Rooted in Mississippi

I spent another day in the Mississippi Delta doing updates over a slow dial-up connection. The upside of all of that down time is that it is an excellent opportunity to knit. I made it through the heel and instep on my “true slouch sock for big-legged women.” So far, I have been doing a good job keeping track of the pattern. I will test it when I make sock number two.

I am also including a photo of the shawl that I made a while ago and am donating to a friend for a silent auction. This is the “Diamond Knit Shawl” pattern from Lion Brand, made out of a couple of skeins of Lion Brand Home Spun. My pattern is so old, it is called “Elegant Shawl.” I had a heck of time finding it again on the Lion Brand website. I am pleased with how it turned out and have made the shawl in other colors. I have quite a bit of Lion Brand Home Spun in a variety of colors.

The upside of having searched for the pattern “Elegant Shawl” is that I discovered that there is a crochet version, which is still called “Elegant Shawl.” I have not tried this pattern, but it was cool to find a similar shawl pattern for crochet.

I will say that the knit pattern is good for someone new to lace, but familiar with knitting. The thick yarn and larger needles make lace somehow less intimidating. I believe it is rated at an intermediate skill level. I put the pattern on flip cards, using a template for business cards. Just type one row per card, print on perforated business card paper, punch a hole in the corner and bind with a jump ring. I would just flip the card for every completed row. It was better than frogging back repeatedly. Of course, I could have used a life line, but this worked out pretty well and was very portable.

Well, tomorrow I head back to the Delta. First to the State Penitentiary, then on to Mound Bayou and Marks. I will be up there for three days. It has been a long time since I had to travel four out of five days of the work week. Ironically, I used to do it all of the time. It is one of those things that is much easier when you are young. At least I have plenty to entertain myself while I am on the road.

Oh, and there is one other benefit, I did get to stop by the yarn shop in Yazoo City on my way home. I was worried I would not make it before they closed, but I did. They had some beautiful yarns. I bought more Sockotta, some lovely merino, some ribbon yarn and a coconut button that I plan to try using as a diz. My local yarn shop has a great selection, but they charge MORE than retail. It was nice to find a good selection at Grace Hardware (it is not actually a hardware store) at normal retail price!

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Liz over at A Stitch in Time had a cool link on her blog for a Johari Window. I responded to hers and, of course, I had to try one for myself. My own positive traits were harder to pick than I imagined. I hope I can get a few people to respond. I did email the link to a few folks who don’t necessarily read my blog.

Johari Window for RissasPieces

There is also a tool for assessing personal flaws. Basically, it is the mirror survey of the perception test for positive traits. I am willing to self-reflect and acknowledge my personal flaws. Okay, maybe too willing, it is so much easier to believe the bad stuff than it is the good stuff. I think that was a dialogue byte from Pretty Woman, but I am not sure.

Nohari Window for RissasPieces

I encourage y’all to do this. I think I can take it! Can you?

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This morning, I had plans to go by the local yarn store, eat a nice lunch with my husband and then run a few errands. Well, the day did not go exactly as planned. On the way out the door, I was petting Choochie the cat and noticed that his left ear was completely swollen. I figured it was an abscess, so off we went to the Veterinary Emergency Room. Turns out it was a hematoma and not an abscess, apparently the result of violent head shaking from a bad case of ear mites. I really have not noticed him shaking his head more than usual. I guess I am a bad cat mommy post allergies.

For those of you who do not know, Choochie was my mom’s cat and she pawned him off on me more than a decade ago. She made him crazy, like all of her children. He would periodically wrap around her ankle and bite her. His personality really has improved with age, he seems to have mellowed a little. We really have no idea how old he is, but he is very much a geriatric kitty. I am still the only person who he will allow to pick him up, but he rubs on everyone’s legs. It was a real feat for me to be able to not only pick him up, but hold him the whole way to the vet and back. Despite being so miserable, he purred the whole time I was petting him and did not start that forbidding guttural growl until he actually saw the vet, well, the vet’s assistant.

The put him under sedation and did the surgery, then sent us home with oral and topical medication. I just can’t imagine how we are going to get him to take it. It does not matter how old he gets, he is still the world’s most powerful ten pound cat. The vet did cut back all of his claws while he was under anesthesia, to prevent him from damaging his ear any further. The vet also told us that his ear will probably always be floppy, but at his age, he is just lucky to have survived the incident. Poor Choochie…does this look like the face of a happy cat?

On the fiber front…

I spent the day yesterday up at Parchman, Mississippi’s state penal farm. Part of my job entails managing computer equipment in remote clinics all over the state, and two of them are prison-based. Unfortunately, lots of security updates over a slow dial-up connection, means a lot of down time. I always bring a book or take a project with me on my annual site visits. Like most of my trips to the Delta, it made for a very long day. I was on the road by 6:30 AM and did not get home until 7:30 PM. I have a lot more of these to look forward to in the upcoming weeks.

Anyway, while I was at Parchman, I got all the way to the start of the heel on the socks I am designing. I gave up trying to design with my homespun, because I am hell bent on designing socks that take a lot of yardage. This particular Sockatta yarn would have looked a lot better in stockinette…but that was not my plan. My plan is for true slouch socks for the big legged woman. I have already tested the pattern to the toe with my homespun, but then I realized there would never be enough for a second sock and I frogged it. Then after remaking it past the heel, I decided I did not like it with a shorter cuff, so I frogged it yet again and will save my homespun for another design.

The moral of that story, and you knew there would be a moral, is to always dye and spin enough wool for your projects.

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I am sad to say, art class is coming to an end. We only meet one more time. I have enjoyed taking this Enrichment Class at Millsaps College. The irony is, that it makes me want to take a lot more classes. If the dream job does not work out, I want to more art classes.

Last week, I drew this Mardi Gras mask. It reminded me more of a Greek comedy mask than Mardi Grad. I never realized how difficult it could be to shade and color with pencil!

Tonight, we were asked to draw a landscape from a photograph, calendar or book. I was in a hurry, so I grabbed the book on New Zealand that my dear friend Judith sent to me. I decided to draw one of the stunning photographs. It was interesting to say the least.

I wish there were more classes and more sessions. It certainly has been a good experience for me.

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First a picture of all of plants next to the wall of windows in my living room. What is it about cold weather that makes you want to care for live plants?

Well, first I bought a new orchid two weeks ago. It was just too much temptation, because I had a few orchids in spike, but nothing currently in flower. The close up shot is dead on for color, but the flash washed out the subtleties, making them appear mostly bright white.

Then my husband bought me an orchid for Valentine’s Day. I did not photograph it, because it was only in partial bloom and all white, which is next to impossible to capture with a digital camera. Maybe when more blooms open, I will try again.

I needed orchid bark and potting soil, so we stopped by Lowe’s on our way back from lunch. Once again, I was unable to resist such beautiful, healthy orchids in flower. So, surprise! My husband bought me two more orchids, a 6″ and a 4″ Phalaepnopsis, both in partial bloom. I also went by Tuesday Morning to pick up some new pots and then we stopped by Kroger on the way home. Wouldn’t you know it, I found the most beautiful healthy 6″ orchid, in full spike. I have no idea how it will look when it blooms, but it was so healthy and perfect, that I took it home with me too. No wonder I have so many orchids. I should not be allowed to shop anywhere they sell orchids around Valentine’s or Mother’s Day.

I adopted all of Ben’s mom’s house plants when she passed away. Most were almost dead from neglect while she was ill, but I managed to save several aloe plants, two Christmas cactuses and even an orchid with just one leaf left. I repotted half of the aloe and the Christmas Cactuses today. I also repotted a few of my older orchids. It is nice to be able to keep them alive. Whenever I buy a plant, I think of it as an homage to Dorothy. She was even more susceptible to buying blooming things than I am.

Anyway, I have a mixture of orchids, but they are mostly Phalaenopsis, with a few Dendrobium and several Cattleyas. This house is perfect for orchid culture and I have a small attached green house, but this time of year, they are all inside. The Mississippi humidity is finally an asset for something.

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Okay, we all know I am a sucker for a bargain and I usually like surprises, so I ordered five pounds of grab bag goodies from Carol Lee at the Sheep Shed Studio. I dumped it out onto a big chair and this is what came out of the box…

I started sampling with the purple, white and silver roving. Then I noticed that tiny bit of red sticking out in the pile and I decided to sort through it first. These are my piles after separating it out.

And this is the red, black and white on the Reeves, there was only a small amount of it and I decided to go ahead and spin it all out. I spun this whole section from the fold. Some of the roving was cut, so there were some really short pieces. So it was perfect for spinning from the fold.

On the job front, I am waiting for my last written reference to come in before I submit my resume package. The waiting is awful! I decided to dig out my senior thesis and read it again. It has been over a decade since I wrote it and I still think it was fairly decent. Okay, I would write it differently if I had to do over again, but my use of primary evidence was actually very good. It was clear that I had done a lot of research and formulated my own thoughts on the subject matter, which is exactly what you are supposed to do in Senior Seminar.

I also called a few places about my car. I was told to take it to a automotive electric shop and see if they can fix it. So I am taking the day off tomorrow, to take it to the shop. I hope it will jump start and that I can drive it in, but if I have to call the tow truck, I will. I plan to take my knitting, but I am guessing that it will not be finished tomorrow. *sigh* I have no idea how I will get home from there!

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I have decided that I am ready to leave my job, but not quite ready for super early retirement. I saw a web posting for a job in my area that interests me greatly. I have put together my resume and cover letter and am waiting for final drafts on two letters of recommendation before I mail it out. I would love to have this job. It goes back to the very topics of my junior and senior theses in college.

All positive energy is highly welcomed.

On the negative side, my stupid car is dead again. There must be a short in the electrical system somewhere, but no one can seem to find it. We jump started it tonight and I tried to drive around the block. The ABS system would not set, the ABS and brake light came on and it tried to lose power several times. When I pulled into the driveway, there was NO power. I have been through batteries and a brand new alternator. I even paid the Saturn dealer over $100 just to put it on the computer to try and diagnose the stupid problem, but all they did was sell me a new alternator. I think this time I am going to take it to the dealership that used to own the franchise and still employs the old Saturn mechanics.

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Today, my mother turned 75. She is newly retired and is still a volunteer at the Jewish Home and the Public Library. It really is hard for me to imagine that she was younger than I am now when she gave birth to me. She is healthier than I am and certainly a lot thinner, but she always has been. My mother’s mother, also Rissa, was built more like me. There are photos of all of us on my website, at the bottom of the page.

I could not call home until I got of class tonight, and with the time difference, I was worried she would be asleep, but she was awake and excited to hear from me. I figure I was the last one to call. I was planning to call her on my way to drawing class, but as luck would have it, my freaking Saturn SW2 died again! After several batteries and a new alternator, the car still periodically dies. It really is annoying, in part because it is so sporadic and quite frankly, because I have put fewer than 50,000 miles on it.

Anyway, enough whining.

I am getting ready to start working on a stitching project for Michael of WormSpit. I am very excited about it. For those of you who only know me as a spinner, here you really should check out my Personal Gallery of Embroidery Projects.

http://www.prettyimpressivestuff.com/gallery.htm

I have so much going on…especially on class night…I wonder how I manage to get any sleep at all.

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Okay, I spent a lot of time preparing fiber and spinning samples. First this is what the washed NZ colored romney locks looked like after washing and combing. I decided to spin it straight from the locks for my sample. I was surprised how much yarn the combed locks ended up producing. The staple length is slightly longer than five inches.

I spun the combed locks on the Reeves, then used the ball winder, so that I could ply it. In the middle of plying my tiny dachshund children spotted a squirrel and could not be pacified until I let them go running wild in the back yard. I realized that the decorative finial on my wheel was the perfect place to park the wound ball. If you are not careful, your yarn can get away from you. Think of it like the leash on a rambunctious puppy in a room full of cats. If you give it too much leeway, havoc will probably ensue!

Then I wanted to add a snapshot of the washed locks with the finished sample skein on top. It is about a 20 wraps per inch. I love the way it looks. Much, much finer than the first locks I spun on my CD spindle (7 WPI)!

I bought some wool when a member of one of the lists decided to destash. The box finally arrived at my door a few days ago and I immediately sampled everything! First up was superwash laps and I really enjoyed spinning them. It is not nearly as fine as the yarn above, each of the four colors spun up at about 14 WPI. The colors were labeled Mallard, Loden, Midnight and Grey. If you are interested, click on the small photo and you can read which is which. While I was spinning this, I decided to teach myself to spin from the fold, since there were several small pieces instead of a roving.

I also bought some Rambouillet roving at the same time. I decided to spin a sample of it while I was hard at it. See Vee, I really am trying to be good. I hope you are proud of me!

I will say that after working on the Reeves, it was so strange to go back to my Ashford Traveller. They are very different wheels. I enjoy both, but the Reeves has really much higher ratios than the Traveller. So far, I have not been able to master Paula Simmons technique as it is described in Spinning for Softness and Speed.

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Okay, here are some things that I have discovered are invaluable for spinning wool, even though they are not meant for that purpose.

• Pony Bead Lacing – makes a fabulous stretch drive band for your wheel. It comes in 5 yard packages, complete with a connector pin, and can be cut to size. You will have to remove some of the length for a single drive or a double drive with a small wheel, like the Ashford Traveller. If you have a larger double drive wheel, it will take slightly more than five yards. Just cut off another piece of the pin connector that comes with the lacing and make an almost invisible join. Be prepared to do a lot of adjustments at first, but once you have it set up to your liking, it will be trouble free. I can change between the bulky and standard flyer without having to change drive bands.
• Salad Spinner – use this to spin out your fibers. You can use the spin/drain cycle on your washing machine, but a salad spinner is perfect for smaller amounts of wool.
• Bridal Tulle – for wrapping up fleece when you need to maintain the lock structure. The kind that comes in a roll and is 7″ wide is perfect and makes it so easy to use. Pull off a piece, wrap the locks, roll it up, then secure with a rubber band. The tulle is reusable. I started using tightly packed mesh bags for this purpose, but this was fool proof.
• Large Stock Pot – for dyeing. I have a large stainless steel one I use for everything crafty. Go with the best quality stainless you can afford. It will pay for itself in the long run. A cheap alternative is a ceramic enameled canning pot, but once it chips, it will affect your dyeing.
• Wilton’s Icing Colors – they make a very inexpensive and versatile food safe dye for your wool. I have been very pleased with my results. Of course, I have not done and long term testing for light fastness or color fastness, but it has given me as least as good of results as Dylon, Procion, or Oze-craft dyes.
• Zippered Pillow Protectors – for storing your clean, dry wool. I have seen lots of people recommend pillow cases, but these are even better, because of the zipper. I buy them in packs of two at Ross, TJ Maxx or Marshall’s. Never pass them up if you find them in the clearance bin.
• Sweater Storage bins – for storing your roving. Check out a few posts back to see this one in action.
• Dog combs – for combing and carding your fiber. Everyone talks about slicker brushes, but the combs are very useful too, especially when teasing fiber in preparation for carding.
• Plastic bowl – for holding your bobbin when you are winding onto a swift. If your wheel is too far away, this makes a great alternative to loosening your tension. The plastic bowl will keep the bobbin from rolling around while you are transferring it to the swift.
• Glass Mason Jars – for mixing dyes. Just pick up a few when you are at the grocery store, you won’t be sorry.
• Heating Pad – I started using one when I was having back spasms, but I discovered that it reminds me to sit back in my chair and maintain good posture.

And things that are used the way they are marketed, but that make my fiber life so much easier.

• Ball Winder. I have an old Royal, but one day I will upgrade to the Strauch Jumbo Ball Winder.
• Umbrella swift. I spend a huge amount of time making skeins. A chair back would work, but it is so much easier with an umbrella swift.
• Carder. I bought the Strauch Petite Carder. It is a good first step and it creates lovely 2 ounce batts. The better job I do preparing my fiber for carding, the better the batt.
• Instant Hot Water Dispenser – for washing fleece, setting the twist, washing yarn and dyeing…any time you need hot water fast. It is a huge time saver and I can’t imagine stopping to boil water every time I needed water hotter than it comes out of the tap.
• Digital Camera. I take a lot of photographs of my work. It helps to have a good camera with zoom and manual focus.
• Blog. Well, you knew I was going to say that! I love having something to reference both the mundane and the exceptional. It has been a wonderful way to get to know other fiber fanatics.
• Mesh Laundry Bags – these are invaluable for washing fiber! Buy a variety of sizes and configurations. I use the sweater size more often when washing fleece or rinsing roving and the lingerie size for finishing my yarn. Remember wet wool is heavy and mesh bags will help prevent some big mistakes.
• Dryer with a shoe rack. It sure makes it easy to dry wool on cloudy or cold days.
• TiVo. It is so nice to have something I actually want to watch when I am spinning. I hear people say they have no time to spin, but most of them have time to watch TV…try doing both at once. LOL
• Heavy Duty yarn gauge. I have a brass one that is perfect for determining wraps per inch.
• Index cards. Keep track of your wool and attach samples. A small investment in time will pay off in the long run.

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