Chitchat and the occasional in-depth analysis about fiber, knitting, spinning, crochet, cooking, feminism, self-image, and a modicum of personal blathering.

Sunday, September 28, 2008

It's just a heathen town

Yesterday, we went to Penn's Colony, so this is going to be a photo-heavy post. Then, today, something strange happened. And who knows what will happen next.

My latest round of issues is being pissed off at my limited mobility. Yesterday, I said the heck with it, and we went to Penn's Colony. It was nice. It was also way more walking than I've done since the accident. Here's some photos from the event.

This fellow was amazing. His outfit was outlandish, and he sat outside a vendor's tent with a bird whistle, pitching the goods and blowing the whistle.
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That brocade coat was gorgeous beyond words.

We spent some time watching a rifle drill at the french encampment.
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The commander was barking his orders in loud french. Monty Python moments ensued.
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The camps were all set up like actual french and indian wars army camps.
http://flickr.com/photos/mensabuttercup/tags/pennscolony/ if you want to see more photos of the encampments and other stuff that was there.

Some of my other favorite photos from the day include
Santa Claus and his Maker, and the Gallery of Clauses.

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You can't help but notice that he's made Santa in his own image.

And the baby on a leash
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and the scottish dancing.
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It was a beautiful day until it started to rain, but I had a great time. Bob got a new belt from a leather crafstman, and I got a new change purse, some fiber and some yarn (yay!). We also got some snack foods from the candy booth but overall we didn't spend much money there. Afterwards, we went to Pittsburgh Mills and got new shoes, and ice cream at Sonic.

When I got home, my leg was pretty much dead. I dreaded today. I figured it would be stiff and sore and immobile for most of the day. BUT... other than waking up with severe cramps in the bad leg, it's actually been pretty OK. It hurts LESS today than it did yesterday before we went, and I'm actually walking around the house mostly without a limp. I don't expect that to last all day but it's very encouraging. I think I need to really push myself beyond my comfort zone on a regular basis.

Here's the yarn and fiber I got-the yarn is Cashgora, and the fiber is Merino.

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Yes, that was ten bucks for 140 yards of aran-weight handspun cashgora. The skeins are 7 ounces. Amazing. And it is gorgeous. It positively glows.

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The roving has VM (vegetable matter) in it, but it should fall out during spinning. 8 oz of merino for six dollars is an amazing deal. And it's soft as butter, too.
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I teased out a little of it and finger-spun it while we were sitting around resting my leg.
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There was a pretty good fiber arts presence there. I met about five spinners at various booths, my purchases were all from the Butler County Spinners and Weavers guild. It was a good sign that literally, the first thing I saw was a woman sitting with her Ashford Joy spinning yarn at a children's activity booth.

In other craft-related news, I finished the Flyaway Free Jacket, SO EASY, and the Tulip Socks. Haven't got a photo of the socks yet, but here's the jacket hanging up to dry.
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I'll probably go to Joanne Fabrics tomorrow and find the perfect button for it. I don't want to block it hard, I want it to be flowy and casual looking. It fits perfectly, too.
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I really like the look of the material. The handspun yarn was a good match for it.

So other than that, I started socks for one of the girls, Beaded Rib, out of DK Knits Technicolor Dream Toes yarn. Again, no photos yet. My camera battery is charging. The tulip socks look and feel wonderful. Today, I'm spinning some of my cheviot roving, I divided it for three ply instead of two and hoping to get it done today so I can ply and set. I think after last week's three-ply experience I'm pretty much done with two ply yarns for the most part, three ply just looks and feels so much better. But I've got to spin thinner in order to accomplish the same weight yarn. It's a process.

Ok, back to it.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

It's always awesome to hear about progress! and I love that sweater. ain't crafting fun?