days get better when...

This week started sucking a bit yesterday when one of my fellow admins quit unexpectedly during the middle of the day. That of course left the rest of us scrambling with a game plan to divvy up the work until we can get another person hired. No biggie, but just not the most fun thing to deal with. So after working an hour late last night and tonight, I was SO jazzed to come home to this waiting for me on the front steps:



I ordered this last week as my mother's day presents from my cats to myself ;) They know what I like! The fluffy rainbow batt is in a place out of reach from little claws on the very top of my stash shelf. Will I ever be able to bring myself to spin it? Inspiration is not lacking; as you can see, I also got Handspun Revolution. Yes! This three day weekend is going to be great...

If that wasn't enough, I actually went looking through the Treasuries on Etsy and look what I found!



Maybe it'll get to the front page!!!

new fun things

This past weekend was super productive. On Friday night, I spun a gimongous skein of yarn. This was the first time I had maxed out my jumbo bobbin- 170 yards, 5.75 ounces! Yowza! I call it "Corsair", because it reminds me of an elegant pirate:



I really love this. It's a mash-up of several different batts, but mostly some superwash merino from Enchanted Knoll. I think this yarn would make the most gorgeous cape or shawl EVER, so I'll be sad to see it go... and not so sad if it doesn't sell ;)

Also, on Saturday, my awesome BF finished up the banner he designed for my shop & blog (see above!) and then formatted parts of it to make into stickers! Yes, STICKERS! I've had a sticker fetish since I was a kid, so this is a huge deal for me!



So the kite-sheep is my logo, and the other sticker, the one with the clouds and the sheep, is something he did just for fun. You can't read it, but it says "Domesticated Sheeps- Making your day more happy." Ain't that the truth!

I also finished up the book Craft, Inc. by Meg Mateo Ilasco last night. It was a great step-by-step on how to turn a craft hobby into a full-time job. Granted I won't apply half of it to myself because I am in no way ready to do this full time, it was good to know the first steps- like applying for business licenses, etc, which are mostly necessary to do shows and stuff. Hey, who knows, this could go somewhere!

To reward myself for feeling all ambitious and productive, I bought a ton more fiber. Well, at least a couple of pounds anyway. I realized a 3 day weekend was coming up and I wanted to get psyched for busting through most of my stash. I also packaged up and sent off handpainted rovings for my first two swaps- one through Etsy and the other through Craftster. AND I just wound off a skein and am setting the twist now, so hopefully it'll be dry in time for Fiber Friday!

Hmm, yeah... I HAVE been busy ;)

sheesh!

First off, I just want to say that getting my paws on some Pigeonroof Studios roving must be even harder than getting Hannah Montana tickets. Not that I have tried getting Hannah Montana tickets, but that is the best analogy I can come up with. At least people aren't buying the roving only to sell it on Craigslist for 10x what they paid!

Anyway, I've been busy with keeping my apartment clean. Seriously, that is a full time job. I have actually done a lot of spinning this week though:

MOULIN- spun with some batts from Hobbledehoy, Loop, and Mandalinn, plus some stuff from my stash, plied with woolly nylon:


MIDGEWATER- my first TRUE scrap yarn, spun from a thousand different batts and rovings, worsted to bulky weight:


COSTA RICA- I spun this sitting outside last weekend. Drop-dead gorgeous BFL from Allspunup, spun into a striking worsted weight single:


POODLE SKIRT- spun from a batt by The Ranch, super thick and plied with clear poly thread:


On the bobbin- SUGARCUBES roving by Hobbledehoy, spun into a worsted weight two-ply, ready to be crocheted into a baby hat/booties set for a coworker- stay tuned for FO pics SOON!


Time to go rinse some roving and set it out to dry. I FINALLY got to dye some wool this weekend, it's been ages!

First wheelspuns and some roving...

So I spent ALL of last weekend spinning. I mean ALL of it. I left the house on Saturday only momentarily: to walk to the post office to pick up a box of wool. Here is the result:



From left to right, top to bottom: Cry Baby (from Copperpot Woolies), Blues (very first spin, my own handpainted Corriedale), Secret Garden (Hobbledehoy LOLbatt), Solemn (handpainted BFL), Woodstock (from Lapoli), Live Wire (another LOLbatt), Allsorts (from Copperpot's gimongo batt, my first plied yarn!), Vamped (handpainted Corriedale), and Water Hyacinth, singles in progress (from Mary Jane's Attic.)

Also, I dyed a ton of roving the weekend before- another collage to feast on!



Treebeard closeup, Material Girl, Maison Moderne, Dried Petals, Color Box, Color Box closeup, Meritage, Concord. Treebeard again. I LOVE Treebeard. I'm going to have to try that colorway again. All of those are Falkland wool roving.

Ok, it's time for me to go work on that Water Hyacinth single... it is taking for-ever!

ZOMFG I GOT ONE!

So I've been checking Ebay and Craigslist on and off, looking for any used spinning wheels in the area that I might be able to buy. I told myself I'd wait until I got my recession check, but a deal I couldn't pass up came along this weekend: Ashford Traveller (older model, single treadle, single drive) was posted on Craigslist for $250. I almost peed my pants and obsessively e-mailed the seller. I got to look on it on Monday night (it was very close by) and after checking it out to the best of my ability (with some help from the awesome people on Craftster!) I took him home.

Look!




It didn't come with bobbins, so I've ordered those, and in the mean time I am cleaning him up, oiling him down, and practicing my treadling while trying to think of a name! I'm so excited!

Spring? Is that you?!

This weekend has been #%&@ gorgeous. Saturday morning I got to volunteer at the Ginkgo Organic Gardens in Uptown. It was the first work-day of the season, and it could not have been nicer (last year it was snowing!) There are so many things I like about that place, namely being outside, gardening for a cause, and hanging out with awesome people. Seriously, what more could you ask for?? When I got home, I cleaned up the kitchen and started dyeing up some more roving (Falkland, this time.) It's still drying in the bathroom right now, so I should have pics of it soon.

Today was just as beautiful, so the BF and I went to Vella Cafe for his birthday breakfast, and then shopping for food and garden supplies. I think I'm going to do a bunch of herbs, tomatoes, cucumbers, strawberries, lettuce, and flowers. I also bought a raspberry and a blackberry bush. I'm out of control! We started turning up the beds and lining them with brick so they look extra nice (and so the lawn maintenance people know to not weed-wack anything down!) I hope the landlord doesn't mind... I'll definitely post pics of it when everything is up and running.

I think now it's time for a glass of wine and a handful of fiber to spin up.

April Fools? Or just a really great idea!

Eversheds to Run Sheep Pilot Scheme at New City Base

In a bizarre turn in its campaign to create London’s greenest law office, Eversheds is to let sheep loose on the roof of its new building at One Wood Street.

The trial scheme will see four sheep used for a three-month period to maintain the grass on the building’s flat eco-roof, which is designed to prevent heat escaping through the office ceiling.

The firm has recruited an animal welfare officer, Sean Coates, who will spend the equivalent of one day each week taking care of the animals.

Coates, a former RSPCA officer who is now a freelance consultant in urban livestock management, said: “It’s important we keep the sheep in tip top condition to get the best out of them.

“They work as a team so if one of them isn’t pulling their weight, we need to make sure we’re covered.”

Coates said that the animals did not represent a danger to pedestrians in high wind, but added that the firm was insured in case of such an incident.

The decision to conduct the trial came after Eversheds undertook a lengthy consultation into ways to introduce sustainable energy methods into the new office, which will be completed in May.

The majority of partners in a partnership vote supported a trial of the grazing scheme, leading to Eversheds consulting energy experts, farmers and animal trainers about its viability.

“As well as keeping the roof trim, it’s possible we will also use their waste to fertilise plants in the firm’s new herb garden,” Coates said.

If the scheme is continued beyond the three month trial, Eversheds associates will be given the chance to name the animals in an online poll on the firm’s intranet site.

The firm yesterday also revealed that it is set to use the underwire of bras in its London office’s 160,000 sq ft of flooring (The Lawyer, 31 March).

****
I'm going to go work there and become a corporate rooftop sheep herder. I'm not sure what I want to do with tonight. I'm in kind of a cranktastic mood, so I'm not sure if that means I need to force myself to be productive, or just veg out. Not really sure what would make me feel better at this point, or what I have the energy for. First things first: dinner. Ugh.