Dreamspinners

Florida is very humid this time of year!

2008-08-18T10:52:00.005-04:00

We got the Hot Fudge Sundae Blues!

(See the book title)

We came to Florida for Josh's friends wedding, where he was the best man, oh what a wonderful time we have had. Jeremy and Tara have been so hospitable as well as his parents. We went to the rehearsal dinner, a huge cookout at their home, with fish and everything you can imagine, even 4 cakes! We sat by the pool and hot tub under the stars, with candles everywhere and reminisced about when the boys first played ball together at the high school, and how close they had been all these years. Through everything, these two had hung together. Jeremy has grown into a wonderful young man and he and Tara have been together for years! They looked very beautiful together, and some amazing things happened! I saw macho Jeremy on one knee awaiting his bride as her father brought her down the aisle, never dreamed of seeing that! Such a sweet man he has turned out to be! The wedding was lovely the dinner after a treat, and the dancing was absolutely the best! We suddenly came to the realization of what was missing in out lives these days, we never go out and dance or have fun anymore.

We need a fleet reserve where we can go once a week and just meet some people and dance. Kevin cannot do much dancing, but I can, I even did the twist with my son! I loved it and so did he!! And the electric slide, and hand jive and macarena, and some new electric slide, I am going home and getting my dirty line dancing tapes out and that is my new exercise regime! Yes, I said dirty line dancing, they are a little more tush push than normal!

I am knitting socks daily, working on my Victorian shawl, and just enjoying being here in Pensacola in my camper. Every thing looks wonderful at the house and Kevin actually had nothing to complain about!

We went to Joan and Dennis's and they have a baby caique, she is adorable, I may trade Zorro for one! Seriously, he bit me again at Tana's!! Laura is afraid of him, so is the rest of the family, I need a bird that will be friendly to everyone, and everyone will love. I am tired of these animals that cause so much havoc in our family, Greer hates men, Pea bites everyone, Zorro bites everyone, it causes a lot of stress!! Stephanie came to see us today and he bit her too!!

I am going to suggest we lighten our load and ask Joan to ask her friend if she would be interested in a trade for Zorro, either a caique or a little cockatoo, a Goffin. Either one would suit me fine. I shall talk to Joan about it, and see if she knows anyone who would trade with me.

I shall go and see if I can complete my socks and start a new pair today, pics to follow as soon as I get home, I forgot to bring my card reader! Darn it!!

Dreamspinner's Alive

2008-07-09T17:57:00.001-04:00

Who knows what is next?

2008-06-26T10:01:00.003-04:00

This is Mr. Bean our new Chihuahua, a rescue by Laura!!! Go Laura!!!

Well, here we go again, Laura has lost her job and does not really want one, but her savings will not last! As a Mom I am worried, altho I certainly understand where she is coming from. We get Josh to working finally, and then this! That is all I will say about that!

I have been interviewing, miracle of miracles! I actually have gotten two interviews, one for guidance counselor at GW in Danville, and one at the Roanoke City Library as Teen Librarian, I can't think of anything worse except reference librarian! It would be a starting place for me tho! I do like teens, I just say I do not, I feel somedays like I am still one of them!

Now, I have to work on a project for the interview and learn power point. I am excited and happy to go and meet these ladies, make a project with them whether I get the job or not, I really do not care, I got an interview!! Here is what Laura and I were thinking, we could set up her living room to do classes in, and to sell yarn. Then she can go talk to the girl down below and get her to let us use her parking spaces, and set up classes through park service, they will do her advertising. Then she can begin to teach classes and get some of her yarns out there. If she plays her cards right, she could get her business going and get a part time management position at one of the pet stores, and have some fun for a change. I am willing to help as long as I am not working, or if I get the job in Danville, or that area!

In the meantime, I am opening a new Etsy shop, Page's Pendants and Jewels. It will take all the 'other' stuff out of Dreamspinners and leave it just to yarn and fiber, knitting and spinning tools, etc. Fiber and yarn related things like the Nostepindes will stay there. Then we will have Boogie's Bags, Dreamspinner's and Page's Pendants and Jewels. I plan to stock that shop with items to make jewelry once I get the funds to finance it. (Translation: get a job) Time for coffee ladies, brb!

I am looking forward to spinning classes. I hope that Laura will take over the spindle classes so that I can do the wheel spinning! I have my tencel/wool with me to spin, then realized, all my wheels but the Ashford Country are at her place!! I have a huge box of black and the whole container of confetti as well as the brown and the tan balls of Juli's I really need to spin!! I may have to go get a wheel.

Back to the Blue Ridge Mountains!

2008-04-22T13:32:00.004-04:00

We are back to our beloved Blue Ridge Mountains from Florida and Georgia!

We got home yesterday after taking the long way around Robin Hood's barn! First we went to Sallygayle's and left Sweet Pea, spent the night, went on to ScrapGirl's in Georgia, and stayed a couple of nights with the girls and He who works all the time! Then went on to our destination!! How exciting, Florida's Gulf Coast, White Sands, Clear Crystal Water, and a 328 square foot travel trailer for the two of us and Dolly and Zorro!! For a previously undetermined amount of time! This is fun, but where is the Baseball Boy? Has he gotten a job? Has he mowed the grass? Has he kept up the house? Why is it so quiet around here, when we lived here there was always bothersome noise? Did everyone on the cul-de-sac die off?

Nope! I hear trucks, it is the 3 Musketeers, now all grown up with 4 trucks between them, all still living at home and one of the trucks is a huge panel truck which goes out at night and returns -BEFORE I AWAKEN- No, that is as I awaken----from the racket outside my window and both my animals barking at him!!

I have come to the conclusion that it matters not where you are in this life, you are either happy or you are not. and it is up to you. I am happy when:

I have my little Dolly with me.

I have my Zorro bird who everyone says is just plain nasty!
I have my sweet Grizzly husband, who some also say is nasty!
Enough money in the bank to buy food.
Trees are outside the window where I am.
My fiber creeps after me everywhere I go.
There is a spinning wheel within reach.
There is dye and naked yarn within reach.

My knitting needles are within reach, and my magazines are lined up like little soldiers following me around.

My teeth are out of my mouth but within the area where I can get them in case of emergency.
my feet are bare and comfy--being diabetic-I catch a lot of grief about this lately.
There is water somewhere within 3 hours that I can stick my feet in, and it smells like saltwater, brackish water, or just plain ole swamp mud.
A cabin in the woods by the river is definately in my future.

Smile and throw kisses, that is all I need!!
Go look in my shop at:

http://www.dreamspinners.etsy.com/

and tell me what is missing!

Off I go again, to learn to use my CSM, then I am heading down to Laura's for a few days, we have yarn to dye and pictures to take to get up into the shop. I am looking forward to tomorrow when I will finally make socks on my CSM.

Love you all!! op

March, March, the Ides of March

2008-03-11T22:20:00.004-04:00

I have one loom and easel left for sale, it is a 5 and half foot loom on the new 4 legged easel, and it is made of Red Oak (I think) and I would like $200.00 for it, including shipping---that means FREE SHIPPING!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am in Danville with Lovely Laura, and having such a great time, setting up a new ETSY store for her called Boogie's Bags! We have been knitting everyday and had a great KTog at Starbucks last night. Laura has developed some really nice friends and contacts in the knitting, dyeing and rug hooking world! She has decided that she wants to buy her yarn to dye from another company, so she is getting that set up. This has been a really tough winter and we are all still suffering the loss of Dad, all I can think of is him singing at the top of voice, drinking that coffee, and eating anything he wants in no pain at all, Sylvia says everyone in heaven is 35. At 35, Dad was killer the body builder, swimmer and all around athlete bench pressing 300 lbs. I see him like that now and I cannot cry for him, I almost envy him!

I am worried about Mom, she is not accepting his loss at all. Kevin and I have to go to Florida as I have Dr. appointments on the 28th of this month. There is so much to do to get everything switched over into Mom's name, and to get all the paperwork filed with all the different agencies. Kevin called today and asked me to come home, I will go on Thursday to help them. I am sewing tomorrow and getting as many bags done as I can to open Laura's store, then I will take the embroidery machine home with me to use there and if I must, I will just mail her the bags or do her shipping for her. I think she mentioned that as one of my 'duties' anyway. She is the cutter, fabric picker, and embellishment queen, I just sew and ship what I am handed! I have finally finished her jacket and just need to put it together! I have a skein left and have already made her a matching hat, so I think we will go with fingerless gloves which happens to be her specialty, not mine, he he!

I am looking forward to hugging my baby boy and seeing him, helping him get a job, getting his resume in order, getting the patio fixed! The wind blew the cover off the patio last week in the big storm they had! Maybe we will get something out of the new insurance we are paying a fortune for after all!! We could have added a 25'X50' sunroom for what we pay them a year! of course, the hot tub is exposed now, so Josh is very worried. He is afraid of slimey, crawly things getting into the attic, the fascia board even came off!

I have no good pictures for this entry, I am sad, happy, worried, up a stump, and concerned for both of my kids! They never seem to out grow Mom's worry! Some things are better not written or spoken aloud, but we pray diligently for Laura and her work situation. We also pray never ceasingly for Josh to find the 'right' job for him so that he can be settled, he is so restless, no girlfriend, no real job although he has three, his business, the civic center catering and his art he is doing for me for his and Em's little Etsy shop I am starting. Going to use their line drawings and transfer onto wood and clay for pendants. Actually, they are great kids and I am very proud of them, both of them in business for themselves and working for someone else also, both college graduates, both own homes, and one together that they inherited, how did they suddenly become so large and capable?? Laura will be 30 this year, hard to believe, impossible to believe and no boyfriend, no husband. Lord, we need a sweet, competent man, I know that is an oxymoron, but just need one!

Happy St. Pat's, Y'all!! We will be on our way to Florida, yee haw!! Oh my goodness, we have worn little Dolly plum out!!!

Things we prefer not to understand!

2008-02-18T09:27:00.004-05:00

Well, my friends, it has been a February. Dad went into the hospital on Feb 3 and I stayed with him from the 4th on until we decided to take him home on the 7th as there was nothing they could do for him. He had pneumonia and was still insisting on ice and water, knowing that every drop was going into his lungs, not into his tummy. He knew us and talked to us some when he felt like it, and when they stopped monitoring for signs of improvement, Marcia, Kevin and I decided to take him home where he wanted to be. Mom met him at the door and gave him a kiss, and as soon as his body hit his bed, he was gone. It was heart rendering, this was the only father I have ever known, and 34 years was just not enuf of him, but it was also relief, he is no longer suffering, and now he can eat, he can sing and he can make anything he wants in heaven. He was an exceptional Christian man with a strong will and a physical prescence like no other, well, there may be two more. Josh is so much like him, Kevin had become so close to him seing him daily or at the least every other day for the past two years. This is why we came here, to look after Mom and Dad, and be there for them. Now we have just her left, she has handled this all a little too well. She has yet to let herself mourn, or to think about what is next. Altho she did mention an Alaskan Cruise!

All the grandkids were here but Ani, bless her heart, she was ill and in Salt Lake City. We sure missed her, I was so glad she talked to her granddaddy the night before he passed on the phone, he said love you, and tears ran from his eyes. Marcia and I told him to go and stop suffering, we spent the nights with him together and for the first time in many years became close. I felt so lost when he was gone, I looked around and just felt empty, poor Kevin was so forlorn, we just held each other and cried.

I think of him now, and I see him singing at the top of his lungs with no wetness in his lungs to hold him back, I see him standing tall and running along, lifting weights and smiling and talking to everyone. That is how he was when I met him, in his 30's and 40's. A superb swimmer and athlete in his own way, making stained glass and clocks, in his basement room lifting weights, I know he is at peace and feeling fine now!

But the things we do not understand............why him, why now, how to move on with Mom, what to do next. I really am desiring my own place, I wish it could be in the woods by the water, a little cabin where we could just be. I am in Danville, with Laura, where I go to hide when all is not well in my world. Kevin is busy helping Todd & Belle with Jimmy's house, and he is coming down tomorrow to do some things here for Laura, and talk to her landlord. The renter in SAT ran on us and that house payment is 3 months behind. Another loan to pull it out of the gutter, and away from Wells Fargo. We do this over and over and for some reason we never realize that as long as we are doing the same things----------we can only expect the same result. I would love to go to Buxton with Todd and Belle for a week, I hope that this spring will bring relief for us both and we can have some enjoyment this summer. Kevin and I will be going to Florida at the end of March, I have Dr.s appointment and need refills, and we need a break from here. I hope to leave Sweet pea here then, and not have to wory about him down there, if only he would stay with Josh!

This is our week to learn how to use the wood lathe, if the house gets done and on the market. I got Kevin some books and a video from the library about it, and Gail brought him another one from Uncle Bill. It is a Toastmaster and very, very old! But like brand new!

This is what I see when I leave my room:

Sweet Pea and Laura

Does this really look like a Sweet pea to you??

We went to Lynchburg and went yarn shopping on Saturday. I tried really hard to behave, but the first shop had Rowan Summer Tweed on clearance for $4.00/skein so I bought one of each color to go towards my summer sweater when I get all the colors together!

Then we went to Backstitches, and it was awesome! A brick home that every room was full of yarn and supplies, they really need a website, I told the owner I would do one for her! She had some wonderful yarns, I got another Ranco, the blue based one, 3 free pattern books, one skein of Noro Silk Blossom in blues and greens for doing a simple hat (came with free pattern) and two variagated skeins of Dark Horse, one with greys and dark reds and one with---------wanna guess? ........................................yes, purples! Which makes me itch to go and knit, so adios my friends!!

Oh, I am on number 10 in the Stephanie Plum mysteries!!

Day, Knit- Night, Knit- and then it comes again!

2008-01-26T23:11:00.000-05:00

I find that it appears that morning follows night, or does night follow day, which came first? I get them confused when I get into something, that is a wonderful part of not having to go to a job! If I decide to work all night kitting, or spinning, or making pendants, or beads, or just puttering, I can do that! I have to thank my dear husband for that priviledge, if he were not the farsighted man that he is, I would still be working for someone else. He has taken wonderful care of us, even tho he was gone for many, many years in the Navy. He looked ahead to when he would be home and we could be together and do our own thing, I thank him for that! I hear the brass cleaner rolling along in his room, and I look at themess in my area! He gave me new shelving units for Christmas, so I am going through everything and reorganizing, it looks horrid, but I am having a blast finding things I have not played with in years, and tiny little pictures I want to make into pendants for my Etsy store! I found about 500 antique post cards, seems Auntie had a real post card fetish, so I may steal an idea I saw and take images from them and make them into works of art. Well, it is not really stealing, because I am going to do something totally different, but I would not have thought to use the post cards, except for the ones I saw imaged on pendants.

I found pictures of my Uncles in the Navy in 1940 when I cleaned out the old chest. Colorized portraits of the old family members,and many black and white ones, even as big as 16X20 doneon cardboard! It was quite interesting!

Today I worked on making some spindles,Laura has started a knitting group at the Starbucks in Danville,and several of the members want to learn to spin, so we are making some wheel spindles for them to learn on,and will take some of our fiber from the Little Barn, Inc in Alabama, plug for Lewis and his wife! Great fiber guys! Laura dyed some mohair for me this past week and I finally got it dry, it is very cold here!

Our furnace keeps stopping and has to be reset. Timmy will fix itas soon as they get a new controller in for it. Meantimes, Kevin goes tothe dirt basement and resets the furnace so we can stay warm.

Sweet Pea is having a hard time, he got into something he is allergic to in Florida, and is biting himself til he bleeds. He is living on Benadryl and sedatives til this passes. Some guard dog, all he does is chew on himself, altho he did get it together to try to bite the furnace guys! As I write this, he is sound asleep on my down comforter on our bed, snoring!!!

Dolly is sweet as ever and right behind me all the time, we cooked some venison tenderloin tonight and could not chew it, so I put it in the crock pot to cook all night on low to make soup tomorrow. She thought we should give it to her instead! NOT!!

Does anyone have a great idea for something really cool that can be made with 290 yards of dk weight yarn? I have two skeins, one raspberry and one grey from Cestari--cotton, wool and silk blend, and want to make something special, but cannot figure what! Maybe a calorimetry, fingerless gloves and a muffler? It is very soft, and nice! It is made in Chester, Va. I like to shop local and handmade, am trying to do with much less, and putting a lot of my toys up for sale, as I feel burdened by all this 'stuff'! That doesn't mean yarn, of course, unless I have made it into something and it is ready to leave me. I do have a ton of cotton, and Laura took some I had dyed and made me the coolest muffler, combined with a cotton skein I had gotten to make place mats. Today I added a butterfly button, and look what it turned out to be!

Pretty cool, huh?

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

2008-01-16T12:09:00.000-05:00

Sitting in my camper in Pensacola, with my bird, Zorro, and my pups, Sweet Pea and Dolly, listening to the rain on the roof. I finally found my mistake in my Islandic Shawl that I have been making for Tana forever now, and the white part is DONE!!!! Now I am going to embellish the white top edge and get on with the bottom lace. It will be done soon if it keeps raining! I am not going out, just hanging in here knitting, with no one around. Kevin went to the range yesterday and some guy gave him a huge bag of 30-30 brass! He was so excited and had such a good time. It is snowing in Virginia yesterday and today, so we are happy to be in Florida. I have not gone to my friends since I got back, just wanted to have peace and quiet and finish some knitting all alone, well, as alone as one can get with an African Grey who talks more than anyone in the family and 2 dogs. One who is afraid of rain and pants incessantly, even if I dope her, so I have given up on that! I hate doing it to her, but she is so freaky with noise. and sometimes riding in the car, we have yet to figure out what happened to change her from the girl who took on everyone and everthing to this neurotic pup, altho she has run up behind three 'men' and biten the back of their pants, and one groomer, she got her leg. Where did that behavior come from?
I am actually looking forward to going to Laura's next Monday, and hanging with her, I may let Kevin go on to Vinton and stay with her til she goes up on Friday for her class. I have missed my girl! I really want to dye some mohair and do some spinning, I have the itch for my wheel!
I started a Tudora out of my Malibrigo, too bored last night and could not sleep, so I got it out and was knitting int he dark by feel with K sleeping! I found one simple mistake this morning and it was easy to correct. I used to teach the blind to knit and crochet, so it was no big challenge for me to 'braille' the yarn and the pattern is so easy!
Time for more coffee and pills, catch ya later!

Merry Christmas to all!!

2007-12-28T19:03:00.000-05:00

I am so happy!!!!!!!!

I am in Pensacola, Fl with my son, Josh, who will be 26 on Dec 29! I am so thrilled to be in 75 degrees and see my "baby"--he just hates that! We have been having wonderful discussions, debates, and enjoying the stimulation of being able to try to outdo each other intellectually. He is always a good challenge for me and keeps me from getting Alzheimer's!! I do so adore this young man and am so proud of him. Today we are under tornado warnings, the rain has been amazing, especially since I was in the camper, I took Sweet Pea and Dolly and went inside, Josh gave me three remotes to operate the huge TV.

It is in the 70's and so lovely when the sun is out. It feels reviving and refreshing just to be in the Florida air. Maybe that is why I have felt so depressed lately. I needed the wide open spaces of the Gulf of Mexico. Now I am feeling the need to purchase a condo on the intracoastal side for when we come down, renting it out the rest of the time. I did have this fleeting picture of the wind blowing the camper away so we could get a smaller one that is lighter with a toy hauler!! I had that 'this isn't Kansas anymore, Toto' image!

I am knitting up a storm of my own, trying to complete: Icelandic shawl, felted kitchen mitt, oven glove, and pot holders and tudora for Tana when I get to Georgia. I also have with me the monkies, the diabetic sock, the marvelous mitts, and a bag of shoulder shrugs that are half finished. And Janet Evanovich's High Five!

I picked up the new Quilting Arts Gift Magazine

http://www.quiltingarts.com/

and it is wonderful! Some of the neatest fabric wrapping, mixed media samplers, and a totally awesome needle felted and stitched purse 'English country garden'. I love book making and it has an article on journals! Fabric winterish prints for covers, pretty cool, I have some new ideas!!

The new Threads has some wonders of its own. Mini purses, darted skirts, dazzling chiffon, and specialty feet for every sewing job! Pretty cool, I got some new ideas from there also. There is an extra section on embroidery attached which covers embroidering on everything and anything. As you can tell, I am into multimedia projects, and between these two and 'Cloth, Paper, Scissors' I am on fire with ideas and projects in my head!! It just means I can't sleep with all these visions running around in what brain I have left, they are vivid and awesome and will not leave me alone!!

I am so excited about creating in the New Year, you will see some new directions in my Etsy store!

http://www.opcola.etsy.com/

See ya on New Years for my next post! Keep on knittin' and browse no more than 6 hours a day on ravelry!!

It's Nearly Christmas!!

2007-12-06T11:07:00.000-05:00

Ho ho ho!! Merry Christmas To All!!!

I have been bustin' butt on knitting gifts while hangin' out with my fav knitter, Laura! Now I am homesick for my girls in Georgia! I am looking forward to heading to Florida later this month, and have made the decision to make a trip, even if I go alone, to Georgia at the very least every 3 months. I have missed so much with my babies this year, and for what?? I have accomplished nothing here that I could not have done there. I have been here to look after Kevin as he looks after his parents--a total full time job and more--and he has needed me but now he has learned how to pay the bills and how to keep track of all the dates! We are both depending more and more on his little notebook!

In the meantime, Liv has been cheering one whole season without her Granny Page, Em is playing on the middle school basketball team, Liv is cheering now for church teams- to keep her speech work up. I feel like I am millions of miles away and unable to do the things I really want to with the girls.

Josh is working hard, not smart, but maybe someday he will realize that he can put in his own job applications and stop depending on me to keep up with who is hiring in Pensacola and Florida! I have put in so many, I can recite the resume! I did hope he would get the process server job in Escambia County for experience in his field until he gets to the State Police Academy. The next class being in June 08. In the meantime, he must meet all the other requirements and this, like the special agent app. is one of those 6-8 month affairs to get on the waiting list.

Laura is chugging along at Starbucks. She tells me yesterday that they are looking for a manager in Kitty Hawk, I freaked--go go go!!! She refuses to move again, and does not want to be that far away from the grandparents. But Jeez!!! The outer banks of North Carolina are so beautiful and cool! She says no one spins and knits there, I bet someone does! We are heading to Roanoke Sunday afternoon, she has a doctor appt monday and will stay with us.

Kevin got another deer and got it all canned up by himself, is fussing at me for more clean jars, so I will begin running them thru here with the dishwasher! The only one in the house there are 2 hands, whoever the spirit moves, usually me but if I leave them long enough, he will wash them!! I am excited to think about heading to Florida for Christmas, it is so much warmer there than here, and my little camper awaits me! Yee haw! Walking on the beach with Dolly and Pea and cooking with Josh, have to see my doc on the 27th. I am not happy with my weight loss, I have only lost 20 lbs since being diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, and I need to lose 30 more pounds. I do feel better and am able to keep my sugar down if I am consistent with what I eat, but I have a weakness for sweets, even tho they are sugar free. I made apple brown betty last night with oatmeal and splenda at midnight and we had it with frozen sugar free kool whip, it was great with decaf Shade Grown Mexican Starbucks coffee. WOW what decadence!!

Kim's girlfriend got in from Florida and we were celebrating, they will be moving to their new place tomorrow, and Laura will have her home back. Kim is one of her employees who ended up homeless several weeks ago and Laura took her in, despite everything, and it has turned out good. It could have gone so wrong!

This is my new year's project. Sarah sent me a cone of yarn from her shop as a gift, no one better say anything about Sarah's Yarns but good stuff to me!! I am making it into this shawl. The KAL is starting again in January, and I am so excited. This may take me some time, but I am going to enjoy the process and look forward to wearing it for next Christmas!

I am also starting one of two planned Hemlock Blanket Rings, one is chocolate brown and one is tan in Cascade's Eco Wool, and they will look like this:

Is that purdy or what??

I got the yarn at Mosaic in Blacksburg Virginia last spring and it is waiting for just the right project, here they are!! Don' you just love that!!??

I am ready for the new year, this one has been up and down, and very raggedy.

I have not heard from Cathy in month's and call and leave messages, but she does not call, and K says too much emotional energy is wasted there. She last wanted us to make monthly payments to her for Jewel's care and boarding, which would be fine if that had been our agreement and I could go there and ride whenever I wanted, but that has never been the case. She is mad at herself for letting herself be taken by Randy and Sam, and is taking it out on the rest of the world. She knows where I am if she wants to talk.

I am asking for auction ware for Christmas, so I can start my own auctions, one for gun parts and bullets, and one for crafting supplies only. ETSY is great, for handmade items, and going great guns, not for me but for other items, but it is a sale not an auction. I like it better, I see something I want, I can choose to either pay the price or negotiate with the store owner or not but it. No waiting and seeing if I won the auction, I hate that, that is why I want to own my own auction sites, so that I can get other people hooked on bidding on stuff and ending up paying way more than they should cuz the REALLY want it!!

Laura has been doing some designing and I have been doing her sewing and se have both been knitting her new designs, she is really good at that, says she cannot do the math involved in knitting accesory design, then goes right on with the new quilting square ruler I got her and does all her own math!! We have made items for the girls for their needles and supplies, which will be in Georgia for the New Year and lots of yarn stash is heading their way as they both are knitting along with thier lovely mother! Em has no time with basketball, but Liv likes to have her "own" when her Mom is knitting! I miss them so much.

We will begin our New Year in Florida this year, being with Josh and Eric, going up to Georgia when they return from Virginia, yes, we are going there and they are coming here!! What a hoot!! Josh will be 27 on the 29th, and it is hard to believe that our lives are 2/3rds over, where did the time go? That is why I am so aware of how this year has basically been wasted. I have over $20,000. in student loans; no job, have only put in about 100 applications, but am always turned down, K does not want me to work, so I am the only person in the family with a Master's degree and still no job. I thought about 30 seconds about going back for a PhD and seeing if that would get me a job, I would like to teach at the college level, but I do not want to be tied down, so I shall just use the education I got and set up the auctions I want with the software, and then see how that goes. I do not want to have to be on the computer all the time, so hopefully it will work well and I can hire a consultant to run the sites. I am thinking about Kim and Cassie for that!

Welp, I have sucessfully wasted a whole morning on keeping caught up here! I am disappointed that about.com has not deemed it worhty to have a spinning or weaving person. I would really like to do that! I keep looking to see if they have an opening, maybe I will write them again today, I also have plans to do some dyeing of wool today and some knitting to complete a hat a mitts for me, I am getting cold up here!! Love you all, keep up the smiles for the New Year, let it be prosperous for us all!!!

Dreamspinners on ETSY!!

2007-11-22T10:26:00.000-05:00

We have opened an Etsy shop and are very proud of it! Come by and visit!!http://www.opcola.etsy.com/

And life goes on!

2007-10-07T19:52:00.000-04:00

As I learn to manage my blood sugar, I continue to wonder if it can really be true that this is what I eat for the rest of my life! I was very decadent today, Laura and Bear brought me White chocolate chip macadamia nut cookies, sugar free of course, and I had one with French Vanilla pudding and some raspberry jello, sugar free of course. But it was awesome! It did not taste sugar free at all. We had beer brats and sauerkraut for dinner, Bear loved it! He looks so good, he has lost more weight, claims he is still fat but so am I, altho I tip the scales 12 lbs lighter than a month ago!!

I am working on UFO's:
a lacy shrug in Paton's shadow, a lap robe in Twiggles, the Icelandic Shawl KAL, 2 pairs of socks, candlelight shawl for Laura for Christmas, and her EZ shetland shawl that needs to be started, she got the yarn for me last year at Christmas!

I have been spinning:
Llama, alpaca, silk and camel, cotton and unknown roving!

I am making the roving into socks, it is beautiful, done on one of the dyeing exchanges I belonged to. I am going from the Traveler, to the Country to the traddy! I even brought out the electric one and spun on Laura's Fricke!! She is so attached to her spindles, she does not ever use the wheel. She could do an encyclopedia on spindle spinning! She has every size and shape, even spins her little silk hankies! I cannot keep it up, too hard on my shoulder I broke several years ago.

This past week all we got done is plan a party for Mom & Dad's 62nd Wedding Anniversary. Tomorrow I have to decide about the cake, should I get one huge one, or one reasonable sized one and several small ones of different flavors. Won't matter to me or Dad, we cannot eat any of them!! Ha ha! Put the girl who cannot eat sugar or carbs in charge of the cakes! I am sneaking Dad some really good, strong Starbucks coffee, Laura is setting up her Granddaddy to have some sips of something he really loves! We will go this week and buy the Smithfield ham. Then Lou and Marcia get here, we will make the sandwiches: ham sliced razor thin, whole wheat bread, crusts cut off, sliced corner to corner, according to Dad's wishes!! Invitations are done and out, order placed for the wegetable platters and fruits plates, drinks, flowers, etc. Now to handle the cakes. I think I will order sugar free and see if anyone notices!!

I look forward to rest and knitting my spinning up, then the wonderful melody of the spinning wheel as the yarns pour forth and ask to become items for those I love. The click, click, click of the peddles and the feel of the fiber as it runs through my fingers to become yarn, are mezmerizing.

And as we rest, my neighbor labors to breathe as she faces her last days from cancer this week. She has told us she is ready to go home and looks forward to being pain free. All the grandchildren went today to say goodbye, and the children wait by her bedside. I have started cooking to provide meals for the kids, who will certainly need something as they lived for the Grandmother.

I feel the weight of being the elders now, and realize the time for play is past, I can recreate, spend time with my children, share what tiny grains ofwisdom I may have learned along the journey, but play time is over. We are seriously looking at major changes in the family structure, even Kevin is very sentimental over helping his Dad dress for Sunday school today, taking him to church, then helping him out of his Sunday clothes, so hard to look at those beautiful clothes and think, will he wear them again? He has pushed so hard forthis party,I really believe that he believes there will not be a 63rd anniversary for him. Mom struggles with the wound on her leg which has a bacterial infection, it occured on Aug 4th, they finally got her to the Dr last week.

Sunday evening and many are readying to go back to work tomorrow, I would love to have a career, but of my choosing and my structure, not to be someone's lackey, at this date in my life, I lack the finesse for such. As if Iever had any finesse!

How life changes!

2007-09-30T18:28:00.000-04:00

It is amazing to me, how life can change in the blink of an eye!

I went to see my physician to get my refills for the year. They did blood work and within 3 hours my phone was ringing! I went back and they redid it, same result, I now have Type 2 diabetes. It changes everything. I have to eat differently, exercise differently, be more aware of my body and what goes into it, take another pill to help regulate it-- which I forgot again today- be right back!!

I have made a suggestion to about that they have a spinning, weaving, spindle page and let me author it. I have experience setting up websites, have been spinning for years, weaving happily along, and building spindles. I find in the great boom of yarn sales and back to knitting sales, it is amazing that they have nothing on spinning. There are many of us who make our own yarn! I could handle a web job and make the adjustments needed to handle my diabetes, whereas I could not go to work everyday at a "job".

Bear is coming to visit and will get to Laura's on Saturday. She is very excited and looking forward to her vacation! I think we will take them to the Home Place for dinner on Thursday, if they are up here. We took Heath, Ansti and Natasha to the Dogwood and she loved it, especially the blackberry cobbler!!

Eric has finally moved in with Josh, and we are looking forward to being able to handle life now! Perhaps, he will assist in finding the prodigal son a real job! He has a great job, financial investigator! I sure hope so, then we can actually look after ourselves for awhile. I have made some changes this year as regards the holidays; there will be no open house, no baking, no sugar in the house, I will make several small purses and have them available for anyone who shows up here, we will find a "tool" for the boys, if they come fine, if not, we will put away for another year! I am not begging anyone to come to our house, pick up their gifts, eat our food, nothing!

I may go to Laura's and have Christmas with her and then go to Florida and have Josh's birthday with him and then visit Tana for New Year's! I have been let down, frustrated and abandoned by my "family" for the last time, I am moving on. We plan to buy acreage in the spring and move out to the country: Tana, Heath, Laura and Josh will have the address!

I continue to spin and work up the fiber I have stored in the freezer, Kevin is beginning to complain! I have spun one bag of wool and one hand painted roving, I have three bags of mohair at Laura's for dying, one bag of wool there as well, and in the freezer: 4 bags of alpaca and llama, two more wool, and several angora! Laura and I have agreed to hand paint some and get it up to Meadows of Dan to the yarn/fiber shop--Greenberry House Yarns
to sell on consignment for the holidays! I continue to spin, have been doing some sewing of yarn bags, tote bags, working on learning the new embroidery machine Kevin got me, and knitting my little heart out, I realized the other day I had 4 pairs of socks started, so I put them in line and now one gets finished before the others get picked up again. I am still working on Laura's sweater and have not finished her Candlelight shawl or her Shetland Shawl. Wonder why all this knitting is for her?? Hmmmm........................

Heading Home to Florida for a Break!

2007-08-21T09:50:00.000-04:00

We are heading out of here for a break! Going to see Josh & Steph, sell the Ghenoe and the piano, get ready to clear the house out some more, Josh has preliminary acceptance for the SpeCial Agent position with the FDLE. That is his dream job and we are going to help be supportive! It also means that he will eventually be going to the police academy and then wherever he is assigned!!
We are going fishing and over to Dauphin Island, up to Lake Stone, kayaking, we plan to walk the beach with Dolly! I am going to take her swimming! I cannot wait to go to the commissary, and the Exchange, to Correy to the gym! YeeHaw! I am excited! We are taking the Van and have given up trying to take the camper to Blue Angel Park, unless we run into someone who has a big truck and will take her out there and pick her up for us! Josh is wanting us to sell her, and pay off some bills, then geta smaller one like our friends have just found and fixed up! He got a lite hauler for an excellent price, put new carpet in it, cleaned it up and has a wonderful trailer where he can carry his motorcycles!
I will take pics so you can all see how beautiful Pensacola is, and my grandgirls! I am going to Tana's for a few days to play with them! How fun it will all be with no responsibilities!! The care of the elderly is weighing heavily especially upon Kevin! Laura will be in and out here, as well as Heath, and Belle! I am hoping that all will be well.

Knitting and spinning, ill & well

2007-07-29T16:12:00.000-04:00

A traveling face cloth!

I have been very ill with a stupid virus, now my hubby has it, yech! All I want to do is knit, I am working on a summer shawlette and a candle flame shawl for Laura. Now I am trying to figure out why all the knitting I am doing is for her, and she has yet to gift me with socks! Oh that's right, she did give me ONE fingerless glove that she made too big for herself and the yarn to make the other one! Isn't that a sweet daughter??

Another of my traveling clothes! I have to have something to do, on the left is the first clue to the MS3 I am using Zephyr Steel and e beads, I think I already posted that!

I am going through some changes in my life, I have found myself betrayed and lied to by my "best" friend, and what is keeping me sane at the moment is my knitting, my spinning, and my daughter's dye skills! Ihave sent all my naked yarn, mohair and wool to her to dye for me, and then I will spin it and we will have lace weight for the Icelandic Shawl. Seems silly to order yarn when I have a freezer full of fiber as well as 350# peanut bags full of wool, white and black. As well as 5 spinning wheels!

Here is the thing about spinning, it allows you to think. I do not want to think about what I have lost, so I knit lace, it requires concentration and attention to detail. If you look back in my blog you will see pictures of my horses, which were gifts from my friend, which I no longer have, as well as the horses. I do not know if they are still there or not, and am afriad to look after I was informed one had been traded for farrier services! I am having problems getting my mind around the fact that a friend of over 30 years would lie to me, and take away something that precious to me.

Therefore, I knit and am going to look for a part time counseling position as soon as we return from Florida. We need to go and tomorrow is our 30th wedding anniversary, but Kevin is very ill with the virus I had last week, so we are going to just hang here. Hopefully,he will be able to eat by Thursday, I want to go to The Home Place on the top of Catawba Mountain which is my favorite place to eat! All home cooked food served at an old table in the family dining room(s) and you choose your meats, everything else comes with it! And I mean everything! Even cobbler with ice cream! It is so beautiful, in an old farm home on a large acreage, with a pond and cows all around.

I am off to work on the Candleflame Shawl ,got a long ways to go!!

Happy 4th & Recovery!

2007-07-05T11:31:00.000-04:00

This is the mystery stole I am working on, my first beaded project, this is not even half of clue one, but it is so pretty! I am using Zephyr Steel Grey and E Beads.
I have been on a roll with cloths, not dish cloths, face cloths, although the ones I took Mom & Dad they are using as doilly's!
This guy has been on the needles forever! It is last years Garden Mystery Shawl, I finished one for Cathy and this one is for me, you see, itis not finished yet. I did finish the Sun Ray Shawl from Elann, and gave it to Laura, it still needs to be blocked, but she went out to the movies in it last night! I may or may n ot catch a glimpse of her going by and get a picture! I am going home to Danville with her this evening for a few days, so I will get a picture.

We had a wonderful 4th, Laura was home, her friends, Jess & Tim, came over and we had a blast with Heath and the baby! After Jess & Tim left to take a nap, going to the movies at midnight! Laura took us up to the cemetery on the hill in the PT convertible, and we watched the fire works from there! We thought that was sucha novel idea, to go to the cemetery, guess what?? It was PACKED, there were as many live people as there were dead people!! We could not drive thru for the families that had gathered in their lawn chairs around their grave sites and were having picnics and waiting on the fireworks! It was totally amazing and much more interesting than the fireworks! We had to move people to get to the Wimmer graves!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!

2007-06-26T14:56:00.000-04:00

When we got back to Virginia, I was so very depressed! Even Zorro, my African Grey, would not talk to me! My identity was with Dreamspinner's Fiber, Yarn & Loom Co-op. I had to close down the website, the eBay store and the blogs; we had to make 7 trips to get everything moved. Mom & Dad needed us, that was all that mattered at that time! They have been there for us (me for over 30 years, Kevin for his life!) and they needed us to help them move from their home to a more appropriate place, then from the apartment to the wonderful Glebe in Daleville. I felt I had given up my entire life, not that I had, but I felt that way. Kevin and/or I go every other day to Mom & Dad's.

On the Blue Ridge Parkway,

headed to the Peaks of Otter! Dolly, her Dad, Steph & Josh!

For Father's Day, Josh and Stephanie showed up, driving 1500 miles roundtrip from Florida to be with Kevin and Dad! What a kid that boy is! I can not tell you how much I love him! Look at this:

This is the first time in many months, since before the feeding tube was inserted that Dad has come out of his room for anything. This day he ate comfort foods in tiny bites, he laughed and choked, our sweet Stephanie running to his side to assist him, (she is studying to be a nurse, or radiographer or phlebotomist) or maybe all three!! Josh, my son, you done good with that little girl!

I kicked myself in the butt after the kids left and said "Get up and do something!"

Having been with Kevin over 30 years, about the same time, he says, " I am organized and ready to build looms again, get online and see if there is any interest!"

In the past three days we have sold:

A set of three out of red oak, 3', 2' and the baby easel:

This is about the prettiest thing I have seen lately, too quickly sold before I could say, sell mine, I want to keep it! Wow, with some tung oil on it, it is going to shine forever! Isn't it beautiful?? Lin will love them I know!

Then Dawn wanted the 5.5' and easel, which is in the workshop and may get finished tonight, this is Mom's below, showing that even an 80 something in assisted living can weave!!

Rae B. Creedle rae@thinkingknitter.com
The Thinking Knitter: Patterns for thinking knitters: http://www.thinkingknitter.com/

This sweet lady emails me and we live about 2 miles apart, she got the beautiful little set below!
She has included me in several knitting groups, spinning groups and joined our knitting baristas at the Towers Starbucks in Roanoke, Va.----Bythe way, now that Laura was transferred to Danville, Va. to open a new store there; they will also have a knitting Baristas group starting up. They are across from Piedmont Mall sharing a building with Blockbuster on Enterprise Ave, Danville.

So here is what I know:
I am no longer depressed! I have an outlet for all my creative energies, I will take a picture of the light I made Cathy for her birthday yesterday! I know that I love being here with my sweet husband, and that my kids are the greatest in the world! Laura is here at the snap of a finger, to help her Grandparents and parents!! 1.5 hours drive is a whole lot better than 24 hours to San Antonio, Texas! We are so happy she is home! She and Josh own the house that Kevin & I are living in, it is my old family home left to them by a very special Auntie!

Do you see the horse there? First picture it is not on, second picture it is on, but daylight, just showing the flowers around the horse! It is actually quite nice!

We had a wood shop made by the Amish and set it in the back yard so that Kevin can have a studio, and for storage of course! He took a little room for his reloading supplies, and gave me amuch larger room for my weaving, knitting, spinning, cropping, archiving, building, painting and playing clay!

Today he said the strangest thing to me, " Babe, do you know you have two looms that we moved here you have not even woven on yet?"

NOW HOW COULD THAT HAPPEN????
One is an Ashford Tapestry loom and one is an old Union Rug Loom that is 4 harness, 6 treadles, floor loom???? I have no idea how to warp that loom!

I will have to go to the Folk School and learn to warp and weave on that bad boy! I wanted it to do rag rugs because my honey loves them so! (Oh, and I have a Circular Sock Machine I do not know how to use either!) I might have to go to NM to see my wonderful friend Juli to teach me to use the CSM!

Now since I have nothing to do, I think I will go and knit a face cloth, and read a little, wanna read a fun book--------Luanne Jones 'Heathern Girls' then 'The Southern Comforts'.

Ah, it feels good to be building again!

2007-06-23T17:58:00.000-04:00

We are so happy to be able to build again and share our skills with our great weavers!! We are looking into a new idea Laura had, a stand for a scrolling square and/or an 18" circular hoop, for her cross stitch. It would also be handy for embroidery, needlepoint, lockerhooking, rug hooking, painting on fabric, etc!

We went to Hobby Lobby and saw them for $80.00and they were so shoddy! Papa came along and said what are you looking at, and began to study the designs!! Well, those of you who know us know exactly what came out of his mouth,

"I can do that much better for that price or less!"

Here we go again, that was what happened when she wanted a tri loom also!!

We got a letter this week from one of our first customers who was happy to see us back:

Page, I am so excited to see you offering looms again!!! I stumbled uponyour loom on ebay several years ago -- after having bought a triangle shawl at a craft show and being obsessed with learning how to do it! I don't even know how many shawls I have made (you can see some in my photo file). I love your big loom -- later your husband made me a 4 foot loom-- and I also got a 2 foot loom and stand from you. They are wonderful and I'm so grateful to you for "getting me started" weaving!! Keep up with your beautiful creations and designs and welcome back!!! Carolyn Sue---

So Cool & So Beautiful!

2007-06-14T13:43:00.000-04:00

On the Blue Ridge Parkway of Virginia, My partner Cathy lives in that little house in the rear of the picture. We have between us: 10 dogs, 8 cats, 5 horses and 1 covered wagon! Are we happy?

Her we go walking the dogs (and ourselves!)

Coming back home, who took a behind picture?

The dogs are walking usat this point, who in world thought that would make a good picture?? That is the last time we let Kevin drag behind with a camera!!!

Cathy's littlest baby is Tadpole, born with several defects, destined to die quickly. She took him to her bosom and look in my arms, Tad is now over a year old!!! Dolly, of course, is with her father! There is no one like Papa to her!!!

It is so beautiful here, everything is so green! Here are Kevin & I before we started at Lancerlot, doing the weight room and swimming!

Dolly is almost lost when racing through the buttercups!

This Jewel, my sweet fairy pony girl, in the background you see the front half of Miss Thing,

Poppy, My percheron mare that pulls the covered wagon! Jewel is dapple grey and Poppy is actually white, Why do flies and bugs like white/light horses so much better than dark ones?

You have no idea what we spend on fly predators, natural spray, salve and we are trying so hard this year to avoid any pesticides!

My next post will have a picture of Jewel standing in front of Poppy so you can tell the difference in their sizes! It will crack you up!

I have almost finished Laura's Sun Ray Shawl and have done 6 wash clothes this week, as well as I am starting a cotton sock- I will make a pair, but they may not match, my claim to fame is that my socks never match! Laura is coming home today and tomorrow, Josh and Steph will be here Saturday for three days! They are driving 1600 miles (round trip) to see his Dad and Granddaddy on Father's Day.What a kid!

How did we ever get such nice looking kids?? And when did they get so large????

Dreamspinner's are back!

2007-06-12T19:28:00.000-04:00

We have been moving from Florida to Virginia and have made 7 trips in the horse trailer so far!! We are here and ready to get back into creating beautiful items!

See? Even Dolly is settled in on her windowsill! She is so happy to be out of the truck!

We are re-creating the tri looms that we have happily made for so many wonderful people in the past as well as (and have a patent pending on) our easel for holding them readily while under the greatest pressure from pulling that yarn on through there!

We have for sale the following looms with or without easel:

7' tri loom: $185.00 Set (with easel) $275.00

Easel alone for 4' looms and larger: $149.00

Easel alone for under 4' looms: $75.00

6' tri loom: $165.00 Set: $250.00

5' tri loom $135.00 Set: $225.00

3.5' tri loom $85.00 Set: $145.00

2' student tri loom $55.00 Set $110.00

2' Square Loom $75.00

Building right now ...........Rectangle 4'X6' $199.00

Rectangle 2'X4' $99.00

Here are some pictures of our work and looms:

More to come as we discover where the picture discs are!!