Thesockladyspins

 Finally got myself into town for a major grocery order, seems as tho I was out of everything like milk, cheese, eggs, butter, bread, produce, even low on dish soap. Went in Thursday and did a bunch of the necessary running around then got into the grocery store Friday morning. The roads going in weren't to bad but way worse coming home on Friday, took an extra 30 minutes coming home, driving under the limit 85-90 instead of 100 kliks. The Harris girls came and unloaded the car, brought everything into the house. I then put away all perishables straight away and left canned goods, paper products etc. until the next day. Another pair of bluesies are done. Really enjoyed working on them and since I don't follow any pattern can just change colours as I wish. And so I did. Immediately gathered up all the little balls (I used to give away, sorry Christine) started another pair of real Monstersocks. I keep the gallon jar beside my chair on the floor when I need or want to change colo...

 Tuff updating my blog when I don't see or talk to hardly anyone for days at a time, not complaining, in these tuff times its just the way it has to be. BUT I'm still spinning and knitting, managing most day to day chores. Current spinning project is using some some small bits I bought some time ago, lots of colours (about my favourite way to spin now days). I'm using my Woolee Winder on my Louet S 90, have a way to go to fill up the bobbin.        Next on my list are socks (of course).  I finished the red  Monstersocks over last weekend and immediately went back to the blue MS, hope to finish second blue MS over this football weekend. Made socks for Miss E, think while I was knitting them her foot grew another size larger so found another small person and gave them to her. Then made another pair (same colours and patterns) for Miss E using a size larger needle and added two more stitches. Pair on the left are the smaller size, did not enjoy making 4 s...

 Two socks are on the needles, the pink, reds etc are current WIP, once I get to the heel will switch and go back to the bluesy-green jobs.  The needed part for my wool stove is here, Peter will come either tomorrow or Friday to install. Just in time for a bit of arctic air that will come thru starting Friday night. Will be content to stay home and watch Saturday college football then pro's on Sunday.  Just a bit above freezing and raining, I'd bet up the hill out of the valley its prolly snowing. The wind warnings from last week didn't amount to much, usual Tatlako winds are almost that strong. I stayed up last night to almost midnight to see if any concrete results were in on the sh** show in the states. Still nothing firm. Will check in again around  noon to see if anything has changed. The numb nutz in Fla that voted for tRump can't read or don't care that if he is reelected will start messing with their social security, boy will they start sniffling and sobbing...

Last Friday we got blasted by winter 10+ inches of snow, then followed by arctic air on Saturday and Sunday -17*C  Sat. and -19°C on Sunday, then boom it was over last night was +6°C (well above freezing). Now after the higher temps snow is about half gone. And forecast for the next three days are for rain and above freezing temps. Only in the Chilcotin is the weather a crap shoot. But good weather for knitting and spinning. Finished the socks for 10 year old Miss M, she is prolly close to a 5.5 or 6 shoe size. Pretty big feet for a 10 year old. Next spinning project will be the bag of mixed odds and sods, all pieces from 6 " to nearly a foot. Various blends some with silk and some just wool. Have had this bag for 6 weeks and have been anxious to get into it. Not much else new and excitingly different in my wild mountain valley.

 The selling dealer for my wool room stove is not at all willing to help me find the thermo couple I need to get stove working again, they just told me to buy a new stove, I don't think so, not from them any way. Meanwhile called distributor of stove in Vancouver, am hoping they will be able to figure out a way to get me the part. Then the big hassle of finding someone to install same.  Finished first sock for Maela (10), liking it, so much that I got out all the small variegated balls of yarn I could find, will add to the queue a pair (maybe for me) using just variegated yarn. But first have to do 2nd sock for M, then have WIP, blue Monstersocks, red, purple and orange Monstersocks and a pair of Fatties (knit with two strands of fingering weight yarn). Also in the queue are a pair of handspun wool and silk socks for me (not started yet).   -6°C (22°F) this morning, ever so glad I flipped the down comforter on my bed. Its supposed to be a good one from LL Bean but the do...

 Sock stuff.  Have 3 pair on the go right now, one with reds, oranges, purples, wip. Then blueish monsters, and a pair for M maybe. Last pix socks for Eli.      Work up this morning to the ground all white, not much just a good skiff. But its just started up again, looking like a cross between snow and rain. I'm about as ready as I can be, snow tires on the car, shovel ready at the back door, ice cleats on my boots, all that's remaining is to get the ice spike on my cane. Now its changed to just snow.   When I don't update my blog prolly because I've got nothing to write about, just another boring day in paradise. But I'm doing well, feel really good.  

Since my photo link doesn't want to cooperate will just describe pix from the top. Odds and sods, small amounts of various leftovers, 3 are merino - nylon and the bright pink is BFL - nylon. Spinning  so that resulting two ply yarn will be heavier than my usual, almost close to medium bulky weight. Plans so far to make mittens for several local female smalls. Make even add small amounts kid mohair on the inside for extra warmth. Middle pix is the wool-silk blend, took almost as long to ply as it did to spin. Pretty close to fingering weight and plans are for socks for me. After last winters -40° and only one pair of handspun socks to my name knew that I would want more for anything Mother Nature will throw at us this winter. Bottom pix is the blue green merino nylon from last blog post. Had 150 grams of the mix from Mary-anne Smith  (vintage stuff). Not sure right this minute what it will be stash for now. Have been sorting fibre with intentions of spinning lots of this and th...

Woke up this morning to rain, wonderful rain. We so needed it, hopefully it will rain all day. Not able to leave spinning wheel alone broke out another bag (150 g) of wool and nylon from Smith and Ewe, in Sweet Violets colour. I thought I might be able to leave wheel alone until part two of the T d F starts  later in August but that wasn't to be. I finished yesterday morning the mix of merino-silk (70 - 30), have enuff of some of the colours to do something else in the future. I spin a lot of yarn with no firm idea of what I will use it for but this wool-silk mix will be made into winter socks for me and maybe a couple of others. First pix is the fibre laid out ready to spin, started from left side and stayed with the same order thru both bobbins. Not much idea of what plied yarn will look like but however it will be soft and warm. After last winters stretch of almost 40 below zero (and only one pr of handspun socks) knew that before winter dropped again that I would have more. Not...

 Went to Ashcroft on Monday (almost 6 hours from home) picked up corn (perfect), green beans, blueberries, nugget potatoes (all perfect), and tomatoes (not so good). Tomatoes were way over ripe, by the time I got home on Tuesday several were beyond salvaging and the next day a bunch more were mushy and moldy, from 25 pounds I maybe got to eat a quarter of that amount (or less). They were advertised as field tomatoes but were to perfect in shape to have ever been grown outdoors and they certainly didn't taste like real outdoor tomatoes. Messaged the place and they are supposed to be either refunding my money or a gift certificate of some sort. Brought a box for Selma as well and hers were bad also. So 6 hours driving and I didn't once have tomatoes and toast, or tomatoes with cottage cheese, bummer. Mailed away three pair of socks to NY, Oregon and Calif. they now have all arrived, with postal service on the wonky side was happy they all made it. From the top Maggie A., Jean V.,...

Mailed socks away to Calif. (they have arrived) and to Oregon (they have not yet made it there). Kathy L got hers pretty quick and she likes them and they fit. Neighbour just in to  pick up stuff to go to the dump, she is on her way to Tatla and goes almost right by the dump. And in return I gave her two pair of socks for the granddaughter. The pair on the right will for sure be to big until mid to late winter. Yesterday high was 32°C (90F) to bloody hot for me, however this morning I woke up to heavy clouds and a Severe Thunderstorm Watch, temp right now is 56°F, the wonderful cool is back. Since I finished the second sock of the pair above on the left, got out the yarn to do the second sock of the crayon challenge, since I took the pix  cast on for the top ribbing. Never seem to run out of socks to do. After CC is finished will make another pair of socks for Miss M in Pritchard (trade the Mother for canning). When I'm not knitting I spin, when it was so hot I would attend to...

The last bit of spinning for the tdf, merino-nylon mix, while spinning I thought I would use the yarn for socks but have since discovered something better. While looking for something else I found I had quite a bit of various colours of silk mix roving. So in my infinite wisdom decided to spin the 5 colours for decadent socks for me. The pix shows the 5 colours but am not sure if I will spin in the order I've laid them out in. I've made the pix larger thru the magic of the puter. Thinking the two colours on the right need to be switched some place different. Was +5 C  (41°F) here this morning, I had left several wool room windows open all night so was a bit cool in here, but now with sun coming in several windows the cool feels good. Its now +17 (63° F) with a high predicted of 22 (72°F) later today.

My latest socks, thought I had more pastel colours but if I do they are well hidden, the couple of darker colours ended up being OK. Just mailed away socks for Jean, Kathy and a pr to go this week to Maggie. Now back to the socks for Miss E, then will do sock #2 for the crayon challenge. This is the total for this years TdF, 1018 yards, top is from the two braids of BFL, below the merino-silk BFL blend. Single bobbin is another merino nylon mix (finished it last night just after 9 pm). Had hoped to get more done but fighting every day with my right leg (the language when it was screaming was terrible), kept me from more time at the wheel. This is more of my green stash, will have another go at the TdF #2 when the riders are on their bikes. Not yet sure which I'll spin, likely another BFL mix. Len K came on last Tuesday (good neighbours) with the brush cutter and mowed down the weeds in my yard, the dalmatian toad flax in places was well over 3 feet high, glad to see t...

BFL roving in colourway Northern Lights, all spun up and ready later today will be plied. I was surprised how different from the roving to the yarn. Merino Silk on the left and BFL on the right, next pix are the two plied together.  Not my best plying for sure but should make next to skin something. Braid on the left is Merino-Nylon and what is currently on the spinning wheel. Not yet sure if I will ply the two in pix together or try for something closer to the one on the left. Decisions. Here in my usually to dry valley we this year have had more rain in May and June than we usually get in 6 months, consequently the weeds in my yard grew to enormous size. Especially the noxious weed called dalmatian toad flax  pretty yellow flower but its a really nasty weed. And I had lots some well over 3 feet high. Neighbour Len came yesterday with his quad and brush hog and knocked down my whole yard, then used his weed whacker to cut close to house. Will greatly...

Finished spinning the merino-silk mix this morning 10ish. Immediately changed flyers on my Louet S90 back to regular flyer, put Woolee Winder away for now. Top pix is the merino-silk mix, next the bobbin on the left is BFL, right is the merino-silk mix. Glad to see the end of the silk mix was inhaling it every time I pulled off a piece to spin. I will ply the two tog somewhere down the road, the queue is getting ever longer. This is another BFL from MaryAnne Smith from Kamloops, BC. Have 11 oz, so should fit on two bobbins quite nicely. The colour is Northern Lights. No bear sightings last week, that' OK with me, seems as tho to many around sooner or later they get into trouble. Went up the valley on Friday and got about a 1 lb bag of just picked spinach, have had it two nights now and will eat last of it tonight for supper along with something else (don't know what yet). Have had more rain in last month or so than we usually get in 6 months, not complaining cau...