Owning My Crazy

I've fallen off the blog-every-day wagon, although I have been spinning during most of my Tour and Womens' World Cup watching.  So that part of my plan has been a success.

While rumbling around in my stash to find more fiber to spin, I opened a big bin which, to my complete surprise, was FULL of handspun yarn-- some I had no memory of spinning.  Since none of the yarn was labeled with yardage it is practically impossible to plan projects to use it up--that might me a wee bit nutty.   So, I spent practically the ENTIRE day Sunday measuring yardage and labeling skeins.  Looks like I've got a bit of knitting to do now, 'cause that's just about 9,500 yards of yarn. 

Days 8 & 9 -- Off My Game

No post of progress for the 30 days challenge for yesterday.  Instead, since I feel like hammered [insert something disgusting] I spent my time at the doctor whose best guess as to the cause of my malaise is a tick-borne disease--oh, lets just say Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.  Won't know for sure for about a week when the blood screen comes back, anyway I'm being treated for that. 

I think in fairness I should at least be able to see the Rocky Mountains.  Since I'm marooned in relatively flat, excessively hot, and consequently miserable Oklahoma, I'm saying I have "Trail of Tears Misery Fever."  

Anyway despite being resigned to the couch for the next few days, I've not found it too taxing to wash the skeined yarn I've spun over the last week, so that is my art for today and yesterday.  And, in a nod to my LOVE of the Tour de France, I'm hanging the skeins from my bike handlebars.  Actually that's where I always hang wet yarn. 

Baaa Baaa Black Sheep . . .

 . . . have you any wool?

Yes, as a matter of fact, I do--thanks for asking.  I have a great deal of very dark rambouillet wool, the first I ever processed from raw fleece. I spun a bunch of it last summer but put it away because I was tired of it and convinced myself I didn't really like it.  In this case absence did make the heart grow fonder because I'm loving it.  

 

Day 6 of Getting My Art On

I missed posting yesterday, but not because I didn't do anything, but because I did perhaps too much--I opted to sleep instead of post.  Keeping up with the Tour de France and the Womens World Cup gives me a LOT of time for spinning, but not much time for anything else.

Anyway . . today my task was to ply-o-la the remainder of the Bonkers Limeola bamboo and merino fiber. 

 

No fireworks for me

On this July 4th, the only fireworks came from my temper at having to schlep baskets of washed clothes to the laundromat for drying.

Stupid dryer stopped working. 

I did, however, temper my temper by taking my wheel with me.  It wasn't much of a spectacle.  Anyway, the time went fast, and between that little jaunt and the time I spent watching the steller win by Tyler Farrar on stage 3 of the Tour, I managed to get a whole bobbin filled. 

First a photo of Tyler Farrar taken several years ago at Nationals in Park City, Utah.

 

And then, my spinning/art for the day.  This is day 4 of the 30 days of artful stuff.

ART on Day 3

Again on the menu--spinning.  I skeined up the yarn I plied yesterday, washed it, and hung it to dry.  And then I spun this, called Limeola, which made me thirsty for limeade which was great with ginger syrup in it. 

Today's Progress

Seems like I spun FOREVER today.  I spun while I watched the US Women's Soccer Team beat Columbia and while I watched the tour.  I finished the singles that became this 3-ply sock yarn.  The fiber is Bonkers superwash merino in the Deep Sea colorway.

Team Time Trial tomorrow--WATCH IT

Getting the Art On

TWO big things are happening in my creative world. 

And

TWO big things are happening in my sports-watching world. 

ART-I-NESS

THING ONE--Traci Bunkers, a fiber dyer and creator of some note has invited folks of similar mindedness to join her in July for "30 Days of Get Your Art On."  The idea is to spend at least 30 minutes a day for the next 30 days on art of some kind and to blog, or not, about what you've done.  I'm including spinning and weaving in my definition of art (you should too) and playing along.  Actually, my spinning will involve working with Traci -dyed fibers.

THING TWO--Tour de Fleece is an event on Ravelry that runs coincident with the Tour de France.  The idea is that spinners of yarn actually spin on every day during the Tour de France.  Folks join ridiculously-named teams and post photos of what they've done.  There are contests and prizes--fun for all!!!

And, that brings me to . . .  

 SPORT-I-NESS

THING ONE -- Tour de France, Tour de France, Tour de France, Tour de France, Tour de France.  Need I say more?  This year includes my FAVORITE event: the Team Time Trial which is essentially ballet on bicycles--beautiful!! You can (and should) watch it on Sunday 7-3 at 7:30 am. 

THING TWO-- Womens World Cup is being played during the month of July.  If you know me you know that the choice of watching a World Cup match live or watching a Tour stage live is not one I'll easily make.  Kelly says this places me firmly on the sports lunatic fringe.