Author: LDSVenus

2nd Winter Snow Storm 2018-2019

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2nd Winter Snow Storm 2018-2019 We got our 2nd snow storm of the winter, last Friday overnight into Saturday.  We ended up with about 5 to 6 inches depending on where you took the measurement.  We were spared the ice and freezing rain with the storm, but we did have minus temps over night and with wind chills they said it could get down to -20,  I didn’t check to see what it actually did get down to with the wind chill, it was enough that it was below zero :P.  It was up to 9 today and tonight is suppose to be down to -4.  BRRRR, but on Monday it is suppose to be in the teens and maybe to 30 on Wed, woot woot a heat wave :P.  Looks like more snow on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, doesn’t look like much but the temps by Friday will be back to minus numbers.  Friday ambient temp will be -3 and -10 over night, wind chills will make it feel colder than that.  Looks like Old Man winter is finally here.  Only good thing about that is, we can now start to look forward to SPRING!  Ok, so now I start asking, is it Spring yet?

 

Winter 2018-2019 – First Substantial Snow

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Winter 2018-2019 first substantial snow We have finally received our first substantial snowfall for the 2018-2019 winter season and it’s already into January.  We have a had a few little snow storms this season, but you noticed I didn’t even post a picture they were so minor.  We will probably end up with between 3 and 4 inches.  It started last night sometime (I was a sleep :P) and it is still snowing (about 1:30 pm my time).   I took this picture about 10:00 am. The weather map shows it continuing until sometime after 7:30 pm.  These are tiny flakes so it take a lot to make an inch :P.  I hear the snow plows going over the roads off and on, noisy critters they are. 😛

It’s Finally Spun and is Yarn!!!

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Finished rolag skein Oh my gosh this was on my wheel for a little over a year!  But—it’s finished!!  The problem besides procrastination and a broken hand was the Baynes spinning wheel (no longer in production,  I included a link so you can see what it looks like, mine looks like the one on the left.)  The screw that holds one of the posts on the Mother of All (spinning term for part of the wheel), that helps hold the spool holder on, won’t tighten down and comes loose and the spool holder with the spool of singles (or plied yarn) occasionally falls off.  Ugh, very annoying.  So I will need to get some wood putty and fill in the screw hole and then screw the screw back in so it will tighten up properly (tho honestly for a second when I was spinning, I considered gluing it down :P).  Another problem is that this wheel will  not hold 4 ozs of spun yarn so I was only able to spin 3.25 oz, and I had a very full bobbin of plied yarn.  Once the bobbin gets full on this wheel it is hard for it to take the yarn in anymore, so I have to watch how full the bobbin is.  I finished with 312 yards at 16 wpi (wraps per inch – for my non spinning friends – tells me how thick or thin the yarn ended up being – a light sport weight in this example (that is what my chart says), however I have seen charts that call 16 wpi a fingering – tho if it is, it’s a heavy fingering wt.)  Any spinners reading that would like to weigh in on that and if there is a definitive chart?

I will go back to working on the practice roving I have on the Rick Reeves wheel now, so I can figure out the double band drive and how to adjust it to find my sweet spot for spinning, at least I know the spool won’t fall off that one :P.

Both Hats are Done

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These hats are now washed and blocked and ready to give as a gift.  They are soft and squishy, however, because this yarn (see 2 blogs down), even tho it is 100% acrylic,  will require a little bit of special care.  It can be washed in the washing machine on gentle and cold water but, it can’t go in the dryer, it must be laid flat to dry, and they took a full day and night to dry (maybe because of the weather or because they are so thick), would be less time I’m sure if you put a fan on it during the day.  That might be a problem for people who aren’t familiar with knitwear care.  So I will reserve this yarn for family and friends who are knit worthy :P.  The friend, who these were made for, is knit worthy, but because she is a busy nurse I hope this won’t be a pain for her.  Her babies will be warm tho :).

Now to work on a hat for my daughter out of some hand spun alpaca.

Merry Christmas – 2018

/ LDSVenus

christbirth

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will to men.

15 And it came to pass, the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. (St. Luke 2:8-16)

May you and your families have a very blessed Christmas Day.

Baby 2X2 Hats

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I have a friend who had a baby girl about 2 months ago so I decided now that my hand was better to make her a simple baby hat (my hand still tires easily and gets nerve pain when I over do, but it’s slowly getting better.) I certainly can’t leave her 3 year old brother without a hat, so after finishing the 2X2 rib hat from 5 Easy Pieces – Knit Newborn Hats (Circular), (free pattern on Ravelry) for her daughter, I started one for her son.  I choose the 2X2 rib because it’s, easy (to knit and on my hand) and soft and squishy.  I used a size 6 for the newborn size (the pattern called for a size 7, I knit loosely so I  usually go down a needle size to get gauge)  and used the size 7 for the 3 year old’s hat and added 12 stitches.  I will also add length so it will cover his ears :).  **There use to be a way to magnify the pictures on Word Press but I can’t find it anymore, so even tho you can’t see the yarn very well, it’s Yarn Bee (from Hobby Lobby) Soft and Sleek, the pink is pink stripe and the blue is Denim Blues.  It is very soft stuff and knits nicely.  I believe Hobby Lobby is having a yarn sale in the store this week (Monday Dec 24th – Saturday Dec 29 2018) for 30% off.  Incentive to buy some more :P.

I am still working on the spinning.  I finished that rolag and weighed the bobbins with the singles and first one is a little heavier so I decided to get another of the rolags to spin (that will leave 3 left) and put 2/3 of the rolag on the lighter bobbin and the rest on the other bobbin, hopefully that will balance it out.  We will see.

Tomorrow will be baking day, rolls for Christmas dinner on Tuesday :).

**Update:  I discovered that if you choose the pictures side by side choice that you can click on them on the blog and they will enlarge in a separate window, however if you chose the single pictures they will not.  So there you go.

Some New Housemates and Some Spinning

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Meet (yellow and green) Princess Peach, and (teal on the top and blue on the bottom and some white) Yoshi.  My son and his spouse weren’t having enough time for these love birds because of their alpacas and shows to sell their alpaca yarn, etc.  So I inherited them.  Unfortunately they are both females so they have to have separate cages because, tho they like each other, it’s from afar, lol.  I didn’t realize just how noisy and loud love birds can be, they make a call similar to the kookaburra, :P.  They also have quiet noises as well.  You can’t see the color well on the teal/blue love bird, but she is beautiful.  They are not friendly so I have to love them from afar as well :P.  They are very intelligent as most parrots are, Miss Peach figured out how to get out of her cage and I had to secure all the doors on her cage, she is naughty :P.

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Ok, re-posting the finished spool of singles and the progress on the 2nd spool and showing the rolag with it.  I have four more rolags not counting the one I draped across the wheel, however I have the 1st spool about 1/2 way full and tho I can get more on it, if I have 2,  more than 1/2 full spools, I worry that it will be overfull after plying, and my  Baynes wheel doesn’t do plying well once that happens.  So I might have to just spin what is left over, after filling this 2nd spool 1/2 way, and ply the left over singles from a center pull ball and use it if I need it for the scarf that I am planning on making with this yarn. I’m hoping to have this done tomorrow evening or Monday sometime, been a long time coming with this skein :P.  Then I can concentrate on continuing learning to spin on the Rick Reeves double drive wheel ;).

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Thanksgiving DayHope everyone is having a Happy Thanksgiving Day.  My thoughts and prayers are going out to those who suffered devastating losses in the California fires :(, and all those who had no family to celebrate with.   My heart is breaking for them.

I may not have much according to the world, but I have enough.  I have my faith, my family, a warm place to live, food on my table and clothes on my back.  I even have some things that I wanted, a spinning wheel (that was given to me – could not afford to buy one), my knitting needles, some yarn to knit and fiber to spin, a computer (a gift from my dad).  I have an older car that allows me to get around in town and a working sewing machine I’ve had for about 20 years, that allows me to do some sewing (repairs and gifts).  I can not complain because there are others who have less.  I’m grateful for the things the Lord has provided for me.  I wasn’t always grateful because I saw the things others had, but as I saw the lack and needs of others who had less than I did,  I began thanking our Father in Heaven for those things I had neglected to recognize as blessings in my life.  It has given me a sense of peace and comfort to see and recognize all the Lord has blessed me with.  I hope you find things to be grateful for too even tho there is so much strife and drama in the world, there are things in our lives that are blessings and tender mercies.  Sharing what we have is a blessing to others, not only lifting them but us as well.  I hope we can all find ways to bless others’ lives.

Veteran’s Day 2018 – November 11

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Veteran's Day

For our Military, who have given service and sacrificed for our freedom!

I would like to take a moment to thank all those veterans who fought in the various wars and “police actions” for our freedom.   Thank you for your service, and thank you to your families for allowing you to do that.

I would also like to thank my Dad, who is also a Veteran!

Dad1