Lordy McLorderson, who has time to blog?

Not me! Sorry!

Christmas knitting is done, though, and cookies.

Got a bit stressed this week with all of it AND working this many hours. Realized a bit late in the game that this is the first time I've had to do Christmas AND work this many hours, so duh. When I used to work an office job, I would start baking right after Thanksgiving and just get it all in the freezer little by little. I probably should have done that this year. Next time!

I do have a few pix of Christmas knitting, though, as none of my giftees read here AFAIK:

For my boss/singing partner/co-worker/friend:

For my son's 3rd Grade teacher (handspun):

For my daughter's 5th Grade teacher (handspun):

For my new Music Director's wife (they don't eat cookies):

You'll just have to believe I knit them, no time to take a picture till later this morning (when there's no time to blog. I will update sometime as I have to take a picture before the gifting (Sunday). Poor thing has shingles!

Will knit another Santa hat for DD's new American Girl (that she's getting for Christmas) but not till after they all leave me for a few days.

Today: Make salad for and attend 5th Grade Pasta party, take 2 girls to swimming birthday party for the afternoon, do laundry for trip and pack.

Tomorrow: Girl Scout meeting, rehearsal, concert and everyone ready to go at 5am Sunday. I'm sure it will work out. Now how to get all that done with out my head exploding!

May peace prevail upon the earth.

Oh, and Joy to the World!

Thanks, Veterans!

For all you have done and still do for us!

And for the day off!

No time for pictures, but I managed to spin 4 oz. of natural BFL singles today for gloves for teachers--I will dye the yarn after plying. I want to make Susie's Reading Mitts this year and have already spun some variegated singles, but I really think that a nice smooth almost solid will be much better. I've never spun and then dyed before, but they both want blue, one light, one dark, so it shouldn't be hard to get a nice color.

.

In other knitting, I'm almost down to the bottom of the armholes on my Basic Chic Hoodie in bright green: Not a color for the faint of heart, but I look forward with great anticipation to throwing this on like a sweat jacket and making myself happy. Thanks, Mom!

Still haven't cast on any socks, though, what's up with that?

DS's sweater is ready for its zipper now, Mr. DeMille. I should have done that today but instead was lazy, lazy, lazy in anticipation of having to go into work tonight holiday or no.

Except for the spinning.

Hoping for time to ply and dye on Saturday!

May peace prevail upon the earth.

Clearly the whole Halloween thing...

Interferes with Blogtoberfest, thankfully almost over!

I have enjoyed trying to write more often, though, and hope it has helped get me back in the habit. Blogging on my work website has taken some of my good writing (non fiber-related) so I should remember to cross-post, too.

Almost done with the hood of DS's new sweater, sleeves next.

Fantasizing about what to knit next, of course. I have chosen a new fingerless mitt pattern for the teacher gifts this year: Susie's Reading Mitts. So pretty! I probably want some myself, but since I am in terrible sweater envy, I don't know. I have some Cascade 220 burning a hole in my yarn stash and a huge need for a bright green or orange Basic Chic Hoodie.

Yes, of course, I have a lot of sweaters. But my only handknit hoodie is Rogue, which is just too hot for my climate except once or twice a year or at camp and the yarn pilled right away AND my setting in of sleeves was less than stellar.

Plus I'm really enjoying the sweater for the DS, even though it has NO cabling or anything, so quick, so mindless. We'll see how I feel after the sleeves...

In non-fiber related news, we held our first (for us) Halloween Carnival at the church where I work last night and it was a huge success!! Congratulations, A! Thanks to all the volunteers especially J (Anonymous)!! And today all I have to do is manage to pick up a pre-roasted chicken and some jelly at the store and pick up my forgotten slow-cooker at work, thank goodness. The hard parts of Halloween are all behind me!

Have a safe and fun night tonight!

May peace prevail upon the earth.

Facing Everything Unafraid

[cross-posted from my work blog]

I've talked a lot about fear in this blog so far (I went back and read the old posts before writing this). But mostly in a "Wow, isn't it nice not to feel like that anymore" sort of way.

But we all feel fear sometimes, of course. Recently I had to deal with my fear of confrontation. Oh, stop laughing! There are indeed some kinds of confrontation that I fear!

Lately I've been fearful of the outcome of the Health Care Reform debate in Congress. And fighting my fear. The summer was a real roller-coaster ride: the Public Option is dead, the Public Option is a deal-breaker! Every day, one or the other. But now the closer we come to the end of the debate, the harder it is not to worry about how it will come out, how will people get the heathcare they need, how will we stop the unneccessary deaths that happen every day?

The United Methodist Church's statement on Health Care Reform from The Book of Discipline, 2008:

¶ 162 V) Right to Health Care—Health is a condition of physical, mental, social, and spiritual well-being. John 10:10b says, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” Stewardship of health is the responsibility of each person to whom health has been entrusted.

Creating the personal, environmental, and social conditions in which health can thrive is a joint responsibility—public and private. We encourage individuals to pursue a healthy lifestyle and affirm the importance of preventive health care, health education, environmental and occupational safety, good nutrition, and secure housing in achieving health. Health care is a basic human right.

Providing the care needed to maintain health, prevent disease, and restore health after injury or illness is a responsibility each person owes others and government owes to all, a responsibility government ignores at its peril. In Ezekiel 34:4a, God points out the failures of the leadership of Israel to care for the weak: “You have not strengthened the weak, you have not healed the sick, you have not bound up the injured.” As a result all suffer.

Like police and fire protection, health care is best funded through the government’s ability to tax each person equitably and directly fund the provider entities. Countries facing a public health crisis such as HIV/AIDS must have access to generic medicines and to patented medicines.

We affirm the right of men and women to have access to comprehensive reproductive health/family planning information and services that will serve as a means to prevent unplanned pregnancies, reduce abortions, and prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS. The right to health care includes care for persons with brain diseases, neurological conditions, or physical disabilities, who must be afforded the same access to health care as all other persons in our communities. It is unjust to construct or perpetuate barriers to physical or mental wholeness or full participation in community.

We believe it is a governmental responsibility to provide all citizens with health care.

From The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church - 2008. Copyright 2008 by The United Methodist Publishing House. Used by permission. [Emphasis added]

Now that the end of the process is near, it is important to trust, it is important to pray. It is important to face the future unafraid and know that we are not alone, thanks be to God!

May peace prevail upon the earth.

Well, that was interesting!

I just spent an hour being a member of a focus group discussing our school district (very good in general) with the new Superintendent and some of the School Board.

I gave them a piece of my mind about: putting my son in a combo class with little notice and no availability of the principal; the fact that unless you call first or something, their email spam filter bounces parent communications; our old kindergarten teacher looks haunted with 30 children in her class; that the API scores are not that important to parents, only to administrators.

They're going to show the video of the meeting to the Principals. Yay.

Actually, I'm glad I said it all. Our school is very good, really, I just happen to have an issue this year and they just happened to pick me randomly.

It doesn't hurt that one of the School Board members is a member of my church, though.

Anyway, I don't know what, if anything, will happen, but at least the higher-ups were asking good questions.

Peace.

My New Philosophy

And believe me, I've been thinking about it.

Better to worry about my own behavior and other people's happiness. Not so much my own happiness and other people's behavior.

Peace.

Holy Moley!

The Nobel Peace Prize! I'm gobsmacked!

I agree with Michael Moore. Contratulations! Now earn it. We know you can.

Yes you can.

Peace!

Easy things and difficult things

Some things are easy and others are difficult.

And then the difficult things get easy and the easy things get harder.

Do they go back? When do we stop mourning the loss of the old easy things and just get on with it?

I fight the impulse to drop the things that used to be easy and wait it out. Slog it out, as it were, till the tide turns.

I try to focus on the things that are easy now and enjoy them. But I miss the old easy things.

Why can't everything be easy?

Oh, yeah, humans.

Peace.

Still thinking about hate speech...

I just read this great quote in Roger Ebert's blog comments (a blog I highly recommend!):

Dostoevsky knew that *129 years ago*, as his loathsome Fyodor Karamazov said:

"... it is rather pleasant to feel wronged -- don't you agree? So a man may know very well that no one has offended him, and may invent an offense, lie just for the beauty of it, or exaggerate what someone said to create a situation, making a mountain out of a molehill. And although he is well aware of it himself, he nevertheless does feel offended because he enjoys doing so, derives great pleasure from it, and so he comes to feel real hostility toward the imaginary offender."

Emphasis mine. I certainly felt the hostility directed toward me last week. I hope the hostile person derived some pleasure from it. Otherwise it really was without value.

Peace.

WWJE?

Cross-posted from my blog at www.burbankfumc.com

I'm sure you've seen the buttons and the bumper stickers designed to make us think: WWJD?

What would Jesus do?

But I have a variation.

Who Would Jesus Exclude?

Wayne's sermon this week was so on point to where I was in my head, it was like he read my mind, seriously! And that list of people that the newspaper forum pastor would leave out of heaven:

"It would include liberals overall, homosexuals, couples living together outside of marriage, anyone who supports abortion at any point, most all people of other faiths, people who don’t interpret scripture literally, those who think we imprison too many people in our country, leaders of countries with different governance systems than the United States..."

Funny thing is, I am or have been in six of those categories! So either I'm out of luck, or that guy is wrong. I know which one I hope!

Funnier still, or maybe just odder, I don't think Jesus would exclude anyone. Really. I mean, he included tax collectors and Philistines, prostitutes and thieves. Jesus certainly accepted people of other faiths, and sympathized with the imprisoned. We know He never said anything about homosexuals at all.

At any rate, acceptance of others, not just tolerance, not just politeness, not even just cold civility are enough. Acceptance. Even love. Remember the sermon from long ago about agape love? Agape has been defined as "an intentional response to promote well-being when responding to that which has generated ill-being." That might be a bit convoluted but seems to be saying, wish well even upon those who wish us ill.

It would be nice if no one wished anyone else ill will, regardless of differences of opinion, but that is an awful lot to expect, isn't it? If we could all peacefully coexist, that would change the world. Ahem.

Change the world.

That sounds awfully good to me.

May peace prevail upon the earth.

This is my response to a really odd experience I had at an event last weekend. The Pastor couldn't have been more on point if he had been sitting next to me at the time (he was not present).

Why is it so hard for some people to co-exist with others who disagree with them? Why must they lash out? Why must they act like poorly adjusted schoolyard bullies? Why do some people who profess to be Christians continue to behave as though they are "those without sin?"

I am determined to be open and welcoming to all. However, I do retain my freedom to express my opinions in a civil way and to protect myself and those I love from abuse and attack.

May peace prevail upon the earth.

My letter to President Obama

Dear President Obama:

I have been so proud to have supported you. I have been a huge fan, a campaigner one-on-one, a wearer of hats and shirts and buttons.

I cried when you won, I cried when you took the oath. I cried when you spoke to us about "our moment."

When you said, "This is our moment, this is our time," I believed you. I believed that what you said during the campaign was true, that we were going to take our country and turn it back into what it was meant to be: by the People, for the People. Our civil liberties would be restored, our country's shame ended, our dignity rebuilt. Yes, we can, we said, because we must.

I believed you. I will never forget that.

As of today, I still believe you. And I want to believe that you are smarter than me, that you see all of the pieces and know how to do what you promised. That you will not abandon us now that the real "moment" has arrived. Because, of course, that wasn't really the moment. That was only the moment of possibility and it had to happen to get us anywhere. But the real moment is now, sir. The real moment, when you stand up and say to the people who don't care if children die of cancer next door as long as they have their money in their pockets, the people who are screaming about socialism and death and fear and fear and fear and racism, that we just don't need them any more. We have the votes, we have the procedures and we will get this done.

If you cannot do that, if you cannot stand up for me and my kids and my parents and my neighbors and your own mother, for God's sake, and tell them to go away, we don't need them, I will be done with you. I will wish you well, I will pray for you, but I will not be with you, sir. I cannot be with you if it all was a lie. I cannot.

And it will make me cry again, sir, because I really did believe you could do it. I really believed that soon I would not have to worry if my kids got sick or my best friend needed surgery or I got into an accident. Someday soon, I could stop worrying about that because we would join the other civilized nations in this world and act like civilized people and not allow the rich to profit off the suffering of their fellow men.

I want to cry with joy again, sir. I want to cry with pride that my leader, the man I voted for, a father of children the same age as mine who understood my life, stood up and did what he said he would do. But if you make me cry with disappointment and shame, sir, I will never forget that either.

My children, my mother and I visited Washington, DC this summer. We stood in front of your house, sir, as your neighbors and your friends and we were proud. Please make us proud again.

My Line in the Sand

No parent should EVER have to ask:

"Is my child sick enough to go to the doctor?"

EVER.

What is the deal with people?

Here's your scenario:

Your child has been caught throwing rocks at other children. One of those children has been injured and is bleeding rather profusely. You:

1) claim it's okay because "they were all throwing rocks" (they weren't);

2) try to get away before the parents of the injured child or her friends can confront you;

3) verbally assault said parents using profanity in a tirade of "how dare you speak to my child that way!"

4) apologize profusely to injured child and her parents in the (sincere) hope that they do not SUE YOUR ASS OFF.

One parent did #1 and #2. One parent did #3. One parent, luckily the parent of the actual thrower of said rock, chose #4.

Meanwhile, I'm icing the child's head and hoping for no stitches or CAT scans and my friend is being assaulted by the parent of a child who has already been bullying HER child for months at school with no consequences.

Oh, so unpleasant and unnecessary.

If your child has done wrong by another child, make them say they are sorry. Give them some consequences. You do your child no favors by not holding them accountable for their actions. This situation could have been TRAGIC, not only for my child, who escaped with a cut and a lot of tears, but for the perpetrator of the violence as well. Lawsuits and juvenile detention are not what you want for your child, either, I am sure.

Unfortunately, in my experience, the parents of bullies are bullies themselves and see no reason not to continue the behavior and teach it to their children. So sad, so wrong.

We are thanking God tonight that this situation did not end tragically. I wish I thought the other family was as well.

Peace.

Clearly this needs to go on my to-do list

Everything (not really) on there gets done, eventually!

All is well here at Chez Chaos, though.

Kids are finishing things up, camping is over, DS gets promoted to Bear tonight, spring dance recital was a great success. I will put up a video of DS's play as soon as I have the show edited (one reason I haven't been over here).

DD is doing VERY well in school, yay! Student of the Month for April! It's been a bit of a slog being in the GATE cluster this year but she has really risen to the occasion. Congratulations, DD!

I think I blogged about being eliminated from Sock Madness right at the beginning. Yes! The other patterns so far have been put aside in favor of continuing on with October Frost, of which I don't have any new pictures. I have however knit a front and about 8 inches of the back, so progress is being made. I really do want to finish this sweater in time to send it to the Fair (deadline: July 7). We shall see.

I'm also cheating on that (what's new?) and knitting Kai-Mei socks out of the incredibly beautiful yarn sent to me as a congratulations gift by CelticMemory: The socks are turning out gorgeous, but no pictures yet. Maybe I'll have time today, but I doubt it as I'm cleaning house.

Finished spinning some BFL from Spunky Eclectic (not Club) and I love it! Now to find the perfect sock pattern and the time to knit it...but after Kai-Mei and the sweater most likely. Although another pair of Marigolds is pretty mindless...

Other news: Job is GREAT! Spent half of last weekend on Women's Retreat and for me the whole thing turned out to be about gratitude vs. fear. For a LONG time I've been very familiar with fear, comfortable with its familiarity, functioning within it most of the time well enough, sometimes not well at all (sorry, J!). Gratitude was fleeting and unfamiliar territory.

Now I find myself grateful all the time, happy a lot of the time, and hardly ever fearful. A huge sea-change. And I can look back and see how this result came to be from things that have happened, choices made, prayers answered long, long ago.

My biggest insight about it, I think, is that being open is more important than being conscious of and trying to control everything. Maybe that doesn't make sense, but willingness to listen matters more than knowing what you're listening for.

Anyway, I'm listening!

And knitting and spinning and having people over for dinner (OMG!) and looking forward to summer and looking forward to next year and the next and the next. How cool is that?

Peace.

Well, you can kick me when I'm down...

But you can't take this away from me.

Last Sunday's Offertory music was a duet featuring Donald Caldwell, Baritone as Adam and me as Eve from Haydn's "The Creation."



Having some personal conflict issues (understatement) and a lot of worry. Stupid.

I need to focus on the good things, but first I just need to get some sleep. Or knit more. Or both!

Peace.

Lots and Lots and Lots of News!

Some of which must remain a mystery...but it's all good!

Even though I was sick and really, really busy with work of many varieties this week, THE YARN FOR THE SWEATER IS FINISHED!! Yes, 1560 yards of beautiful (to me, anyway), fluffy, squishy 3-ply goodness!!! My very first completely handspun sweater is on the way: Started with a sleeve, figuring if the gauge was really off, I wouldn't be so devastated to start over. Yes, I swatched. But as the Yarn Harlot says, swatches lie.

I'm so happy with this yarn, though. It's denser than it should be but I did my best and the cables really pop. It's soft and sturdy and I stop and pet it every few minutes.

Lessons learned:

Sampling is actually fun.
Did not go mad spinning undyed fiber for 7 weeks, amazing.
2 ounces a day is not out of the realm of possibility. Nor 3 ounces.
A Spinner's Control card is not perfect, but it is helpful.

Surely my spinning will improve enormously in the years ahead and someday I will see flaws in this project that I don't see now. But it will be a lovely sweater and fits in perfectly with the International Year of Natural Fiber, who knew!

Since finishing that (I still can't believe it!), I've started some spinning for Sock Madness III. Please understand that, although this is my third year, this year I have NO ambitions to get further than last year and in fact am not in a good place to be super competitive this time out. See super mystery news above. But I will try to stay in for a couple of rounds and try very hard to knit most of the rounds along with the people who are still in it. Hey, who couldn't use more socks? Or gifts? One of the hardest things lately has been NOT knitting any socks after finishing DD's blue socks on Thinking Day (still unphotographed).

Anyway, finishing up this Navajo plied superwash merino that won a Blue Ribbon at the L.A. County Fair in 2007: I have one more ounce of singles to go, hopefully today/tonight:

Then some quick and dirty 2-ply sock yarn from this month's Spunky Eclectic Fiber Club, Corriedale in New Day: Nothing fancy, just random 2-ply hoping to mix the colors.

Wish I could divulge the other news, really! But soon enough...

Peace.

My Cunning Plan

I really only have 2 major things coming up and they both have to be finished this weekend. Which leaves me a little brain for looking forward to doing my own thing next week, finally.

Valentine's Day. Taking care of that this afternoon. Unless I have to stay at school till 3. We will hope not...

6 black vests for 4th Grade Musical. Finished the aprons yesterday. It was actually fun to be out in the garage all afternoon with the sewing machine and my long dormant but apparently unforgettable skills. They turned out too big, so I modified. They are going to school today with the DD.

Then...then...

Day off work on Monday, but get paid for the holiday, woo-hoo!

I want to do a big push on:

Block pieces of Scoop du Jour, knit on the button bands and finish.
Finish 2nd DD sock. This will be helped by field trip this week (bus knitting). The toe of #2 is done.
I would say work on Tempest, but I just haven't had the brain power to work out all this top down changing of pattern. But I don't want to give up, I think it's working. If I can get the sleeve caps in, then it will be easy peasy the rest of the way. Maybe I will, maybe I won't this week.
Since the spinning for October Frost is taking longer than I wanted, I'm now aiming for the Fair and wearing it in the fall, which is okay with me. BUT opens up the possibility of knitting my Must Have Cardigan for the spring camping trip. Mmm...

So my creative juices, as you can see, are flowing. They just seem to stop right around 8:30 pm when I sit down and almost immediately fall asleep. Hopefully I will have some daylight time this week/weekend to get some stuff done in that realm.

Now for your viewing pleasure (?), a short video of me and some other friends singing and playing at a fundraiser last weekend. It was a lovely event and everyone had a great time!

Post-Partisan? That's not it!

I keep encountering or hearing about people encountering those who are cynical. Those who still have no hope, no faith, no optimism. I've been one of you. I've been ranting and raving, sure that the election would never take place, sure that the cheating would overwhelm the numbers, sure that it would never, ever end.

But on Tuesday I took off my tinfoil hat and cried.

And I gave up my cynicism.

Now, mind you, I'm going to hold their feet to the fire when I think it's necessary. And I'm determined to stay active, stay informed, stay vocal.

But I'm no longer going to be afraid. I'm not going to fear that the NSA is tapping my phone and computer (they were). I'm not going to fear that my children won't be able to get a decent education (this will change in time for them). I'm not even going to fear that I won't be able to take them to the orthodontist.

Most of all, I'm not going to be afraid to not be cynical. I'm not afraid to look stupid in my optimism. I don't think it looks stupid.

I think a lot of people out there are afraid that if they aren't cynical, they look like idiots. Well, you're wrong. Cynicism is a defense mechanism for powerlessness. We're not powerless any more, can't you see that? We are the ones we've been waiting for.

And if we stay involved, stay active, stay vocal, let the Administration know what's important to us and why and how we think they should solve problems, we are powerful. We are the change, not Obama. President Obama gives us, is giving us right this minute--go over to the website and see it--the chance to be the change. Sure, it takes people in power to ask us to participate. If they don't let us, we can't do much. But the President is asking us, is encouraging us, to take the reins of power in our own hands and make America what we want her to be.

Let's roll.

Peace.

The Day Before (x-posted at GroundReport.com)

Tomorrow will be crazy again, so I thought I would put something down today. I'll be making videos for Video Your Vote and posting them here later today and tomorrow.

It hardly seems possible to believe that it is over. And of course the Bush administration still has today, shudder. But tomorrow it really will be. Over.

In the eight years since Bush was "elected," my first child grew from a toddler to a fully self-aware 10 year old. My second child has never known any other President.

Our country was hit by the worst attack on our soil since Pearl Harbor, even though we were warned and warned and warned.

We have watched our leaders rape and pillage the Treasury, spy on us regardless of Constitutional protections, torture. We have seen people who speak of "Christian values" admit to acts which would have even Jesus throwing stones.

I believe in the not so distant future, we will discover a plethora of even worse acts by these persons of no conscience, no shame.

Well, I have felt shame. I have felt shame for my country, my government, myself. We are not those people. And, yes, I thank God that those people are leaving.

What have we left? Hope. A President my children can look up to for the first time in their lives. An administration that will not necessarily succeed in everything they need to accomplish, but will absolutely work as hard as they can and use all of their intellect and empathy to improve all of our lives, not just the lives of the rich and powerful. A President with children the same ages as mine who will be asked by his daughters, what did you to to help? What are you doing about that disaster? Why is that person homeless? How can my friend go to college?

There is no bubble with kids in the house.

Tomorrow, I will be watching. And crying. And thankful. And hopeful. And then the real work begins.

If you can serve today, our National Day of Service, please do. Do it along with the Obamas, along with the Stackhouses, along with the Batsons and the Smiths and the Joneses. Let it be a down payment on the work we will have to all do to get America back to where she belongs.

"We must be the change we want to see in the world." Be the Change. Change.

Peace.

11 Days to Go!

I've been asked to report for Video Your Vote again on Inauguration Day so I will do my best, although it will be 9:00 in the morning here AND the first real day of work at the new job. On the bright side, my new boss (and old boss while I'm wearing another hat) just sent me a thank you note that ended, "P.S. January 20th almost here!" So I don't think he'll mind if I'm watching it on the computer while I work. My office-mate is a very close friend and I think all will be well.

I plan to interview the children again on the way to school. That might be the best I can do until after noon.

I also plan to have the streaming video of the Neighborhood Ball on at home in the afternoon. It will be a great day!!

In fiber news, I have been spinning the gray singles and have started the second bobbin. This was the first one at about the 1 ounce point: I absolutely adore this fiber, so soft, slightly sheepy smelling. And I also enjoy spinning from the fold so it's fun so far. I have another half hour if I get off the computer before the kids come home from school.

Sunday is my daughter's 10th birthday party, amazing! I've been a mother for almost 10 years. It seems both like forever and like a moment. I have less time left with her before college than I've had already. I wish I were better at this, but I try and I think they know it. They are very loving, affectionate, bright and entertaining children, and charming one at a time. They are neither shy nor easily intimidated. I have absolutely no idea what they will want to do when they grow up. They are a great frustration at times and a great joy all the time. They certainly show up my weaknesses and childishness. But at the same time, they help me keep cynicism at bay. I am incredibly grateful to have them, these two, and none other. They are mine, mine, mine and a miraculous gift.

Happy Birthday, Pie!

Peace.

Progress Report

New job (temporary) is now official, yay!

I start training tomorrow, also yay!

As soon as jet lag wore off (mostly) I started the Handspun Sweater Project™ (hereafter HSP) and interesting things were discovered.

I had already spun a sample in June or so when I ordered 8 ounces of the fiber for that purpose and entered some 2-ply yarn from it in the Fair (red ribbon).

Here's the 2-ply:

And the 3-ply sample: Nice yarn, but I want a little more twist. Worsted spun, singles 28 wpi.

So I started this time with worsted spinning at 32 wpi, to see if it was too thin at that size or if I could use it and get more yardage out of my 2 pounds of fiber.

Sample skein: Nice yarn, definitely. Would be lovely at 5 spi. But at 4, it's just too thin and floppy.

Here's the swatch on 8's: You can't really see from this how flat the cable is and how airy the fabric. This just would not work at 4 spi, which is the gauge I got with it on these needles.

Next I spun from the fold at 28 spi for the singles and ended up with this yarn: The yarn is fuzzier, as expected, but a really easy spin, very soft and lofty and Aran weight, yipee!

The swatch: The cable stands up very nicely and the gauges is still a bit off, so I will swatch again with the real yarn on 7's to see if it's perfect. But I think this yarn is the winner. And I enjoy spinning from the fold a lot, that will help my process with all this gray.

Enough?

Down to the spinning today, I think.

My plan is to do 6 ounces of finished yarn a week until I'm done. I don't know if that is really possible, but it's 2 ounces at a sitting and then a day of plying a week. The spinning should take me 5-6 weeks at that rate and gets me knitting by March 1. The nice part is the sweater should knit up pretty quickly at 4 spi and I might be able to wear it before it gets too hot here. That would make me SO happy!

Wish me luck at the new job. I'm doing perfectly easy stuff at a perfectly pleasant place with perfectly lovely people. Bummer, huh? Only wish it would turn into something longer term, but you never know.

Peace.