My commissioned art work project is DONE !! .... YAY!! ... It was mailed this morning - and I am delighted that it is completed! I am very thankful that someone I never met contacted me and asked me to do their art work. But - as I have previously said, the 90+ degree heat did me in and it took a little longer than I had hoped. But - it is DONE! FINISHED! COMPLETED! Now, it is time to move on! A new beginning??? Hmmm .... I spun last night while watching the baseball game. I LOVE my DELUXE ROBIN WHEEL!! I feel a connection to this wheel as it was handmade just for me! Tonight - no spinning as we are off to celebrate the 3 day weekend. In a way - for me is it is blowing a kiss 'good-bye' to summer and greeting the fall with a hearty 'hello!' I hope you enjoy your weekend too!! TAG ME ... you are it!

Yesterday - I had one of those AHA! moments. At least - it was kind of like an AHA moment - but I think it was actually MORE! I was talking to God - wondering if I should follow certain dreams that I hold dear in my heart. Current situations in my life make this dream REALLY hard to imagine ever coming true. So - I asked for help and I asked if I should 'give up' on my dream - I was informed 'NO!' It was quite firm & quite loud! I was suprised that God spoke that loudly to me. HE kind of yelled - but then - I figured HE had been speaking to me all along and HE needed to use this tone so I would LISTEN. Well - yesterday I heard HIM loud & clear. I think maybe we should listen more than we do to everything in our lives. The hectic pace most of us face on a day to day basis makes this difficult. This is one of the reasons I like to spin. My mind can calm down and I can enjoy the tactile experience of feeling the fibers. Last night - I worked on more of the plum colored GCNI wool. RUNNING MOON FARM sells some of the most amazing fibers!! With a kiss of mohair - this is making exceptional sock yarn!! Tonight - I will spin more since the Red Sox are playing - YAY!! NO STRIKE!! And my dream ... this is where I would like to live! TAG ME! .... you are it!!!

I have been doing some soul searching of late: wondering if I am on the 'right' path; wondering if my dreams will come true; wondering if things will be "OK". I have been wondering about a lot of things that I have no control over. I suppose I should be saying 'worrying' as opposed to 'wondering' - but the interesting thing is - I believe that to worry is not to have faith in God. And - I do have faith in Him - it is me that I 'wonder' about. It is a day to day struggle. My head thinks! My heart aches! But - yesterday - things were put into perspective by a 6 year old boy - one that I have never met. His struggle was school - whether or not he wanted to attend. He took a moment to consult his Spirit. Then he found his answer. I commend that 6 year old boy for reminding me of MY spirit. Please visit Linda D's BloG !! Thank you Christopher! AND thank you Linda & Tom for giving him the gift of his OWN spirit!! Fiber?? I finished plying 'David' - the short stapled jacob. I spun it on my big Bossie and that Bossie did fine work of such a short staple. Maybe some more spinning of the GCNI for the Christmas socks - or maybe a quiet night - to celebrate MY spirit!! Hmm... I 'wonder' .... TAG ME ... you are it!!

I was on a roll today! Not only did I set the twist in my 2 ply, 18 wpi, 84 yard, wool & angora combo - I also completed sock #2 in the Hazy Mist GCNI!! ((YAY!! Pair #1 - Christmas socks are done!! YiPpEE! 3 pair left to go!! AND - I hooked Tracey onto GCNI!! Woo-HOO!!)) - I also started to spin some jacob lamb roving from a sheepie named David. The colors in this fiber are wonderful - but the staple is really short. I have been inchworming along which is ever so hard on hands that have already been pushed to the limit this week. I took many breaks while doing all this to stretch my hands & forearms! PLUS - I completed a new KLAUDETTE !! This is my first NEW design a quite sometime and I am rather proud of it. I needed to celebrate the portability of the spindle. I have been doing an endless amount of spindling since I embraced my first spindle over a year ago! Now - there is no turning back! And why would I want too!!?? I would also like you all to know - I actually have MORE than 7 bins of fiber. Well, physically I do have 7 - but I forgot to mention the bags & balls of roving that I have which is unable to fit in a bin! Hmm ... I must spin more!! TAG ME ... you are it!!

SInce I have sock #1 done (YAY!) - I have actually turned the heel on sock #2; spun & plied an angora & wool blend on my Stasia #33 spindle and started to spin a plum colored GCNI for another pair of Christmas socks on my wheel ! I haven't done the wpi of the angora/wool blend - that will be tomorrow as well as setting the twist. As you can see - I have been busy. My art work has been secondary the last few days - I am almost done with my commissioned project and it will be mailed to its owner at the end of the week. I will be glad when it is completed as I know my attention span gives way to new adventures rather easily. It is time for me to move on - and although I am thankful for the project - I wasn't thankful for the horrendously hot days that kept me out of the studio and made this project drag on a lot longer than neccessary. Maybe next year, I will think twice about the AC! ~~ 4 pair of Christmas socks is one of my goals - another is to reduce my stash by one HUGE rubbermaid bin. I am nervous about this goal as I find myself perusing various outlets for fiber, DAILY. OK - I admit - I become extremely attached to any fiber which comes with the animal's name. I am so connected to the fiber/ animal when this small tid bit of information is provided. Therefore, I find myself being protective of the fiber - I don't want it to leave me. But - how much can I really own?? It gets back to the simplicity issue ... how many Rubbermaid bins is 'normal'?? TAG ME ... you are it!!

The last several days have been interesting for me. Since I have been focusing on my goals - I have noticed that I haven't been wasting as much time as usual. If I have 5 mins - a few rows on my sock is perfect. (I will mention here - that I finished one sock for my Christmas gift giving & I started sock # 2!! ... YAY!! ) Tuesday - while waiting for hubby to get off the computer - I started a needle felted mini sculpture for a friend and finished it yesterday. AND - I am trying to de-clutter daily! Both my husband & I seem to hold on to everything - and when the Flylady says 'Boogie' - I do!! It is really amazing that with all the gadgets that we have in our lives - how intrusive those gadgets really are! I am beginning to think that living 'simply' is the way to go. But - with the media the way it is - it is hard not to have the "I want ITs!" I know that every fiber I see - I want it! New spindles?? I want them too!! They say a rich man/woman is not the one that has the most - but the man/woman who needs the least. I guess in retrospect - I am faring pretty well! How about you?? TAG ME ...you are it!

Goals. I have decided I need more goals in my life in order to complete certain items and to achieve success in certain areas. After leaving the 9 to 5 world a while ago - my organization and goal orientations were left behind too. At first this was extremely liberating. It was a freedom that was unknown to the majority ... now I understand that certain freedoms come with certain price tags. My friend Stasia has convinced me to start journaling again. I always used to - and last year - I had the ceremonial burning of my journals from college. (Ok - I admit college WAS a while ago - but I hold to stuff way to long!) My journals now will focus on my creative journey. Projects. Inspirations. Works of art. The journey will be incredible and I hope to capture the essence of this event with the enthusiasm of a rookie journalist. I need to purge the clutter and surround myself with blessings & moonbeams! Here is one of my goals - I have completed spinning & washing the second skein of GCNI/blue. The first skein is almost entirely knit into one sock. I will report on its completion. Remember - I am to complete 4 pair of socks for gifts. Mine are a simple pattern and go pretty quick. (Elaine - your socks are FaB!!) An artist colony on BI?? Hmm ... now there is an interesting occupation!! I AM still working on pictures to make this escapade in cyber-space a tad more interesting!! I hope they will be worth the wait! TAG ME ... you are it!

OK! I know I am supposed to have pictures ... but what is an HTML challenged person to do?? Magically they will appear one day - and I hope my pictures will make you gasp!! (That is a good thing!) The heat is still here - and I have sufficiently melted. Yesterday - I did manage to complete the moorit alpaca!! YAY!! I plied and set the twist too. Again, it was done on my Stacey spindle - to the tune of 18 2ply, wpi and I think 54 yards. Instead of starting the reddish - brown alpaca today - I opted to start a GCNI sock instead. I make the heat at least bearable thinking that Christmas will be here in 4 months! I am a tad KrabBY - being 'melty' and all - but I am constantly thinking of my most favorite place in the world - and trying to devise ways in which to live there permanently. I know I will succeed someday - but the interim is challenging. It is an artist haven and I do believe that my soul belongs there. It is such a comfortable place to be - such an artistic resource!! The 'energy' there is incredible!! Almost to the point of electric!! No one I know totally understands my love/fascination with this place ... all I know is that I was meant to be there! The place: Block Island, RI!! Wish me luck!! TAG ME ... you are it!!

Once again - we were in the 90's! So very hard to believe. Leaves are actually falling from our trees from lack of water. So - while reminiscent of fall - the temperatures tell a completely different tale. I did manage to count my wpi & set the twist in my first skein from Trade Day. This alpaca was a 'apricot' color prior to washing. After washing - it was more 'custard' color. This wonderful little skein is 2 ply, 18 wpi & 64 yards. Spun & plied on my Stacey spindle. As it was drying - I started to spin the moorit alpaca. While the staple length isn't as long as my previous venture - it is still buttery soft and oh - so - delightful! The color looks like a curl of smoke twisting upwards from a small beach fire. It is absolute lovely! And while I was thinking of the color - my mind raced a head to cooler nights - wearing thick wool sweaters & thick wool socks. How I wish those temperatures were here now! I hope to complete spinning this color tomorrow and possibly ply it too. Then - I move on to the magical reddish-brown alpaca ...YummY! Tomorrow evening - it is football!! A perfect backdrop for spinning my GCNI sock wool! TAG ME ... you are it!

The temperatures were more comfortable today than in recent days.... YAY! I think it is quite possible that it was the lack of humidity. I am really glad that is was a great day - one filled with family, smiles and a little alpaca! The wind was blowing with some pretty good gusts! Even 'boat anchors" would have been flying!! I ventured forth on my alpaca though - with my Stacey spindle in hand. The wind, on several ocassions, chopped right thru my delicate alpaca - sending nicely crimped fibers onto my neighbors pear tree. I hope the birds find a good use for such nice fiber in their nests! They don't need it for warmth - but maybe a nice cushion?? This alpaca is truly wonderful! I can't wait until it is completed so I may hear it tell me what it wants to be when it grows up. I must tell you - this fiber is so intricately delicate. It is a wisp of fibers- and - while spinning against a backdrop of clouds - I was wondering what it would be like the spin THEM. I wonder if they are soft & slippery like merino? OR maybe they are more like BFL? Either way - it is a nice notion! My goal for tomorrow is to finish up the cop I am working on - and then to ply it. If I started really early - maybe I can set the twist to it too. All of a sudden - I am feeling ambitious!! TAG ME ... you are it!

It is amazing to me - how one simple action can cause total & complete inspiration! Today - we hit triple digits. That alone is enough to send me into orbit! After my post on disliking the heat and being uncomfortable - I only need to hear the news to find there is NO relief in sight. (Well, I guess maybe next Monday it might be in the mid-80's!) - to start thinking that maybe a move to Antartic would be my only escape. But, isn't that where the ozone hole is?? Hmmm ... if I can't escape, I guess I must deal with it! So - while we were hitting triple digits today - I received a wonderful package in the mail containing alpaca fiber. This fiber was resultant from a "Trade Day" on Spindler's. (see left hand column for link). I started to spin & spin & spin. I almost have my Stacey spindle totally full. YAY!! Maybe inspiration isn't the correct word here - maybe it is motivation. I was up before dawn again working on the 'comission' - and to receive this wonderful box in the mail ...Wowie Zowie! I AM hoping for cooler weather soon - like weather that might spawn a snowflake or two. At least I could wear not only my GCNI socks - but THE most beautiful pair of socks in the world made by Stasia (see left hand column for link)!! (I know that there are some who can create click-able links - to me - HTML stands for "Horrendous Technical Mumbo-jumbo Language!) TAG ME ... you are it!!

I have decided that I am not good in the hot weather. I melt! I thought I was being kind to the environment when I asked my husband not to put the AC units into the windows. I thought that others might need the electricity from the energy grids more than us. Since I have always lived in New England - I thought that this summer would be bearable just like all the previous ones. I thought that the money saved from the higher electric bills could be put to good use ... more fiber, another spindle?? I thought wrong! My comissioned art work is being delayed as my studio is on the upper floor of my house. I can't seem to 'create' when sweat is dripping down my face & mixing in with my paints ... I will mention here that this is not supposed to be water colors! Or when I have a "sweat-stash". Or when I am crabby. Go figure ............ The fibery side of me is dealing with it. I hung a GCNI skein out in the sunshine today after I set the twist. This of course was after I made sure that the smell from the skunk who sprayed my dog last night was not lingering anywhere near my clothesline. Tonight - I hope to complete another bobbin of singles while I watch "Pearl Harbor". I will be sitting in front of the fan while I spin - thinking that realistically it is only 4 months til Christmas! TAG ME .... you are it!!

Weekends - they go by ALL to fast. At least football season is right around the corner! I did get to watch my favorite team this weekend and I spun some new GCNI for some socks. I got one bobbin of singles completed and I hope to finish the other today. Maybe plying too?? That might be a stretch - by hey! weirder things have happened! OHHHH!!! I received a compliment of compliments yesterday ..... a customer of my hand spun yarn sent me pictures of the completed socks she made with it! They came out wonderful!! AND I was so happy that she shared them with me. Don't you love it when things like that happen?? AND - my friend Stasia <> has been trying to help me with my skinny TAG board! She is a goddess that touches many lives on a daily basis ....... Did I mention that my hand spun yarns name was "Angel's Robe" ??? Gotta love the serendipity that LIFE brings to us everyday!! .......... TAG, you are it!!

Knitting, spinning - painting or even cooking for that matter involves time. I have been thinking a lot of time recently. How I use it - and more importantly - how I waste it. Time is really the one thing that we never get back and it is something that most of us take for granted. Drop spindling and sock knitting are great ways to maximize time that otherwise would be lost. My wheel spinning takes place when I listen to the TV at night. Knitting transpires under my cherry tree outside. Painting usually takes place right after sunrise before the world awakens and the smell of sleepy dreams still linger in the morning air. I am at my best in the midst of this earliness. Most of us who spend any amount of time creating never really get monetary reimbursement for our time. I guess for us - it is time well spent as long as we are creating something! I started spinning some more GCNI fiber for socks tonight. Hmm, with winter holidays are fast approaching - I hope I have enough time!....... TAG, you are it!!

There are times when I am overwhelmed with the beauty that is before me on a day to day basis! I try so hard to recreate the passion that I feel - but, alas, sometimes I am left with an ill-attempt at that recreation. Little things both me - and I have a 'thing' for noise! A HUGE disadvantage when you live on an extremely noisy street with a screaming bird! The good news is - I completed my socks today! The bad news is - I am still learning how to be able to show you my world! AH... the details of life. If you click on the Spindlers link on the left colum - that will introduce you into a world where I met my 2 best cyber friends: Stasia (check out her BloG!!) & NancieG! I think I have met both of them somewhere, sometime ago. If you click on 'The Knotty Sheep' - that will introduce you into my 'WHORL of art'!! AND - if the TAG board comes back ... TAG you are IT!

Today - was a beautiful day! Laundry was hung outside in the fresh air & sunshine! Tomatoes & cucumbers were picked fresh from the garden! And a heel was turned on a sock!! All this happenend in my backyard! One of my new loves has been knitting socks. It amazes me that something so 'simple' can bring so much joy. I am hesistant to use the word 'simple' as I found socks to be quite intimidating. But - in the search for a perfect word - 'simple' stands out. Maybe because a sock is small - yet complex. Maybe because it is a nice thing to have, but a debated necessity. Maybe because for the amount of work a sock actually takes - maybe it is easier just to buy one! Hmm.... maybe I am just glad that it brings me so much joy! Did I mention these socks were created from my own handspun?? TAG me! You are IT!

As an artist - I am always tempted to try new ideas & mediums! Sometimes - my muse engages my soul into trying these new tid bits. The results can be invigorating - cultivating an abundance of wonderful creativity. Such is what happened to me when I discovered spinning. After knitting for years - I decided - I needed and wanted to spin my own wool! I learned on a drop spindle and proceeded to get a wheel. It was this love of the fiber arts that encouraged me to express these feelings on canvas. My 'FIBER Optic' (pun intended here) cartoons developed. My collection of fiber critters are now all over the US, in Europe & Canada too!! So - I encourage you to explore your heart with your hands and see what develops!!
My next idea & medium = HTML - so I may begin to show you my world!
Thanks for visiting! TAG! You are it!!

Welcome!!

To my little corner of cyber space!! Here - I will post to family and friends journal of fun & frivolity as I explore this journey we call LIFE! If you happen to stumble across these pages in error - I hope you stay and visit for a while! Pull up your chair & pour a cup of chai (or a glass of red wine!) I will try to make this FUN!

A little bit about me ........ I am an artist who dabbles in both paints and fiber. I am a spinner and knitter who loves to make sweaters and socks! AND I am a human who sometimes feels more like a bean - than a being! So - leave a note if your muse strikes you! Come back and visit if you have a story to tell and even if you don't - I will let you share mine!

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