Crossing things off the list

Well, I have finished my class sample knitting for NCFF, the Fiber Frolic, and SAFF.

I still have to write up the new dyeing workshop (the 3 pairs of socks at the bottom of the pic), and another new workshop (the original Fingerless Mitten pattern for SAFF), but the rest of my prep work is mostly printing out already written handouts.

Yay!

I might actually finish in plenty of time (the first boxes of materials have already arrived in New Jersey, and I hope to have the SAFF stuff and in the mail before I leave for the Fiber Frolic). And then maybe I can play again.

I hope.

In the meantime, NCFF is next weekend (woohoo!).  And here's a pretty sunset pic for you.

The yarn thing

Remember back when I used to knit all the time? And I always had new FOs to post here on the blog?

Good times.

But though I may not knit all the time now, and I don't even try to knit on planes (not enough elbow room for this prop-n-throw knitter), I did pick the needles up again this week.

 I'm nearly done with a pair of leftover yarn socks (the first socks I've had on the needles in awhile). I love how the different yarns all look so cool together- none of them match, and yet they work perfectly. These are slated for The Big Tub 'O Knitted Things, and Christmas.

 And though my Yarn Buying Moratorium is still in effect, I've never pretended to have a Yarn Winning Moratorium. I won this beautiful yarn from The Copper Corgi when I was at SAFF. I didn't even consider turning it down. I suspect it'll be the next to hit the swift and winder. I love love love the mottled peach/copper colors. I think this yarn deserves lace, or some other amazing texture. I haven't worked cables for ages- maybe it's time.

 I finished spinning this hank of Romney before I left for NC. I spun the whole thing with the long draw, and I'm very happy with how the yarn came out. Though it's still pretty heavy (183 yds and 5.7 ozs), it's much lighter, loftier, and squooshier than my usual handspun yarn.

 My guess is that the long draw works best with well prepared fiber, but I have a lot of that on hand, including another 3ozs or so of this particular colorway. By the time I get done spinning it, I'll have plenty of yarn for a pair of cushy winter socks.

 I mentioned Mercury Swings yesterday. It's a free short story that fits somewhere in the whacked out universe that Robert Kroese created. I read it last night, and it's a hoot. I don't know if it'll make much sense to anyone who is not familiar with the characters and premise, but I enjoyed it greatly.

Oh, and though I've seen some beautiful scenes in my travels, and I hope to see many, many more, there is no scene more beautiful than what I can see from my front porch.

South Dakota wins Sunsets.

Saturday- Gardens of the World, and Point Mugu

We went to Thousand Oaks today, to the Gardens of the World, which is amazing and well worth the visit, even though the car thermometer read 109 when we left the place. I took many beautiful pictures, but this one says it best:

a single water lily in the koi pond at the Japanese Garden.

After we left the Gardens of the World, we went back to Camarillo, which was all of 10 miles away, where the temp was 78. The power of the ocean is amazing.

After supper, we drove to the beach, and climbed this hill. It's every bit as high and steep as it looks.

The Hub found out that there can be sharp things under the sand (warning for the weak of stomach: that's a bloody skin flap with lots of sand underneath).

 

We slogged our way to the top of the dune, but not to the top of the rocks. I had been used to thinking of myself as being in marginally good shape for an Old Broad. This trek disabused me of that notion pretty quickly.  And then we sat and watched the sun set over the Pacific.

It was worth the climb.

The night before, and the morning after