my journeys end...

I was in the second wave of Voyagers in The Journey to the Golden Fleece  creativity course, so my personal journey started February of last year (2014 for those still writing the wrong date). It has been educational, joyful and sometimes painful.

Journaling was the hardest part for me I think. I like my private thoughts to be private, so sometimes to put things down on paper is difficult. I sketched much of it out in super secret code only I would know and I did not really share those feelings throughout the journey.

But I think some of it came may have out in my yarns for all to see.

Here they are completed in pecking order:

 Module One: The Call to Adventure.

 

 Module Two: The Road of Trials 

 Module Three: The Vision Quest

 

 

Module Four: Meeting the Goddess

 

Module Five: The Boon 

Module Six: Magic Flight

 

Module Seven: Master of Two Worlds and the Freedom to Live 

  And you can see I really like that bowl!

If I have a favorite I would have to say it is Module1 because I was breaking out of the mold. Or maybe Module 2 because I so struggled with those coils. Or maybe it's Module 3 because I managed to blend color to match a scenic photo that reminded me of Starved Rock back home. Or even Module 4 because of the challenge of layers. Then Module 5 would be a favorite because I let go of the hoarded fiber and worked the entire yarn on a drop spindle (spun mostly at work I think) and then dyed it. Module 6 Because I had two visions and then the buttons nailed it for me. Module 7  has to be a favorite because I used all my newly acquired skills to produce a Mary Poppins yarn (practically perfectly and balanced).

Or maybe it really has to be Module 8 which holds them all.

Module Eight: Imparting Wisdom

  

I think I was stalling because I really didn't want it to end but I realize all good things...blah blah..blahblah blah.

I began with a little gold in the warp and for the center of the shield.

I began weaving with Module One and wove in succession

And here she is...my golden fleece! It took just over a year but I made it! Loaded with blood, sweat and tears...and texture.

I just want to say thank you to Suzy/ WoolWench and Arlene /Spin Artiste for taking me on this wonderful journey, I can't wait to hang the certificate next to my shield!

The journey continues

Work continued on the pen this week to make it more secure. My son had to replace few feet of fencing then viola it is ready for habitation!! Actually as it turned out, he used about 80 feet of fencing. But it is all good and the pacs have a safe and secure home.

I prepared my fiber for the wild side of my Golden Fleece module 7 yarn, my responsible single already spun and waiting.

I think my blending board is my most used tool. I love to paint with fiber!

I started with combed top, then added schlubs of SoftSilk and some dyed locks then some more combed  top.. 

Arty Rolags 

Spun into my "wild" single with some wild feathers spun into it.

Then plied with my "responsible" single.

And it turned out practically perfectly balanced., like Mary Poppins

I am quite please at how this one turned out. 

I am almost sorry to see the end of this particular journey. Only one more module left to do.

And of course I managed to squeak in another hat, this one for Jesse in Maryland. Every time I post one, I get another request.

Fibering on...
xoxo

marching on

Time marches on. I find that when a person takes an extended leave of absence from work, one is left without a sense of urgency to preform a task.

Apparently I need to have the pressure of limited time off to motivate myself to get things done.

 Time tends to pass in a blur and before you know it, the week is over and you haven't accomplished squat!

OK I haven't exactly been idle but I haven't been getting my yarn stock produced like I should either.  or those niddy noddys. And some days I just plain don't do diddle. Of course now that work is looming over me I am panicked about my mental to do list.

I feel a bit like I am cramming for finals. Tuesday I went to the clerks office and got my local business license for RaineyDay Fibers, Friday I took care of the state paperwork so now I am all legal like in the state of Tennessee. Of course so far not a sale in this state.

I did also get the poncho off in the mail ( they don't seem to have an 24 hour Post Offices here, just sayin')  and Nikki's Rikki Hat also off in the mail to Chicago Burbs.

Ever since I posted all the Christmas hats I have been hat bound (orders). So here is the one for Jesse (who is in Maryland) in progress. and I should get this one done this week end. With one more hat order after that to do...this next one for Nadine in Arizona. She wants some of my hand spun done up.

I'm not complaining but I am getting tired of the hat scene.

 Lots other happening since last Sunday...did I mention I got some new furkids? No??? Well that is what my other project is. Getting the over grown pen ready at my cousin/brothers place for the new residents.


I planned on starting out early but then it snowed first thing. And my son vetoed that for today.

 

Late in the afternoon I was feeling a bit panicked again so I went over to my cousins and started work myself.

No one has lived in it for some time and it took me a good 15 minutes to hack my way through those creepy "I'm taking over the world" kind of vines.

Then I hacked my way through some um, pig weed, milk weed or what ever  kind of weed thing my cousin called it.

 

I got a goodly bit finished before I was too pooped to go on. And I discovered a ginormous old satellite dish in the pen. I reckon the previous occupants  (goats) were good with it being there but I said it needs to go. Can you recycle those I wonder?

Now I won't post pictures yet of my new residents, but if you stop by my Facebook Page RaineyDay Fibers  ( that I very recently worked so hard to set up, and yes this is a blatant bid for page likes) you will get the sneak preveiw.

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I even managed to get my first single for my Golden Fleece Module 7 spun and my rolags made today for the wild side of 7.

 

Did I say I hadn't done diddly? I must have been mistaken because I am even more tired after reading this entry!


This girl is ready to crash so happy fiber-ing

xoxo

to dye for

I've been in a little bit of a slow down after this past week. Since having posted those two Rikke hats, I now have two more requests for them, because I wasn't hat-bound enough. I do get a little bit of a break because I had to order the yarn for them.

A Saturday Sit n Knit at the library calls for something quick and easy. I grabbed up my latest thing on the needles which happened to be a pair of gauntlets I was making for myself from some art yarn I had spun nearly a year ago...seems funny saying that because I have only been on this journey for a little over a year.

I needed something brainless and pattern-less to work on since there is mostly chatting that goes on.

I couldn't take my other project because it is the Stephen West and I need concentration for that one.

And of course having bragged how I "got that" brioche stitch, I promptly went home and had to rip it out again! Do Not...I repeat Do Not try to watch Stepbrothers while working on brioche. That was just plain foolish on my part! I now realize I need like 20 straight uninterrupted hours to get that whole section done.

Since moving I haven't gotten the fiber piles organized yet, if they ever were. Most of it is in the work shed in the garage. The last couple of days have been fairly warm so I have been playing with fiber out there, a little bit. Today I decided to experiment with dyes.

Usually I do things in the hap-hazard color splash, I call it artistic way, but my son calls it my mad scientist mode.  I guess I could see that from his point of view.

The directions I got with my dyes were some what lacking so I improvise, so what. I have learned since I did the last dye experiment that I needed more mordant to make the yarn color fast. I had green hands for days after plying this.

This time I made up some dye mix, plenty of vinegar.  I have some natural yarn that I have been saving for a dye day. Don don don!

After I laid the yarn out on plastic wrap, and squirted my dye on it, I realized two things right away. One... the dye mix was too light and pastel-ly looking. Two...I don't have a microwave!!! Crap!! 

Then I look over and realize - THREE ...I already had this cooking in the crock pot! Crap again!

Oh Well! Wrap it up and hope for the best!

 

And actually, it didn't come out looking too bad.

And when this dries ( I think this is coopworth) I think I will comb it, and attempt to diz it. Maybe add a little sparkle to it. We'll see.

 

happy fiber-ing :) xoxo

finally getting my spin on!

but first, lemme take a selfie...

So since moving, things have been, well a bit chaotic scattered.

Here is brief synopsis, Johnny (son) and I moved one and a half houses. He says I have a lot of crap, as did my friend Rick who loaded the truck.  So I drove a 26 foot truck, because apparently I do have a lot of crap, pulled a trailer with Johnny's car behind it (packed to the gills) while he drove my truck (also packed to the gills), from Sarasota, Fl to the Smokies Tn. I was feeling pre-ty BA by the time we got here.

A brief two and half weeks later I drove back to Sarasota, Fl to attend a weekend workshop on photography with Sara Norine, which was soooo worth it! I truly did intend only to stay 4 days (Florida Power and Light needed to do the blah blah blah to the blah blah blah - what-ever) so that was the extra day. Then tragedy struck, I had an accident and was STUCK IN FLORIDA for 10 DAYS!

You don't even want to see this...BAMM!

We just don't look at this side :(

Moving on.
Finally I get home and I have one day to race through the house unpacking (because I really do have a lot of crap and I am a mad woman) make the house look presentable so that we can leave the very next morning at the crack of dawn (earlier even) to go to Chicago for Thanksgiving with my family. Made it! Loads of fun! Glad we did it!

So finally we are now home and pretty much settled, sort of. Enough for me to start to get my spin on.

I took a blue/pink/purpley art batt by Batts in the Belfry fluffed it up -hand picking- with some raw alpaca, and some camel and maybe a little cormo -it was just whatever I could drag out of the space bags in the work shed (hehe I have a work shed ).

And got my spin on!

                           

I also managed to squeeze in a couple of emergency Christmas gift hats this week. And by a couple I really mean four...so far. 

Boys...

skull cap and watch cap

slouch

And girl. Somebody had to put in a special order...

alliecat

Phew... I am making myself tired just reliving all that again. (drivers butt...big time)

I think I have only one more to do. Sarah and Raine have soooo many they just are not getting new ones this year! Saw-ry.

Finally... some small measure of control back in my life.