Sarah's Day: Keeping Up

Well, I tried to get to this yesterday, but I guess I was just too tired. It has been a very busy time for me.

Last weekend was my spinning weekend. Spinning as in fiber. Many people looked at me funny because they thought I was going to the cities to go “spinning”

No not that kind of spinning. Although I do that regularly. As a matter of fact, this month is the “Tour de DAHLC” (Dan Abrams Healthy Living Center=DAHLC). We are doing the stages of the Tour De France. So to assume the spinning thing wasn’t too far off.

But what I was really doing was spinning fiber. I went up to the Textile Center to take a class at the Weaver’s Guild. There were about 10 of us, I guess, and a teacher and helper. We had all sorts of spinning wheels around us.

I worked on the one above on the right, an Ashford, but my favorite was this one, Louet Julia

I thought I took more pictures of the wheels, but I could only find these three.

The first day we just got used to the spinning. It was somewhat frustrating and the yarn was not worth keeping (it went into the fiber recycling bin)

But we had a good feel for what we were supposed to do.

At the end of the day, I tried to get to my friend Kari’s house, where I was to spend the night. Unfortunately, there were some major freeway closures coupled with a Twins game. The detour that I thought I would take was unmarked, and I ended up driving around Mpls for over 2 hours, ending up waaayyyy far to the south, when I wanted to be north.

Here is what happened

1) That is where I started

2) That is where I was going

3) That is where I ended up

I did eventually get back to #2 and to Kari’s little house, just a little worse for the wear. The problem with being from Seattle/Tacoma is this-if the mountains are on the right and the sound is on the left, you are going north. If you are trying to get to I-5 (pretty much the only north south freeway) and you hit water, you are too far west, mountains and you are too far east. Easy. Minneapolis, not so much. If you see a water tower, look at the name written on it and hope to God you recognize it as a landmark.

So, I got to Kari’s and we went out to dinner. On the return, we sat out on the back porch until the tornado sirens came on. Then we decided that we would watch a movie, inside, in the basement. That was exciting.

The next day, all in one piece, I left Kari’s. I took a picture of the house

Cute eh? Kari wouldn’t let me take one of her.

And back to spinning I went. Only one or two wrong turns but got there right at 10.

Sunday I actually made yarn. I figured out it’s all in the draw, and so I made two yarns, and then I plied them.

As you can see, I needed a little more practice on the colored bits, but when I got to the gray wool, I had it down. It is actually very close to being all the same gauge. Woo Hoo.

This is what the gray wool looked like when I took it off the bobbin. Beautious.

This is our table of fibery goodness.

I was so happy I went out for lunch and got me a carrot cupcake.

I love to spin.

Monday I went to Racine and picked up two quilts, one of them the giant Thimbleberries star quilt that belongs to Lynn D, who’s mom started it before she passed away.

The thing is ginormous.

It turned out very nice though. I just have to bind.

I am almost done with the horrific Selpaker Block.

Just need to finish the edges.

You know, last week I got these from Lyndsey and I never put them in the blog. What was I thinking.

Look at my girl loving the Jersey’s. Lyndsey said that Morgan was all about the cows. I think a certain Laura Mix could take a lesson here.

And speaking of which. Laura and her mother had quite the laugh at my expense.

One day I told Dave that I couldn’t see Twinkles, my cow, because the Mix’s kept me away from her. And Dave said “They probably ate her”. What?! So I told Laura’s mom who laughed and said “Oh no, she’s too young yet to eat”. Yet? Notice how she snuck the yet in there.

So weekend before last Laura went out to the farm to ~~see her parents~~ take a picture of Twinkles and guess what she didn’t do? That’s right. She saw Twinkles, but did not snap the cow. For some reason, she is not one with my cow, and sometimes is downright disdainful of my love for Twinkles.

So last week, Laura, with her mother’s help, sent me this e-mail

“I was telling Mom how bad I felt that I didn’t get a picture of Twinkles when I was out this weekend, so she wanted me to send the following so you could check in on her:”