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After having last week off from spinning class, I was back at Village Wools today for my third spinning class. We learned all about different fleece and what to do with them. I imagine it would be really satisfying to go from fleece to finished garment, but using the carders was a pain! Really. I scraped up my poor little hands. I’ll have to baby them with lotion from my Secret Pal. ‘Cause she sent me some, you know. ‘Cause she rocks.

By the end of class, I had a little bit of spun fiber on the spool of my spinning wheel. Um, notice how possessive I am? MY spinning wheel? Just a rental, girlfriend. Don’t get carried away.

Speaking of spinning, a few of the ladies in UNM’s English Department are considering careers in roller derby. It may just be a fantasy, but we’ve been working on our roller derby names: Dana GerZone, Martine Nevataluvya, Un-Karyn’, and yours truly, Bev-Rage. Toying with the team name, but the Rev (our manager) is fonda Sisters of Perpetual Misery. You didn’t know I was that tough, didja?

Back to my homework now. Roller derby seems like a better option…

Imagine a leather sofa with a little battery-acid-caused hole in it. Said hole is usually covered by a blankie, serving to hide said hole from inquiring mutts. Imagine now, arriving home from a long day at work. Emerging from said hole–stuffing. Flung about the room. Exuberence abounds during the mandatory greeting from the mutts. Stuffing is sighted. Smarter older mutt (ok, and she could also be a supermodel, she’s that beautiful) takes cover under the dining room table from verbal admonishing. Not-so-smart (pretty in her own small headed way) younger mutt smiles and doesn’t worry about the scolding.

Until the words “Bad Dog” are uttered. Then remorse weighs on her, shame curling her tail down, causing shifty brown eyes to almost fill with puppy tears.

That’s the scenario Neal gave me last night. Maddie, who is never sorry for anything naughty she has done, really just never knew she’d been naughty. It’s all in using the right words.

Of course, I think she’s an angel. I’m sure she wasn’t responsible for the stuffing debacle. Really.

Look at all that loot! I mean, really! Am I spoiled or what? (Siblings–you’re comments on that subject aren’t welcome…) So my wonderful SP sent me a package chock full of goodies, including a yarn yardage chart I’ve been eyeing, a nifty sock knitting book, a candle, two handcreams, including my favorite melon scent, BAZOOKA GUM SOCKS (how fun!), a fun and a serious skein of yarn (any thoughts on what I can do with that yummy yarn?), a nifty yarn cutting pendant (another thing I’ve been eyeballing), darning needles in a cute case, and a candle that was wrapped in a washcloth made especially for me by my very own SP! Thank you, SP, you made my day! xxx

Not only do you get a long shot and a close up of the Airy Scarf from Last Minute Knitted gifts, but finally! A good picture of my Jane Jeston chair. Isn’t it adorable? And PINK?

I’m pleased with the finished scarf. I knit it fairly quickly, but I’m a slow knitter, so don’t judge by my experience–a week of evening knitting and I was done. I added a few stitches accidentally a couple of times, and I found the thin mohair a little tricky, but it feels like a dream on. Not sure who’ll be opening this on Christmas morning, but I think I have an idea…

Above is the Lendrum Wheel I’m renting. Below and left is my second bobbin of thread: spun throughout the week in short spurts of time. To the right is the bobbin spun last night while watching Titanic. I know, how cheesey can I be? I just love the scene when Rose is shivering and saying “I’ll never let go, Jack,” but meanwhile she’s prying Jack’s frozen, dead hands from the big ol’ wood door that in all honesty COULD have held them both. “I”ll never let go, Jack, ‘cept this once. Then I”ll never let go. Course, what will you know?”
This little bobbin is the yarn I spun (I keep wanting to write “span”) at the class last Sunday. No class today, but next week I believe I’ll be learning how to ply. I’ll be sure to post pictures when I have actual yarn! Whatever will I make with it?

Next…airy scarf.

I admit, I don’t always want to take the time to knit a gauge swatch, but I usually will if I’m knitting something that needs to fit. No way for a scarf or a felted purse. Just not gonna do it. At Tuesday’s SnB, though, I learned just how different gauge can be for different knitters.

Jamie was helping me with a pair of baby booties that I want to make. I knit the first couple of rows, but they didn’t look right. I frogged, and she knit the first two rows to set up the pattern, then handed the needles back to me. I knit, and you can see the results. Where she’s created a nice tight fabric, I made this loosey goosey mess. I know I’m a loose knitter, but this picture drives it home to me. Time to get out my US1 needles and see if I can’t make this fabric look right.

Since I’m have a hard time getting pictures where I want them in each post, I’m going to do several posts with shorter comments. Scroll on down for some spinning news, the airy scarf, and to see my Secret Pal 6 booty

Still feeling just as lusty about my new love. The camera batteries charged, so here are some pictures.

See how the yarn at the top is really thick? That’s from when I didn’t “get” what I was doing. Then Jen, fabu spinning instructor, showed me how wrong my drafting was (notice how technically I’m talking about this? Don’t I sound like I really know what I’m doing?), and it started looking like nice yarn. Pretty yarn. Yarn with which to make things. I do like the thick slubby stuff an awful lot, but I think there are better ways to create it instead of just failing to draft. I’ll let you know when I learn.

I’m planning on going to the Satellite Knitters Night group tomorrow evening, and Jeannie has promised to show me Norwegian purl. Neal’s Norwegian. That makes me want to learn it even more. So, maybe that’s just silly, but understand the countdown has begun.

Neal countdown: Approximately 50 hours.

Love it. Pure satisfaction once I actually started to get the hang of it. Love. As in, I could see myself spending my life with you, Spinning. I would give up my grande skinny chai with that extra espresso shot for you. If I smoked, I’d give up smoking. I would do without good cheese for you. I’m lusty for you, too, Spinning. I want more, more, more. I want a wheel, and I haven’t even learned what to do with one yet. I feel like a spinning sinner tonight. Let me tell you, it feels good. If my camera batteries had not just died, I would show you a picture of my YARN. MY yarn. ME. I made it. Don’t worry, I’ll be making more, and I’ll be sure to let you see it.

I finally made it to Knitters not Quitters yesterday–what fun! Neal will be in town next weekend, but after that, I’ll be a regular with them.

So, if you’re on my Christmas gift list, just ignore this post, ok? I’m tired of not posting pix because they’re gifts. It’s all I’m working on. There won’t be any pictures otherwise, and no one likes a blog sans pictures!

I had plans to work on the Airy Scarf from the Last Minute Knitted Gifts book, but while driving merrily along, I realized that I forgot my needles! I had no patience for turning around, and Village Wools wasn’t too far away, so I took the more expensive option. I saw Jamie there with her protege and her rock star scarf. Good news…mohair blends were 15% off, so I picked up two skeins of Crystal Palace Yarns Kid Merino in fern and painted iris. Each skein should make two scarves The scarf is knit on 10’s, and although I was worried that it wasn’t looking wide enough (Lauren asked if I was getting gauge–my answer? That’s way too technical for a scarf!!), it actually knit up to the right width. See how pretty on the Jetson chair.

After a lot of reading of student work last night, I popped in “Love Actually.” Neal groaned when I said I was going to watch it. He despises Hugh Grant, but I think he may just be a little jealous of Hugh’s boyish charm. Or maybe that he used to date Elizabeth Hurley. Who knows. Anyway, I laughed out loud at Hugh dancing around, and the little boy was too cute. And Liam? Well. Liam. C’mon. Need I say more?

It’s raining in the ‘que, which is nice. I start my spinning class today, which I’m so excited about. I tried to teach myself, but it was a bit of a disaster. Wasted a lot of roving, I’d say. Doesn’t it sound super cozy to learn to spin on a chilly, rainy day? Maybe I’ll grab a log for the fireplace for tonight. If I finish my homework early enough, I can watch “Sex in the City,” (nope, don’t have HBO, so I’m getting it from Netflix–all of the seasons. Me & Carrie gonna be best friends before too long) and knit, all in front of a fire. Oh, yeah, I aim high.

All I needed was some encouragement to live in England. That summer in Oxford was too short.

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