Knitting, Spinnng, Stashing

The problem with not posting very often, is that there's an awful lot to catch up on. I should be writing on my business blog today and I had every intention of doing so. It's much harder for me. I feel like everything I say has been said a million times before. However, on this blog it's about my fiber life and it's completely individual to me.

Every so often I like to post a picture of the "state of my stash". It grows and shrinks on a regular basis. A couple of years ago I invested in a bunch of Ikea units that hold nearly all of it, fiber and yarn. And, because I live alone, my whole living room is my studio. Swift and ball winder clamped onto the coffee table. China doesn't complain.

 

Fortunately there has been plenty of actual knitting and spinning going on, or else I'd just be a hoarder. But I'm not. Really. See? It's tidy! Plus, there's the actual knitting and spinning going on.It is, however beyond my verbal capabilities today to actually describe everything that I've been doing, so it's time for a photo dump in lieu of actual words.

Pulling apart (Thrift shop hand knitted linen sweater from a couple of years back.)

Putting together again (this took me hours and hours. I find this tangle from a dying experiment last year and this is a handspun tangle of Cormo that I decided needed love not abandonment.

 A lovely little trip last weekend to EasyGo farm in Hillsboro for the end of their sheering day. The generous Linda and Barry invited us in for lunch and we had a lovely chat and I came away from a few ounces of alpaca that I'm anxious to get working on.

And lastly, there's China. Content with the fibery things going on around her as long as she still gets her walks in the sun.

Playing Around

I am a fiend for new iPhone and iPad apps. Such cheap entertainment. Such a great distraction. And now, I'm starting to think, a good way to keep my brain sharp.

I've been doing Lumosity off and on for a while, but on the recommendation of my cousin Kara, I've signed up for a year of "brain training". It's going okay, but it's pretty challenging.  It has however made me aware of the possible upsides of my favorite games.

My top faves that are a little on the more usual side (not in any particular order):
Eufloria
Circadia
Percepto
Orba
and my new OBSESSION. Blendoku. I was turned onto this game just a few days ago. It's a puzzle solving game that is only about color. No words. After I studied printed textile surface design at Parsons in the late 1980's I worked briefly as a colorist. What this basically means is that I took a fabric swatch and repainted it on paper in a different colorway. I spent a lot of time staring at colors and trying to figure out how to tweak it up a little warmer or down a little cooler. Mix, remix and mix again. Blendoku is a visually stunning game that delights in its simplicity. I think it's making me smarter.

The other kind of playing around I've been doing is photographic. I was turned onto the app Waterlogue last week as well. It transforms your photos into watercolor paintings. There are quite a few different styles and you can customize within each style or mode. Today I'm going to post some photos that I haven't shared yet here as Waterlogue images:

 With the Big Dog (Xander)

 With the Little Dog (China) at Tillamook Forest Center

 Snoozin'

In Provincetown this past September.

I love technology when it's pretty.

Oregon Never Loses it's Green

When I talk to my friends back in Boston, I'm always going on about the "fairy world" that is Portland. This morning it's in the 30's and it's green as can be. Sure, there is fall and the leaves to actually "fall". But then there are the other green things that continue to cover the bare trees so that they are never actually bare. Mossy "sweaters" and lichen "lace" drape nearly everything. Ferns deposit themselves within the moss on the trunks of trees and the invasive ivy often strangles the trees as it grips and winds itself upwards.

Some of the winters coverings will dry and fall away come the heat of Summer, some will continue to cling.

And in knitting news.... I continue my progress on the very-fun-to-knit Faberge.

 Every so often, I think....will this knitting and spinning continue to consume my life? Forever? I cannot imagine it otherwise. And, so it goes...

New Things

I thought my blogging was over. Then, I realized that I've not been posting the fullness of my life on Facebook or anywhere else. I think I might have regrets about that.

The year 2013 has gone and I have to say, good riddance! Not a great one for many people out there.
The best thing that came of last year was the addition of a little white dog in my life: China.

I'm going to start my new year of updates with some pictures I took today whilst I was walking China around the neighborhood. I put her in a little harness and leash and tried to get her to "heel" instead of going on her own little expedition. It's not that she's bad on a leash, but I've had her since April and she's had no formal obedience training. Better late than never. It went pretty well, and I owe it to listening to Ambient Chill radio on Apple. I walked slowly, and focused on myself instead of her. When ever she pulled on the leash I just quietly said "no" and pulled her back in line. We did that for about 30 minutes and right before we got home, we stopped by this little entrance to the marsh behind our apartment. That's where these photos are from on such a lovely Winter's day.

 Very green branches.

 Can you see the beaver dam behind the tree?

 Very red branches

 Sunny smiley dog.

 Marshiness.

 More red branches.

 I just wanna stand here in the sun awhile...

Look at the interesting bended shape of these branches, like they're dancing.


Now we have the recent knitting content:
Really heavy lined mittens.

  Rikke Hat

Socks knit from very impractical handspun.

And lastly, we have a swatch for a shawl called Faberge that is VERY involved and as my friend Emily said, "Make sure you're going to wear it enough to show it off to knitterly friends who know how much work you put into it!" Right on. Going for it. Last night I cast on 445 stitches while watching Downtown Abbey.

Meanwhile, welcome back old readers and welcome new friendly readers! I blog on.