I think this is working again. I just wanted to talk about the new Ply magazine. The focus is supported spindles, which means all spindles. It’s just wonderful. I think there must be three or four articles on Jenkins spindles. There was a time when I subscribed to SpinOff two years at a time. I’d devour each new issue. They changed the format, so they didn’t feature the readers’ projects. They featured “experts” instead. And I lost interest. I subscribed this year, because they gave me a cheap price, but I’ve yet to see anything interesting. I’ve been buying up back issues of Ply too. To me, a good spinning magazine should make you pick up a spindle and start spinning. I’m having problems getting myself to stop. I’ve started taking a spindle outside with me, when I take the dogs out back. And I”m determined to finish off the East Friesian wool as I’d like to knit a sweater with it.

I have a new pulmonologist at OSHU. I like him and I probably spent close to an hour talking to him. My lungs are worse and we have to get rid of all the birds, including my chickens. We think we’ve found a relative of Lon’s that can take them in. We are working on shipping the cockatoo out first. It’s going to be hard for Lon as he really loves Dewey, the blue and gold. But bird fancier’s can cause enough damage that your lungs don’t function and that’s deadly. I’m on a high dose of prednisone and have felt great. It’s so nice to have good oxygen levels. I was really struggling when I was trying to stay off prednisone. He said it’s likely I’ll have to take it the rest of my life.

No real progress on the house. I’m going to try and start working on packing this weekend. I picked up a new chair:

I had been thinking about getting a wingback chair, for knitting. I just was taken by this chair. I could tell it still had the horsehair padding. The seat is worn but it’s still very solid. It is a heavy chair and handmade, from the looks of the carvings. When I went get it, I was set to try and dicker for a lower price. It was in the second story bedroom. To get it down, the woman had to lower it down a step, while I caught it from the bottom. There were about twelve steps. I decided I was just going to pay full price, as I couldn’t have done it on my own. I really like the chair. I’m trying not to buy a bunch of stuff, but of course, I keep buying stuff. I have too many things packed up that I could use and it’s taking way too long to finish up the house.

The grandson will be a year old next month. I have a baby sweater to knit and also planned to do a teddy bear. I haven’t been knitting a lot, as I have a pair of socks with commercial yarn going and the Perfect Process scarf, which is handspun. I want to knit handspun socks, but am waiting until I finish something else. I think I am going to enjoy my handspun sock project. And I have my first Bosworth spindle arriving this week! I love the new wheel and I have plans to use it for some big projects. But it is so nice to be using my spindles again. My shoulder muscles would cramp, because my oxygen levels were too low. Now that I’m back to normal, I can just keep going.

It looks like I will be going to Black Sheep and I can probably spend some time there. Last time I went, I just wasn’t up to walking around and couldn’t get Lon to do much either. I don’t know yet if he wants to go with me. He hasn’t been walking that well. I have one of those roller seats and am trying to get him to use it. I am going to start taking a few days off as I really could use the rest.

I am trying to come up with a way to keep track of my spinning projects. I’d like to start doing sample cards. I’ve picked up a few odds and ends to try out. I’d like to be more consistent with my spinning. It’s so easy to lose track of your project when you don’t finish it quickly.

So far, it won’t let me post something new from the computer. Will be working on it. I’ve lost two posts so far.

Testing again.

Finally blocked the new handspun hap:

It may be a little small. I practically live in the Bartlett yarns hap. I just love the feel of that yarn and will likely make myself a second shawl. I just started spinning the roving I originally bought for the Hapalong, a shetland/mohair blend:

It’s nice stuff, almost drafts itself. I have also been working on a few spindle projects, taking a small break from knitting. Will likely jump back in on the Hap for Harriet project. I’m trying to sort out what project I’d like to start next. For now, I’m just trying to spin up some roughly DK weight yarn, since most of the haps use that weight. I have roving coming in for a try at a double marled yarn. I will be getting some new whorls for my Pipy, which should give the wheel more range. It’s fun to work through some of this fiber on the Pipy.

I am proud of my unruly Springer boys. We can’t teach Jake to shut up and Gary barks at everything across the street. I let them out back after a grocery shop and heard a chicken squawk. Walked to the side and saw both boys chasing my little red hen. I yelled “NO” at them and they backed off. Got her over by the chicken yard and was finally able to pick her up and put her inside the yard. The bottom dropped out of one of the nesting boxes on the side and she jumped out. I think I have it temporarily fixed. They like to sleep up there at night.

Still haven’t hemmed those skirts. I always put it off, but once I finally tackle it, it’s not that bad. I want to finish the Wards machine. We will be dropping it off in a couple of weeks. Need to make sure everything is still working okay (and see if I can get the other cams working correctly.) I’m going to print out the manual and service manual to take with me.

The surgery was successful on Lon’s eye. I don’t have any pictures as he looks like someone punched him in the eye. He said that he’s decided he doesn’t want any plastic surgery. Casey Institute is a great place. All of the staff were wonderful. And Dr. Steele called up a few hours after we got home, to make sure everything was okay. I didn’t really feel like I had any time off, since there were people in and out of the house three of the four days.

I am still working on the second shawl for Julie. The post office lost the first one. I was going to replicate it, but then decided that might be a mistake. They could still find the original. So I used a different yarn, in close to the same colors, same pattern. I ran out of two of the colors, so am waiting for more yarn this week. Meanwhile, I am working on a shawl for a co-worker. I really want to retire and I’d like to do something nice for her, when that happens. It’s been awhile since I used lace weight yarn! And I’m also still spinning up some Shetland roving. I haven’t blocked my handspun hap, but will post a picture of it, unblocked.

I managed to pay the property taxes on the house this week. That’s always a big deal for us. Still need to pay the taxes for the river place. And we are still waiting to hear if we are going to be selling that place. It’s so frustrating. The people that have been helping us are finding jobs. It’s getting harder to get anything done. If we had cash, we could pay to finish this place up.

Haven’t done any sewing but I really need to get at it this weekend. I have two skirts done that need to be hemmed and have the fastenings attached. And I really need new skirts. I may have to set aside my knitting for a day.

I have been a very busy knitter lately. I updated my politics free Spindlitis blog. This blog is not going to be politics free. Very troubled by the nonsense in the knitting community lately. I am a knitter and spinner and I like to discuss those activities with anyone that is interested. I reject the busy bodies of the internet, who feel they have the right to attack anyone when they are outraged for someone else.

Abby asked for a sewing machine, so that she can patch Quinn’s work pants. I didn’t take her seriously at first and gave away two perfectly good machines that would have done the trick. So I had to buy a machine for her. I considered giving her my Singer Fashionmate, but I am convinced no one will ever love the perfect stitches on that machine like I do. So, I found a Wards Signature.

The zigzag didn’t work, when I first started messing with it. I finally figured out how to use the settings for the built in cams and I oiled the hell out of it. It really needed the oil. It still needs a bit of work, but it’s not too bad for a $15 machine. It’s heavy and the only plastic parts seem to be the cams. It has a built in, four step buttonhole selector too. I picked up the service manual and found the owner’s manual so she will get both of those. I really need to do some sewing myself. I have two skirts that just need to be hemmed and I really need some new skirts.

I picked up another ThinkPad to use for my work machine. Just maxed out the RAM in it too. I like these old ThinkPads. They are easy to work on and solid. I put Linux Mint on this and it’s been working just fine. I did have to pick up a trackball. I like to use the track point on these computers. This one has a tendency to make the pointer swing back and forth. It was slowing me down too much. I just have to adjust to reaching for the trackball.

The hummingbirds have really appreciated having the feeder. I’ve never seen as many hummingbirds here, as I have this winter. When we sell the place, I plan to leave a feeder and instructions for the new owners. The birds do fine most of the year, but appreciate the extra food in the winter.

Wish I had more actual news to report. Work on the house is at a standstill. We are waiting to see if we’ve got a buyer for the river place. If we do, we can kick things in high gear and finish this house. Lon goes in to have the growth under his eye removed, towards the end of the month. I’m taking a couple of days off for it. The growth isn’t cancerous but he picks at it. He’ll have this done at OSHU and we both like his doctor. I’m trying to pack up the rest of the stuff in the office. I have been buying fleece and books. I’m tired of not being able to find things I need. And all the drawers in my desk have jammed,so I’ll try to deal with that this weekend.

Lolo is not fond of me spinning, but seems to be getting better at dealing with it.

And this is the latest picture of Abe. We’re at eight months now.

We had a nice Christmas. I finished all of my Christmas knitting on time and the gifts seemed to be well received. Work progresses on the house. We are going to sand and refinish the floors, so I am emptying out my office. I’ve started a new spinning project, using my Pipy. I keep forgetting that it’s been fixed, so it’s nice to use it again.

Picture of Abraham:

Hansel is almost done:

Abraham in the baby sweater and hat that I knit for him:

And Gary looking well behaved

We’ve survived it but it won’t go down in the books as one of my favorites. Lon put on water weight gain a couple of weeks ago. It was bad enough that shirts he regularly wears didn’t fit. I could not get him into the Emergency Room. We went to Vancouver Clinic, who would not let us see a doctor since he didn’t go to his primary care doctor there. (He did see two specialists at the clinic, but that doesn’t count.) His vitals were okay, so he made an appointment at another clinic. You have to understand that you don’t see a doctor at any of these. You see a physician’s assistant. The one at the new clinic was good. She requested blood work to check his kidneys and helped him get into see his cardiologist on Wednesday. The fun started when I dropped him off out front and the truck wouldn’t start. I called AAA while he was in the clinic. They were able to jump it and get it going. I waited outside with the truck running till he finished. They told him he has congestive heart failure. The good news is that all his other organs look fine. They put him on heavy duty diuretics to get the water gain off, which they estimate at over 30 pounds. It was interesting that they were concerned about the state of his lower legs. I asked them about this when we were there two years ago. All I got was a shrug. This time, they took pictures. Anyway the diuretics are helping and I think he is starting to feel better. He is staying close to the house until he finishes with the pills.

We were too burned out to shop on Wednesday, so I went to the store on Thursday. The longer I was there, the worse I felt. I didn’t get much and I definitely did not want to get a turkey. I still don’t feel like cooking. We both took naps last night. I spent the day working on a Christmas knitting project. (And I found a mistake in it this morning. I’m going to leave it as is.) We’ll go back to the new clinic on Tuesday and see how things are going.

It’s not intentional, but we have been making a push to finish up the house. I am so tired of dealing with this. I feel like I never have any time off. I tell myself that it has to be done, which would be easy enough to deal with, if the end was really in sight. So we’ll see. Meanwhile, I don’t sew, play my dulcimer or spin. I have been knitting a little and I do have a small amount of Christmas knitting ahead. That would be because knitting baby sweaters does not seem work.

I picked up a nice G4 Powerbook. I know that PPC Macs are obsolete, but this was one from the last of the Power PPCs. I maxed out the RAM and plan to put in a solid state drive to increase performance. It’s a little slow but not bad.

Will try and update again soon.

No new sewing machines though. First there is this:

Abraham Alexander Wells was born on July 3rd, 8 pounds and three ounces. Mom Abigail is doing fine, although a little punchy from lack of sleep when we saw her on the 4th. Picture of the proud daddy and granddaddy:

I was able to go to Black Sheep on Saturday. I don’t have a lot of stamina for things like this, so I didn’t make it out to see the animals. I do like the venue in Albany a lot better. I just hope they can keep this going. I picked up a Jenkins Aegean in Ambrosia Maple, a braid of targhee in the colorway Durango from Greenwood fibers, and a bit over two pounds of gotland fleece. It’s one of the things I find most frustrating, because I do enjoy fiber festivals. I just get so winded trying to walk around that it’s hard. I was looking for a vendor that has been attending for years, with these beautiful Icelandic pelts for sale. I could finally afford one, but they weren’t there. So I guess I’ll have to keep looking. Picture of the new spindle:

I bought an Aegean previously but I couldn’t get around the idea that it was heavier than the Egret. I do like this one. It’s a nice weight. I wasn’t sure if I’d like the Targhee. Last time I bought some, I had real problems finding the right spindle. It was just too bouncy and the red dye bleed out when you washed it. I never have that problem with Greenwood fibers. I have another braid I’d bought the week before, Falklands in persimmon, which I have been spinning on my Lark. I have decided that I am on Team Flats when it comes to Jenkins spindles. I had planned to pick up a Swan but I’ve found that I prefer the flat spindles, with the exceptions of my Delights.I haven’t been spinning a lot lately, so it’s nice to get back in the groove. I’ll wash up the fleece this weekend as we have some warm weather for a change.

Still trying to finish up the house. Want to get this on the market in August. We don’t want to be moving cross country during cold weather. Still waiting to see if we have our other place sold. We did have one weird thing happen. There was a place we were considering. It was an older house, built in the late 30s and vacant on acreage. I like the folks that are selling the place and thought we could make the house for for us. Well, the ad turned up with all the pictures of the house removed, so we contacted them. Turned out there was a nasty storm that came through. The lightning hit the tranformer box in the house and it caught fire. It was a total loss, although the foundation and outbuildings are still there. Really a shame. I see so many old houses that are modernized and I just don’t like it. I’d prefer to do the house to my own tastes. So we’ll keep looking.

Time for a cute cat picture:

We are finally going to have a garage sale this weekend. We’ve put it off a couple of times. The garage has been cleaned out, and we have a tarp cover out front, in case it rains. I think I will put a couple of my electric machines up for sale (the Viking and the Singer 401). If they sell, fine. If not, I’ll figure out if I want to take them with me.

I have a new hobby! I was going to wait on this, but just got swept along with the idea. I bought a dulcimer! This is a very basic one, a Dulcimer Factory from the late 90s. It sounds okay but has a high action so is a challenge to play. I put a much better instrument on layaway today and hope to have it before my birthday next month. Here’s the one I have now:

I play around with it in the evenings. I am hoping to be able to play well enough to maybe join in with a group of pickers some day. Once upon a time, I built a kit dulcimer but never did much with it. I do like the idea of being able to pick out some simple tunes.

No new sewing adventures to report. I do need to sew a new petticoat and skirt soon. Flannel petticoats are great most of the year here, but I’d like something lighter for when it warms up. I have the material, just need to cut it out.

I still haven’t tried to sew with the Two Spool. It looks like it will fit in the base of that Minnesota K I bought. The hinge pins match up and fit in the Two Spool. I am still looking for the screws to the hinge pins, so can’t try it out yet. That base will need drawers at some point, but I think it will be a good match for the machine.

I am thinking about going to the PNW TOGA in Auburn in June. I really need to thin the herd a bit, especially if we do move cross country. I just picked up a Singer hand crank for the little 28, so I guess I’m keeping it. I’d like to get it all put back together. It’s actually my oldest machine. I have this mental inventory of the machines I really want to keep and I would like to rehome a few electric machines. I think I will be using those less in the future.

Mostly I am bummed out as we had folks over this weekend working on the house. Our friend did a great job in the living room and painted about half of it. And he cleaned the dirt and grime off things as he went. We have to match two more colors of paint, so we can finish the front part of the house. There’s talk of a garage sale this weekend, but I don’t know if that’s going to happen. I just get drained when I’m around other people all day. I just don’t feel like I had any time off. Oh, and I replaced the keyboard in my ThinkPad and worked on the Two Spool. Lon was impressed that I could span those technologies. I love these ThinkPads. They are so easy to work on and I am used to the little pointer mid keyboard. It’s much faster than the trackpad, which I disabled. I picked up an amazing electronics tool kit from Amazon, that should have all the tools I need if I decide to start taking cell phones apart.

And, I don’t have a copy of the pictures, but this marks the first day that Jake and Gary have played together without any issues! It was wonderful to see.