Thursday, April 23, 2009

Un bEEievable

Got Bees??
I do
Kelly and I went last night to get our bees--I don't have much time to share, so all you get are photos for now.

Here is Bob the Bee Guy, getting into the hive to get us our bees.


Here's the first frame he took out to show us.

Chai and Bentley check out their new "friends"

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Spring doin's


I finished a cropped cardigan of some of my handspun. The pattern is a free one on the Berroco website. I wore it on Wednesday, even though it was too warm to do so comfortably.




It looks like even though it is late this year, warmer weather is here to stay and so the usual wardrobe survey has taken place. Which is not actually a survey so much as a frantic scrounge for something suitable to wear with the resultant realization that I must have just gone naked last spring and summer because my clothes are rags. And that startling discovery coincided with the thought that if I'm going to spend a day or two with the spinning guild demonstrating spinning at the Renaissance Faire in May, then I'll need something suitable to wear for that too. I've been told that a broomstick skirt and peasant blouse will suffice, but don't happen to have those to hand either. Soooooooo . . . .

I got to searching and found this cool blog which had recently posted directions for making a broomstick skirt which is gored, NOT tiered and is therefore less likely to make someone smaller than me look like a barn. And that discovery coincided with a sale on rayon which enabled me to make TWO such skirts for $7.50 each. Whoo Hoooo.




And since I'm not particularly a style maven and since I actually think such skirts and birkenstocks look cool, I'll actually wear said skirts--even the neon green one, 'cause --- say it with me ---ANYTHING WORTH DOING IS WORTH OVERDOING.

Note, I probably won't wear the peasant blouse outside of doing demos, but it was fun to make. (and I know it's not really a peasant blouse, but it's close)

And since I can't make an entire wardrobe of two skirts of suspect stylishness, my dire need for clothing caused me to root around in my fabric stash where I found several excellent pieces of linen in greens which, alas, are NOT neon. AND, to my surprise, there is some rayon which I remember was not enough yardage for the project I envisioned and may become another broomstick skirt, which I am willing to admit might be too much of a good thing, but probably won't dissuade me from making another.

YEA!!! I GET TO VISIT

THE GOOD NEWS!!!!
I'm going next weekend, Friday 24th through Monday, to Maryland to visit Meredith. I 'm extremely excited. And, actually I should say couldn't be more excited, and that's pretty close to the truth, BUT I was looking online for yarn, and spinning and weaving stores to visit and . . .
HERE'S THE BAD NEWS . . .
I just so happens that the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival is the VERY NEXT WEEKEND. Dang! That is just awful timing. Oh well, if I went I'd undoubtedly spend more money than I have, which after buying a plane ticket is next to nothing anyway. And, since I'm now on alert about the festival, maybe I'll plan a visit next year to coincide. More likely it will slip my mind and I'll be re-posting the same lament next year.

A few gals from the Tulsa Handweavers Guild and I traveled to Norman last weekend for our own fiber festival of sorts. We visited Gwen the most masterful fiber dyer and got to choose which fibers and colors we wanted her to run through her MONSTER electric drum carder to make our own custom bats. We lunched at the Pink Elephant where I ordered a wacky combination of andoulle (sp?) sausage and shrimp served over grits--yum!. We sipped tea on Gwen's deck and generally had a great time. I'll post photos later.

Right now, I've got to guzzle some more coffee, load up my spinning wheel and related implements, and scoot off to the Tulsa Handspinners meeting.

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Nuns having fun

I heard from Meredith today. She said they got to go to DC last Sunday to enjoy the Cherry Blossom Festival, that they played Ultimate Frisbee near the Jefferson Memorial, and folks took lots of photos of them.

So, I got to thinking . . .and, for once that exercise was productive. I found this on youtube. Meredith is the person in a gray skirt who drops the frisbee near the end of video.

My Tattoo

My Tattoo
A bike chain tattoo, that is It's chain lube ya know