rebirth of the blog




so it's been more years.






Sunday, February 27, 2011

remember these? (planning ahead)

i stumbled across these two years ago in a central florida antique mall, on the way back from my first little/middle folk school.

DSCN6364

they looked so cool, i grabbed some of these antique mill bobbins to make knitting spools with the kids at the next year’s little/middle, and then grabbed some more on the way back up last year.

6454_121647436103_550321103_2787727_7863935_n

i figured we could make these “bookworms”:

15539_177187646103_550321103_3356755_7772794_n but, unfortunately, before i even introduced them it became clear that they wouldn’t really work for that purpose: the gauge was way too small for the kids to even try to knit on!  and so this  year we’re going to make our own knitting spools out of toilet paper rolls and popsicle sticks,

155595_460869301103_550321103_6035832_7161617_n (courtesy birdlouise)

and warp some $15 ikea nightstands into four weaving looms each,

36420_1458689460445_1029656908_1355923_4078632_n-714231(courtesy ikeahackers)

in addition to the knitting looms and the ever-popular finger knitting…

DSCN5532 DSCN5541“tom and huck”…?

and so, last year at little/middle, my wonderful antique mill bobbins ended up being picturesque scissor holders.

DSCN5582

once they had “mastered” the few little techniques we were learning,

DSCN5528

i made up, on the spot, a little ceremony wherein the kids got their “own” scissors (for the duration of the class period)  which symbolized my blessing to go forth and create whatever they wanted to, and i stored the waiting stubby, blunt-tip scissors like this:

DSCN5574-1

much later on at home, my knitzi made me realize that they could make cool DPN holders for me, too, simply by stuffing a bead in one end.  but now that i’m being an antique wheel owner and have met all these cool antique wheel fiends folk, i’m thinking there’s probably a purpose for them that they might want to exploit, too? 

 

i think i can make my dozen bobbins do multi-duty!  after all, little/middle is just one glorious week each year…

DSCN5572 the “littles” fiber station at little/middle folk school

DSCN5571my wonderful volunteer assistant, teri, held some impromptu crochet workshops that i plan on exploiting further this year!  teri is a teacher from another state, too, and volunteers because she brings her granddaughter (neither of these kids:) to little/middle.  this is a fabulous thing all around!

 

i’m even thinking i should leap in the car right now and go up and buy whatever they have on hand, they always seem to have some kind of these old mill bobbins, after all.  these were only a buck apiece, so even if the price tripled, it wouldn’t be such a bad deal.  of course, the gas would cost me an extra $50 or so, so maybe--unless there’s major acclaim?-- i should wait until i’m already on my way through again in june…

Flickr Tags: ,

the kick line!

meanwhile, back at the ranch, these guys are headed to the airport, winging their way to silva gallery today.

5481624915_47a51169e7_o

look for silva soxes soon! :D

 

Flickr Tags:

Saturday, February 26, 2011

saturday a.m. go-getting

as long as i get revived on saturday mornings, it’s now the best time for me to get things done!  if only the spinning group were on saturday morning i’d have a much better chance at actually getting there, rather than sunday evening!

last saturday morning i spent hours finding boiled linseed oil to pretty up the magical mystery wheel, and then even more hours trying to get the damned cap off the tin, which i never did.  this morning i woke up determined, took a can opener to it, and poured it into a disposable plastic screw-top holder thingy.  then i got to work on the wheel, thus:

i made the video to show the folks over at the antique spinning wheels group on ravelry. (hi, if you’re here from there !:) they’re the ones who pointed out to me that i have a gem here!  i really do hope i can manage to take it to get seen by somebody at the local group tomorrow night---then can show me how to use it! it’s very portable; it’s me that isn’t :(

i realized yesterday that i somehow have acquired, willy-nilly and at random, an antique wheel, a spindle, and two looms (a rigid heddle and a four-harness leclerq table loom) all for very good to unbelievable deals.  i bought a bunch of fiber to practice on.  (i really want to  do flax, but i think you have to learn on wool.)  it seems i’m setting myself up to be a really truly fiber artist, doesn’t it, and yet, when asked, i still call myself a painter.  i wonder what that’s about?  at any rate, since i don’t ever actually do any of it,  i think i must be nesting, for retirement.

in other news: linen change, laundry, blah blah.

 

eta: i finally located her first picture, in john and maryann’s antique shop, posted in october of 2005.

first wheel picture-1

the fiber that was tied onto the distaff was truly nasty.  people tell me i shouldn’t have thrown it away as it was flax, but i don’t remember it to be flax and anyway, if it was, it had gotten very nasty over the years.  god knows where it had been, as it were.  i think i threw it out, although it wouldn’t surprise me to find it still lurking somewhere around in a bag somewhere.  but i really doubt it.  nasty stuff.

Flickr Tags:

Sunday, February 20, 2011

my neighborhood track

this is my basic one mile route around the neighborhood.

Friday, February 18, 2011

more soxes

here’s all the silva soxes to date:

 DSCN6356  DSCN6357DSCN6335_medium2  DSCN6300_medium2DSCN6303_medium2

although the top two most recent ones are unblocked (obviously) and just singles at present…

 

Flickr Tags:

Saturday, February 12, 2011

fuzz

tomorrow i’m getting coached on the magical mystery wheel, so i went to uncommon threads today and got this.

DSCN6333

to go along with what i got there 5 years ago or more:

DSCN6334

i am going to do this, beginning tomorrow!

Flickr Tags:

Friday, February 04, 2011

punch list

things to be finished first:

  • judy’s scarf  (done!)

DSCN6296

  • animal feeders (AAAllllmost done…)

DSCN6271

  • warmth

warmth

  • household gods

VID00001-10

  • dwelf
DSCN2713

 

  • mosaic grouting/wallpaper and faux paint in kitchen and window sills
  • texture and paint the front door

all I can think of now, in the way of extant projects stuck in limbo.  in addition to sorting, cataloging, photographing for sale, etc.  and new projects after.

 

and the house.

Flickr Tags: