Maple Corners

Peg loom shop now open!

2012-02-14T16:17:00.003-06:00

My friend Lynette made herself this lovely shawl on her peg loom.

She is now making peg looms for sale. They are generally custom made, to your specifications regarding peg width, distance between pegs, and how many pegs.

Painted, or not painted.

If you're interested, just drop her a line at daisyhillhandiworks at hotmail dot com. She has limited internet access, so your best bet is to send her your telephone number so you can discuss the specifics of what you want.

Waffles

2012-01-30T21:42:00.002-06:00

I have a confession to make. I have a box of waffles in my freezer.

I'm sure plenty of people have frozen waffles in their freezer, so why the need to confess? They're over two years old. Towards the end, that was all I could get Mom to eat. I don't eat them, and they're taking up space in the freezer that I could use for something else. The chickens would probably like to eat them, freezer burn and all.

Yet, as I rearrange the freezer to make room for the day old bread that was on special, the box always stays, even as I am cursing and shoving and smooshing the day old bread to make it fit. I'm not ready yet. I don't know when I will be.

I can promise you this though. If you ever come for breakfast, I won't be serving frozen waffles. The French Toast might be slightly smooshed day old bread.

The Changing Landscape

2012-01-15T12:01:00.004-06:00

A friend asked me the other day why I hadn't posted in such a while. I didn't know how to answer him. I don't have an answer. How about I just post something?

This summer, another wind turbine farm popped up near me.

I swear, one minute they weren't there, and the next they were, just like mushrooms pop up out of nowhere in the spring. I'm sure it didn't feel that way to the people erecting them in the blazing heat we had.

These turbines are about a mile away from me, yet I can't actually see them from my place because of the trees and hill between us. This disappoints me. I rather like watching them. They are mesmerizing, like sitting at my spinning wheel, I think.

Luckily, this view is just a short walk away.

Someday, I'll have one of my own. Not a big one like these, of course, just one that will let me generate some of my own power. Maybe one of these babies? It seems almost wasteful not to.

Hit and Run Post

2011-09-30T07:14:00.003-05:00

Sorry, just wanted to show what I've been doing recently. This is yarn that I had mill spun with a friend. It is my alpaca, his wool, and another friend's mohair, a third of each. I've been playing.

A Conversation

2011-06-21T06:08:00.002-05:00

I had a lovely conversation with Mom early this morning. It was raining and thundering, and I was in that half conscious state. It was wonderful.

We were sitting around the kitchen table at the family home. The radio was on 'CCO, and Mom was eating a piece of toast. My nephew, just turned 9, was there too. Mom told us this story.

She and her sister Mary Anne were 5 or 6 years old at the time, and their dad was driving them to my Great Aunt (their Aunt)Teeter's place in Wisconsin. The road to her place was gravel, and had a lot of hills. If you drive fast, your stomach does that rising up in your belly thing as you go over the top of the hill and back down. They were sitting in the back seat of the car, leaned back against the seat, heads back and staring up at the sky through the rear window, enjoying that up and down, almost falling sensation as they rode over the hills. All of a sudden, that falling sensation didn't stop, they were falling, falling, falling. They looked at each other, and asked "Are we gone?" (As in, had they died?) Nope, they had gone off the road and into the ditch, landing in two feet of snow.

This is the story as told to me in my dream. I have no idea if it is a real one, that Mom told me years ago, or if my head made it up. I do know that I loved going to Great Aunt Teeter's, and enjoyed the ride there, always urging Mom to drive faster so we could get that rollercoaster effect. I don't remember ever going in the ditch though.

It was great having a conversation with her about our shared past, whether she was sharing her love of riding to Teeter's too, or I was just remembering mine, which she was a huge part of.

Anyway, how have you all been? I've been busy trying to keep up with the mowing, both of the yard with the riding mower and of the pastures with my scythe. I rode (on bicycle) the Tour de Pepin, 32 miles half way around the lake, and then a paddleboat ride back across the lake. It was great fun and amazingly enough I wasn't even sore the next day!

I love this color.

2011-05-06T21:30:00.002-05:00

This is a giant hyacinth getting ready to bloom in a flowerbed right outside my front door. I have never noticed the green shading to blue shading to deep purple. It makes my eyes happy.

I sense a colorway coming on. I am imagining it in felt, not yarn, to get the subtle shading from one color to the next. I'll have to pull out the dyepot some other day though, for tomorrow is Shepherd's Harvest! There is a Cormo fleece with my name on it (They've got a beer named Jeff? I know at least one of you will get that!) waiting for me there.

Is this thing on?

2011-04-29T22:53:00.002-05:00

Yep, still working.

It was a good day for sun bathing.

Art of Alzheimer's-Linens and Lids

2011-03-06T09:38:00.002-06:00

I didn't think I'd ever have more of these to share. I was looking through old photos, and found this.

I had probably given her some towels to fold, and she made art with them. The white is a lid from a plastic storage tub, and the blue lid from a plastic food container.

Waaaaahh!

New Peg Loom

2011-03-04T19:09:00.003-06:00

A friend and I were discussing weaving on the peg loom, and the subject of a finer peg loom that what I had came up. By finer, I mean one with smaller pegs set closer together. The next thing I knew, she had built one for me.

Isn't she pretty? All painted and everything.

This is the best part.

She is thinking of producing these for sale, so if anybody is interested, let me know.

I tried her out using some cotton tape yarn I got at the Textile Center Garage Sale last year.

I love the effect!

I just realized what the yarn reminds me of. Shoestrings.

Open your Heart

2011-02-13T18:19:00.003-06:00

"Open your heart" is this week's theme for MCP Project 52. Open your heart to a rescue dog, and she might rescue you right back.

Kora has been with me just over a year now. She is smart, outgoing, friendly, fearless, and self-confident. I need to be more like her.

Soothing Repetition

2011-01-27T21:52:00.002-06:00

This week's assignment for MCP Project 52 was a no brainer for me. Soothing repetition. Come on, what else was I going to photograph but my spinning wheel? Well, ok, if I could have gotten the shed door open to get my scythe out, that was also in the running. In the end, the spinning wheel won.

Sob

2011-01-20T14:12:00.002-06:00

I lost my best friend, faithful companion and footwarmer for the past twelve years early this morning. She was a good dog.

Week 3: Shades of Grey

2011-01-19T21:26:00.003-06:00

The window of the art shack is the subject of this Week 3 photo. Shades of grey is the theme.

On a completely different subject, does anybody watch NCIS (Mark Harmon, call me!) and happen to catch last night's episode? Bob Newhart played a former NCIS medical examiner, with Alzheimer's. He nailed it. I recognised the "I am lost" look. Even worse, I felt the "I am lost to you" look.

MCP Project 52: Week 2

2011-01-14T23:01:00.003-06:00

I'm participating in MCP Actions Project 52, where you post one photo for each week of the year, with each week having a theme. This week's them was to illustrate a song using a photograph. Not being very original, I chose "The llama song".

I can't actually use any of the Photoshop actions, as my version of Elements is very old, but that doesn't matter. The project is open to anybody, and you can join in at any time. I missed the first week.

Also, could someone please tell the llamas that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line? They created this path, and unless I want to wade through 3 feet of snow, I use it to carry the water to them. Grr!

Bobbles and Bowls

2010-12-13T21:14:00.002-06:00

This started out as the Spoked Hat from the Winter 2010 Interweave Knits. Not having the right sized needles, it ended up big. Really big. So I frogged the crown shaping back, did a few more rows of the established pattern, then repeated the first row, with the bobbles. Now, it is a spoked cowl. The yarn is a handspun, handdyed alpaca blend. There is enough left over, I could actually knit the hat too. Or maybe I'll do some fingerless mitts, using the same stitch pattern.

My second bowl from pottery class along with some tomatoes from the garden. They were picked green and are slowly ripening. The bowl is blue with some transparent purple on the inside and slopped over the side. I was trying to get more of the purple on the outside too, but I'll take what I can get!

Long Overdue Thank You

2010-12-09T17:38:00.002-06:00

A while ago, I sent some fiber to an Internet friend. She was new to spinning, and I just wanted to do a little enabling to help her build her fiber stash. Pay it forward, just like other spinners had done for me when I first started. Then, back in September, I got a squishy in the mail.

Aren't they fantastic? She did all the spinning on a drop spindle. A drop spindle! Then she knit this beautiful cable and lace pattern and sent the socks back to me. They've been keeping my feet and heart warm ever since. Thank you G-A-M!

Felting

2010-11-30T12:40:00.002-06:00

I've been on a felting kick lately. This is wool that I dyed felted onto a base of teal silk crepe de chine fabric. It was wet felted in a big sheet, then I cut out a vest shape. It is one piece, with the only seams at the shoulders.

I stood in the art shack for the first time on Saturday. Previously, when you opened the door, there was a big wooden apparatus directly inside that prevented me from physically getting inside the building. I dismantled it on Saturday, (with a wrench, a hammer, crowbar, and some well-chosen expletives) and just stood in there and got a feel for the space. Dreamed a bit. Thought about window and door placement. Loom placement. Dyeing station placement. Felting station placement. Pottery wheel placement. Big comfy chair placement. You get the idea!

It's getting closer, closer

2010-11-18T18:02:00.004-06:00

Yep, it is finally here. I wasn't sure if it was going to make the corner turning onto my high, narrow driveway, but they did it. It is still up on cribbing so I can insulate underneath and come up with a better foundation, probably until spring. What I had there was basically destroyed in their moving back and forth trying to get the building in position. It turns out this building is heavier than a normal building of the same size because of the type and amount of wood used. The walls are 2 by 6, 12 inches on center. She's a sturdy one, designed to hold many tons of grain. Just think how much fiber she will hold! Apparently, my building is a girl.

Pottery Class

2010-11-05T21:44:00.002-05:00

My first wheel-thrown pottery piece. A plate. That fancy edge? An attempt to cover a mistake. When I was trimming it, I had it secured on the wheel well enough for me. When the instructor sat at my wheel to show me how to do something, he kicked that wheel much faster. My poor plate went flying. It was mostly ok except for a gouge on the edge. So I just cut gouges all around the edge, and tada, a sprocket plate. There is also a crack in the middle, but it held together. I won't be able to use it to serve food, because the glaze wasn't able to seal it.

This little lopsided bowl is my second piece, my first bowl. Just the right size for ice cream!

One of the other students commented that "Art takes a long time." I had to laugh. I was thinking,wow, look how fast this is, one minute I have a ball of clay and a half hour later I have a bowl. There are additional steps of course, but to me it was way faster than the dyeing/carding/spinning/knitting or weaving I usually do. Once again proving it's all relative!

In other news, the Art Shack is coming on Sunday! Woohoo! The man who is moving it stopped by today to do a dry run and look over the site. He is the one that took it off its foundation, and he said that the building didn't flex one bit. As he bluntly put it, "That building is built like a brick shithouse!" Now, that is exactly what I thought,(maybe not exactly in those terms!) but it felt good to hear it from someone who actually knows about these things and who is an impartial third-party. Yeehaw!

One year

2010-10-15T08:55:00.001-05:00

Fall

2010-10-10T10:52:00.002-05:00

Fall can be muted.

Bold.

Or downright flaming.

Tale of Woe Revisited

2010-09-29T07:42:00.003-05:00

Remember my Tale of Woe? Where I vowed I would take a wheel thrown pottery class?

Last night was the first class of eight. It was so fun! It reminded me of felting, where something magically emerges under your hands. A few manipulations, and like magic a bowl appears. So far, a bowl and a plate have been completed. No pictures yet, but I promise I will show all attempts, failures and successes.

With the class, we have free use of the studio, as long as there isn't a class going on. This could be dangerous. I have a feeling I'll be needing another bag of clay before too long.

Shelter from the Storm

2010-09-24T21:13:00.004-05:00

My area in southern Minnesota has been hard hit by flooding the past few days. 8 to 10 inches of rain have pushed rivers and streams out of their banks, taking bridges and roads with the rushing water. Many homes are under water. Not good.

I've been lucky. The two pumps I had going managed to keep the water in my basement from reaching the furnace and other mechanicals.

ETA:Eeek! The pump (not a sump pump, I have to watch it so it doesn't run dry) had finished emptying the basement around 11 this morning, so I unplugged it, and plugged in the dehumidifier. I just went downstairs to empty the dehumidifier before bed, and discovered another 7 inches of water had seeped in again in the less than 12 hours. It was about an inch from my furnace. So glad I went back downstairs before bed. I have the pump going again.

One good thing about the recent rain. I was able to watch the way the rain drained off my slight hill, and it went right where I thought it would go. I am convinced that the site I chose for the art shack building is the best place. The man who wanted to charge me over $750.00 to regrade everything because "he could tell the water would go right through there" can suck it! My chosen site was high and dry, and the place he told me it should go had ponding water. I've been living here for ten years, this "little lady" knows where the spring run off goes. Suck it, mister! I'll keep my $750, thank you very much.

The building hasn't been moved yet because the county has been resurfacing the road all summer. I think they might finally be done.

When I first saw this pair of mourning doves outside my upstairs bathroom window, they were huddled together with their heads on each other's backs. So sweet. I ran back downstairs for my camera, and they turned to look at me when I moved the curtain out of the way so I could snap the photo.

Actual Knitting Content

2010-09-10T07:26:00.003-05:00

That's right, I actually finished something. It is warm and soft and cuddly.

My version of the Danish Tie Shawl. I didn't have the correct Spin Off (Spring, 2008)where the shawl was featured, but I found a similar one on Ravelry here. I didn't stop when the directions said, I just kept knitting until I ran out of yarn. I used two skeins of natural Kimmet Croft Softie that I got at the Textile Center Garage Sale and dyed myself.

Here it is as intended to be worn. It crosses in front and ties in the back, leaving the hands free to do whatever. No fussing trying to keep the shawl on.

I finished it just in time too. There has been a marked change in the weather, so this will come in handy at the Threshing Bee next weekend. I'll be doing spinning demonstrations. If you're near St. Charles, MN, stop by and say hi!

Camoflage

2010-08-26T20:45:00.002-05:00

I went out to pick some cucumbers for supper, and found this little guy sitting on one hanging from the trellis.

I didn't pick that one.

I pulled out Mom's recipe for fresh cucumber pickles, and cried a little when I saw her handwriting. When is it going to get easier?

On the Fiber Front

2010-08-13T17:30:00.002-05:00

I can't fool you guys for a second! That's right, I have a floor loom. She is a Union 36" rug loom. She is in very good condition considering how old she is. I should replace the heddles, although they actually still work fine. Mostly, she just needs cleaning up. Until I get the Art Shack up and running, she'll be in the house in my office. The photo shows her still all bound up and partially taken apart for transport/getting through the door. My goal is to have her operational before the snow flies.

A couple of months ago, I came to the conclusion that I probably wouldn't weave any more baskets, and gave all the reed I had to a basket weaver in my spinning group. She stopped by the other day and gave me this!

It is perfect for carrying fiber or yarn to spinning meetings.

I like the little bump out. A good place for tools or water bottle when demonstrating at the fair, like we are this weekend.

I have about 450 to 500 yards of this llama/mohair handspun. I think it needs to be a lacy shawlette, but nothing has been decided yet.

Update

2010-08-07T09:34:00.003-05:00

Hey, about time for an update! I discovered that I was even luckier than I realized with that tornado. I've found that the southwest corner of my barn shifted about 4 inches on the foundation. I'm lucky the whole thing didn't come crashing down on all my animals!

After over a month of rain every two days, we finally were able to get a second cutting of hay. We loaded the last of it into my barn around 8:30 last night. This morning it is raining. I probably already have enough for the year, so I may end up being able to sell some hay if we get a third cutting.

Kora has fit in really well with my other dogs, and has brought a lot of laughter to my world. She is just so dang entertaining.

We are two weeks into our intermediate agility class. She could be an excellent agility dog if she had a better handler! She catches on quickly, it is I who needs to practice. I knew I was in for trouble when the instructor said that agility is a dance between you and your dog. I can't dance to save my life! Oh well, we are having a lot of fun with it. We are getting into some more technical stuff now, where the position of your shoulder by just a few centimeters can make a difference. I've been watching some agility videos on youtube, paying more attention to the handler than the dog. I get all excited when I see a move that we just learned in class. With her long body, Kora looks like a snake when doing the weave poles.

Based on this photo, would anybody care to take a guess about my big news on the fiber related front?

Tornado

2010-06-19T10:46:00.003-05:00

One of the many tornadoes that came through my area lifted just before it hit my farm, according to the firemen/search and rescue people that came by to check on me. It still took some tops off the majectic maples that are the namesake of the farm though.

I'm lucky it wasn't 50 feet north. The house and buildings would have been directly in the path of the branches it strew about. Some of them took down some fencing, but all the animals are present and unhurt. I was able to close the gate to that pasture before they realized the fence was down.

This one doesn't look that bad from a distance.

Then you get closer and realize, crap, I'm going to need a bigger chainsaw.

Future Home of the Maple Corners Fiber Arts Studio

2010-06-05T16:16:00.003-05:00

I bought this building today.

The price includes delivery

I still have to prepare the site for it, but I have to figure out exactly what I need to do for that first.

This is the inside, looking to the right from the door.

This is looking to the left. Those cross beams are only about 5 feet off the floor. They were used to prevent the sides from bowing out from the weight of the grain. Did I mention this was a granary? The cross beams will provide stability for the move, then I should be able to remove them once the building is in place.

I am already plotting out a dyeing station over here, a felting station over there, maybe a loft area over part of it for storage. Any other ideas? If you had a 15 x 20 building, what would you do with it?

So Excited!

2010-06-05T07:07:00.002-05:00

I wasn't going to mention anything until it is a done deal, but I can't help it. I am going to look at a granary building later this morning. A nearby farmer needs it gone so he can put up a grain bin. It is 15' x 20'. It is already on a flat bed, and he will deliver it. It is a wood building covered in tin, with a wood floor. I might just get my dye/weaving/fiber studio yet! I have been so excited I couldn't sleep last night.

Speaking of sleep, yesterday morning I woke around 5 am. There was a tree frog croaking nearby. By the decibel level, it sounded like it was on my window. That thing was loud! It reminded me of a Mom incident, so I had a good cry and then couldn't get back to sleep.

Mom and I were walking around the upper pasture. I think I was trying to cut down some burdock while she wandered nearby. Although I never could find it, there was a tree frog near the fence, low to the ground, and it sounded very sad. The croak had a whimpering/crying sound to it. Mom stood nearby, and kept saying in that comforting Mom voice, "Oh, what's the matter? Are you ok? Don't cry, it's ok." Mind you, she had no idea what was making the sound, she just knew it sounded sad and needed comfort. I miss her.

Ok, so I'll update later with details/pictures of the building if it gets to be mine. In the meantime, I was playing with Photoshop Elements the other day, and this is what happened.

Wattle Fence*

2010-05-20T17:11:00.004-05:00

The dogs and the chickens keep going into the little flower bed along the side of the house. Between them, I don't know how the flowers have survived.

I finally decided enough was enough, and wove this little fence. I only have one side done so far, so it doesn't keep much out yet.

It is made of willow branches, from my brother's secret stand of willows. They grow like weeds along the lake, and every few years the city comes and cuts them down. My brother knew a spot that they missed, and helped cut a couple of bundles for me.

Now when I go outside, I am struck by the smell of willow branches, and am transported back 35 years or so. As kids, we would spend hours along the shoreline, playing hide and seek in the willows, bending the long branches and lashing them together with smaller willow whips, making forts out of them. Old Mr. Finney would stand up on the bank, watching us with a faint frown of disapproval. We just ignored him.

*No turkeys were injured in the making of this fence.

Frustration

2010-04-28T18:39:00.003-05:00

The past few days I've been watching a robin trying to make her nest. It has been very windy. She chose the usual dried grasses and twigs, but also found something else to her liking.

Every shearing creates waste fiber (lower belly, legs) that I put on the compost pile. The wind scattered it about the yard a bit this spring. Ms. Robin decided it was perfect nesting material. She was probably thinking,"I'll have the warmest and softest nest EVER!"

Poor thing. She would land on a nearby branch, set the fiber down, and it would waft away in the wind. Sometimes it got stuck on another branch, other times it would eventually hit the ground. Each time, she would go about gathering it all back together, put it on the nest, only to have it waft away again. She did this for two or three days. I think she finally gave up. This attempt appears to have been abandoned.

Neckerchief

2010-04-25T08:25:00.003-05:00

That green skein of alpaca/mulberry silk was calling out to me. Do something with me! Anything! Look, I am the same shade as the grass right now!

I answered by weaving it on my 18" tri-loom. It is the perfect size for a little neckerchief. I added ties to each end of the hypotenuse side. It looks good worn tucked inside the shirt or jacket.

Or out.

Itty Bitty Egg

2010-04-24T09:38:00.002-05:00

I found this little egg when I gathered eggs the other day. It is about a third the size of the regular eggs, and is very dark. Quite pretty, really. Somebody had a misfire!

It is cloudy and rainy, a perfect day to settle in with some knitting!

Grief Isn't Logical

2010-04-22T21:22:00.004-05:00

I woke up early this morning because the nightmares returned. They had abated for the past couple of months, but they seem to be back. Usually it involves me not being able to find Mom because she had wandered off due to the Alzheimer's, one of my greatest fears when she was alive. I wake up in a total panic and usually crying.

I'm not sure why they are back. Maybe because I've been having so much fun the past few days. There is still that twinge of sorrow/guilt for having fun, since it is only possible for me to do these things because she isn't here any more. Grief isn't logical.

Since I couldn't get back to sleep, I did a little dyeing in the wee hours this morning. Just one dyepot.

This is the Softie from the garage sale, pictured below. The yarn bloomed and softened beautifully. It is now a smokey blue. This is destined to become a shawl, perhaps a Danish Tie Shawl if I can get my hands on the Spin-off I need. Or I might wing it.

Four Seasons Cow as Pre-Alzheimer's Art

2010-04-21T17:16:00.004-05:00

I just wanted to share another piece of Mom's handiwork that also shows her sense of humor. She made me this plastic canvas tissue holder/cover dealy 15 to 20 years ago. I think she followed a pattern out of a book or leaflet. Well, she sort of followed the pattern.

Each side depicts a cow in a different season of the year.

You notice how I said she sort of followed the pattern?

I'm pretty sure that the pattern didn't have a nice brown cow patty on each one, most plainly seen here. Notice how the tail is also in the cocked and ready to fire position. She cracks me up!

I'm also pretty sure the pattern didn't have bald eagles flying around or landing on the cow. You see, every fall, the bald eagles return to my home town area for the winter. It is common to see them flying overhead.

Textile Center Garage Sale

2010-04-18T16:28:00.005-05:00

Wow. That is the only way to characterize it. Imagine a giant room with rows of tables. The tables are piled high with yarn, fabric, notions, patterns. The area under the tables is also piled high. Then there is another room with books and magazines. A hallway full of weaving/quilting/sewing tools. Another room with silent auction items, many sewing machines, a couple of spinning wheels, a couple of looms. And that is just what I saw. Who knows what I missed! The items are all priced at garage sale prices. Now, let's say it is 3pm. Everything you can fit in a grocery bag for a dollar. Everything. So that bag of yarn marked at $35.00? Yep, a dollar! The original retail prices on that bag? Over $150.00. It was insane! I have photos of everything I got. I spent under $50.00. Yep, everything pictured here totaled less than $50.00. Most of them were in misc bags, which I have separated a bit by color/fiber content here.

Eight ounces of sport weight 25%angora/75%rambouillet Softie from Kimmet Croft Fibers. I will have fun dyeing this!

This is a bag of various mostly cottons and tape yarns. I think it might make a great summery Scrappy Lengthwise Scarf. (Ravelry link.)

This is 85%mohair/15%Vinyan. What the heck is Vinyan? I discovered it is probably Vinyon. A pvc fiber! I bought it thinking I could overdye it, but Vinyon melts at 170 degrees. I'll have an excuse to explore a new to me dyeing technique, cold dyeing!

This ball of novelty yarn was in one of the misc bags. I love the color, and can see plying it with a strand of black alpaca handspun.

Although these are by different manufacturers, they seem to have the same fiber content and construction. 50%merino, 50%acrylic. No plans for this yet. Did I mention that I was awake a good part of the night thinking of what to do with it all?

This grouping is by color only. It ranges from 3 balls of a blue variegated cotton/viscose to a sublime 50%alpaca/50% Mulberry silk in a nice green skein. What can I do with only 50 grams/123 yards?

Some browns, including at least one ball of 100% alpaca. The dark brown one. I suspect the lighter brown is as well, but is missing the ball band. Because you know, I need more alpaca!.

Six balls of Capri, 3 in a light denim, and 3 in a darker denim. I want to experiment with weaving this on the peg loom.

That is silk noil on the left, merino on the right. The drop spindle was $2.00!

It has cute little painted flowers? on it. I stood by the van and spun a little of the merino while waiting for the 3pm bag sale. It spins wonderfully.

I'm not sure what I'll do with 2 yards of this fabric, but it spoke to me. Maybe a tote bag or two? Some nice big potholders?

This one spoke to me too. Such pretty blues and purples. There is only about a yard here. Maybe I'll just hang it in my bedroom and admire it?

This rayon batik spoke to me too.

I have several bags of these rolls of fabric in varying widths. I want to try my hand at weaving a rug on the peg loom with this. Some of them are a burlap, some are more lightweight than that. They might also make great straps for purses or totes. Or who knows what I might come up with!

That is all I got. We had a leisurely lunch at Cupcake (but I didn't have one, what was I thinking?)just down the road, and also got lost in the Architectural Antique store for a bit. A couple of the people that went in our two van convoy were not spinners, but rather sewers. Hehehe...one of the sewers came home with a spinning wheel from the silent auction. We'll soon have her spinning! There may have been some slightly hysterical laughter as we tried to fit all of our purchases and all of our people into the two vans when we left the Textile Center. Of course we also had to have each person show what she got as she came straggling out of the building.

We had a bit of time, so we also stopped at Depth of Field on our way home. The poor saleslady (bad me, I didn't catch her name. I admired her shoes though.) was gracious when dealing with us all, even though there may have been some maniacal giggling going on as we descended. I bought some yarn and some needles there...how about I show you those some other time? Oh, I lied, I don't have photos of everything. I didn't show you the magazines I bought either. Later, ok?

It's been a while

2010-04-15T18:38:00.003-05:00

Hey there! Anybody still reading along? I wouldn't blame you if you weren't! Let's see what has happened in the last month. Kora graduated from beginning obedience, and we start beginning agility in May. We have a month to hone her obedience skills on our own. Should be fun.

Last Sunday I rescued a dog from the culvert across the road from me. I kept seeing a beagle out by the end of my driveway, causing cars to slow down to avoid hitting her. I finally walked down there to see what she was doing. She saw me coming, and disappeared. I realized she must have gone into the culvert, so walked down into the ditch. That is when the big black lab barked at me. I talked to him, and he melted. No more ferocious barking. He must have followed the little beagle in, but couldn't make it all the way through. The outlet side had filled in halfway with dirt. He couldn't back up. I went back home for the shovel, and shoveled him out. I managed to keep hold of him, and got the beagle too. They were my neighbor's dogs. I'm very glad the little beagle stuck around and I went to see what was up. I shudder to think what may have happened.

The other day I heard breathing behind me and turned around to see how Mom was doing. Then I remembered. That just sucks.

A friend is coming over tomorrow after work to stay the night, so we can head out at first light Saturday to go to the Textile Center Garage Sale. I have never been, but my friends have it down to a science. They know where to park, where to eat, etc. I'm looking forward to it.

Random

2010-03-09T18:09:00.002-06:00

1. Last week's post was my 500th. Woop de do, huh?

2. My hair smells like cilantro. It must be the new shampoo. I like the fresh smell of cilantro, but now I constantly crave taco salad.

3. My pockets are full of kibble. Last night was the first obedience class with Kora using clicker training. See a lamb going through an agility course here. So far so good.

4. The great melt down has begun. My biggest llama stepped off the path and sunk to his chest in snow. He couldn't get back up. Since it was so warm, the snow was very wet and he started shivering. I had to shovel a path through the still three foot drift so he could make it back to the barn. Fool animal.

5.I purchased my new washer. It won't be delivered for some time, as the driveway/yard are impassible for a delivery truck. Previously they would have been stuck in snow. Now, they would be stuck in mud, or at least make huge ruts that I don't want to deal with. Not enough room to turn around in anyway, due to the still high drifts.

Frost

2010-03-02T07:22:00.003-06:00

This is frost on my car window. I had to make sure the angle was just right, so that the window didn't reflect me. I managed to get it to reflect the sky, thus the blue color.

I actually managed to get through on-line and scored myself a $200 rebate for a new clothes washer. My electric coop also has a $25.00 rebate. My current washer is almost 20 years old, and I have needed a new one for a while. Imagine, a washer that doesn't periodically spew water all over the floor. Woohoo! I guess I'll go washer shopping this weekend. Any recommendations? It has to be an Energy Star appliance, and I need to be able to wash fleece in it, which means it can't have an automatic water level sensing device. I'm guessing that also automatically excludes front loaders as well.

A Sign of Spring

2010-02-28T16:58:00.003-06:00

The chickens are laying again.

I spent yesterday at the farm of a friend, touring her angora rabbitry and helping with chores. There was knitting, yarn fondling, playing with rabbits, and chocolate! A perfect day. This is the friend that gave me my rabbit. She almost has me convinced to breed my doe.

Her website will go live soon, I'll keep you updated. She has lovely wool/angora blend yarns for sale. She will also be at Shepherd's Harvest, if you're close enough to attend that.

Kora

2010-02-15T18:34:00.003-06:00

This is R2. She was my first dog as an adult. She was a bluetick/black & tan coonhound mix. She was a gentle, old soul.

This is Max. He was my second dog, a purebred Bluetick coonhound. He was goofy, but then posed for photos with a haughty air about him.

So you can see why I had to have Kora. In appearance, she is like a short version of the two of them mixed together. Looking in her face for the first time, I saw Max's eyebrows, and R2's eyes. I think she is a dachshund/bluetick mix. The rescue place guessed basset and Australian cattle dog.

Kora is a fearless little dog with great athletic ability. Man, can that dog jump. I have signed us up for a beginning obedience class. We will learn to walk again, together.

The Latest Addition

2010-02-08T07:50:00.003-06:00

You know how some people fall down and come home with yarn? I fell down in a truck stop parking lot in Iowa and came home with a dog. Ok, so I was meeting the foster Dad there. But it sounded vaguely mysterious to say it the other way though.

Her current name is Violet. Think she has some Bassett in her?

Yep, she barely comes up to my 20qt dyepot. She can walk under Simba.

How difficult/traumatizing is it to change a dog's name? Anybody know? More later, I have to be to work at 8:00. (Which gives me a minute to log into my work computer. I love working from home!)

Learning to walk again

2010-02-06T08:12:00.002-06:00

That is what it feels like. Literally and figuratively.

For four years, I lived my life at Mom's pace, in her world, whatever it happened to be that day. Shortening my stride to match hers, constantly scanning the ground for unevenness that might take her down. Hovering, almost fearful of what may happen next. Let's face it, with Alzheimer's you never knew what was going to happen next.

Walking down the driveway the other day, I realized that I was still walking at Mom's pace, shortening my stride, watching the ground...but she isn't there anymore. Granted, some of this may be because my driveway is like a level luge course, hard and icy and dangerous (yay for STABILicers). Everybody (if you're prudent) walks like an old woman around here nowadays.

When I'm in a store,(about the only place with dry, level ground) and when the ground isn't so dangerous in the coming months, I'll practice walking. Head up, striding with purpose, at my own pace. Moving and looking forward, wherever that may lead.

Misc.

2010-02-03T17:08:00.002-06:00

This is what happens when we get a heat wave in the 30's followed by a quick snap back to below zero. An ice wave off the roof of the barn. It makes me want to go swimming.

This is what you see when the sunrise shines through a small sliver at the top of the not yet opened drapes and lands on the tips of the lights on the ceiling fan that hasn't worked for a year or more. I groggily thought the lights were half-assedly working. What can I say, it was early.

This is what happens when freezing fog lands on a cobweb in the barn. Breathe lightly or the crystals (they look like tiny evergreen trees to me) drop to the ground.

Please

2010-02-02T07:55:00.001-06:00

My brother would have been 48 today. Please don't drink and drive.

Sunrise

2010-01-13T19:41:00.002-06:00

The sunrise was quietly beautiful this morning. Not all dramatic orange and pink and purple spread across the whole sky. Nope, just I'm round, I'm orange, I'll warm you up today.

Untitled

2010-01-07T22:27:00.003-06:00

The past few days are ones that make me think what the hell am I doing here. I should just give up and move into town and be a normal person. It would be so much easier. I'm sure it is just the grief talking. And the weather. Then I look up while I'm feeding the animals and see this.

The high winds are sifting the very fine snow through every little hole in the barn.

Ok, maybe I can stick this out a while longer.

Loopy Cuff

2010-01-01T11:05:00.004-06:00

On. It was a little big, so it fell onto my hand. I adjusted it and now sits higher.

Tracy's comment about a similar project using needlefelting set off a lightbulb. Sorry if I stole your technique! I wetfelted two strips of wool, sewed the top row of plooming to the felt strip,

added a buttonhole and button, and it worked. One down, one to go.

The strip of felt makes the cuff snuggly warm on the wrist. It isn't exactly something I would wear out doing chores, but I think the colors go well with my brown suede going to town winter coat.

I could also see attaching it directly to a mitten or glove cuff, whether it be knit, felted, Polar fleece, hand made or purchased.

I could also see plooming a lighter, maybe silk blend yarn, and then attaching it to a length of satin or velvet ribbon, using magnetic bracelet clasps for the closure. Actually, I could imagine doing that with this yarn too, maybe using a crushed velvet ribbon in a nice wine color?

My Tale of Woe

2009-12-31T14:21:00.003-06:00

I finally hired someone to plow me out yesterday. There was much more snow there than I realized. What I thought was the ground was actually another six inches of snow and ice layers. So yeehah, I was finally able to get out yesterday. I had to get to town to have my glasses adjusted. Pulling on the gate to open it, it gave way in a rush and smacked into my glasses, bending the heck out of them. They sat on my face all askew and gave me a horrific headache because I couldn't see right. Working yesterday was murder! Despite all my whining about my glasses, that isn't my tale of woe.

No, my tale of woe starts way back in high school art class. As I remember it, we were supposed to have a few weeks of lecture on theory/history/whatever, and then the rest of the semester was to be actual hands on doing art, including wheel thrown pottery. I looked forward to that with much enthusiasm!

It never happened. Due to some kids who were goofing off, the whole class was punished. Instead of pottery, we had lectures on the life of Vincent Van Gogh. The whole semester. We did a little drawing maybe (which I sucked at) but I never got to sink my hands into mud and create something. I've been kind of pissed off about that ever since. I was going to say resentful, but that isn't strong enough. Nope, the unfairness of the whole class being punished for the misactions of a few really chaps my hide! I blame the teacher. Mr. H, I'm looking at you!

I've had this yearning to learn, but never found the opportunity. My goal for the year, (I do not make resolutions) is to take a wheel thrown pottery class. One of the nearby towns offered it in their fall community ed classes, so I am hoping for a winter offering. There damn well had better not be any kids goofing off in my class when I do sign up!

Mohawk...Faux hawk...Snowhawk?

2009-12-25T08:02:00.002-06:00

This is the only photo I was able to snap before the battery died. Already there were water spots on the lens, which you can see above. Anyway, I wanted to share this unique drift. It is hard to tell from this photo, but those peaks are maybe 1/4 inch thick. If you click to enlarge, you can see that they are almost translucent at the top. I wanted to fashion a tiny skier and place her on the drift for a photo, but the sharp peaks didn't last long once it started raining. Shoot, I could have had an avalanche photo! Tiny skier head first in the snow, all you can see are legs and skis sticking out!

We've had rain, sleet, snow, strong winds or a mix of it all since about Tuesday. I was out shoveling the drift by the gate, wanting to be able to at least get the gate open. When I opened the gate, there was a perfect grid of ice rectangles standing there, one and sometimes two rectangles high. The ice had come off the gate when I opened it. You'll have to use your imagination, I didn't have my camera and it was raining, but believe me it was cool! I stopped shoveling when the wind picked up and pelted me with ice sticks/chunks dropping from the trees. No matter, the rest of the driveway is impassable anyway because of the drifts.

Guess how I've been spending the time between shoveling and taking care of the animals? Spinning, sewing, dyeing, weaving and knitting. Imagine that! I got some books from the library when I knew I was going to be snowbound, but haven't even looked at them.

Hey, go have a glass of eggnog and hug someone, including your dog or cat or bunny or iguana.

Loopy peg loomed collar

2009-12-23T18:33:00.004-06:00

Here it is, the thing made with the beehive yarn shown in the last post.

I'm not really sure what to call it.

Loopy collar seems appropriate.

The back gives a little better look as to how I made it. I wove it over about 12 pegs on the peg loom, and then removed the bottom 8 weft threads.

The thing sort of appeals to my wild and wacky side, but I fear I don't have the panache or self-confidence to actually wear it. Sad, huh?

I think it would make a great valance strung at the top of a window. Or maybe just hung on the wall. It's art, you know.

I have a total of 2.6 oz of the yarns left over. I was thinking it would make great wrist cuffs if I did the same thing. Weave it over 5 or 6 pegs, then pull out the bottom two or three. The loops, 2-3 inches long, would peek out from under your shirt/coat, falling onto your hands. I have to come up with a way to make them easy to take on and off though. To tie the weft threads together each time would be way too cumbersome, plus you would need somebody else to do it. Must think on this.

What I've Been Doing

2009-12-17T17:56:00.004-06:00

I'm very lucky to be working full time again. I'm even luckier that they are allowing me to do it all from home, not making the drive (about 80 miles one way) three times a week like I did before Mom came to live with me.

The blizzard we had a couple of weeks ago dropped about a foot of snow, and the high winds rearranged it into 2-4 foot drifts. It has been a struggle to get water to the animals. I am contemplating a move to California. (Only sort of kidding!)

In my spare time, I've been spinning, knitting and weaving on the peg loom. Spinning first.

The latest issue of Spin-Off described how to make beehive yarns, so I tried it. You take the thick-thin on the left, ply it with the overtwisted thin single in the middle, and with some plying manipulations end up with the beehive yarn on the right. Watch this space for a peg loomed scarf using all three, eventually.

Did someone mention a peg loom? Yep, here's another shawl woven on the peg loom. This is 100% wool.

A closer look at the weave. This one ended up about 14 inches wide by 5 feet long. It will go to a friend.

Rusty Nail is done! Everyone dance in the street. Joshua come home to the island, happiness be complete. Great, going to have to dig out that CD now. Oh yes, Rusty Nail! She ended up about 10 inches wide and about 10 feet long when I finished blocking her. My first attempt at lace. At least, the closest to lace I've gotten. I don't know if it even qualifies as lace. I would have liked to do another full repeat, but I ran out of yarn and not enough time to spin more up. This one is going to a friend's mom.

I don't really know how to wear a shawl that long, good thing I'm not keeping it!

I'll end with a pretty sunset. It was blowing tiny ice crystals around, I think that is what created the ray shooting up.

Woolly Bear Caterpillar

2009-12-01T13:04:00.003-06:00

There is a certain county road near my hometown that every year gets overrun with woolly bear caterpillars in the late summer/early fall. A few here and there is normal, but for some reason in that area, the road is full of woolly bears scurrying (as fast as a caterpillar can scurry) from one side of the road to the other. One of my earliest memories is of the whole family packed into the old woody station wagon, driving down these county roads to see if the woolly bears were out.

Fifteen or so years ago, this area/road happened to be the way to get from my sister's place to my brother's place. (Now it's my nephew's place.) My sister, Mom, and I were driving in this area to get to my brother's house, and the woolly bears were out in full force. My BIL and nephews were following in a separate vehicle. We were driving along this deserted county road, weaving in and out to avoid hitting the woolly bears. Every time one of us would spot one, we'd let out a little scream and yell watch out! We were laughing the whole way. When we got to my brother's, my BIL asked why the hell we were driving that way, and of course we all just laughed even harder.

A few weeks after that, I got this in the mail.

Mom drew this little cartoon and sent one to each of us. I promptly hung it on my refrigerator, and there it remained. It even survived the move down to the farm, and got put on my new refrigerator here. I took it down, along with some other photos, etc for safekeeping when Mom started messing with everything. I thought about it a couple of weeks ago, and couldn't find it among everything else I had taken down. I was heartsick, thinking I had put it in the recycling bin by mistake or something. Today, I was moving some stuff, and there it was! I was so happy I cried! This post is getting the Pre-Alzheimer's Art label.

Life imitates art?

2009-11-27T13:51:00.005-06:00

My recent spinning.

My recent dyeing.

I usually take the inspiration photo first, and try to recreate the colors in the fiber. This time, it was reversed. I noticed the colors of this grass on my walk down the driveway to get the mail. It reminded me of the colors I've been dyeing and spinning.

Unless my eye saw it first, and my subconscious made me dye those colors?

Thanksgiving 1986

2009-11-25T12:32:00.005-06:00

I was living in Bonn, Germany at the time, doing my junior year abroad. In 1986, Bonn was the federal capital city for Germany, so there was an American embassy. The American church there, set up for embassy etc employees, invited the American students studying at the Uni to come to the church the Sunday before Thanksgiving, for a traditional Thanksgiving meal. Each embassy family sponsored a student. So that was lovely, sitting down to a nice Thanksgiving meal with all the trimmings, with a family.

The university in Bonn had several student cafeterias set up around the city, usually located near a University building or student housing. The main one had three levels, set up on three floors, three different lines. Soup only was on the top floor, lighter entree on the middle, and bigger/full meal entree on the lowest floor.

Thanksgiving Day found me at the cafeteria, judging my options. Soup was always the lowest cost option, so I headed up the stairs for my bowl of soup, feeling rather sorry for myself. Thanksgiving Day, and here I was going to have a measly bowl of soup. Can you hear the sound of tiny violins?

Can I tell you? That bowl of soup was the best soup I've ever had. As a matter of fact, that meal ranks right up there on my top 5 meals ever.(In no particular order, chicken curry in a little restaurant in Pacific Grove, CA, veg curry in a vegetarian restaurant in Mendocino, CA, the whole meal with tomato/pumpkin chutney at Taj restaurant in Ventura, CA, and tortellini carbonara at a dive restaurant somewhere in Italy. Whatever town where the Eurail pass ferry to Greece leaves from. ETA: Brindisi! I remembered just after I hit publish.) Yes, 23 years later, and I still remember that bowl of potato/sausage/green bean soup.

Latest peg loom creation

2009-11-23T09:21:00.003-06:00

A shawl for a friend.

The shawl stick is just a maple twig that I scraped the bark off of and sanded smooth.

Winner!

2009-11-22T09:22:00.002-06:00

Drum roll please. The winner is...Leslie. Leslie, contact me at annie at maplecorners daht cahm to choose your color!

The outside braids were created after I dyed the inside one. I noticed there was a lot of dye in the water after I created the color I wanted for the inside one, so I just threw more roving on top of the one that was done. It soaked up the excess dye just fine, and I ended up with another colorway and clear water for the next dye adventure.

Reminder

2009-11-20T12:39:00.002-06:00

Last night, the dog was rearranging herself on the couch, circling as dogs do. I heard paper crinkling. There was no paper there that I could see. ??? Investigating further, I discovered that my couch has a feature I never knew about. There is a flap at the back, attached to the bottom by hook & loop tape. Patting the back of the couch, I could feel something in there. When I released the flap at the bottom, an amazing amount of stuff cascaded down. In addition to the items pictured above, there were several envelopes and papers, and a rather alarming amount of dog hair and other ickies.

I have been looking for that wood weaving tool for over a year. I suspected that Mom had gotten a hold of it, and despaired of ever finding it again. I'm happy to have it back, like a little gift from Mom, reminding me of her.

Giveaway

2009-11-18T11:45:00.003-06:00

I am thrilled to hear that at least one person went to a Memory Screening as the result of the last post. I am even happier that the result was good.

In honor of Alzheimer's Awareness Month, I've been dyeing purples. Purple with blue, purple with pink, purple with gray, you get the idea.

Now to the good stuff. Giveaway details. The winner will choose one of the braids above. I am willing to spin it, and weave it on the peg loom into a scarf/shawl. A spinner might just want the fiber, a knitter or weaver might want just the yarn. Again, winner's choice.

To enter, just leave a comment, that's it. If you want to, make a donation to the Alzheimer's Association. It's not a requirement, just an idea. Or, write your Congressperson. Help spread the word about Alzheimer's and post about the giveaway, (leave a link in the comments), and I'll enter you twice.

I'll do the random number generator Saturday night, so be sure to get your comment in by then!

Alzheimer's Awareness Month

2009-11-15T08:10:00.003-06:00

Did you know that November is Alzheimer's Awareness Month? Stay tuned this week for more information, including a giveaway.

In the mean time, Tuesday is National Memory Screening Day. Check out this link to find out where you can go for a free memory screening. If you're over 60, or if you've ever wondered, will you go, or take/encourage your parents to go? Please? If not for yourself, for me, in memory of Mom? (One month today.) Please?

If you blog, are on Twitter or Facebook, could you help spread the word about National Memory Screening Day?

Nature/Man-made

2009-11-11T09:02:00.000-06:00

I was taking clothes down from the line as the sun set the other day, when I was struck by this view.

Man-made in the foreground mirroring nature in the background.

We have been enjoying a string of gorgeous, abnormally warm fall days here in SE MN. I've been taking the opportunity to rake leaves and clean out the barn. There is still more to do, but I took having numb hands as a hint to take a break.

Angelfish

2009-11-09T13:21:00.002-06:00

I was out raking leaves when this school of angelfish swam by.

Why is corn creepy?

2009-11-05T07:48:00.000-06:00

Leslie asked why I find corn creepy. I suppose it is because for the first two years Mom was with me,(pre-fence and gate)it was my greatest fear that Mom would wander off and get lost in the corn field. Maybe if you've never experienced it, it is hard to understand how tall it is. Once you get a few feet into a cornfield, you completely disappear. You, the person in the corn, can't see anything but corn all around. Now, imagine you had AD.

The creepy corn I mentioned was also in reference to some previous posts. This search should bring them up.

Deer Friend

2009-11-04T17:01:00.003-06:00

I had let the animals out to eat the lawn when this lone little deer showed up on the other side of the fence. I guess it thought it had found some new, oddly colored friends. It hung out there for a good part of the afternoon.

New Additions

2009-11-02T09:20:00.003-06:00

My cousin didn't want to overwinter her laying hens this year, so I gladly took some. I was down to two hens, and now am up to 12!

Last night was the first night I could get all of them to go into the coop. Two of them would go in the building, but not into the secure coop area. I told them they were taking their lives in their own hands, and warned them about the raccoons, but they wouldn't listen to me. I got sick of chasing them. They roosted on the rafters, so they made it ok.

They were able to harvest the corn this weekend, so at last I'm safe from the creepy corn.

Quilt

2009-11-01T10:11:00.003-06:00

A friend sent this quilt his Mom made for me. I'll let the quilt speak for itself.

Moody

2009-10-30T10:51:00.002-05:00

The sun has been peeking out here and there this morning. It can create some dramatic effects, turning the corn all golden and innocent when it is out.

And turning the corn rather creepy and menacing when it isn't.

Happy Halloween! Don't get lost in any corn!

Blue and White

2009-10-28T16:22:00.003-05:00

Lily asked what colors I would spin in a yarn remembering my Mom. Blue and white, without question. Mom loved the combination, (as do I) and wore it often. Maybe it was a subconscious choice when I was spinning up the yarn for the raglan sweater I am knitting. The blue/gray/white yoke yarn was spun sitting next to Mom, and I began knitting it sitting next to Mom too. Now I sit, knitting on the sweater, trying to figure out what I'm going to do with my life.

The yoke part is done, and I still don't like that wide white stripe. Here, I have wet the sweater, and arranged it on my sheet pan I use for felting. I mixed up my dye (Pro-Chem One Shot)with a bit of hot water, and started dabbing it on using a cotton cloth. A sponge brush probably would have worked better, but I didn't have a clean one. I decided the one row of white (under the wide white stripe) looked out of place, so I dabbed it blue too.

I then gathered it up and put it in my dyeing crock, being careful not to touch the new blue dabbed stripe on anything else. I made sure there was a bit of water in the bottom of the crock pot, and put it in the oven at 375 for about 25 minutes. I let it cool, then rinsed. It seemed to have worked. Once I have the whole thing done, with sleeves and body in the dark dark blue, I may change my mind and try to dye the stripe darker. It's staying for now.

The Blues

2009-10-26T08:57:00.002-05:00

First, thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers. It feels good knowing that Mom made a lasting impression via the HBO documentary. Thank you for letting me know.

I found this little block in my shoe the morning after Mom passed. It made me do that hiccuping/laughing/crying thing.

It is resting on the latest reincarnation of the Kinda Cobblestone, which isn't even kinda anymore. It is now a top down raglan. I'll see how that works out. I already don't like the wider white stripe. It accentuates my already broad shoulders. I might try to dye that stripe blue or gray, by painting the dye on as it is, and then microwaving it to set the dye. Has anybody tried that?

Yesterday I looked up from my plooming (peg loom weaving) just in time to see my biggest llama rushing the gate at the driveway, and a man backing very quickly away. I went out, it was the deer hunter that hunts the land all around mine. He was just stopping to let me know that they will be out again this year, just so I'm aware if I see them out walking. That was nice of him.

I found out that my llamas are better guards than I knew. He said that one year they cut across my upper pasture, and pretty soon the llamas came running. One guy dropped his gun and hightailed it out of there, being chased by a llama. I didn't explain that they like to run, and if they see someone running, they will join in, often jumping and bucking and twisting their necks around. I did explain that they are very curious animals, and probably just wanted to check them out. Now that I know when the hunting party will be out, I'll shut the gates to the outer pastures. I like having the animals within the barnyard when there are hunters out and about. Just in case.

Numb

2009-10-17T10:08:00.003-05:00

Mom passed quickly, unexpectedly, and in my arms late Thursday night.

Funeral is Tuesday.

Not for the Squeamish

2009-10-15T17:44:00.000-05:00

Warning: This post is not for the squeamish, those who think chickens are vegetarians, or mouse lovers. If you've been reading long enough, I've probably dispelled the chickens are vegetarians myth a while ago.

So, the other day, I was in the kitchen when I heard a sound coming from the mud room. I knew nothing (no dogs or cats)was in there since the door between the rooms was closed, so went to the door and listened. It sounded like the dog food bag crinkling. I quickly barged in there, grabbed the bag and held it closed. I took it outside, making sure to shut the door behind me. Oh look, there were two or three cats hanging out on the porch. I laid the bag down, opened it enough so the cats could look in. Finally, a cat ventured inside the bag and started eating the dog food. Hm, that wasn't the reaction I was expecting. Then, a mouse jumped over the cat's back and ran a little ways. The other cat didn't even see it. I picked the cat up and set it down next to the mouse. The cat was still clueless. After several more attempts at showing the mouse to the cat, the mouse finally moved off a little more. It was moving pretty slowly. Full of dog food, you know. The cat finally saw it, but wasn't quick enough. In the meantime, the chickens had started running my way, thinking I had brought them food. Before the cat could do anything, the rooster caught the mouse in his beak, shook it once, and it was dead.

Another game of chicken football ensued.

The rooster ran first one way, (sorry for the blur, he was moving fast!)

then the other.

He was chased by the black hen,

and the yellow hen.

I don't know which chicken finally ate the mouse, but there is no doubt in my mind that one of them did indeed eat it. Chickens are not vegetarians.

Felted Legwarmers

2009-10-12T15:51:00.003-05:00

This is what I came up with to try to keep Mom's legs warm. Cold air seeps up the back of her pant leg and her legs freeze! This is felted alpaca on the outside, and lined with polar fleece on the inside. There is a casing at the top and bottom threaded with a length of yarn that I tie shut. Her legs/feet are sometimes swelling a bit, so I wanted it adjustable.

Hey, does anybody know what those little doohickeys are called that are often on sleeping bags or stuff sacks or backpacks, two parts on a spring that you squeeze together to move the doohickey, on a string, and let go when you have it as tight as you want? I think those would work a lot easier than having to tie them, but I don't know what they are called so I can look for them online. Anybody know what they're called or have a link where I can buy a few cheap?

Is Simba trying to tell me something?

2009-10-10T18:12:00.003-05:00

I walked (luckily, camera in hand) into the living room this morning and found this.

Simba with one of Mom's flashcards.

Is she trying to tell me something?

Misc.

2009-10-08T22:45:00.002-05:00

I had a hospice volunteer here for two hours today. I pulled weeds and just generally tried to put the garden to bed for the winter. It was wonderful to be able to be outside without worrying about Mom. I enjoyed myself very much.

To be honest, I was sort of amazed it actually happened. When hospice asked how many hours of volunteers or aides I wanted, I didn't know how to answer. Wait, I can have a volunteer? Really? How about two hours? I was worried I was asking for too much. I was hesitant to ask for that much. I was afraid to get my hopes up. It had happened too often before. I would find an organization that looked like they could help, and then oops, sorry, we can't find any volunteers for your area. I had given up looking for help anymore. If there were no expectations, then I couldn't be disappointed. So to be asked, how many hours do you want was almost overwhelming.

The hospice nurse is suggesting that I have more hours. The volunteer lives only three miles away, and she also suggested I ask for more hours, because she is available.

I wonder how many caregiver lives have been saved by hospice.

Ok, to brighten things up around here, this is Ollie.

I can almost hear him saying, "If you make me get up, you'll be sorry."

Kinda Cobblestone Fiasco

2009-10-06T12:01:00.002-05:00

I finished spinning up the yarn for the yoke. I have more of each color (blue, gray and white) if I need to spin more. Unfortunately, it looks like I will run out of the dark blue I'm using for the body and sleeves. I thought I would be happy having a yoked vest, but the more I think about it, the more I want sleeves. I'll have to see if I can dye some more and duplicate the color.

I needed some stitch markers because all the ones I had are being used for other projects. I made a set using beads I had around the house. I used a brown bead in one for the end of round marker, just to differentiate it from the other all blue ones.

Since I am making this with a split seam, I knit a few inches for the front, and about six inches for the back (like a rugby shirt), and then joined them to finish knitting the body in the round. I just discovered that I joined them with a twist. Aaarggh! I have to rip out about two inches of knitting. The Kinda Cobblestone is in time out while I recover from that. I'll felt Mom some slipper boots and leg warmers instead.

Mom is doing ok. Sometimes she eats and sometimes she doesn't. She is still drinking though. Last night as I was helping her get into bed, she reached up and squeezed my nose so I would honk for her. Just another little glimmer that she is in there. The glimmers are getting fewer and farther between, but they're there.

The hospice aide just left. What a luxury that is. I'm not used to it. An aide will come for two hours on Tuesdays, and a volunteer for two hours on Thursdays. Four hours to myself! What shall I do? Oh yeah, I have a date with a barn that needs to be cleaned.

The Emmy goes to...

2009-09-30T16:09:00.002-05:00

I am so behind the times. I just found out that "Mom's" documentary, The Memory Loss Tapes, won an Emmy for Exceptional Merit in Nonfiction Filmmaking. Yeehaw!

Of course, it wasn't Mom's. She was only one of seven people profiled in the documentary. To me though, it will always be "Mom's documentary."

Congratulations HBO, and Shari and Nick!

Kinda Cobblestone Planning

2009-09-29T11:09:00.002-05:00

I've had a vague idea in my head ever since the Cobblestone pattern was published. Use the Cobblestone pattern, but do a different color on the yoke. Cardiganize it, maybe.

This is the fiber for the yoke. I will spin this in long color repeats, but sort of haphazardly. I need some excitement in my life, even if that excitement is just not knowing which color will ply with which color, and what it will look like when knit in the yoke.

The dark blue yarn will be the body and sleeves. Instead of cardiganizing it, it will have a deeply split hem on the sides. I might run out of the dark blue yarn, so I may wind up with a capelet/yoked vest kind of deal. Just winging it for now.

I don't know how I decided on these colors.

It just came to me.

In a waking dream kind of way.

Art of Alzheimer's

2009-09-25T16:21:00.003-05:00

I wasn't sure if I should include this. Then I realized that as her world gets smaller, she is still creating art with what she can reach. She isn't walking much anymore, so I try to have a variety of things she likes on her little tray table in front of her. She chose to carefully arrange them on the table. This piece was disassembled within seconds of taking this photo.

Spinning, not Plying

2009-09-23T19:00:00.002-05:00

I got a lot of spinning done last weekend. Notice I didn't say plying.

Twelve ounces of llama blend on the bottom, and five ounces of alpaca blend on top.

I have some plying to do.

Checking in

2009-09-22T10:33:00.002-05:00

Thanks to my sister, I was able to spend the weekend doing spinning demonstrations at the annual Threshing Bee my friends put on. I really needed the time off. It was wonderful, but I didn't take a single photo to share. I got a lot of spinning done, and would show you that except it is very dark and rainy here today, so no photos of that either. This will probably go down as my most boring post ever.

Mom is doing ok. She is eating and drinking, and still not in any discernible pain. The hospice nurse is coming this afternoon to discuss what hospice can do for Mom/us. I'm not sure they're really needed yet, but I guess that is what this first meeting is for.

The physical day to day part of this caregiving thing hasn't been a problem for me, it has always been the weight of responsibility that wears me down. That weight is getting even heavier in light of the decisions that will need to be made. It makes me want to run away.

Art of Alzheimer's

2009-09-18T09:58:00.003-05:00

I have never been happier to post another installment in the Art of Alzheimer's series. Words cannot express my joy. Mom got out of bed this morning all by herself for the first time in over a month. She immediately headed to my desk, fooled around with the tape dispenser and the computer mouse, pretended she was going to write on me with a pen, then poked me with it instead, and just generally was her old self again. The other day she got up from the couch unassisted, twice. Yeehaw!

Mom found the perfect spot for her shaky egg.

(The installation was done on the tray, I just moved it to a window for better light. I try to take the photos where I find them, but since this one was contained on the tray, I did move it.)

Untitled

2009-09-16T08:15:00.002-05:00

Debated whether to post this, but I've been open about everything else since I started this blog, so here goes.

Mom's CT scan yesterday revealed a 7cm soft tissue mass surrounding the throat and an enlarged lymph node. Thus the eating issues. Lymphoma is suspected. Fluid and plaqueing in the right lung. Thus the breathing issues. I'll be contacting hospice today to get more information. The good thing is she hasn't shown signs of being in pain (yet), and is still smiling and laughing, although weakened. With help getting up, she is still walking. She seems to have recovered her appetite, and is eating and drinking with obvious enjoyment.

Yogurt Fluff

2009-09-14T11:12:00.002-05:00

If you've been reading along lately, you know that Mom has been on antibiotics, has had some eating issues, and has lost a lot of weight. It has been a struggle for me to find food that she can and will eat. With all the antibiotics she has been taking, I've wanted to get some yogurt in her, but she didn't like it. Shoot. Yogurt would be perfect for her. In addition to the good bugs, it is high in protein and calcium. Plus, no chewing required, so the physical act of eating it is easy. I have found a way to get her to eat it, and thought I would share it in case there are other caregivers out there in the same boat.

I noticed a recipe for yogurt pie on the yogurt container. Add 1/2 a package of instant vanilla pudding to 12 oz of yogurt, and mix well. Fold in 6 oz of whipped topping. Pour into a graham cracker pie shell, and refrigerate six hours. Top with fruit or whatever. I didn't bother putting it in a pie shell, I didn't want her to have to chew. I just made it like yogurt pudding. She eats it right up. I might fiddle with the yogurt/whipped topping ratio. The more yogurt the better, but then I have to make sure she'll eat it, too. I'm trying to come up with fruit/yogurt combinations that she can eat. Next time I might try adding a chopped banana, her favorite fruit. Strawberry yogurt with banana would be good. The last time I ordered groceries, they brought Orange Cream and Banana Cream yogurt cups as the free item. I plan on using those as the yogurt in the pie recipe, adding (canned, chopped) mandarin oranges and bananas, and we might have a new favorite for Mom.

Now, a couple of gratuitous signs of fall photos.

Snakes on the Shelf

2009-09-13T13:06:00.002-05:00

Several weeks ago, my sister came and watched Mom while I went to my spinning group. A few days later, I finally noticed this.

I had to call my sister to ask if she had done it, or if Mom had. First, we had a good laugh that it took me so long to finally notice it. Then she admitted that she had done it. Turns out, her seven year old does this often. He'll leave his dinosaurs or monsters in the fridge for my sister to find. Like grandmother like grandson.

Sunflowers

2009-09-10T12:00:00.003-05:00

I planted a few sunflower seeds around the Wall of Junk, but didn't really expect anything to bloom because I planted them so late. I am happy to say I was wrong.

Only two have bloomed so far, but there are many buds on the plants. So bright and cheery.

I had to play around with Poster Edges, of course.

Not good news at the doctor's yesterday. Despite the huge dose of antibiotics, the fluid in Mom's lungs is worse, and she has lost even more weight. Her white cell count is elevated, so there is still an infection somewhere, despite all those antibiotics. We will start another round, but also do a CT scan to see if that tells more. I am very worried. To end on an up note though, I do have a funny Mom story.

For several days, I have had to feed Mom, and she wouldn't eat anything that she had to chew. If she couldn't just immediately swallow it, she just held it in her mouth. This meant that I wasn't giving her her usual beloved waffles for breakfast, but had instead switched to oatmeal. Tuesday morning, after about two spoons of oatmeal, she refused to open her mouth for more. Instead, she sort of glared at me and said "Get me something else." Yay, Mom was back! I made her a couple of waffles, which she ate all by herself and finished. She has been feeding herself and eating more normally ever since. Woohoo!

Pain

2009-09-07T09:53:00.003-05:00

I just wanted to share a resource for caregivers out there regarding pain in AD and dementia patients that I came across today. It is often difficult to tell if a person is in pain when they can't verbalize it. This online workshop shows you how.

Mom seems to be in a downward spiral. I keep hoping that she just has to regain her strength after the pneumonia. We go back on Wednesday for another chest x-ray to see if the latest round of antibiotics have worked.

Shameless Plug

2009-09-06T15:59:00.002-05:00

I was recently accepted into the Indie Dyers Cooperative, and have been busy carding up a storm for the Fall Fiber Frenzy scheduled for Tuesday at 3 pm Eastern. Check out the previews, sign up for Hyena Cart, and tell all your friends!

I'll be stocking mostly spinning/felting batts, with a few handspun yarns thrown in when I can. Here are a couple sneak peeks.

Cecropia

2009-09-01T16:33:00.003-05:00

Have you ever seen a cecropia caterpillar? They are quite pretty.

The picture is from here.

I was inspired to make a yarn of it, of course. This picture taken in the light of the setting sun, so the actual color isn't quite as golden as it appears. It was my first attempt at spinning coils or beehives or whatever these are called. I might have some of each plus some other techniques I don't know the name of, which are complete accidents!

The yarn then became this collar, woven on the peg loom.

The coiled/beehive parts sort of curl above the rest of it, looking rather inchworm like. Maybe I'll have to change the name of it? Or do another leaving out the yellow and blue, and calling that one inchworm. If I were better at adding beads to my spinning, I would just spin the green fiber, then add yellow and blue seed beads to it. That would be even more cecropia caterpillar like.

Great Burdock Massacre of 09

2009-08-26T13:22:00.003-05:00

I'm still fighting the good fight! #@$%^@$#&!(Insert expletive of your choice here, I prefer f'ing) Burdock must be eradicated. I don't care if you can eat it, it must go. I sneak out and dig or chop down a few more whenever I can, but with Mom being sick I've had to stay in the house more. The %$(*) burdock has been winning. Then, the Amazing Wonder Dawn came to the rescue. She is one of the super friends who helped put up The Fence (yes, capitalized, it is that important to me) a couple of years ago. She showed up out of the blue last week, and asked if she could cut down some burdock. I welcomed her with open arms, of course. She brought this amazing little tool.

It is called a bean hook. It is usually used to cut down errant corn growing in soybean fields. You grab the stalk with one hand, hook the business end

close to the ground around the corn stalk, and give a sharp jerk. The hook slices through the stalk, and you're done. It works the same on the flower stalk of the $#@$%^$ burdock. Dawn cut down burdock for most of the day, right through the rain, and cleared a lot of it. There is still more out there, but she made a serious dent. I sent her home with a couple jars of homemade grape jelly and a plate of chocolate chip cookie bars. She left the bean hook here.

If you need anything fiber tool related, please consider purchasing from Detta's Spindle. I've been doing a lot of carding recently (I'll tell you why soon, watch this space!), and finally the drive band on my drum carder gave up the ghost. I called Detta in a panic, and she is mailing one out to me today, while I am mailing her a check. Thank you Detta!

Glads

2009-08-25T10:45:00.002-05:00

My sister brought a few glads from her garden when she visited last week. So beautiful.

I see at least three colorways here.

Later that night, a ray of the setting sun came in the kitchen window and all through the house to shine a spotlight on them.

A Nice Fall Day

2009-08-22T10:44:00.002-05:00

I know, it is still summer. We never really had a summer here. We had maybe four or five days that were above 90. It was usually mid to high 70's. Perfect weather, if you ask me.

My sister came for a visit yesterday, and we went to town. At the last minute, I ran back in the house and grabbed my camera. Just in case. I'm so glad I did. We found this along the highway.

A nice stand of yellow flowers (coreopsis, I think) in front of a bank of sumac. Of course I made her stop. If I were alone with Mom, I wouldn't have taken the chance. It was windy already, and the whoosh of cars and semi-trucks going by made the flowers sway even more, making focus a challenge.

We took the long way home, driving the back roads. My place is just off the lower left corner, way in the distance here.

Lavender Swirl

2009-08-20T11:43:00.003-05:00

I'm not good at colorway names. Obviously.

I've been invited to have a table at an Arts in the Park celebration in a town about 20 miles away. This is their first year. They require that everything be handmade by the artist, and the artist must be present at the booth. No re-selling is allowed. I like that, so I'll support them by participating. I'll bring some of my ploomed items, some wet felted items, and some practical art needlefelted items like these.

Needlebooks to keep needles and pins handy but organized.

They close by wrapping the thread around the tiny vintage button.

Call it what you like. It can be a credit card/DL/cash stasher that fits handily in your pocket, a tea/sugar/sweetener packet holder, or a business card holder. Or all three. I use one for cash/check card/business cards/AD cards (little cards that say the person I'm with has AD so please be patient with us, very handy to hand to the cashier or whoever) so I don't have to carry a purse. Trying to keep track of Mom is enough, I don't need a purse to worry about.

Checkbook covers. Do most people even carry checkbooks anymore though?

Experimentation

2009-08-19T12:37:00.002-05:00

I love Ursa's brown against the limey green of the new grass of the recently harvested hay field. By now you know what's coming.

The green needs to be greener. The brown is natural from Wooly Bear and Pizazz. I'm glad it is a small skein, I'm not happy with it. I need a new green.

I managed to pinch myself good in a tragic scythe peening accident. It raised a blood blister on my right (dominant) forefinger. No big deal, except Mom keeps trying to scrape it off when she sees it. Yeehaw, does that hurt. It makes me laugh though too. She's just trying to be helpful!

Skirting Table

2009-08-18T11:33:00.002-05:00

I've had this table for almost 20 years now. I picked it up at a garage sale for a couple of bucks. I'm not sure of the original use. The top is split down the middle, with hinges on the outside. Both sides of the top lift up and outward, and you're left with a hole in the middle. I just used it as a work table in the fiber room. Recently I had to rearrange in there, and decided the table must go. I put it on the porch for lack of a better place.

Then I had an idea.

I stapled a piece of chicken wire in the middle, and boom, instant skirting table. I put the fleece on the chicken wire part as I'm skirting, and the crud (vegetable matter, second cuts, dust) falls through while the fleece stays on top. Open, I have a skirting table, and closed, a regular table. Perfect. Well, not quite. It might need a coat of paint, I'm not real fond of the red.

Mom health update: She still has pneumonia, new chest X-ray showed still a shadow/haziness on one lung. We are starting a new, longer round of a stronger antibiotic and see if that knocks it down. Otherwise, she is doing fine.

Art of Alzheimer's

2009-08-17T09:58:00.004-05:00

Mom has rediscovered her set of blocks. She fancied them up with some beads. I love her color combination here, so don't be surprised if it shows up as a colorway.

It was a disappointing weekend. We tried baling Friday, but it was too wet, so we thought we'd give it another day. Saturday was cloudy and very humid, so the extra day really did nothing for it. The neighbors baled the hay anyway, because we were sure to get more rain Saturday night and Sunday. Some of the bales were dryer than others, but it was already sprinkling a little when they finished up, so they just brought it all back to their place. They left a couple of the wetter bales for me to feed right away, which I did. I opened them immediately, and they were already hot. There wasn't much hay to begin with, and I fear that the hay we did get will mold. They have enough animals that they can feed it to, but it leaves me with no hay from this cutting basically. Or about 100 bales short of what I need for the winter. All I can do is hope for a third cutting. Right now I am reciting George Carlin's list of words you can't say on TV.

The even more distressing part of the weekend is that Mom is breathing hard again. We'll be heading back to the clinic.

Cheap but Effective Doodad Storage

2009-08-14T13:39:00.002-05:00

One day last winter, I admired a fellow knitter's little storage container. Oh, she said, it is just a cheapo pencil holder from Wally World. I filed that bit of info away. A couple of weeks ago, we were there and they had started their back to school push. I went searching, and sure enough, in a two for a dollar bin, was what I sought.

A pencil holder. Or knitting/spinning doodad holder. Undo that little snap, out slides the box, but with a stop so it doesn't slide all the way out, and you can fit all kinds of crap in there.

Most of this stuff was just loosely stored in the bottom of a drawer in my living room. Now it is all contained in the boxes. My dpns even fit, although at a slight angle. The needle gauge just barely fits, but it does. Eventually, I'll be so organized that I'll keep one in the drawer, and one in my project bag. I'm not quite there yet!

We are having bad luck with the hay again. It was cut Tuesday, with a forecast of sunny skies all the way until Saturday night. Yep, it rained yesterday. Quite a bit. Today is bright and sunny, so the neighbor came to rake it to get it off the ground. Rake didn't work. After we looked at it, with her husband on the phone describing what we should be looking at, we determined that the piece was missing! So she started walking home (a mile away?) trying to find the piece, in case it fell off on her way over. I haven't heard from her. We need to get the hay off the ground so it doesn't mold, but can't because the rake is broke. 50% chance of rain Saturday night, and 70% chance on Sunday. We are not happy farmers.

Relief, again.

2009-08-12T16:29:00.000-05:00

Mom is breathing easier; thus, so am I. She is still wheezing a little, especially just after she gets up in the morning, but is much improved.

We had the swallowing study done today. They sat her between two arms of this machine, which when turned on, showed her head and neck like an X-ray on a little screen. They then fed her various foods laced with barium, which allowed the food to show up on the screen as she swallowed. She was very cooperative, ate what they gave her without fussing, and stayed sitting in the chair. Yay Mom! It was determined that she is not having swallowing issues. Yeehah, that is exactly what we wanted to hear.

She is now officially on a mechanical soft diet, since she won't wear her dentures. It turns out, looking through the sheet of allowed foods they gave me, that this is what I've pretty much been doing anyway. I did learn to only give her small amounts on the plate at a time though, so she won't be tempted to put too much in her mouth at one time.

In other words, we are doing the peasant dance of joy here at Maplecorners. Join us!

Shadow and Light

2009-08-09T09:53:00.003-05:00

The phlox are in full bloom. Funny thing is, I don't know where this color came from. I only planted purple phlox in this space. I brought them with me from my Mpls garden over 9 years ago.

Here I cropped and ran the Poster Edges filter. I haven't played with that for a while.

Another, cropped differently.

Shadow. Mom has been wheezing/breathing heavily, so we went to the doctor on Friday. Chest x-ray showed a little fluid in one lung, bloodwork showed a slightly elevated white cell count, and pulse ox showed her below acceptable levels. We are treating for aspiration pneumonia, just in case. She had a couple of choking/coughing incidents while eating, so will also do a swallowing study to see if that is now an issue. If it is, that would be a step into the last stage (7) of this damned disease. I can't think of that right now.

Light. The other day Mom and I were at the store, and she was pushing the cart. I was picking out a bunch of bananas, and Mom was standing right next to me. All of a sudden, I feel a pinch on my hip. I quickly turned and looked at Mom, just in time to see her hand suddenly go back on the cart and her innocently look away. About a second later, she burst out giggling. How I love that woman.

Goofing around with Fiber

2009-08-07T10:21:00.002-05:00

Lily, this is for you.

Can you tell what it is? No? I don't blame you.

Clue.