess I will see how today goes.
Closet here I come.
This area of the world is subject to what is known as Chinooks. Generally Chinooks happen in winter, but every so often you get an odd one at other times of the year. It is strange, for those of us who have experienced Chinooks, to think of them as such when they come at the other times of the year because they are so rare. What a Chinook is, is a strong wind from the west that signifies a huge change in the air pressure. When they come they usually bring a huge increase in temperature that only lasts as long as the wind does. Chinook winds are a welcome relief in the winter because the temperatures can increase from -40 degrees Celsius to +10 in a matter of a half hour.... and let me tell you that when you have been having -40 for a week, going up to +10 in temperature, is a lovely change. When these air pressure changes happen the wind is so strong that it sounds like a freight train is driving down the valley and is hitting the top of your house and peeling off your roof in an effort to take it along as it merrily goes on it way. It is quite scary and you really do wonder if the roof will lift off. It only lasts for a short time, about a half hour or so, before it dies down to a steady wind at about fifty or sixty mph. Still a strong wind but substantially less terrifying.
The Chinook wind of last night was odd since it is not winter and the temperatures have been absolutely balmy. That's why I know there was a shift in the planet's equilibrium. One good thing that came as the outcome of last night's Chinook, we now know that the roof, which was only attached in the spring, will stay in place in a big wind which pleases me no end.
All night I listened to the wind as I kept my window open a crack and listened to the leaves rustling. It meant for an uneasy sleep. I'm tired today and have decided to blow off exercise class as I would not be very energetic anyway. I may go for a walk in the forest later if I can handle the thought of a tree possibly falling over on me!
I have decided to work on the closet in my bedroom today, in and effort to try to get our room to the point where we can hang up more of the clothes that spills from boxes everywhere. The wind is still blowing this morning and Hubby says he heard a tree crack off late last night. It doesn't surprise me that we have lost a tree after such a wind. I'm amazed that we didn't blow away. But it means that it is a good day to work inside. And so onward to my closet is the name of the game.
The other thing of note is the fat yarns I have been working on lately.
I have finished three.... yes three.... different fibres that have been kicking around for the last few months. The first fibre that I tried to spin as a fat yarn was pencil rovings from Louet that I spun as a single and then plied with a gold thread. 
It turned out better than expected.The next fibre I spun was Alpaca pencil rovings that I again spun as a single and plied with a variegated silver/turquoise thread.
It is soft and lovely but I liked the other one better. Yesterday I spun some Polwarth rovings in a variegated colourway this time I plied it on itself and am very happy with the results.
Once you have been spinning a while it is really hard to spin thick since your spinning technique becomes so refined that spinning takes on a life of thin, thin, thin. I was so happy this summer when my instructor for the level 3 taught us an easy method for spinning a consistently fat yarn.
One of the reasons for wanting to spin a fat yarn is because the tri loom takes fairly thick yarn for weaving. My first attempts would be considered a worsted weight and yes it is much too fine for the loom.
There will be a great deal of shrinkage when it comes off the loom, I'm thinking. But that is ok as I will weave two triangles and put them together into a lap blanket. It really needs the equivalent of a chunky weight yarn. My next attempt on the tri-loom will be a shawl with a much thicker and puffier yarn in the variegated Polwarth. It should be lovely. It is simply fun to do these projects.Yesterday was my day for working on the commission but that didn't happen as I spent most of the morning looking for the fibre that I needed. Then I spent the afternoon washing a bunch of it as the stuff I already washed back a while ago is not near enough. Today it is drying out side in the wind and sunshine. I think that this scheduling thing is going to work though as I am seeing progress in most of my projects..... lets just hope that no more freight trains come through my house and keep me awake all night long. I'm much more productive when I've had a good sleep.
After two days of following my schedule I'm not sure I can say it is a success. I didn't get much done on Tuesday on the level 3 homework and on Wednesday I didn't get much done on my commission. Both days I got distracted by problems or other projects. (Go Figure!) This is not an auspicious beginning. I guess I will see how today goes.
Closet here I come.
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