Ember's Fine Fleece

(This post is three years in the making, you might want to get a beverage and make yourself comfortable.)

California Mid-State Fair 2022

Paso Robles, CA

 

7/30/22

 

 

My Sheep to Shawl journey came to an end June 17, 2022. That was the day I dropped off the completed shawl at the Mid-State Fair.

Remember when I first wrote about the project? Way back in April 2019 I had purchased one pound of Romeldale/CVM raw wool fiber fleece from CedarRidgePond Etsy store.

 

I knew from the beginning the project was going to take time - as I taught myself, as I practiced, as I learned - a slow process. It was also a labor of love.

A labor of love to scour (wash) the raw locks of wool,

 

4/25/19

a labor of love to comb the washed locks by hand,

8/11/19

8/11/19

 

a labor of love to spin on beautifully-made Spanish Peacock supported spindles,

 

9/23/19

a labor of love to transfer the spun singles to storage bobbins,

 

10/14/19

 

 

3/15/22

 

a labor of love to ply the spun singles on an EEW e-spinner to make a 2-ply yarn. The singles on storage bobbins were plied together to create a gradient yarn - from light to dark,

3/20/22

 

3/26/22

 

a labor of love to skein the yarn on the Niddy Noddy and to marvel at the movement and energy of Ember's crimp when the skein is released from tension,

 

4/10/22

 

 

4/10/22

 

a labor of love to - Yeehaw - finish three skeins of gradient yarn,

 

4/14/22

 

a labor of love to find the perfect shawl pattern to knit,

Time Trades by designer Caitlin Hunter

"Time Trades was inspired by a favorite song
of mine by songwriter Jeffrey Lewis- the
lyrics are about using your time to build on
a skill that you can get better and wiser at- "

 

 

a labor of love to knit several swatches with different-sized needles, wash, and block the swatches then start knitting using the darkest skein first,

 

4/24/22

5/8/22

5/12/22

 a labor of love to wet block the shawl,

 

6/12/22

6/12/22

 

a labor of love to finish-finish-finish (blocked, ends woven in, pics taken) the Time Trades shawl.

6/17/22

6/17/22

6/17/22

 

 

6/17/22

 

Ember's Fine Fleece

April 11, 2019 to June 17, 2022

 

~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

Time Trades

Time is gonna take so much away
But there's a way that time can offer you a trade
Time is gonna take so much away
But there's a way that time can offer you a trade
You gotta do something that you can get nicer at
You gotta do something that you can get wiser at
You better do something that you can get better at
Cause that's the only thing that time will leave you with
Cause time is gonna take so much away
But there's a way that time can offer you a trade
It might be cabaret
It could be poetry
It might be trying to make a new happy family
It could be violin repair or chemistry
But if it's something that takes lots of time that's good
Cause time is gonna take so much away
But there's a way that time can offer you a trade
Because your looks are gonna leave you
And your city's gonna change too
And your shoes are gonna wear through
Yeah, time is gonna take so much away
But there's a way that you can offer time a trade
You gotta do something that you can get smarter at
You gotta do something you might just be a starter at
You better do something that you can get better at
Cause that's the thing that time will leave you with

And maybe that's why they call a trade a trade
Like when they say that you should go and learn a trade
The thing you do don't have to be to learn a trade
Just get something back from time for all it takes away
It could be many things
It could be anything
It could be expertise in Middle-Eastern traveling
Something to slowly sew to balance life's unraveling
You have no choice you have to pay times price
But you can use the price to buy you something nice
Something you can only buy with lots of time
So when you're old you'll blow some whippersnappers mind
It might be researching a book that takes you seven years
A book that helps to make the path we take to freedom clear
And when you're done you see it started with a good idea
One good idea could cost you thousands of your days
But it's just time that you'd be spending anyway
You have no choice, you have to pay times price
But you can use the price to buy you something nice
So I've decided recently
To try to trade more decently

 

 Time Trades

Jeffrey Lewis

October 10, 2011

Out And About: CCW Retreat 2019

Central Coast Weavers Guild Retreat

Camp Ocean Pines

Cambria, CA

November 8-10, 2019

You were dreamin'

On a park bench

'bout a broad highway somewhere

When the music from the carillon

Seemed to hurl your heart out there

 Past the scientific darkness

Past the fireflies that float

To an angel bending down 

To wrap you in her warmest coat

And you ask

What am I not doing

She says

Your voice cannot command
 In time you will move mountains
And it will come through your hands

 

Still you argue for an option

Still you angle for your case

Like you wouldn't know a burning bush

If it blew up in your face

Yeah, we scheme about the future

And we dream about the past
 When just a simple reaching out
Might build a bridge that lasts

 

 And you ask

What am I not doing

She says

Your voice cannot command

In time you will move mountains

And it will come through your hands

Through your hands

 

 So whatever your hands find to do

You must do with all your heart

 

There are thoughts enough

 To blow men's minds

And tear great worlds apart

 There's a healing touch to find you

On that broad highway somewhere

To lift you high

 As music flyin'

Through the angels' hair

Don't ask what you are not doing

Because your voice cannot command

In time we will move mountains

And it will come through your hands.




Through Your Hands, John Hiatt, 1990

Thank you to the CCW Guild for the Scholarships "Camperships" which allows first-timer Guild members an opportunity to attend the Camp Ocean Pines Retreat.

The Cousteau Cabin Newbies

 

Thank you to the Sharing Hands: Flo, Kathy, Nancy, iRene, Rich, Jannie, Carol, Teresa, Roberta, Glenda, Ginny, and Cindy.

The Highway Song

The Summer Series continues whereby I try to catch up on the stories ~

A few days after returning home from camping The Man and I were sitting outside, drinking coffee, when he mentioned he was planning a wilderness camping trip.

"Oh yeah, when?"
"Tuesday."

It was Sunday morning. We had just come home on Thursday. I turned to stare at him.

He saw my look and explained that he had wanted to explore some of the mountain trails before the summer crowds showed up.

I knew he was planning a trip, I noticed him studying his big red California Atlas and the GPS maps, I just didn't know it would be so soon.

He reassured me that I wouldn't need to do anything, he had it all figured out. He couldn't take much more than his gear since space and weight were limited while traveling on the motorcycle.

While The Man packed - fitting objects like a jigsaw puzzle - I finished the knitting on his Sockhead hat. I didn't wash it, wouldn't dry in time, so I wove in the ends and gave it to him. For some reason he insisted I sew on a SLO Yarns label. I was pleased but surprised. Surprised because he's not usually appreciative of my creations, possibly traumatized from the first hat I made him, known affectionately now as the "Reservoir Tip" hat, but that's another story and I digress.

May 9th, early Tuesday morning, the Suzuki V-Strom was packed and ready to go. The loaded down bike and The Man headed east for a four-day trip to the southern Sierra mountains.

I headed back into the house for another cup of coffee.

Several hours later I received a text message. It was evident why The Man had wanted a SLO Yarns label sewn onto his knitted hat. Again I was pleased and surprised. I may have laughed out loud.

B. Beenie enjoys a delicious lunch in Glennville.

Another text arrived that afternoon while he still had a cell phone signal.

B. Beenie enjoying a wilderness camp site. B. Beenie hopes it doesn't rain tonight.

A couple of days went by before I heard from B. Beenie and The Man again.

B. Beenie says to hell with wilderness camping.

I'm pretty sure The Man had a good time no matter what B. Beenie had to say.

There's a new highway song
Playing in your soul
Let it carry you away
Into this glorious day
This glorious day
This glorious day

Jimmy LaFave
7/12/55 - 5/21/17

Three Bags Full

Baa baa black sheep 

have you any wool?

Yes sir, yes sir,

three bags full.

One for the Master, one for the Dame,

and one for the little boy that lives down the lane.

Baa baa black sheep have you any wool?

Yes sir, yes sir,
three bags full.

 

Baa baa white sheep

have you any wool?

Yes sir, yes sir,

three needles full.

One to mend a jumper, one to mend a frock,

and one for the little girl with holes in her socks.

Baa baa white sheep have you any wool?

Yes sir, yes sir, 

three bags full.

Baa baa grey sheep

have you any wool?

Yes sir, yes sir,

three bags full.

One for the kitten, one for the cats,

and one for the guinea pig to knit some woolly hats.

Baa baa grey sheep have you any wool?

Yes sir, yes sir,

three bags full.

YouTube gank: Baa Baa Black Sheep with Lyrics

Kids Songs and Nursery Rhymes by EFlashApps

Cleaning and Reorganizing Craft Room, August 2016

First, I moved everything out of the Craft Room and yarn closet. (Lets just say it's a good thing we have two spare bedrooms and a spare bathroom.)

I added a chair from downstairs and made a Sit-N-Knit corner and moved the Schacht Cricket 10" and Flip 20" to make a Loom-Along wall.

All the yarn was inspected, inventoried, and - gasp - placed back in the closet.
Yowzer! It's SABLE.

I'm very pleased with the results. Even The Man comes in to sit for a bit.

At the end of the day, it's a nice place to be.