The Thrifty Knitter

Better pictures of the girly version of Pebble Baby Vest I made for Chris’ granddaughter.

1 ball Knit 1 Crochet Too Angora Soft on US 7 needles

After Felt School, I’d like to write the variation, maybe with seed stitch instead of garter to mix things up, and the lace heart motif.

I don’t know what’s with me lately, but I’m burning through money like it’s… what? going out of style? I almost said pee, but that doesn’t make any sense. I guess I was just thinking of something you make without trying and want to get rid of, but you don’t burn pee. That would be awful and smelly.

Okay, so mixed metaphors aside, I’ve been spending way too much money on NOTH-thing. Seriously.

At the beginning of the year, I had this gorgeous idea that I wouldn’t make any personal purchases until I had paid down 25% of my stupid credit card bills. This plan was based on my January 2008 plan to go a full month without any personal spending (which I totally pulled off, yay me). But this time, I just wrote down the plan, calculated the figure, made up an elaborate spreadsheet to track my paydown/additional purchases/interest, filled it in religiously, BUT DIDN’T ACTUALLY QUIT BUYING SHIT. It turns out that was the critical part.

Today, I went through a big pile of old stuff that included 3 recent credit card bills, and I was filling in my trusty spreadsheet and scratching my head as to why I wasn’t miraculously out of debt, I had the genius brainwave that, oh yeah, quit buying stuff, smarty.

Of course, Suzanne’s arriving tomorrow, so I won’t officially climb on the wagon until she leaves–but she’s naturally frugal and our entertainment will mostly entail cooking with a few modest tourist excursions. But after she departs, and until the end of June at least, no personal spending. And no rationalizing personal spending as business expenses. And any business expenses that can wait a month, should wait. I actually really enjoy self-deprivation experiments when they have a finite time line, and I’ve found putting off purchases often means putting them off permanently. As an instant gratification junkie, I typically forget what I’ve bought 20 seconds after hitting the One-Click button.

Speaking of junkies (the regular kind), the recent Jerry Stahl Moth podcast is hi-larious.

Before I had my spendthrift epiphany, I bought myself some flowers, something I almost never do. But they were a steal! $6 for a big bouquet of orange spray roses. And it turns out they actually smell nice, something that wasn’t immediately apparent at the grocery store, but they’ve since opened up more.

And I did sew the buttons on this baby. I found some cute little round green buttons with a lighter-green flower. I contemplated little heart-shaped buttons, but thought that would be cute overkill. 1 ball Angora Soft + US 7 needles. I’ll take some better pictures & post the details asap.

Four out of the seven are now officially jacketed, so next year’s fleece should be dreamily clean and Tina-esque. (Sad note for fleece lovers: Ewephoria Farm is now officially a little hobby farm. Tina kept a few favorite Shetlands, but the bulk of her Shetland flock, plus all her gorgeous moorit Merinos and Romneys are gone daddy gone.)

Next week, I’m going to actively avoid crazy, vile, or generally unpleasant people and situations for a solid week! I’m naturally very easy to wind up, so I make a pretty serious effort to ignore horridness with a Sookie Stackhouse-like concentration, but I’ve been lazy and absorbing more yuck than I need.  It’s not good for my mental state to too closely echo Smiths songs. After all, I’m a grown woman. I don’t need to be splashing around in bitchy petulant angst, even if it is clever petulant angst (the Smiths version, I mean–not my own; if I could be all Oscar Wildey about it, I maybe wouldn’t mind picking my scabs).

It shouldn’t be too hard, because Sue’s coming to visit! Yay! It’s hard to be pissy when Sue’s around. Once on a road trip we spent a solid hour listing all of the things and people we hate without it ever getting negative. In fact, it was perfectly delightful! We’re planning one day of stock and sausage-making, and the rest of the time goofing off, maybe taking a day trip or two, maybe just sitting around playing Scrabble and drinking margaritas.

 

I just finished knitting a Pebble for Chris’ new granddaughter, and I need to affix the gorram buttons before the kid enters college! I hereby officially vow to find and sew on buttons tonight. So there!

It’s a girly version with a little lace heart, made of 1 ball of Angora Soft on US7s.

I think I may write a heart/seed stitch version of the pattern as well…

 

 

 

Amazingly, the spring rains cleared up just in time to give us beautiful clear skies and lovely warm weather for Spring Yarn School. I got to see lots of returning friends and meet many delightful new people, and both our teachers (Adrian & Jennifer) and our helpers (Cathy, Jen & Ana) were absolutely amazing. Yay, Yarn School! A few pics…

At check-in, we got mug shots of everyone. Later, they became a yearbook grid sticker for everyone’s Yarn School notebooks (filled with spinning, dyeing & prep info).

Friday – Dye Lab

Dyed fiber on the line (photo by Jan of just4ewe.org):

Friday – Lunch at Alpacas of Wildcat Hollow:

New crias (baby alpaca): Hoss (6 days old) and tiny Little Joe (2 weeks old)

Friday – Hanging out at Cupcake Ranch aka my backyard (photos by Jan of just4ewe.org & Amy W.):

Chickens chowing down on Yarn School scraps (photo by Marybeth):

Friday – Drum carding:

Fiber bins (photo by Marybeth):

Saturday – Spinning (photos by Jen Miller & Cathy McQuitty-Dreiling)

Adrian leads the intermediate/advanced circle

Jen leads the wee beginners’ circle & demonstrates novelty techniques:

Saturday – afternoon spinning

Saturday – Lunch in the courtyard with angora goat and bunnies from Cherie of Little Angora House on the Prairie:

Cherie fetches a runaway bunny:

Look how tiny she is! She’s not a miniature, just something of a runt due to healthy problems when she was a wee kid.

Saturday – Wrapping up a little late-night spinning:

And by 2am, the gym was finally quiet:

Sunday

More spinning Sunday morning, then we ate lunch, took out class photo, and said goodbye.

And even Beatrix is sad to go (photo by Ana Sugaroni):

Until next fall!

Fiberlicious sellers who don’t have time to sort out a whole mess of goodies for the Yarn School goodie bags are still welcome to contribute door prizes for Yarn School. It’s a great way to advertise & get your products out there in eager fiberphilic hands.

Your door prize will be on display in the main spinning area throughout Yarn School (and you may also include a business card for the goodie bag & a banner for the sidebar), and will be won in a drawing by some lucky Yarn School student Saturday night or Sunday morning!

Please label it well so everyone can see where it’s from and send it in time to arrive Saturday at the latest (ship via Priority by Wednesday or Thursday if you’re close)–sooner is better for optimal exposure! If you prefer UPS, the map below shows how long UPS delivery takes from where you are.

Nikol Lohr/Yarn School
13149 Harveyvillle Rd
Harveyville KS 66431

It’s not too late to include samples of your fibery wares or notions in our Yarn School goodie bags! You’ll get your fiber treats in the hands of some very enthusiastic spinners and knitters!

If you can ship 26 samples to arrive to me by Thursday 5/7, your stuff can go in the fabulous goodie bags that all of our students receive.

If it’s roving, combed top or batts, each sample should be an ounce. If it’s locks, sparkle, or other spin-ins, it can be less. Notions of all types are welcome! Please label all goodies with your shop name and contact info, and send to:

The Harveyville Project/GOODIES
13149 Harveyville Rd
Harveyville KS 66431

You’ll also get a 6-month link to your store from my sidebar! Just email me a 140 x 40 banner & your url.

If you’re hemming and hawing about joining the Yarn School fun, put a wiggle in it and register now–registration closes Sunday!

(If you need help deciding, keep it mind that it might be tax deductible for that new home fiber business you’re starting. See how I help you rationalize  your fiber addiction even in tough economic times? Seriously, though, it’s a hellava deal. For what you’d spend on 4 days at a very average hotel and dinner, you’ll get amazing classes with top-notch fiber artists, supplies, fabulous meals, accomodation in a cool old school, photo ops with excruciatingly adorable lambs & a fat fiber stash to bring home.)

If you’re on the fence, go look at Yarn School teacher Adrian Bizilia’s handspun yarn porn and fiber porn or teacher Jennifer Schermerhorn’s hanspun yarn porn (teasers below!).

At Spinsters yesterday, we got to visit with Tina’s glorious flock of lots and lots and lots of lambs!

Here’s a video of the Shetlands from Grasshopper (I remembered my camera but forgot my memory card… and my wallet and shopping list, sigh.)

And the Merinos & Romneys (also Grasshopper):

I was working on my barely-touched Spinner’s Hill batt & Jen reminded me I’d better get my ass in gear if I wanted this

to become an actual Rhinebeck sweater in time for the actual Rhinebeck.

Last night, we had thunderstorm & tornado watches & warnings all night, so I took the cats into the basement & cranked out about half a bobbin (not the one below; that’s from February’s Spinsters).

This will be my first year, and spinning up my Rhinebeck fiber (I couldn’t go, so I forced Jen to surprise me with a fiber haul, which apparently caused her untold angst :)) for a sweater-to-be has given me… Rhinebeck Madness!

That’s my Rhinebeck penny bank and my future Rhinebeck sweater. The perspective’ off–the jar is actually twice the size of the bobbin. And it’s not all singles, really!

Last weekend, the Yarn School helpers came out and we spent the weekend preparing the place for Spring Yarn School (still a couple spots left, but I’m closing registration soon!) I really like having my helpers come out early. Not only does a lot of stuff get wrapped up nice and early, but it also guarantees that I get started on the stuff I have to do myself much earlier. Every session I think: this time I’ll finally take some classes myself! But this time, I’m starting to actually believe it!

At Cupcake Ranch, Hokey Pokey has lost his tail & the Romney ram lamb is still unnamed. He is huge and hopping around now when he’s not lounging around like the laziest lamb in the history of time, and he does this cute thing when he’s nursing where he alternates between teats every three or four sucks, like he’s either OCD or afraid someone else will come along and drink his milk. The weather’s been shitty, but when it’s nice again, I’ll try to stare at him until a name materializes. I’ve toyed with a few ideas, but nothing solid yet. I think the lambs are due for vaccinations or worming or something. I’m going to look it up tonight and dose them tomorrow. I still haven’t moved them onto pasture with the electric fence. I dawdled when the weather was nice, then it got all rainy and I figured that wouldn’t be an ideal time to play with electricity.