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This RingSurf Site is owned by The Patchwork Butterfly


 
I wasn't born with wings, so I'm trying to make my own
 
Sunday, July 08, 2007  

So I have two "problems" (not really problems, but I can't think of a better word) and I think I may have come up with a fun solution to both. As usual, I am incapable of making a long story short (my specialty runs more toward making a short story long), so here's the long story :-)
Problem 1: Mark and I have really tightened our belts and put ourselves on a very strict house-saving budget. This has been great so far and we are saving tons of money. It feels so great to be working so hard toward a goal that we are really excited about. It hasn't been too tough so far, but next month is Mark's birthday and our anniversary. I had a loose mental budget for present-spending, and I had a bit of cash left for fun money for me, as well. I've had a serious itch for some new fibers lately, and I've gotten a few new things, but I had my eye on a few more. But then I kind of stumbled across the perfect birthday present for Mark and it was one of those now-or-maybe-never-again kind of things. So, I got it for him, of course, but it exceded my present budget, so now there's no fun money. Mark is more than worth it, and I'm tickled to be able to give him this present (sorry for the mystery, he reads the blog), but the fiber-lust is still strong.
Problem 2: Even though the fiber-lust is still quite strong, I really don't need to be buying new fiber, even if I had the money, because I have a stash of epic proportions. I really don't need more fiber (like that has EVER stopped me). In fact, I actually have fiber I literally don't need. Right now, I'm only spinning gossamer weight. That means even a giant shawl would only require three ounces of fiber, max. I've had several occasions when I've fallen in love with a fiber, but the vendor would only sell in quantities larger than what I need. So I have several four and eight ounce lots of fiber when I really only need two or three ounces. I split all these lots months ago, but I haven't been able to let go of the excess because I hoard fiber like a dragon hoards gold. I can't give up that fiber... it's mine... my precious. But really, it's silly to keep something around that I know I don't need.
So... here's my solution: Anybody wanna trade?



2 ounces of Chasing Rainbows' Bombyx Silk in colorway Mary's

Sold in lots of two at an estate sale. The other one from this lot is marinating in the stash.


2 ounces Chasing Rainbows' 50/50 wool/silk in colorway Grand Canyon

Sold in lots of two at an estate sale. The other one from this lot was used in my October in New York shawl. The one I used for my shawl was not as vibrant as this one.

100 grams of Blue Moon's tencel/merino in colorway Rain

Sold as an 8oz lot, the other half is marinating in my stash.

Trading some of my fiber for some of yours would solve both of my problems. I'd be getting rid of fiber I don't need and getting some new fiber for only the cost of shipping! And you'd be getting some new fiber, too! Plus, I think it just sounds like fun.

So, what do you say? Do you like any of these fibers? Do you want to trade?


I propose that anyone who would like to trade leave a comment with the fiber you'd like to trade for (first comment wins). I hate to say this, but since I'm doing this on a tight budget, I'm only opening this up to people who live in the US because of shipping costs. We'll each pay shipping for the package we send out. I'd really like to get surprises from the people I trade with, so I've put a short list of likes/dislikes below, so you know what you're getting into, since I'm pretty picky. But the surprise issue is negotiable. If you don't feel up to choosing for me, we can talk about what you have that you'd be willing to trade, and I can choose.


Likes:

fibers: fine wools (merino, cormo, polwarth), silks, cashmere (wishful thinking)

colors: blues and greens, handpaints, blended batts

other: batts! right now I'm on a batt kick, as long as it is prepared well enough that I can spin my frog hair with it


Dislikes:

fibers: angora (wildly allergic), tencel, BFL, any coarse or medium wools

colors: I enjoy all colors, but I'd prefer no solid colors unless they're natural colors
other: I'd prefer no commercially prepared fibers (Ashland Bay, Louet, etc) unless they are natural colors so I can dye them.


FYI: all of these fibers come from a house that contains a cat. She's not allowed in the fiber room, so it's not like she's rolled around in them, but if you have an allergy, I just wanted to make you aware that there's a small chance you could get a cat hair or two.


I really hope that someone (or three someones) out there will think this sounds as fun as I do. If you'd like to do some fiber swappin', leave me a comment and we'll get the ball rolling.


Sunday, July 01, 2007  

You know those weeks during the summer when it's so humid you feel sticky/slimy all the time and there's a quick lightning storm almost every day and the tension/misery is so thick you could cut it and everyone wishes they were somewhere else or someone else just so they didn't have to go into work on another summer day and the feeling that your life is going on without you is palpable? Yeah, last week was one of those weeks. I wasn't really feeling it so much, but it seems like everyone I work with was definitely feeling it and had their crankypants on in a major way. It only took a day or two of that for me to get my crankypants on, too. Woo, was I glad to see the weekend arrive. Hopefully this week will be a bit more pleasant. There's the holiday right in the middle of the week and a lot of people are taking a day or two off in addition to the 4th, so even if they are as grumpy as last week, I won't have to see them as much. It's a very crazy busy time for my deparment right now, so it ought to all blow over in a couple of weeks, but it's not fun while it lasts. Here's hoping a couple of days off cooled everyone's tempers.

At least I've had lots of fibery goodness to distract me when I wasn't at work. I got to enjoy a good deal of spinning on English Gardens this week and that was very nice. It was great to be back at the wheel for more than just sampling. And I've been daydreaming about what to do with the finished yarn while I spin, so that's a good distraction, too. I don't have a plan yet for the yarn, but I have plenty of time to dream something up. I'm a very slow spinner. In other spinning news, Beth's comment last week got me to thinking about one of my other wheels, a Jensen Tina II, so today I pulled her out, dusted her off and get her all ready to spin. I even gave her a brief whirl with a small bit of roving and she hasn't suffered from her disuse. The Ashford Joy was my first wheel and I find it so easy to use that it is really my default wheel. I got the Tina II about a year after I got the Joy, and it was a present from my mom. I was wanting a prettier wheel than my Joy and my mom bought the Tina II and finished it herself. It is really a beautiful wheel and it means so much to me because my mom put so much work into it. At the time I received it, though, I was not a very experienced spinner and I was working my way down to laceweight. The Tina II spins very well, but it is fussier than the Joy and it was just easier to stick with the Joy while I was learning, so the Tina II has been pretty well neglected. But, I'm a lot more comfortable with my spinning now and it would be silly not to use such a great wheel. So, sometime this week I'll be digging through the stash for something to spin on her so that we can get reacquainted.

In addition to the spinning, there's also been plenty of knitting. This week, Fleurette reached five hundred rows (I am unable to say this without sounding like Dr. Evil asking for one million dollars)


Fleurette is now actually 512 rows, but there's no cool way to say that. Sorry for the crappy picture, but there was no way I could do a quick block on this baby with a pouncy kitten hanging around. I kind of stretch-blocked it on the carpet, but it's nowhere near as open as it will be when I really block it. It's probably a couple of inches over three feet at this point. The ball of yarn is getting kind of small, so I'm just hoping it will end up being long enough to qualify as a scarf. *fingers crossed* The stripe pattern is kind of reminding me of the DNA profiles we would do in biology in college, all those little bands marching up the agar. Good thing I don't mind stripes, but I think I'll probably be the only person who loves this scarf :-) But, that works, because it is for me.

There was also a bit of *cough cough* fiber acquisition *cough cough* this week.


Two batches of tussah silk from Abby's yarns. I can't wait to dive into both of these!

And, I think that's about all the news that's fit to print for this week. I've gotta go catch some z's so I can pretend to feel human tomorrow. Have a safe and happy 4th (or just a safe and happy Wednesday if you aren't in the 'states).


 
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