What else have I been up to?

Another quick update.

Did you know I can spin??  I don't mean turn around and around in circles over and over, faster and faster.....

Ugh - anyone else get dizzy from that?  No? Just me? Ok - let's move on then.

I mean spinning fiber into yarn. I'm not the best at it, but I'm not the worst either (or so I'm told).

So...here is some of what I have done:

So, here is the wool I was given. This picture does not really show how much fiber is here. It's rather intimidating....

Look at that pretty crimping!

Here is one lock. There is LOTS of vegetative matter (VM) in this wool.

a lot.

Here is some of the wool washed. dyed, and drying in the sun - isn't it pretty? Yes, this is some of that muddy wool from up above. I forgot to take pictures of the washing process - but let's just say the water ended up gross - and smelly. Really smelly. I was terrified I would dump it on myself when I poured it out. I think I would have to throw my clothes away if that happened. Or burn them. And salt the earth after.

But it is soooo worth it for this pretty wool!

It's especially pretty when you take artsy pictures of it with a blurry lilac bush in the background.

Here's a closeup. The fleece was given to me - I have no idea what kind of sheep this is from. All I can tell you is it is soft, fluffy, and white with an average staple length of around 3"

I decided to dye most of the wool I washed after spinning. This is just before spinning.Here it is carded into batts to get rid of more VM, and to align the fibers to get them ready to make yarn. (This is only a small portion of the fleece above - oh, and carding takes more arm strength than you would think). Can you believe that mucky wool above turned into this lofty, fluffy white cloud?

This is the dyed wool I had drying above - all ready for spinning. The white and red fibers visually blend to create a salmony pink.

Here it is - all spun up! Spinning one strand is called a "single" (that's what this is). Singles can be used for weaving, but if you want to knit, you need to spin two singles together into what is called a "plied" yarn. This term can also be a verb. So while you can spin a single, you can also ply the yarn (spin two singles together). I decided to experiment further with this yarn and have some fun with it...

After spinning (if I am not plying first), I wash the yarn and hang it to dry to "set the twist". This serves two functions - to keep the twist from unwinding itself, and to release some of the energy if your yarn is overspun (and mine is ALWAYS overspun). Oh - as a sidebar - note this yarn is plied.

Here is some of that pink yarn - it is plied with beads and feathers. Fun, right? Here it is on my niddy noddy. That's a device used to get the yarn off of my spinning wheel's bobbin. Because mine is made of PVC, I can wash my new yarn while it is still on the niddy noddy.

Once washed, I take it off the niddy noddy to prepare for hanging outside. This is more of that pink yarn - here plied with crystal beads.

Close-up to catch some of the glimmer of the Swarovski crystals I used.

I decided not to card this wool before I spun it. Instead I just fluffed up the fibers with my fingers and then spun it like that. It created this beautiful, chunky, irregular art yarn.

Very pretty and fun! Believe it or not, all of the yarns you see here are dyed with Kool-Aid!

And there you have it! A beautiful rainbow of colors! 

 Questions? Comments? Be sure to ask below!

Oh...er, um... Yeah...That's right, I have a blog!

So...you may have noticed my lack of posts lately. 

Ok.... for a while.  

Ok... ok... for quite a while. 

Well, the good news is I'm not dead. Or incapacitated. Or institutionalized. 

Just busy. Like, really really busy.

Assistant #2 and I at the Renaissance Festival

You see, dear reader, this is a crazy time for me. I am busy like you wouldn't believe...and broke like no joke!  I work very little at my "day job" - you know, the one that pays the bills - in the summer, so the money isn't exactly flowing freely. On top of that, there is this little show I do - maybe you have heard of it...

That's right - I am not only a character, but also the costume director for the Michigan Renaissance Festival (please hold your applause). Right now I'm getting my budget finalized so I can kick it upstairs. Once my funds come in I can do two magical things: 1) pay my house payment (this is how I get paid for my work) and 2) sew furiously until the week before opening.

Okay - I'm a much bigger fan of #1 than #2, but I suppose I have to earn #1 somehow.

Oh - and on top of that, I have no idea what my costume this year is going to look like.

I have plenty of time - right??? It's not July yet......Right??????? (gulp!)

Anyway, since I have so much time on my hands (cough-cough), I thought I would update you all with what I have been up to.

For, like, a month. 

Or so. 

Well..... let's just touch on the highlights - shall we?

The latest thing keeping me busy is my sewing machine obsess....er....accidental collection. That's right - there is a new addition to the family. 

It's not my fault. 

You see, my grandmother reads my blog (hi Grandma!). Subsequently she has been seeing all of the fun machines I have been showing to all of you. She felt moved to participate, and send me what my father (hi Dad!) described to me as a "half-antique". 

Let me explain. 

It is a "half antique" because it's not 100 years old yet. Yeah - he thinks he's funny. Just play along, and nobody will get hurt.  To be fair, he did shell out enough money to pay off my mortgage in order to safely ship the thing from Oregon to Michigan! (ok - maybe I'm exaggerating a little). 

Although.... the item in question is from the 70's.  So technically it's like a two-fifths antique at best.

Yeah, I think I'm hilarious too.  Hey - I had to do actual math for that joke.

Anyway - I digress. What exactly is this fractional antique, you ask? 

I almost forgot to photograph the unboxing. It came just as I was getting ready to leave for work - so I was impatiently anticipating seeing what was in the box when I got home.  Stupid bills making me work instead of playing with packages that arrive at my home!

By now you have figured out it is a sewing machine. By now I have figured out it is either a 1960's or 70's Kenmore.

Ooooo - and it came with goodies too!!!

The bobbin box has seen better days - too bad as it has a cool mid-century starburst on the lid. The box of parts is intriguing...... Oh, and always nice to have a manual!

Let's pull them all out, shall we?

Overview

The tiniest screwdrivers! The two gray handles in the center say "Kenmore" on them. Only one is a screwdriver - the other is a stiletto.

I haven't looked up what all of these are yet. although most are pretty standard and/or self explanatory.

The teflon foot in the upper left is exciting! It's an invisible zipper foot and I have desperately needed one!

Here she is - barn-fresh. By that I mean I haven't cleaned her up yet. The paint is fairly worn and scratched on the bed, but all of the chrome pieces are bright and clean with no rust.

Here she is all cleaned up - 

Next to her Singer sister. They are roughly contemporaries.

Don't be afraid to open the case on your machine. Here it took just a few screws, and I was able to expose the underside for oiling.

Dry as a bone. The handwheel turns stiffly - I was hoping that oiling profusely would help....but it still moves a little stiff. I may take her in for proper servicing when I have the cash.

Here is where I started. What a tangled mess! A new needle and some serious tension adjustments, and it is much better.

This was the next stage - the puckering was how I knew I needed to lower the tension on the bobbin.

Ugh - look at that terrible back! I didn't have the top tension high enough to balance the stitch and look at all the puckering!

Here is where I am now. Not perfect, but a whole lot better than it started out...

Here's the back. I had to loosen the bobbin quite a bit to make a decent stitch. I may have to tighten it up a bit....but I'm not far off.

 That's all for now! I have some fun vintage finds to show you next - so stay tuned! As always, leave comments below.

I'M IN TEXAS!!!

So, this is not a post on sewing, vintage stuff, or anything of that nature. This post is all about my adventures in Texas visiting my dear mom. She had heart surgery in March and has been on the mend ever since. As soon as I got some time off, I came down here to visit her and raise her spirits.

Feel free to skip this post (and maybe the next one) if you're not interested in my family hijinx.

I apologize for the sometimes-crappy cellphone pics.

Me and my cute mommy

Bill chauffeuring us around

At the large earthenwork dam in New Braunfels

On one side of the path - greenery. 

Water on the other side. Impressive - even from Michigan standards

This is the path leading up to Bill's house just past the gate.

To get to the front door you have to pass "Tootie Tower"

The channel running next to the property. Sort of a shallow lagoon

the infamous Parthenon in the back yard. It hides a secret....

View of the back porch facing the "lake"

The main feature on this side of the house? GiGi tower (named after my mom)

The secret to the Parthenon - where do the steps lead????

To The Brass Elephant Bar! Bill dug out the space under the parthenon (well, actually he built the Parthenon on top of the bar - but whatever), and that's where this really cool space exists! It faces the channel - looks like a cool place to hang out and have a drink (or five)!

Cool Italian furniture piched up at a thrift store many years ago

Cozy place to play chess

The bar itself sporting the appellate brass elephant phone

The Parthenon - like its namesake it probably looks best at a 3/4 view

the deck on top of the house

one lonely pillar that will some day be another carport

Greco-Roman statuary everywhere

I think Emperor Hadrian would like this hippo sticking out of the mud

That's all for now! Stick around for more updates, and be sure to leave any comments below!