Saturday Sky in California. Same old, same old.
Saturday Sky in Colorado. Much more dramatic, much more interesting.
On his last day of vacation, Gary, John and Rachel went fishing on Horsetooth Resevoir. 
I love the clouds in the background. 
Living in So. California, I miss clouds and storms and lightening. The drama of changing weather. Don't miss the humidity though.
I thought I'd graduated from inchworm spinning. The last two skeins I've done have been spun woolen - it's easier on my hands (I don't hold the fiber as tightly) and I like the texture much better. I'm trying to spin black Merino laps; the fiber is short and slippery.
It's very frustrating - spin it too thin and it breaks; don't put enough twist (or look at it cross-wise) and it breaks. I really want a black single to ply with the color batts we made at the last Guild workshop, so I'll keep inching my way along.
I've got the Merino on Bekki, the Traveller. 
I can only spin it for a short time before my hand cramps or I get too frustrated. So, I set up Florence, the Lendrum, to finish spinning the Ocean Breeze wool I got from Wove-N-Spun.
I already have one completed skein in this colorway and I love it. Not sure what I'll do with the finished yarn. Maybe just admire it for awhile. I've got the two wheels set up side-by-side so I can move from one to the other easily. I want to hurry and finish the Breeze so I can start in on this: 
and this: 
Aren't they gorgeous? And totally different from each other. The top is a Columbia/Mohair blend of white, blue and green. So soft and delicate. The second one is a Romedale/Tussah silk blend that just fascinates me. I love browns and earth tones. I think this will make a very nice, very soft yarn. I picked them up during the Sheep to Shawl event at the fair. And I'm anxious to start spinning them. So I'll keep the Merino on Bekki and work away at it, little by little, while I spin "fun" fiber on Florence. I wonder if I can get Eleanor, the Dundas, working . . . . I could have three wheels in a row, all with different fiber. (I think of this as multi-tasking, rather than compulsive behavior. It's much more positive. *grin*
We're tooling down the 101 freeway, heading here, when we are passed by this:
which, I'm told, is a very nice Ferrari (Gary will know exactly which model this is. Right, Gary?) What really caught our attention was the license plate:
NBA MVP
Hmmmm. I wonder who that could have been?
Another Fair Trip
Dick hadn't been to the fair yet this year, so went we today.
He probably would have passed until next year but it was $1 day and he wanted to see my ribbons, the Professional Arts exhibits, and his favorite part, the landscape pavilion.
My favorite part? See this?
And this? 
Woohoo! It's NOT ME! For more years than I care to remember, I worked one of these traffic control positions at the fair. And listened to whiney people and who justhadtogetintothefair and couldn'tbothertogoaroundtothemaingate, thank you very much. And at least once a year, it seemed like, someone would try to run me down. It was good money - time and a half - but I DO.NOT.MISS.IT.
Woodworking
Dick's a pretty handy guy to have around. He made a new part for Eleanor, the temperamental Dundas spinning wheel. The open end on the original piece allowed the bobbin to bounce around while I was spinning. 
The part Dick made has a closed top - no more bounce! (The cherry wood he used is actually a close match to the rest of the wheel; the old part was made of purpleheart which matched trim pieces on the bobbins.) 
Now I need to install the new driveband and give Eleanor another whirl. Can't wait to see if this makes her less temperamental.
Finished Object! Sort of.
I bought the 'Moss' yarn on the left from an eBay vendor and blogger. I won a skein of cashmere yarn from her during Claudia's MS fundraiser and I've made several purchases since then. (Ellen - the yarn on the right is Peppermint Pink. Isn't it lovely? She has more in her eBay store . . . . . )
This skein is a 50/50 blend of alpaca and wool and is absolutely gorgeous. After petting it for several weeks, I finally settled on a pattern for a crocheted shawl. I carefully figured yarn totals; the pattern called for 495 yards and I had 500 yards. Piece of cake, right? Wrong. Not even close.
It's a little hard to tell in this picture, but the third point of the triangle? The thing that actually makes it a shawl? Missing. Not enough yarn. And, of course, this was the last skein that Deb had.
After a quick (frantic) consultation with Lois, I decided to leave it as is rather than ripping it out and starting over. It's actually a nice size. The width reaches from fingertip to fingertip; the length is just past my shoulder blades. I'm calling it a stole - and a design element. (not a mistake. never a mistake.) I love it.
Colorado Update
Broncos Training Camp. But not Autograph Day. Oh well, Gary will just have to go back next year to get his football signed.
Remember Jeff Foxworthy and his "You Might Be A Redneck"? How about "You Might Be A Crochet Addict" if you go to a bookstore - a *big* bookstore - and all you come home with is this: 
Dick managed to find some real reading material but this was my haul from yesterday's jaunt. I spent last night and today selecting projects and winding yarn so I can get started on some new projects. Why would I do just one when I can have 7 or 8 or 9 on the hook at once? Hmmm. I wonder if there's a 12-step program for craft-aholics.
The Colorado adventure continues. And what does a 7 months pregnant woman do for fun? Go to an archery range, of course! 
John bought Rachel a compound bow recently so they took Gary to the range for some target shooting. 
I understand Gary kicked serious butt. Go, Gary!
They also went to the fair 
to sample the obligatory funnel cake.
Gee, in the dark a Colorado Fair looks just like the Ventura Fair!
Although I enjoyed it thoroughly and did everything by choice, this week has kicked my behind. From Scrap Camp to the Fair, a silk dyeing class, Sheep to Shawl, creating a 50th anniversary PowerPoint (Happy Anniversary, Jim & Clema!), celebrating birthdays, and more, it was go-go-go. I've gotten used to retired life and the slower pace of working to a 'me-line' rather than a deadline.
This next week was supposed to be a mini-vacation - with the Gare Bear in Colorado, Dick & I were going to take the convertible for a cruise up the Oregon coast - but that is on hold until the contractors are done with the remodel. We may get away for a long weekend - maybe Laguna Beach and the Sawdust Festival - but nothing is definite. I love how Phase 2 is turning out, and vegging at home has real appeal after last week, so I'm fine with leaving our plans to chance.
Here are a few odds & ends from the past week:
Crafty Rachel
Rachel is very artistic and has a great eye for color, especially in photography. She's dabbled in various crafts - leatherwork and photography come to mind - but wasn't overly interested in the fiber arts. Addy's eminent arrival seems to have changed that. Rachel sent me these photos of the cross-stitch bibs she and Tanya have been making. Wish I could claim credit for Rachel's interest in things fibery, but I think Tanya has the greater claim. Don't they do nice work? Tanya made an Eyore bib and Rachel did all the rest.
Happy Birthday!
Matt and Gary's birthdays are a day apart; Matt on August 4 
and Gary on August 3. 
With Matt's work schedule, (can you say 'rookie'? He's worked almost every day since he got out of training) Tuesday was the only day we could all get together to celebrate at our favorite pizza joint. Happy birthday, guys! 
Silk Dyeing
Vickie and I took a silk dyeing/fusion class at one of my new favorite stores, Modern Gypsy in Ventura. 
The owner is a member of my spinning guild and has an amazing supply of unusual spinning and weaving items. She also stocks my favorite African Folklore Embroidery kits. The class was wonderful. We got to experiment with dyeing silk hankies, roving and caps - and got cocoons to bring home and dye. The instructor, Janis Thompson from Oregon - who just happens to be one of the organizers for Black Sheep Gathering - talked non-stop for 4 hours about silk, dyes, spinning, knitting and more. It was a fabulous class. And she's coming back to Ventura in January and will probably hold another class. I'm already on the waiting list for that one.
Arcade Mania
Gary's first stop in Colorado was Dave & Buster's Arcade. 
Rachel said that in just two hours, the three of them managed to win over 1200 tickets. Gary got a Broncos football (which he hopes to get signed when they go to training camp), a finger-shaped fart machine (oh, joy), candy, and a mug.
And he kicked John and Rachel's butt at every game. 
No surprise there; Gary is the king of anything requiring good hand-eye coordination. Sounds like the trip is off to a great start.
Today's Sheep to Shawl event at the fair was a blast. We had 10-15 spinners, 3 carders and one weaver working with a beautiful Romney fleece. The loom was warped with purple Jagger Spun and set for a Rosepath pattern; the white Romney weft showed beautifully against the purple. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture. I hope the shawl did really well at tonight's auction!
It was such a pleasure to sit in the shade, spin with friends, and watch the fair-goers. Lots of people stopped to see what we were doing and to ask questions. I was surprised at the number of men who stop to watch and to comment. Some want to see the wheel's mechanics but a good number talk about family members who spin or do other fiber arts. One older gentleman reminisced about seeing a spinning wheel sitting in a neighbor's front window when he was a young child. It had to have been at least 60 years ago, but he remembered it vividly.
And a little shopping was accomplished. I brought home one natural colored Cotswold fleece, (the photo doesn't do this fleece justice; it's beautiful with colors ranging from black to silver to cream.)
one pelt that I'm planning to use as a cushion on my weaving bench,
and some very nice roving.
I'm not going to attend tomorrow's spinning competition - we're taking Gary to the airport for the start of his Denver vacation (good luck, Rachel!) - so today was probably the end of my fair adventures. Can't wait to do it all again next year!
John and Rachel (ok, just John) figured out how to scan and send the sonograms, so here is the very first picture of my due-in-November grandchild, Addison Grace.
Isn't she a cutie??
Construction continues. This is what my bedroom looks like every morning at 7:30 sharp. 
(Did I mention that I'm not a morning person? That 7:30 is darn near the middle of the night? Really, really can't wait for construction to be over.)
The crew is getting a lot accomplished each day. Hopefully, they will be finished by next Wednesday or Thursday. The arch is now in place and the second coat of plaster went on today. 
The hallway door into our room is gone, drywalled and ready for the cabinet Dick plans to build in its place. 
The cats are taking all the noise and disruption pretty much in stride. They avoid the construction area while the crew is here, but as soon as the last truck leaves, they start investigating the changes. We've been under construction for so long, they probably think this is the way their world is supposed to be.
Today was my day to work the Guild's booth at the Ventura County Fair. Nona designed and built our booth, which took a BLUE RIBBON! Yeah, Nona!
I volunteered for the first day because I thought it would be less crowded than later in the week - and to check on my entries. I'm a tad bit impatient (ok, a *lot* impatient) and knew I couldn't wait until later in the week to see how I'd faired. (sorry)
Since this was the first time in 20+ years that I'd entered items, I was really unsure how I'd do. And I was thrilled to find this: 
and this: 
and these: 
and an Honorable Mention for my handspun. I'm really pleased with this ribbon; I've only been spinning for a year and there was some strong competition in this category.
Plus two firsts, a second, and two honorable mentions for my scrapbook pages. Out of the 13 items I entered, I took home 11 ribbons. Not bad for a beginner!
Construction has begun, yet again. This round should last only a week and a half. I'm excited to have it underway; can't wait for it to be finished. We are turning the 3 downstairs bedrooms into a master suite. The construction crew is cutting the new doorways, moving one wall and building an arch between two rooms. Dick will do the rest of the work.
The wall between the (very small) laundry room and my old craft room was moved back about 2 feet to make the laundry room bigger. (I'm more excited about this than any of the other changes we're making in this phase.)
An arched doorway was cut between Marie's former bedroom
and our master bedroom.
Each side of the arch has inset bookshelves.
Two days done. Five more to go.
