No Time for Losers, Cause We Are the Champions

The Olympics are right around the corner as is the Ravellenic Games 2012.  For those non-knitters and non-spinners, the start of the opening ceremonies for the Olympics marks the start of a fiber project that you pledge to finish before the closing ceremonies.  This year, I have pledged to spin all outstanding dye lots.  Wow.  This is going to be a hefty task.  I have a ton of wool that has been dyed and sits ready to be made into yarn.  Tonight, I got a jump start by finishing the last of three skeins of my art yarn.  Still, there is plenty that is waiting to take shape. 
Most people are watching the actual Olympic games while knitting and spinning.  But, I have never really been into the Olympics.  I always find myself rooting for the wrong reasons.  Everyone is wanting the underdog to win, and I almost want to see the floor exercise gymnast trip on the streamer.  I know it isn't right.  And, this kind of karma can't be good for my knitting projects. 
If you don't have a project for the games, you better figure one out immediately.  You can't just spend the entire time actually watching the Olympics. 

Is There Anything Left to Us But to Organize and Fight?

I have finally climbed out of the fiber that I buried myself in earlier this May.  Of course, I am talking about all the fiber, fleece, and supplies I purchased at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival.  We went with a wool entourage and Mr. Cutthroat would take time out of his lamb eating schedule to carry our purchases to the car.  Such a trooper!  He was rewarded with kabobs, gyros, and limeade.  

We spent two full days at the festival, touring every spot of the festival two, three times.  After unloading several animals' fiber from the car, I turned my apartment into a full blown sweat shop.  We gave the new-to-me drum carder some TLC, replaced the band (a drama in itself), and started carding.  After using the drum carder for 3 seconds, I was in awe about how in the hell people did this by hand.  I mean, I have done it by hand and now I am angry that it took me so long to buy a damn drum carder! 
Back to the sweat shop.  I had the wool entourage washing, dyeing, and carding fleece all over my apartment.  No coffee breaks!  No unionizing!  There was too much to do.  Sadly, my sweat shop disbanded the next day as they traveled home.  Who says I'm not a good host?  Next year, if they dare to come back, I will have a new project lined up.  But this time, I will lock the doors from the outside. 

Isn't She Lovely?

Why is old stuff so much better than new stuff?  While that isn't the case in every instance, but when you are talking about making yarn, old stuff just has a way of giving an antiquated craft more character.  Last week, Mr. Cutthroat and I made it out of the big, bad city to take a weekend away.  I took Mr. Cutthroat to every antique store in town to find a new old wheel.  In and out, in and out, we saw tons of crap and very few gems.  Each store owner would say, "a wheel??  I haven't seen those in ages!"  But, in the very last store tucked in between two old pieces of furniture was this beauty.  I fell in love and sent Mr. Cutthroat to the ATM to make this wheel a part of my family.  We buckled it into the car seat, much like a baby.  We carefully carried it up the stairs.  I took it apart, oiled it, and dusted each part. 
Then, I flipped it over to check  for a makers mark.  I broke it.  A small piece of wood that connects the wheel to the pedal snapped in two.  Granted, these parts of the wheel are hardly ever original because of their fragility, but I cried as I glued it back together.  I will find a replacement part and it will spin beautiful yarn.  But, sadly not in time for the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. 

Back in the Saddle Again

I know, I know.  It's been a while.  I kinda fell off the face of the Earth, as I usually do in the yarn world immediately following Christmas.  This past Christmas totally kicked my ass.  Since then, I have been quietly been working on a batch of wool that I bought in Colonial Williamsburg.  To be honest, it isn't the easiest wool to spin.  Those colonial sheep in their little tricorn hats certainly do not spin like merino.  But, I am hoping to wrap it up in March.  While I haven't been spinning at my usual pace, I haven't slowed the buying portion.  I have been buying llama, alpaca, merino, and angora fleece.  Our house has more animal hair in it than a petting zoo.  And, I did pick up some knitting projects lately, as a yarny alternative.  So, that's something. 
So, I am gradually working on my triumphant return.  And, it can be expected that my addictive personality will leave me spinning and concocting dyes during any and all free time as soon as I get back to normal.  But right now, it is back to that original feeling of spinning as a hobby.  Once everything kicks into high gear, that feeling turns into panic and deadlines and stress.  That's why I have to ease back in.  And, this old timey sheep was a bad choice--five more skeins to go.