I usually like winter, and I am usually an upbeat happy person.  Today, as I reflect on the last week and a half, I contemplate the fact that there should only be a few more weeks of winter.  THANK GOD!!!

It seems this winter someone has been sick for the entire time.  Usually me lol.  But, with the trees starting to show their buds, and the plump sheep waddling around, it has turned my mind to the idea that it is almost over.  Flu season has hit hard here in our area.  I have tried to go to the Dr twice, once for me and once for William, and couldn’t get in because they are swamped with flu cases.  Luckily my Dr was kind enough to call a prescription in for my ear infection, and so all is well.  Today William seems better so I decided to not bother with a Dr office visit.  Come on Spring!  I am ready.  Once the doors open and the air warms, it seems that all this goes away.  I hope the rest of you have faired better than us.  This last bout, we all got sick, and Beau missed a whole weeks work.  I don’t remember ever having flu this bad, and he doesn’t either.  I feel even worse for people who had flu and then experienced power outages from the ice storm we had.  That would really stink.  So, I am very thankful that Beau had time to be off work, and that everything is coming out ok.  It just seems like I am a broken record.  Lucky for us, when he was at his worse, I was better and so forth.

On another note I have composed a small list of things to not do when you call people who are very sick.  Kind of funny looking back, but annoying at the time lol.

1. Do not mention that the person wouldn’t be sick if they had had a flu shot.  It’s just mean.  They know that, and besides, this flu strain was not included on this years shot and so we would have gotten it anyway.
2. Do not go on and on about how sick you were when you had the same thing.  Especially, don’t go on and on about how your flu experience was obviously much worse than the sick person’s you are calling.  I mean come on people!  Let that poor sick person feel  sorry for themselves in peace, because DANG, it stinks.  So don’t be trying to get sympathy from someone running 104 temperature who has 4 kids with high temperatures, and a bunch of other stuff going on too.  How about offering to bring some soup and homemade rolls?
3. Do not call during obvious napping times.  This is a good rule of thumb for anyone with napping age children.  The hours from noon to three are nap hours for most young children, so don’t call and wake them up everyday checking on the family, and telling them how they should have had a flu shot, and besides you were 10 times sicker than them anyway.  (heh heh I really am rubbing that one in lol)
4. If you call during nap hours and someone is cross with you, don’t take it personally and bring it up again a week later.  If they were that sick, they probably won’t even remember it.  Besides nobody likes being woke up at a nap, much less when they are so sick.  Somebody that sick isn’t in their right minds, so don’t hold it over their heads later, be a grown up.

Just a few hints, I had never thought of anything like this before ha ha.  It’s annoying, and I never realized it before.  I hope I have never done these things lol.  I have just not had a marathon of flu like this before…

On the plus side, I finished some projects here and there.  I have one finger of the gloves left to do, and I’m done with the pair.  All I have in my bag is half a sock and a ball of lace weight yarn for a shawl/veil that I have an idea for but have ripped out and changed at least a million times :).

So, I am shopping for a new project, what are you guys working on?

I also think I have finally procured a supplier for some specialty fibers that are priced reasonably enough for me to resell.  I could buy them through the ordinary places, then charge like $8 - $15 per ounce for hand dyed silk and such, but really I just don’t think it’s worth that much.  People pay it, but it seems like a rip off to me.  After about a million emails, and lots of googling, I have found two places that might work out very well.  I have to thank my dear friend Heidi for helping me, she has been so supportave and helpful.

So, I was thinking about offering some tussah and mulberry silk, as well as some blends and optim which I LOVE.  They would be dyed in a variety of colors, and I was also asked by several people to consider doing a fiber/batt of the month club.  And maybe a sock of the month club that includes a pairs worth of hand dyed sock yarn each month.  These clubs are fun, and they fill up very fast because most retailers can only handle so many sign ups.  I think I could only manage about 10 - 20, depending on if it was fiber or batts.  The batts of course cost more, because you dye the fibers, then blend them together, so there is more labor.  The fibers are easier, but less exciting as they will not be blends of fun stuff.  The fiber club would be 4 ounces, and probably in the $10 - $20 range including shipping.  The would be fibers such as mulberry silk, tussah silk, noils, blends, optim, 16 micron merino and other really fun stuff.  The batts would be similar, but be in the $15 - $20 range for 4 ounces.  Would you think batts and fibers or just one or the other would be more desirable?

The sock club depends on me finding a reasonable sock yarn to resell.  Does anyone know where to buy quality sock yarn to dye and resell for a reasonable price, I have one place to buy, but who knows?  I would want to be able to sell the dyed skein for less than $10 US I think.  I can get good nylon/superwash yarn, but would that be good enough or would people want more exotic blends?  I really am not wanting to try and sell things for a super high price.  I like to feel like I offer a fair price, and that people can afford to spin and knit.  Some of the products are just out of range for many.  So what do you guys think?  This is also going to allow me to be able to write about these things, and of course offer more tutorials, so it benefits me too.  I have trouble because there are so many fibers I would love to write about, but it gets hard to choose, and hard to pay for the materials.  Some of them are so very high in price, not that I am blaming people for over charging, but I would rather make the products available to everyone.  Most people can afford $20 per month, but it can be hard to spend $40 for enough fiber to make a small project.  I would really like to make these things available for almost every budget, and the best thing is, that I won’t be sacrificing quality.  OOHHH and just think, that stuff will show up in the prizes instead of the normal stuff lol.

It looks like I am going to publish March 15, and perhaps we will just forgo the Jan issue in the future.  This seems to be the best way to deal with it.  I have a good line up and a good start on those articles, I just keep getting interrupted!  Thanks so much for all your input and support.  I have a wonderful product and book review for the next issue, and also plan on doing some specialty fibers.  I am still looking for something to do for the something fun article, any ideas???

I was thinking of shaking things up and going off into another fiber arts area that many people haven’t ever seen or done.   I have contemplated doing some embroidery, and needlework articles for something fun, wouldn’t it be great to do some of the lovely needle work crafts, with hand spun threads and yarns?  And what about felting?  That would be fun too.  I’m tossing it all around, let me know what you think.

OH I FORGOT!!!  We found out that our little baby who has caused me so much grief with morning sickness is a little girl and we have chosen the name Julianna Rose for her.  So little Julianna will be coming along in June to make life more interesting.  It will be fun to see how I manage to deal with that and the magazine.  I think I can do it, but I need to organize my time better, and focus on articles everyday.  I did publish an article outside of S&W on spinning.  You can view it here.   I am always pleased to write to a group of people, who ordinarily wouldn’t consider spinning or knitting.  I will be republishing the article on S&W in next issue.  Mostly I plan on breaking it up in to smaller articles, and fleshing it out some.  As they wanted it, all in one shot, it gets too long imho.  BUT maybe I can rope a few more innocent bystanders into the club eh?

So, that’s the news here, I hope all of you are fairing well, and keeping healthy!

Well, I have to thank Beau for getting me caught up.  In his compassion he washed ALL the laundry yesterday while I was away teaching Jr High students how to spin.  It was fun and I wish I had taken some pictures, (of the class I mean, not the laundry :P).

They listened attentively and seemed interested.  Several of them commented that the raw fleece I brought was SOOOooo stinky!  And it made me think of dear old Blue my friend Tammy’s Merino ram.   He is aromatic to say the least.  I mean DANG, it makes ME gag!  I contemplated why I found the fleece I had brought not only be NOT stinky, but of a pleasant amount of sheepie odor.  I LIKE the smell of my Shetland fleeces…  Could it be that it’s because I have burned out the smell receptors in my nose by exposing them to the noxious fumes that emanate from the posteriors of certain diaper bearing children that live here?  That is the only explanation I can come up with.

These kids must have never smelled REAL stench, and therefore have no concept at all of what the word “stink” really means.  Some fleeces stink, but this one didn’t, very mild.  It makes me wonder, after I’ve been working raw fleece, and I go to the store do Jr High kids smell me and think I stink???  I mean what if my definition is all wrong and I’ve been going around  smelling disgusting?  Well, if so,that’s ok, because everybody should know what sheep smell like, so I’m doing a public service if you ask me.

The kids were mostly fascinated by the spinning as they watched me.  A few of them fiddle farted around and didn’t do much.  Then some others took it up right away!  I set them to helping the ones who didn’t get it yet.

There were two special needs students in the class, and one of them in particular had difficulties.  One of the lovely girls in the class helped her with the most patience and caring that I was really very impressed with her as a person.  She was a very pretty young lady, and of the sort to be well liked, and I found it to be quite inspiring to see someone so willing to help out someone, despite the likelihood that she would be made fun of for it.  Plus she didn’t think my fleece smelled, so that makes her even nicer yet.

After the class, the two special needs kids drug me by the sleeve up to meet their teacher.  There were about 8 students in that class, and the teachers asked me if I could show the kids there how to spin.  So I gave a demonstration and they were like 10 year olds with a brand new game boy.  Or like me with a pound of some new fiber that I’ve wanted to try forever.  I.. JUST…CAN’T….LOOK..AWAY!  and NO I can’t put it down, (to Beau)  and yes I just might sleep with it.  By the way, where are you sleeping? I hear the couch is comfie…

The kids asked me about our farm and how we live, and I had to tell them the names of all the animals that live here(6 cats, 15 sheep, a dog, two horses, a pony and the chickens).  I failed to tell them all of the chickens names, although they are all named…hee hee, I was hungry and ready to go eat lunch!  They were a great audience, and there is a possibility that they might be having me back to help the kids try to spin.

As an aside, I should tell you I also post on another blog about my sheep and our farm.  You might enjoy that one too, mostly I just talk about whatever, it’s not sanitized and discusses the realities of farm life hee hee.   www.allena.thethreeringranch.com  Someone gave me an award for that blog, and I felt kind of weird because many of the blogs I read, know me from THIS blog, so by the time they knew I gave them the award, they had already got it from someone else.   bummer, well it just shows that people I know are really cool people as I have to compete to compliment them.

So for the kids, I sell the spindles I make with CDs plus some fiber and the lesson for $5 each, so I don’t make a whole lot, but I do get the chance to teach kids to do something productive instead of drooling down their chin parked in front of the tube.  Of course I gave them all my, “Television will Rot Your Brain” speech, but I doubt any of them believed me lol.  I’m not totally against TV, but many people always ask me how I have time to spin, knit, home-school or anything like that.  Well, frankly I don’t waste 3 - 5 hours a day sitting there watching shows that are so stupid that you can see the IQ points falling out of your ears…  I use that evening time to spin, knit, read or do something with the family.  Soo a friendly reminder, watch some TV or movies, but don’t forget to turn it off, because the REAL world is passing you by as you stare off into the depths of the dummy box.  Anyhow, maybe some of these kids will get bit by the bug, and start to spin?  Wouldn’t that be cool?  I don’t mean to be rude to TV connoisseurs, but kids are watching too much TV/video games and all that.  They need to get a hobby!  So take a kid out to smell a sheep today ok?

After that, I was pretty tired, and was treated to a nice red dinner by my friend Liz.  Red dinner is Chinese food, and Elizabeth loves to eat what she calls “red dinner”.  I love the creative ways that children express their feelings, and describe their surroundings.  I will probably call it red dinner for a long time.  It’s a very accurate description.   Speaking of Elizabeth, I would like to point out what happens when little girls play with Legos - at least this little girl…

I have titled the peice, “TK427, Why Aren’t You at Your Post”  Legos on bookshelf by Elzabeth Jackson -  I particularly like the way she used the blaster beams as a table plant..  This shows an irony and depth that is truly evocative of todays modern mindset of childrens toys.  The artist has cleaverly used color for the furnishings to offset the stark whiteness of the figures in the work, which also is contrasted by the black foundation.   The clear reversal of gender roles is refreshing and echoes the irony of the medium used to convey the concepts of violence vs peaceful co-existence.  snicker snicker…

Now, many of you don’t know, but I have a BFA in painting from IU Bloomington.  Back then, I would have painted this, and laughed with every stroke of the brush. I very much enjoyed creating paintings that presented things in a way contrary to their purpose.  For instance I painted a Spiderman reading the paper, like on Sunday mornings he hangs out in his leotard and reads the funnies…  Now, I have to settle for posting it on my blog.  I considered naming it “Storm Trooper Tea Time”  snort.  It does have a lot of interesting concepts, but really, it all boils down to, this is what happens when you give my little girl legos with storm troopers….  Conversely a boy will often take a tea set and suddenly the dishes are flying saucers having in intergalactic battle across the living room floor.  Oh well, I guess what counts, is that they have a good time right?

Kids sure are fun!

disclaimer : Guys this is a joke, and although it makes some valid points, it’s meant to be funny, don’t take it too serious.

I was reading a blog I like that I just found not long ago, Shepard Chik

I tried to comment but blogger hates me. I mean it, I have an account, but either I am too stupid to use it, or it has some evil plan to not ever ever allow me to comment. I may have posted this comment like 6 times on the poor ladies blog. Sorry SC, I didn’t mean to do it, I just am dumber than your average blogger user.

Anyway, here is the post I made and isn’t terribly on topic, she was discussing something really much more interesting, but I got off on a tangent. Read her Nov 6 post and you’ll understand it better. Basically I am giving my opinion on cheap acrylic, and stash management and the idiotic questions people ask like “Why do you need all those needles?” DUH, to knit with moron. Of course I don’t say that… Why do people feel the need to critisize knitter because they own tool of their trade? Who gets all over a machanic who has lots of different sized wrenches? Sort of like needles, you need different sizes…

Anyway, I have an opinion, and you’re all just lucky unlucky enough to hear it.

WHAT IS UP WITH CRAPPY YARN?? WHY DO PEOPLE THINK THATS ALL THEY CAN USE? AND WHY DO THEY THINK THATS ALL I SHOULD USE?

Why on earth should anybody feel guilty and be labeled “snob” because they use a quality yarn for something they are going to pour hours of work into?

I have used NICE acrylic, but really it’s still PLASTIC. Why would I use yarn that I can buy for like less than a $1 an ounce, when I can use wool, alpaca, cotton, silk and all the many other options, or even really nice acrylic or synthetic blends for just a little more? And why get all over someone who likes natural fiber, when is plastic ever better? Who wants a plastic house or car? But no, if you don’t want to use plastic yarn you’re a yarn snob.

Well who in the world goes to church on Sunday in a new sweater, and gets a compliment and gushes “It’s acrylic!” Cashmere, sure, angora of course, acrylic…Please.

The other line I get that annoys me is the old “I can’t afford wool/good yarn” which really means, “I have a huge pile of this terrible garbage in my basement, that was given to me or I bought and now I HAVE to use it” (Note: This remark is related to specific incident with my mother who has a million yards of red heart, and refuses to use anything else, even handspun I give her….FOR FREE) I am addressing the stubbornness of many knitters who have always used this, and will not try anything else, regardless of price. There is yarn almost AS CHEAP that is nice. Please see the list of links at the end of the post.

I think I am NOT a yarn snob, I think I am smart enough to buy a the best quality product for my work I can afford, so that it will last, be of good quality, and be beautiful forever instead of pilling up into a scratchy cheap plastic mess after a wash or two. It will also feel nice while I am using it and be enjoyable to knit with.  To be fair all acrylic is not equal.

I have a newborn infant coming in June and BTW if anyone wants to send me hand-washable wool garments, blankets or whatever, I am OK with that! Moms in this day and age do NOT ALL have to have machine washable items. I wash them all in one go, just like I wash fleeces in cool water, no problem. Many Mothers prefer natural fiber and for very good reasons

Acrylic will melt onto the poor baby/person if there is a fire, whereas wool will protect you from fire. I mean really what are those legislators DOING, this should be a law, get rid of plastic yarn! at least for bed items.

How many contractors do you know who side their houses with plexi-glass? Or even use in windows? Why, isn’t it better???

Why not use Vaseline instead of shortening in pie crusts. sheesh. Its cheaper, oh and it gets rid of hairballs.

My stash is small, but well loved, and I don’t think stash should be tracked too much, if you’re working/knitting and not starving or letting the kids go without shoes then BUY AS MUCH YARN AS YOU DARNED WELL PLEASE. Buy within your budget, but don’t feel you must always buy the cheapest yarn because it’s only a hobby. There is a difference between choosing the best you can afford, and automatically choosing the absolute cheapest because someone will give you a guilt trip if you spend more the $10 on yarn.  Your handknit sweater can cost more than you can buy one for at Wal Mart.  We don’t have to knit to save money on clothes.

Hey, why doesn’t somebody yell at someone who snarfs down at McDonald’s everyday, that’s like $6 a day, $30 a week getting flushed down the toilet. Think about that. HEY and I have a sweater, you just have well, never mind. My yarn purchases can almost ALWAYS be covered by one dinner out, and nobody would ever think to criticize me for doing that, and it gets flushed, it’s gone, right down the john. But knitting, knitting keeps you warm. I don’t spend even remotely $20 per week or even a month on yarn, but I hear that. “Why do you spend all that money on yarn?”

I think we should all embrace our yarn, and darn it, people should just butt out! Go back to their big screens and antique cars, that I would like to point out cost lots of money….Everybody spends their money…on…something…But wool, keeps you warm.

But now, how bout I tell you what I REALLY think? lol

Yarn snob indeed.

PS:

www.thesheepshedstudio.com quality cheap fiber and yarn, from Brown Sheep Co

oh, and we have plenty of it in our shop too. it’s all nice, and all pretty cheap.

www.knitpicks.com

they have lots of very nice yarns, and anyone should be able to save up to buy nice yarn for larger projects with some of their choices.

Finally if you like acrylic, then fine, just say so, and quit calling me snob because I don’t.