LunabudKnits

GGAF & Pensacola - 2011

2011-12-27T16:59:00.000-05:00

Now, why don't we back track a little bit to a time before the world changed.....

November 4th-6th was our second showing at the Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival. I love this festival. Not just because it is in Florida or even my top selling event, but because it is my very last Festival of the year! And what a better way to end the festival season in Florida with your Floridian knitter friends, the Pensacola Purls who meet on Mondays at the airport Barnes & Noble! Gosh, how I love those gals! Don't worry, I am definitely planning a return visit if the festival folks let me in again:)

I couldn't keep the art batt bins stocked well enough!

Yarn, yarns and more yarns!

Sock yarns

Bfl Sock

Glammy-licious!

I love when customers bring in finished projects from my fibers. These are from last years batts and were spun on a 'Trindle' and then hand knit. Kudos to Miss Jennifer and awesome fiberista!

Say hello to the needlefelted dolls of Darlene Samuel of Pace Florida. Is this not the cutest little needle felted guy on the planet or what? PS..His mane was made from one of my batts!!

Also by Darlene, the cutest little finger puppets ever! This little guy was done with my fibers too:)

My little splurge each evening was eating at the 'Fisherman's Corner' which is under the Theodore Baar Bridge in Perdido Key. It is not a super fancy place, but the fresh caught specials are out of this world!!! As you can see, after finishing each night, I was lucky to get a little table where I could knit a little while enjoying one of America's oldest brewed beers, Yuengling. Fabulous combination!! Wish we had Yuengling in Kentucky!!

Catching up

2011-12-27T00:32:00.001-05:00

Granny & me 20 years ago.

Yes, it has been a long time since I posted on the blog about what is going on in my life. As with all things on our journey through the world there have been some good things, but they have for a while been out weighed by the bad, depressing, soul sucking things that seem to come in and grab you by the heart and squeeze until you think you can bear no more. I feel I need to get all the bad things out of the way in this post so that I can move on with all the good. Trust me there is some good in there. There always is even if sometimes it has to smack you in the head to get through a little.

My last post was about made the day before I left Florida to come home in November. A day before I had received a call from Mom that my Granny had taken a turn for the worse. I packed everything, cleaned the condo and drove home on Wednesday. Thursday, my sweet Granny passed away. We were expecting this day since Granny collapsed on Easter, but no matter how much time you have to prepare yourself, you never are quite prepared for the death of a loved one. Even still a month and a half later I am finding it hard to write this.

At the memorial service, I stood up and spoke. There are somethings in life you will regret not doing later and I knew this would be one of those things. It was hard. It was not fun. I don't really remember all of what I said, so I want to do it again right here where I can say exactly what I want with out the feeling that everyone is staring at me......

My Granny was born and raised in England on July 9th, 1921. She lived with her parents, brother and sister during WWII in Wiggan, England. It was during the war that she worked as a police woman and met my Grandfather who probably through sheer persistence won her heart and brought her home to Nicholasville, KY. It was here that my Granny had two children and after my Grandfather passed away she was able to put both of her children through college.

I have to say that my Granny was the Grandmother everyone dreamed of having. She loved her family and friends. She loved you with out reserve. And, she loved to tell stories. Stories of her life. I spent most of my childhood, youth and adulthood listening to her stories of the war and being a police woman. I know we all have our favorites. One of mine was how during WWII a Granny would go with her friends to the dance halls and dance for hours on end. Before marrying Granny's last name was Hill and the service men would serenade her with the song 'Blueberry Hill' (although we are more famialar with the Fats Domino version, at the time it was made popular by Glenn Miller & his Orchestra). You don't have to imagine how much fun she had doing the Jitterbug to some jive swing, if you knew my Granny, you probably heard a WWII story or two or three or four or five or six.......

We all spent time with Granny, but I probably spent more than most listening to her stories of life in decades gone past. And she also told me so much more than just her stories. We talked about many things and she told me a few things I think she would want me to share with you. Dad, Granny was so very proud of your achievements in the Senate. Aunt Mimi, she was proud that on your own, you raised two successful children who have gone on to bright and wonderful things. Cousin Nikki, Granny was so proud to know you were raising two of her beautiful Great Grand boys so far away in California. Cousin Ryan, Granny delighted in your becoming a lawyer for the Army. Brother Beau, Granny was not just proud of your military career, but also your beautiful family. And last but not least Mom, Granny said that although you had your differences she knew that Dad would not have gone as far in his career with out you pushing to grander things.

-End-

That was more along the lines of what I was trying to say. I just never realized how hard it would be to share that with family and friends. I still miss my Granny every day. She was always there for me in good and hard times. She loved her family with out bounds and everything she did was for her family. I don't think I ever realized that until she was gone. But, everything she did, she did for all of us. I am so very thankful to have had such a strong woman to look up to and who loved me so very much.

July 9, 1921 - Nov. 10, 2011

Granny & her oldest & best friend Gene Rice on Granny's 80th birthday.

Christmas

Granny, Mom & Me

Trip to Bermuda

Christmas or Easter late 90's.

Granny, Grandfather & Aunt Mimi

One of our trips about town.

One of Granny's boyfriends in WWII drew her portrait.

Found this lovely dress in Granny's closet, but none of us remember her ever wearing it. Bet she turned a few heads when she did wear it.

So that is part of my bad news. I know it is a natural part of life to grow old and die. But, I secretly wish my Granny could have lived forever and I had never known a day with out her.

If you have gotten this far, you deserve to hear the rest. Do you remember last year when Bill had surgery to remove a tumor in his head? We knew the Surgeon had not been able to get all of the tumor and we were hoping that it could be monitored by bi-annual scans and simply stay the same size and not grow. Well..... We were not that lucky. It, Bob, I'm calling it Bob, has had a little growth spurt. Surgery is scheduled with a new Surgeon (referred by the last one) soon. Will keep you updated.

And now, that I have all that off my chest, we can return to the irregularly scheduled posting program. And I promise there is good stuff coming. Very good stuff and great news:)

SAFF 2012

2011-11-08T13:28:00.000-05:00

Well, it has come and gone. This 2012 SAFF was a first time vending experience for LunabudKnits. And did we ever have fun!!! This year we were set up in the Sales Arena on the top of the hill. And as I said on the SAFF Ravelry board:

Mom and I had an absolute blast meeting everyone. The weather was perfect for our first year vending at SAFF! Have to say, This is one of the smoothest festivals to attend from the ease of knowing before hand about set up to the smiling faces of SAFF Staff and of course the attendees who kept us smiling, laughing (with and at us), and busy all day!

Having the opportunity to meet so many of my online Raverly & Facebook personas as well as gaining so many new friends, I am truly overwhelmed with how wonderful everyone was. I am so thankful for the opportunity to be a part of such a fabulous event!

Thank You to my customers and all the wonderful SAFF people who made this festival the hot awesomeness that it was! I better not forget to thank Mom either. With out her help and support, I don’t know what I would do! I also would not have any pictures of the booth as I completely forgot to take any. Luckily Mom had my back:)

Oh and PS… The pink boots came from Marshals:)

The new wall of yarn!

Wall 'O' Wool

I always enjoy having a fun time with happy customers!

If you are ever in Fletcher,NC, I would like to recommend the Blue Sky Cafe. Oh MY...the fried raviolis were fabulous and don't forget to try the sweet tater fries! Awesomely delicious!!

On my way to SAFF in Tennessee somewhere...

About to go through a mountain side tunnel in NC.

In the tunnel.

My purchases from the show:)

Southern Indiana FiberArts Festival

2011-10-30T22:25:00.000-05:00

It is definitely past due for a blog post. Several weeks ago, I was thrilled to again be a part of the Southern Indiana FiberArts Festival in Corydon, IN. Yes, this little fiber frolic happens at the same time as Rhinebeck. No, it is not as big as Rhinebeck. But, it is a heart warming group of dedicated vendors who make this little fair better and better each year!

This year, I did not have a helper so unfortunately did not have much of a chance to snap shots of the other vendors. I did of course get a shot or two of my booth and the Kintner House where I stayed:)

Dining Room

My bedroom. don't you just love the handmade quilt on the bed?

My booth

Purse I needle felted from my fibers.

Wool Locks

Merino Tops

Like I would go to a festival and leave the happy sheep behind:)

Wall 'O' Wool

Kentucky Wool Festival 2011

2011-10-10T15:21:00.000-05:00

The Kentucky Wool Festival was over yesterday and I have to say I am absolutely blushed. If you remember last year I stayed with the Yeltons and I was pleased as punch pie to have a return visit with them this year. Cheryl of Purdy Thangz and I were truly blessed to share in the Yelton's special brand of Kentucky Hospitality this year. Have to say I count myself lucky to have met and come to know Jim and Lana these past two years.

Side one of the booth full of wool. This was the first show I got to play with the new wire panels and bins. I think they still need a wee bit of tweeking, but they should be fun at future shows.

The other side full of yarns. These were taken on the end of the second day. By the third day, I was almost wiped clean.

The boots on a section of fence posts were intriguing.

If only there were some way to find out the idea behind the boots on the fence.

This little fellow, Jack, greeted me at Jim and Lana's by thoroughly looking through my bag for contraband. He finally settled on an old receipt. How stinking cute was that!?! BTW, Jack is part of Jim and Lana's Flour Creek Dachshunds kennel.

Cheryl, aka Purdy Thangz, on our last morning with Jim and Lana.

An older version of the Louet S75 that is close to 20 years old and still a true work horse!

Jim and Lana in front of their cabin.

The view from Jim and Lana's front porch.

Unfortunately, I missed getting snap shot of the other vendors. You can take my word for it, there was fabulous fibery goodness everywhere in our tent!

Beeswax Candles

2011-10-06T09:28:00.001-05:00

In today's mail were most wonderful candles from Mother Seraphima and the Sisters of the Holy Nativity Convent. Upon opening the box the most delicious aroma of honey and beeswax surrounded me and made me feel loved. The candles are hand dipped by the Sisters and if you are interested in partaking in this heavenly smell, please visit their website: Holy Nativity Convent. They are so lovely;)

This bundle is destined for my sweet Granny who is not doing so well at the moment. If you have a few moments in your day, can you think of her with kindness and love today. Thank you so very much.

Le Stash

2011-10-04T13:31:00.000-05:00

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I hear you talking about stash this and stash that. Well, I'm here to tell you that my stash is bigger than most! There are probably a few out there that can trump me, but I bet they could be counted on one hand...hahaha

It started very simply and innocently with the desire to learn to make my own yarn. From there it became a minor addiction that grew into a small little idea that I could sell some of my stash to get fresh stash. It very quickly snowballed into what is currently known as the house of wool. The snow ball event occurred shortly after the company I worked for went belly up. As luck would have it, during that same time period, the fiber stash enhancement business was starting to take off.

Now, I do have to be honest here quite a bit of the fiber seen in these photos is shop stock, but until the shop is up and running I am considering it stash. I see that as OK, because if it doesn't sell or the store never opens, it will remain a permanent fixture in my stash! Good think I only pick up things I like!

Big pink UFO behind bag of yarn and roving. What you don't see are the 7 skeins of handspun yarn in the tiered bins of the 2 huge bags of fluff and yarn to the left behind the UFO.

Handspun for a sweater on top of hand-dyed.

Weighed and to be priced.

Ready to head to the Fair!

Almost missed showing this 2 pounds of fiber:)

These were hiding in plain view too.

The Pink bags are full of dyed tops. Not seen is a bag of washed fleece which is the remainder of the fleece to be spun from the white handspun yarns in the bag a few photos ago. And yes, that is a loom under all the wool!

Bin 'O' Batts

Weighed out tops on top of carder stash bin

Inside carder stash bin.

More tops on top of carder in box on left and you guessed it more combed dyed tops in box on the right. The bag on the right is just for my spin-in stash.

Carder with scrappy bin to left

Yarns on the drying rack. Yep, they are all dry, just need to get them in before nightfall and this was the only spot open because........

The indoor drying rack, aka the chandelier, was full of lace yarns drying.

From left to right: fleece, roving from Tanglewood FArm, Coopworth, & handspun I don't want to part with (yet).

Fibers & Yarns on my favorite to spin in cat scratched wing back chair. Note the two smaller bags under the TV on the DVR box. Yep, you guessed it.... That's fiber too!

How many wheels can you count in this picture. Note one doesn't look like a wheel at all.

The sheepy wheel next to a box of you guessed it more fiber. this one is just 1/2 full though....lol

The Pirtle spinning wheel.

Fleece in the garage. would you believe I open these and check them every month?

Yeah, I'm a little crazy.

Crazier still....

Does this @#%DQ$% ever end!?!

Nope, it doesn't.

See, I told you so. Fleece in black bag on top of 4 shetland fleeces in bin. I missed one or two in the garage I think.

corner of shop stock room.

This is my prized possession. Not sure when or if I will be spinning it, but I am keeping it for a very special project. I would not part with this fleece for any amount of money! Chris, if you are reading this, you know what fleece this is!

Old stash.

More old stash from back in the day that my stash actual fit in a freaking clothset.

shop stash.

More shop stash.

Now that I am done describing all the stash photos, I have come to the conclusion that I seriously have a problem. And it's not that I have too much stash..... It's that I realize I have a few more stash spots that I forgot to photograph, such as the cedar chest, trunk, drawers, my Gran's garage................

Yep, I have gone a bit over the top, but thankfully the shop stash will be separated from my personal stash soon. Both Bill and I look forward to that day.

Kentucky Wool Festival

2011-10-04T08:04:00.001-05:00

This weekend why not join us for the Kentucky Wool Festival in Falmouth, Kentucky. The Festival is a huge arts and crafts show and we are so very lucky that one entire tent is dedicated to wool and fiber! The really neat thing about the vendors of the Wool Tent is that on Friday they will bring bus loads of kids through and we will be demonstrating our fiber crafts for the kids. How cool is it that we get to pass along a bit of our history!?!

Here is a list of the vendors:

Alpacas at Wolf Run Germantown, KY
Barakel Farm Alton, MO
Bluebonnets and Bluegrass Alpaca Farm Crestwood, KY
Dog Trot Weavers and Spinners Corbin, KY
Eagle Bend Alpacas Burlington, KY
Flat Creek Wool and Pottery Dry Ridge, KY
Flour Creek Wool Butler, KY
Kentucky Blue Fiber Co. Crestwood, KY
Knitted to a T Moores Hill, IN
LunabudKnits Nicholasville, KY (ME)
Mt. View Crafts Mt Sterling, KY
Punkin's Patch Cynthiana, KY
Purdy Thangz Holly Springs, GA
Sam's Icelandic Sheep Farm, llc Alton, MO
Southland Fiber Farm Springfield, KY
Teetor-Totter Alpacas Burlington, KY
Weaving Memories Lexington, KY

We are looking forward to seeing you this week end!

New Colorway

2011-10-04T07:13:00.000-05:00

Finished a monster of a dying weekend and am I ever bushed. Meet the new colorway Hecate that is ready just in time for show season to start! Will be introducing it to the shops after SAFF;)

Available soon at LunabudKnits!

For Chris

2011-09-29T10:28:00.000-05:00

I feel very bad that I have not had much of a chance to spin fiber for Chris. Not sure if you remember or not, but I have been spinning 1 pound of each of her alpacas' fleece. Her sister is then crocheting the yarn into a bed spread for Chris. With life getting a little in the way, I have not had much free time here lately to spin the alpaca. Just last month though, I made it a point to make a little more time for this project.

On the bottom, is the last skein of Canty and the top is the first skein of Camigula. Have to say, Camigula's fleece is absolutely divine and I love how well it spins!

The next skein of Camigula will have some sparkly added! Not sure if it will be dyed or not. That could be fun though!

Had to drive up to Lexington during the morning rush hour this week. I completely have forgotten what rush hour is like and I was lucky to have my little cowl project to keep me busy at the Harrodsburg Rd / New Circle Rd cross over mess. In all honesty, the traffic moved fairly smoothly until coming to this point and then a little further down the road there was a wreck. Outside of that not much of an issue. Mind you, I don't EVER want to have to willing drive in rush hour traffic again unless I absolutely have to!

This is what has been keeping me busy for the past week. A monster of a fleece that was just dying to be cleaned and dyed!

Before dying the locks are separated and then painted with care and a bit of whimsy. They have a lovely 6 inch or more staple and I can't wait to spin up a sample from the left overs!

After drying they are bundled into 1/2 ounce lots ready for the show season to start next week. I promise to add them to the etsy site after show season is over;)

Pensacola 2011

2011-09-25T18:59:00.000-05:00

This year, LunabudKnits, will be driving straight from SAFF to Pensacola for two reasons. The first will be to vend at the Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival(GGAF) and the second, most important reason will be to take part in the American Cancer Society's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk.

Last year during GGAF, I met a wonderful knitter who bought some of my yarns and made some fabulous things with them. She is truly one of the sweetest ladies and I am blessed to have met her. This summer, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and is going through treatment. When some of the Pensacola Knitters started posting about planning a team to do the Cancer Walk, well..... I knew I just had to be a part of it.

I would like to now ask you for a bit of help. See, I made a goal of raising $250 for the American Cancer Society and I am quite a bit shy of that mark. Would you please help me raise money for the American Cancer Society by making a donation here: American Cancer Society

Yellow Springs

2011-09-23T07:45:00.000-05:00

Well, I am back from a quick little trip to Yellow Springs Ohio and Young's Jersey Dairy for the Wool Gathering put on by the Midwest Festival of Fibers. I just love this show! Not only does it have a fine selection of fiber vendors and is only 3 hours away from me pulling the trailer, but.... It's at a dairy and oh my goodness are the fried cheese curds to dye for! Pun intended!

The 'Wall 'O' Wool' at LunabudKnits.

I needle felted this little clutch purse from my merino fibers. Yes, it is COMPLETELY needle felted and no, it did not cause me to have carpel tunnel ;)

My little painted sheep adorns the fairway of the 1/2 red tent.

Full shot of the booth. I find the red canopy leaves a little to be desired for when selling dyed fibers.

Heartfelt Handworks, the vendor next to me hand felted the skeleton marionette! Her craftsmanship is out of this world!

One of my customers and a fellow vendor of That'll Do Farm blogged about my fibers after the Mid-Ohio show. And, here are her lovely batts she was selling at Yellow Springs. How awesome is that!!

We had a wee bit of time to check out downtown Yellow Springs too!

A bit hard to see the fine print, but check out the link if you are interested in learning more about Yellow Springs.

One street was full of lamp post art work and yarn bombing. How cool is that!

Yarn bomberific!

Not sure I should tell my Brother-in-law that an all LEGO store exists in a land close to us.... hehehe

As the sign says... Bikes are for sale not rent.

How cute are these mail boxes on the side of a building.

I love the shabby charm of old paint chipping.

Out of no where.... A red door.

More lamppost art.

I loved this one.

Walk down an alley and you might find a small lion guarding a door.

Or a huge sea of dancing blue.

Or a juice joint you just can't miss!

Hunter-Gatherer

2011-09-11T03:26:00.000-05:00

I suppose that is what I have become now that the natural dye bug has set in. Today I took the camera with me as I was visiting with the horse and totally neglected to take a single picture. But, I did manage to come home with a bounty of lichens and fungi for dying.

Walmart bag half full of lichens and spider stow away.

Mystery fungi. Anyone know if it will give dye? There are plenty more small ones growing where I found these.

Pretty sure this is a lichen of some sort. Found it on the base of a rotting log.

And what is this? Well, I'm working on a free pattern for a new lace yarn. Let me tell you this is one yummy little number! More details coming soon!

Like sheep among the wolves

2011-09-09T13:45:00.000-05:00

And Lions and Cougars ......

Say hello to the happy sheep of Wolf Run Wildlife Refuge in Nicholasville, KY. Not only do they have Lions, Cougars, Wolves, Wolfdogs, Foxes, Turkeys, Deer and a few others, but they are also home to 3 rescue sheep who have the run of the property. In the picture above, the cute little fat tailed one closest to me is extremely friendly and came over for a good chin scratching during my visit, the fat happy sheep up the hill a ways is blind and the brown sheep(not in the picture) was a wee bit leery of strangers. And to the left of the sheep, you guessed it, a little pack of friendly Wolfdogs.

What prompted my visit to the Refuge was a phone call from my Mom. She said 'I want to feel the Lions'. She went on about how she was cleaning out the freezer and since they had way too much meat she wanted the excess to go to feed the lions and it clicked...lol While I was at it, I cleaned out my fridge too! Here are a few of the critters I said hello to while I was there visiting.

On the other side of the path behind a double enclosure were two lions.

This is Simba, a full grown lion sans the mane. He was neutered at a young age thus the lack of a mane.

This little girl was so very happy to say hello to me.

And these two were bouncing for joy. As I walked around all the little packs of in their enclosures would run up to the fence and bark or wroo at me until I stopped by long enough for everyone to come in for a sniff and say hello.

Your eyes are not deceiving you. That is a white deer on the left.

She came straight up to the fence to check me out.

And enjoyed licking the salt from my fingers.

This sweet boy had to get a few licks in as well.

And after this picture, I am vowing to never eat deer meat again. These are such gentle and sweet animals and he was very insistent on having his chin scratched. I'm sure I wouldn't be saying that if the two little bucks in the run were in rut, but right now, they are affectionate little guys.

Two cougars.

Bobcats or as we call them in Kentucky 'Wildcats'.

Last but not least the resident donkey with a volunteer who thinks he should be allowed to eat the wolf food too!

If you would like to learn more about the Refuge, I encourage you to visit their website.

They are always in need of donations which can be given via Paypal.

Are you local? They told me that they can take meat that is past it's expiration date with freezer burn, etc. As long as it is not rancid or rotten give them a shout. This is a great way to clean out your fridge;)

Waveland

2011-09-06T12:32:00.000-05:00

After dropping Bill off a few weeks ago, I took a little short cut past Waveland State Historic Site. I haven't checked out the garden lately and thought why not stop by and snap a few shots with the little camera. If you would like to read a bit more about Waveland, check them out HERE.

Little Weaver That Could

2011-09-02T10:26:00.001-05:00

Let us see, I have made the transitions from knitting to spinning to dying to carding to felting to natural dying and now drum roll please to weaving. In all honesty, I have done one prior project on a borrowed triangle loom. I enjoyed it so much that when I saw this little lovely 4 inch square loom, I couldn't help but snatch it up.

Yes, the bottom one is knit;)

I have very much so enjoyed weaving on it, but there are a few little changes I would make to it such as the nail spacing and not forgetting a nail when making it. But those are little things easy to ignore in the grand scheme of mini loom usage;) These pictures were taken a few days ago and since that time, the unused sock yarn has been turned into more lovely little squares that I am thinking would make a fun little lap blanket if I ever have enough!

Natural Dying #3

2011-09-01T23:10:00.002-05:00

Yep, you guessed it, I am doing yet another natural dye on the blog. I just can't help that the natural dye bug has sucked me in and in a big way!

Today I finished up my third go round with natural dyes using lichens I gathered from around my horse's paddock. And here is how I did it......

I reused the mordant from Tuesday's go at carrot tops, by adding 10 more grams of alum and close to 250 grams of yarn. The yarns used here are: 100 grams of heavy lace wool, approximately 75 grams of superwash merino and the rest was a superwash merino, bamboo blend. This time about 1/2 way through the 2 hour mordant, I dropped in a couple of glugs of iron to the mordant.

Picture of the dry lichens I am using. These were all collected from fallen branches.

Crammed my little nylon bag full to the brim with lichens.

Yarn moved from mordant to dye pot. Lichens are under the yarn in the mesh bag which was periodically moved around.

And here is the resulting yarns! From front to back, Lace Merino, Superwash Merino & Bamboo, & Superwash Merino. I am in LOVE with how these colors turned out.

Another shot of the same. Don't you just love the rich earthy browns! I have to admit, I am supper impressed with how well the dye did on the Superwash Merino & Bamboo yarns. Maybe next time, I will try an all bamboo yarn to see how it fairs.

I think I was suppose to keep the dye pot going until the lichens disappeared, but after 24 hours, I was happy to only have a couple of small handfuls of lichen left. Saving these for another little dye experiment for a later date:)

All dye experiments to date. From the bottom.... Lichen, Carrot Tops, & Black Bean. Out of all the 3 the black beans were the only ones I found disappointing. They have since started to fade which is faintly visible in the photos.

I have had quite a fun little time with the natural dyes, but this weekend is of course the big Labor Day Holiday. Thinking it might be a good idea to lay off the dye pots for at least a few days:)

I hope everyone has a happy and safe week end!

Carrot Top Pot

2011-08-31T09:15:00.000-05:00

It did not take me too long to jump into another natural dye pot. This go round I dug around in the veggie bin and came up with a bundle of carrot tops!

I again used 200 grams or 7 ounces of yarn. To mordant, I simmered it for about 2 hours with 20 grams of Alum and 10 grams of Cream of Tartar. While the yarn was set to mordant, I had the carrot tops in another crock simmering their little green tops out while in a mesh bag.

Once the yarn was finished in the mordant, it was rinsed and then added to the crock with the simmering carrot tops. This pot was simmered for about 3-4 hours to ensure the natural dyes were well and absorbed. This time, I did not let it sit over night.

I am very happy with this pretty little pale yellow yarn that resulted from my second attempt at natural dying. It is much, MUCH prettier than the grey from Monday's post;)

Miss Kitty had to get a piece of the action too! She is all about being the center of attention when we are outside. And who can blame her. If I were that cute, I would demand to be the center of everyone's world too!

I know you like the pretty flower, but I'm here too!! Meow!!

I pose pretty for you too!

Hot Nachos

2011-08-30T13:32:00.000-05:00

Finally the garden has given us some hot peppers! And drum roll please for the hottest of them all.......

The Anaheim! Of all the things, you would think the little Jalapeno's that have finally turned a fire engine red would be the show stoppers, but NOooo! It is the long just turning red Anaheim's. We are very thankful to have picked them right before they turned a hotter shade of red. These babies would be too hot to handle otherwise.

Here is how we fix our nachos. Or rather, this is how Bill showed me to fix Nachos!...lol

From front to back. jalapeno on the first row, banana on the second and the fire alarm anaheim on the last two rows.

Lay nacho chips on a foiled cookie sheet. Top each nacho with a slice of pepper and finish that off with either sliced cheddar cheese or a mexican cheese mix. Pop in the oven at 350 degrees f. Remove when these cheese is melted.

Natural Dye - Attempt #1

2011-08-29T14:14:00.000-05:00

I suppose it was destined that being a dyer I would eventual be drawn to trying natural dying methods with things I can easily find. Yesterday, was my first attempt at Natural Dying. I'm not very pleased with the results, but I vow to give it a second and probably third and fourth go round too;)

Early in the AM, I set black beans to soak to pull all the dye goodness out of the beans. I've read that the bean should soak over night, but in all honesty, I found that 12 hours was enough to get all the color out of the beans. I know this because the beans are, 24+ hours later, still soaking in the tub and are no longer leaching color.

For the mordant, I started by following a very basic mordant recipe using 10% Alum and 5% Cream of Tartar (sometimes referred to as COT in the natural dying community) of the fiber to be dyed's weight. The yarn I used was a light fingering weight and I used a total of 6 ounces or 200 grams. That means I needed 20 grams of Alum, 10 grams of COT and enough water to completely cover the wool to be mordanted. The mix with wool simmered for 2 hours. Directions were for 90 minutes, but I can be absent minded at times. I want to say right now, that next time I do this, it will be either in the garage or outside as it gave the house a slightly pungent aroma.

After the mordant, the yarn was rinsed and put in the dye bath. From there it was simmered for about 3-4 hours. I was so darn excited as the yarn was turning a beautiful dusty blue color and I had read in the Natural Dying forums on Ravelry that if you let it sit over night there would be more color take up. So, I left the yarn to sit over night in the dye bath. I really wish at this point I had take a picture of the yarn. It was beautiful!

Naturally, I ran down stairs first thing this morning to check my yarn. As I pulled off the lid with child-like anticipation, I was greeted with grey. Not a rich grey, not a pale grey, just grey with a bare hint of green. Really!?! At what point in time did my little gremin hop up on the counter top and mess with what was supposed to be a lovely blue yarn. Grey.

I'm a bit disappointed, but I'm not giving up on natural dying just yet. I have some carrot tops in the fridge just begging to be thrown in the dye pot for the next go round! Keep your fingers crossed we get a color other than grey.

Mid-Ohio Fiber Fair

2011-08-27T15:46:00.001-05:00

The week end of August 20-21 found the LunabudKnits booth at the Mid-Ohio Fiber Fair in Newark Ohio. The setting was absolutely wonderful. All of the vendors were indoors in the Reese Center on OSU's/Central Ohio Tech Campus; completely air conditioned and out of the rain!

It just wouldn't be right if our fun little handpainted Louet S17 wasn't there to say hello to everyone:) Of course it is cushioned with a few of the art batts!

For a first year festival, there were a ton of great vendors there as well as a very good little crowd. I had a ton of fun getting to know the customers, other vendors and playing with the Strauch Mad Batt'r as a demonstration.

It was pure joy to meet the gals from the Ohio Natural Fiber Network. I especially had fun with the girls from That'll do Farm picking out colors, fibers and things that glitter for their first go round of art batts! What fun!!

The tidy side of my booth.

The messy side of the booth. One would think by now, I would have learned to hide my hot pink bins BEFORE taking the picture!

Spun and knit sample of the Baby Camel and Merino blend.

Handspun yarns.

A few of the new hand dyed colorways from left to right: Acerbitas(dark reds), Orsus (blues and purples), Chronos(browns/grey), Thanatos(purple/black), Euryale(gold, blues, browns, touches of green, etc)

Peach Cobbler

2011-08-26T19:36:00.000-05:00

The thought would never cross my mind to take a picture of my peach cobbler before we have eaten several extra-large chunks! Or for that matter, as I am preparing it!

Week before last, Bill's Mom sent him home with a bit of cobbler and a bag of peaches. The cobbler of course lasted all of 10 seconds after being pulled from the bag. Lucky we still had the peaches for the next night to make another cobbler to satisfy our sweet tooth's again!

The recipe for those of you interested is:

1 cup of Self-rising Flour

1 cup of Milk

1 cup of Sugar

1/2 stick of butter

and 1 square glass baking dish (about 1/2 the size of the rectangular ones)

4-5 fresh peaches peeled and sliced/cubed

Pre-heat the oven to 375 f. While the oven is pre heating, put the butter in the glass dish and put it in the oven to heat too.

Sift together flour & sugar. Add milk, mixing well with a whisk.

When oven is completely preheated and butter is starting to bubble a little, take the dish out of the oven. Please be mindful of not spilling the scalding hot butter when removing the dish.

Pour the batter into the center of the dish. Drop in peach pieces until you know you can fit (cram) no more.

Bake in the oven for 30-45 minutes. The cobbler is ready when the top is a golden brown.

Great thing about this recipe, you can substitute other fresh fruits such as, black berries, blue berries, raspberries, etc. Why not go a little wild and mix a few berries for a taste of the wild side. Some folks like to mix the berries with sugar before mixing them in for added sweetness. I like to pretend I am being a wee bit healthy by not 'over sugaring' the sweets! ha!

PS: There is absolutely nothing healthy about this desert. It is lip smacking sugary goodness. And so darn easy to boot!

A pepper a day

2011-08-06T12:39:00.001-05:00

A pepper a day keeps us pretty darn happy. This year we have one plant each of the following peppers: Anaheim, Banana, Bell, Cubanelle, and Habanero. Almost every evening, you can find us filling an aluminum covered baking sheet with tortilla chips, sliced peppers and various cheeses. Sometimes we feel a little sweet and use the Cubanelle. Sometimes, we are in the mood for a little something hot and use the Anaheim.

Note to readers. Our Anaheims are not red hot yet, so we spend a dollar at the roadside stand to buy 3 or 4 that last us through the week. The Habanero's are not ripe yet either but we are eagerly waiting to see a spot of red! We can barely wait until our hotties are red-hot-n-ready;)

Anaheim Pepper

Banana Peppers

Bell Peppers

Cubanelle Peppers

Habenero Pepper

Garden News....

2011-08-05T13:06:00.000-05:00

Monkey Grass
Blossom

My oh my how my garden doth grow! I have quite a few plants that I still need to take pictures of like the peppers, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and head lettuce which is starting to seed out. It sure has been a fun little garden this year.

Of course, it would not be Kentucky with out quite a bit of hot muggy weather. The heat index has been well over 100 deg f. for several weeks now. All I have to say about that is, 'Thank Goodness I don't live in Nashville anymore!'. I can only imagine how hot they have it! I loved it in the winter, but summers there were brutal! We did have a few nights where it cooled down enough we could sit on the deck at midnight and have a cuddle session with Miss Kitty, so it's not all bad!

I really need to get a few snap shots of the crazy sweet potatoes I planted by the tomatoes! They are insane and I can't wait to eat them up this fall!!! And I really need to remember in the mornings when I go to check on the tomatoes and peppers to bring my camera to snap a few shots of the Brandywines, Good Reds & Mystery tomatoes before I pick them;)

Basil has since been topped.

Hope we have cauliflower real soon!

Pretty in pink Dianthus

Young Grasshopper munching on my Monkey Grass.

Lettuce & Spinach about to go to head.

Miss Kitty enjoying my lap on an abnormally cool evening:)

close up of the Monkey Grass Blossoms

Did I mention I have a new truck!?! How exciting is this! The tundra was going on 11 years old and was in need of a few repairs. My Dad surprised me with a 2007 Ford F150! Do I have the best Dad in the world or what!?!

2011 Tour de Fleece - Project #5

2011-07-24T13:37:00.002-05:00

Like project #4, I think project #5 will be hanging out on my counter top for a little while so that as the abbominal snow man of Bugs Bunny fame says, I can pet it & hug it & squeeze it & call it George. I don't just like to tempt; I absolutely love when I am tempted by other indy artists' creations as well. Think this one came from Chimera on Etsy. Sorry to say it took me close to a year to spin it up! 100% Merino wool, 4 ounces & 300 yards.

2011 Tour de Fleece - Project #4

2011-07-24T12:42:00.003-05:00

Finished yesterday evening. Washed, rinsed, hung from the chandelier & dry as a bone this morning. This corespun lovely has a fingering weight all wool center encapsulated in smooth merino, Tunis, Shetland, coopworth, mohair, silk hankies, silk noil, bamboo, firestar and last but not least lots of sparkly glitzy goodness. Approximately 150 yards and 4 ounces. Might have to pet this little lovely for a little while before putting a price tag on it.

Oh, I did the collages on an iPad app called mood board. Pretty cool huh!?!

Tour de Fleece

2011-07-22T21:11:00.002-05:00

Project # 3 for the Tour is a core spun LunabudKnits batt. Chock full of yummy merino, Shetland, mohair, glitz, firestar, Tunis, and a few other tid bits that are slipping my mind at the moment.

It is of course Miss Kitty approved;)

2011 Tour de Fleece Projects #1 & 2

2011-07-09T20:30:00.000-05:00

This year, I am numbering my projects in order they are to be finished. So far, my starter project is done and while the spindling of the Merino & Yak is slowly progressing, the run of Shetland/Angora 60/40 blend is in line to be the second project I finish.

Crosspatch Creations batt purchased at Hoosier Hills Fiber Festival. Started before the Tour started, but one of my goals was to finish it during.

One of my favorite fiber blends from Vintage Fibers that was traded for during Midwest Fiber & Folk last month. Love this stuff!!

On Hold

2011-07-08T10:42:00.000-05:00

I need to place an order to restock. But, in order to do that, I need to know what I am short on. I'm sure at this point, you are saying...... 'Um, really? Why can't you just count it and do your order?'

The reason it just is not as simple as that is because I made a promise to Mr. Bill that after the Midwest Fiber Festival was over, I would not be bringing the fiber back into the house. I would instead be unloading it to the new shop. And that would have already happened if I were not waiting on the electrician to finish putting in the wall outlets (picture coming later).

In the meantime, I tried out the Brookstone 'iconverter' this week end. If you are just trying to make quick copies of your photo negatives and do not care about having top notch quality then this little machine will work OK for you. If you are wanting top quality scans of your photo negatives do not buy this machine. It works OK for slides, but not for print worthy quality. Here are a few of the slides I scanned in over the week end. Note, some of these have been heavily photoshopped. None of my negatives turned out. After the slides starts some old digital from the time before digital cameras were such a big hit.

There is a tree on the island of Dominica that grows gourds.

Cynthia

For Sale

Kasey

The island of Monserat. This is a photo of smoke coming from an active volcano.

A tattoo band on a friends leg.

And so we start in on the digital images. The majority of these were taken for a photography class I was taking way back when. The one thing I took away from the class was..... Always try to look at the world from a different angle. In other words try to see a simple object in ways that most would never think of.

A very small basket in a grainy macro setting.

Yep, it's just a flower. I do love my flowers

Shoe

Light Bulb

A disgusting habit.

I am thankful I no longer smoke.

Camp Nelson

clip

clip 2

Daffodils

The rocky shores of Dominica one of the islands in the Caribbean.

Face in a fan

Bonfire at Terrapin Hill Festival

Getting close to the fire

The circle

I love fish markets. Not only can I buy dinner, but it makes for a great photo too!

Fort Shirley in Dominica

Gull

Gulls

Peace Lily

Stone Rose

Yep, another little flower.

mare for sale

Orchid

Phlox

Reflections

Sedum

Mmmmm..... Snapper

A study of light

Stranded

Taking a break

Tour de Fleece Start

2011-07-03T14:47:00.000-05:00

Started the Tour de Fleece this year with a bang literally! Bill frowns on bringing a spinning wheel to the lake when we go so this year, I opted for a couple of spindles.

After giving the boat a quick clean and hitting the dock kitchen for a greasy burger & fries, it was time to hit the water to drift in wait for the big 4th of July fire works show put on at our end of the lake. This year it was between Kennedy & Sunset Marinas.

This is the first year that my allergies have really gone hay wire. I think that since I have quit smoking over a year ago my nose is really affected by all the things that never bothered it before. I'm not complaining though as I very much so enjoy being able to breath after going for a short walk;)

Our boat. Click to 'biggify'. The arrow points straight at us.

Spindling before the big show.

The pre-show.

The big show about to start.

After the show, get out of the way or prepared to be run over. This is a wall of boats heading our way to go back down the lake to their perspective docks.

Singles

Dropped the fiber into the lake. No way am I going in after it.

You too can be protected from the big storm...lol Amazing what you see on the way to the lake!

The Score

2011-07-03T11:26:00.001-05:00

Finally had a chance to make it down to the local auction house the other day. I have to say I have never seen so much junk, erm treasures, packed in one place. There was a monstrous stuffed dog, penny jewelry, framed posters, purses upon purses upon purses, longaberger baskets, cherry bedroom suites, couches, divans, chairs, table, you get the idea! Basically the joint was packed full of one mans trash soon to become another mans treasure.

I got a number and waited for the bidding to commence. Outside of loosing out on a mandolin, I won all the other auctions I was bidding on. I was really looking for displays for the new shop. I did find one old oak dresser, a tool box, 3 amazingly huge lamps and a smorgasbord of odds'n'ends.

The booty. I have no idea what to do with the slatted piece, but I'm sure it will come in handy at some point in time or another. I have a serious addiction to antique hand made tool boxes. I am just captivated by the fact that someone built this box to hold the tools they used on daily jobs. Or, maybe it was used to hold someones house hold tool collection. Either way I am fascinated with the uniqueness and beauty of each box.

Green glass globe lamp. Winning bid...$5

Gold pineapple globe lamp that supposedly lights up. Winning bid $5.

Taking ideas for what this could be. It was so cute that I just couldn't pass it up. Will take pics of the rest when I have a bit more time.

Midwest Fiber & Folk Art Fair... Part Deux

2011-06-30T08:06:00.000-05:00

A funny thing happened on the way to the Fair ... I know it is so dang cliche to use that phrase, but there has never been a post more fitting than now! See I come downstairs to have a bit to eat at the Continental breakfast before heading out to the Fair when low and be hold who should I run into but ......

Insert drum roll please ....

The one, the only, the Franklin Habit author of 'It Itches' and blogger extroidinair of the panopticon. Of course what are the first words I utter out of my mouth? Probably the creepiest thing a published author ever wants to hear... 'Hello Franklin, You don't know me, but I'm such and such and we're Facebook Friends'. Yep, something along those lines came out of my mouth! Franklin took it with stride and we had a lovely conversation during which I offered to give him a lift to the fair grounds when he said he was not sure he had any transportation.

Of course, he had not seen my marvelous 'yarn mobile' consisting of truck and trailer vinylized with hot pink yarn balls. I think the truck might have been the real clincher in what turned out to be one fabulous week end of meeting not just Franklin, but Carol Sulcoski author of 'Knitting Socks with Hand-painted Yarns', co-author of 'Knit so Fine, dyer extroidinair of Black Bunny Fibers and blogger of Go Knit In Your Hat; Abby Franquemont fiberista and author or 'Respect the Spindle' and (video)'Drafting: The Long and Short of It' and blogger of Abby's Yarns and Jacey Boggs also know as Insubordiknit, author of 'Spin Art' due out this fall and DVD maven of 'Sit and Spin'.

Our first meeting. Franklin was working on his tessellated socks.

Checking out Merike Saarniit's beautiful estonian lace sample.

I think Merike was lucky to get her sample back from Franklin

Franklin & I about to head out to the show on Saturday morning. Carol Sulcoski took this pic.

LunabudKnits Booth

View of the booth from the other side.

When the shop is up and going. I am definitely having this gal down for classes! Are these bird houses not just to dye for!!

This booth had the most awesome array of buttons and trims all sorted by color. Amazing!

My favorite hand formed soap ball lady was there too! Hoping I see her at Corydon this year too!

Miniature punchneedle designs.

Saturday's dinner with Abby, Jacey & Franklin

You know you are having a fun time when you are eating Tai with Jacey Boggs and Franklin Habit!

Sunrise as I was driving home Monday morning

I loved the wind catchers.

PS.... Franklin, this one is just for you. These are the roads I grew up driving.

Midwest Fiber & Folk Art Fair Post 1.... The Drive

2011-06-29T09:41:00.000-05:00

What a long strange trip the past 6 days have been. It all started with a drive from Central KY to Grayslake IL which is basically a suburb on the Northwest end of Chicago.

Chicago, Chicago, CHIAGOO. I don't know why but each time I think of Chicago, ChiaGoo pops into my mind. Do you think subliminally I am trying to tell myself something? Like, I really need to start and account with ChiaGoo. Who knows!

Back to the trip though. The drive up was fairly uneventful but I did take that opportunity to work on my commando style of picture taking from the truck as I'm driving down the interstate. Basically, with out looking, I hold my camera in the direction of the interesting thing and click away hoping against common sense that maybe, just maybe one shot out of 50 will turn out even remotely viewable.

It is hard to see in the photo but the arrow is pointing to a huge peace sign on the barn roof. I have a feeling this is one of those farms I would enjoy driving up to just knock on the door and say hello.

Approaching Indianapolis heading to ChiaGoo Land.

Now these wind harvesters are probably some of the mightiest things I have seen is a very long time. I litterally slowed down so that I could take picture that might turn out a little less blurry. Unfortunately I could not stop as I was surrounded by semis and they frown upon having to slow down for the crazy lady hauling a trailer with huge pink balls of yarn plastered on the side to constantly pull over on the side of the road.

The pictures really do not capture the immense size of the wind harvesters. They are huge monoliths set in offset rows. The arms are gracefully turned with the intense wind this area of Indiana has. A truly unique show.

Hard to read but basically, this is the sign that says I-65 ends.

What the previous sign failed to mention was that I-65 ended on a narrow freaking mile long bridge with absolutely NO shoulder and a terrible drop to your death if you should say accidentally drive through the barrier and over the edge.

This sign lied to me. 15 minutes in ChiaGoo Land is actually 1.5 hours to the rest of the world. The rush hour drive was not as boring as I might have expected though. An fellow from India called the number on the side of the trailer and tried to pick me up while in bumper to bumper traffic. Is that crazy or what!?!

The First toll booth was only $2. The next sign which I failed to get a picture of was 'The Mayor of Chicago Welcomes You'.

Remember when I said the Mayor of Chicago greeted me, well he took it back less than a mile down the road with a Toll fee of $10. What a warm welcome to ChiaGoo Land.

I have no idea what these signs meant, but they were a bit of color in the drab existence of rush hour traffic on the Chicago Skyway.

I think if they can charge me $10 to drive through ChiaGoo Land the least they can do is patch the holes showing exposed rebar under the bridges.

At this point I had gotten off of the Interstate thinking that maybe, just maybe traffic would move a little smoother. HA! They had a storm the night before which knocked out all the lights at intersections. Is that crazy or what. Took 45 minutes to go 400 feet. As luck would have it the pretty little grasses kept me entertained for hours on end as they swayed in the breeze of our exhaust pipes. I might have been a little delirious at this point.

More to come tomorrow,..............

Garden 2011

2011-06-12T10:24:00.001-05:00

I haven't had much time for posting due to shows and getting ready for shows between shows;) The next show you will find LunabudKnits is the Midwest Fiber and Folkart Festival outside of Chicago June 24-26.

I had a moment to take a few pictures of this years garden as Bill was finishing up his little project. He tells me stories of the 'lettuce box' they had as a child and how they would go out pull up the old door and pick some lettuce for dinner every day. The other day, he comes home with an old storm door someone was throwing away and wood. a few days later, he has his 'lettuce box'. I have to say that he did a very nice job on the construction of the box. Do I honestly think the lettuce will grow in a humid little glass box in the middle of summer? Let's just say, erm, how do I put this nicely..... I think I will sow more lettuce seeds in the fall. And, it should make for a great seed starter in late winter early spring;)

Bill finishing up his lettuce box

Lid open

Seeds

Lid closed

Miss Kitty supervises

Sweet Basil

Cematis

Cactus

Delphinium

Delphinium Flower

lettuce seed I started a few weeks ago.

Miss Kitty follows where ever we go.

Kentucky Sheep and Fiber Festival

2011-05-25T13:53:00.003-05:00

The weeks leading up to the Kentucky Sheep and Fiber Festival were to say the least a hectic one. But I am a firm believer that God does not give you more than you can bear and sometimes it just best to simply roll with the punches.....more about this later though.

Any how the show went off with out a hitch and I managed to get my booth set up and reschedule the Spinning Art Yarn class. I have to say that everyone on the committee for the Festival really pulled their weight to make the second event even better than the first. What an incredible team we have.

Here are a few of my favorite pictures and things from the show. Hope you enjoy.

My brother was in from Japan with the little Luke man;). So good to see our family all together even if for a short while.

This little lambkin is a web sensation over at 'Punkins Patch' also known as 'My Favorite Sheep' blog.

Brenda of Wooden Spinner.

I really need to get a copy of this book from Annie;)

I am also a firm believer that if everyone in the world had a sheep stress ball, we could all get along just a little bit better.

Not sure if I ever mentioned it, but I LOVE wooden things be they old furniture or new sock darners.

Wool from a friend of mine in Nicholasville KY.

Warp yarn at the Woolery booth.

She had the most unique and awesome baskets on the block. Gorgeous stuff!!

Talikis (sp) and spindle bowls.

Shuttle pins full of multi-colored yarn.

Not only is Erin the sweetest girl I know, but she also takes some pretty darn goo photos to boot!

Real sheep.

Painted Sheep.

Whole lot of Llama loving going on.

Click to biggify and read the label. What a hoot!

You can always count on the FFA kids to come through with outstanding spring flowers!

Location:Lexington

What are you growing?

2011-05-06T08:18:00.000-05:00

Apparently around here, we are growing kitties. Or at the very least we are trying to. Miss Kitty has taken over all of the flower pots around the house as her personal cat nap stations. I do have to admit she would make a pretty little flower if only she would just stay put!

Building Updates

2011-05-05T13:40:00.000-05:00

Tah-Dah........

Here is how the building looks as of 5/3/2011! I have been a bit under the weather since coming back from the show so Bill drove me out to see it Tuesday;) The roof if you can't tell is a Dark Green and looks perfect with the red brick siding and tan trim!

Below you can see Bill standing by the door he installed Saturday! I have to give a HUGE shout out of THANK YOUs to my in laws at ALADDIN'S GLASS in Nicholasville, KY. The door is GORGEOUS!

See that little snippet of light coming through.......

Apparently one of the builders backed out a screw and forgot to replace it or cover it. It should be a quick fix though:)

Fungus Amungus

2011-05-05T12:31:00.001-05:00

It goes with out say, we have had our fair share of rain lately. Enough so that I have wondered of the need to build our own personal little Ark with enough room for Bill, the critters and of course little ol' me. Well, and enough room for his guitars & my fiberly pursuits of course. And there surely will be room for all friends and family, but let's hope its doesn't come to that;)

I digress just a tad from the title, but not much. For you see, with out all this miserable soul crushing endless rain there wouldn't be the bounty of natures little helpers we seem to have now. Beautiful fungi of all shapes and sizes just in time to help those dead things in the soil decay just a little bit more so that we can have the lovely green growth we so desire each year after the spring showers.

These are just a few we found in the yard the other day between torrential down pours. Bill was wondering if any were edible and while I love the simple beauty of a mushroom as it pokes from the ground to open it's cap and spread forth it's spores, I don't think I was quite in the mood to be his 'royal taste tester'....lol

Fungi eating away at a stump from a bush we removed several years ago.

Fairy ring around our pear tree.

The caps do look like frilly little fairy wings do they not?

Cracking caps

This one is my favorite. A close up of the previous caps.

Indiana Fiber & Music Festival

2011-05-02T11:38:00.000-05:00

Well, I am just back from the Indiana Festival and let me tell you the Festival ROCKED! It was the perfect blend of good tunes, grand fibers and great people!

Last week I was sick with what ever bug has been going around and that lead to a sinus infection which is still on going.... Yuck! I gambled that I would be better by Festival time and as luck would have it I was just fine enough to make a showing.

It was by a wing and a prayer that I made it to the festival at all! That and my fast reflexes while driving. See the story goes like this....

I'm driving along the Interstate to the festival and am not even 45 minutes away from the house when my truck hits a huge bump in the road. If you have driven on KY roadways you already know our roads leave quite a bit to be desired for. Prior to the huge bump, the bolt securing the latch on the trailer must have vibrated out. When I hit this big bump the trailer unhitched itself from the bumper. You could hear a grinding where the trailer jack was dragging along the ground. My heart was skipping beats right and left. My Guardian Angel was looking out for me at the exact moment I hit brakes which cause the trailer jack to wedge under my bumper. I was able to drive the trailer to the shoulder with out harming others or myself.

As soon as I put her (truck) in park, well, that's when the tears started to flow. After a few phone calls to Bill, Dad, Insurance & Tow Truck, help arrived in the form of an off duty fireman and two wreckers. We jacked the bumper of the trailer up and were able to jerk the trailer out from underneath. This is where we discovered.... THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO DAMAGE!! Can you imagine that!?! I still can't!

I did take a picture with my phone, but unfortunately under duress, I completely forgot to push 'save'.

And now how about some pictures of the show!

LunabudKnits

wall of fiber

other 1/2 of booth

Erector set

2011-04-25T23:18:00.001-05:00

The erection crew showed up this morning and I can't believe my eyes with how fast the new building is going up! It seriously is pretty much just like a giant 'Erector's Set'. Look at the progression below.....

8:30 am

a tad after lunch time

3 pm - ish

7 pm Bill is walking up the hill to check out the new digs.

better view

I am standing in my building! Isn't it amazing!?!

Mythic Proportions

2011-04-25T12:03:00.001-05:00

I decided I needed to change it up a little to not only liven up the Etsy side of the business, but to also make life a little easier. So I am introducing new colorways of mythic proportions! You can find the new colors here: http://LunabudKnits.etsy.com

The name sake of each new colorway is from Classic Greek or Roman Mythology or simple words or phrases. To find the meaning you can do a simple word search on the internet using a greek or or latin dictionary. Of course, you could always knit or weave along in blissful ignorance of the colorway's name, but where is the fun in that!?!

And we are now dating our yarn so that dye lots can be more easily identified! For example: 4/11 means the yarn was dyed on April of 2011. Yarns dyed prior to 4/11 will not be dated. Although the date might be the same, I would like to remind you that hand dyed yarn can vary greatly from skein to skein. Needless to say, if you have a large project in mind for the yarn, I recommend alternating the skeins every other row;)

Hydra

Verte

Vae

Caelestis

Gleba

Acerbitas

Caelestis

Gleba

Orsus

As a side note: I would like to point out to my Mom & Dad .... See, I am FINALLY making good use of the 2 years in Highschool of Latin & in College 1 semester each of Latin & Greek terminology. You know the 'dead languages' all thought I would have absolutely no use for?

Who Let the Yarn Out!?!

2011-04-20T23:38:00.001-05:00

I did! I did! Well at least I soon will be! This is the new building that will be housing LunabudKnits! And we wont have just yarn!

lol... I have to take a break here and apologize for all of the exclamation points, but it really is hard to contain my excitement!

After 7 months of back and forth with the 'Mother may I get a permit for the building', my heart is bursting with joy that #1 we finally received the permit and #2 I am taking it to the next level with an 'in real life' shop of my own.

I have to admit, it will be pure bliss to actually have some place to go that does not involve stashing yarn and fiber in drawers, cupboards, bins, giant zip locks, hanging from the chandelier, covering the dining table, taking up the countertop in the kitchen...... At times the house feels like the furry fairy Godmother came for a visit and left fiber in her wake!

Instead, I will have a lovely little shop with fiber, wheels and yarn. At this little shop, there will also be spinning lessons, felting lessons, knitting lessons, & dying lessons. The pure bliss of the new shop will be that none and I repeat... NONE of the fluff will be in my home any more!

I am in a happy little state of shock that I will soon have not just a cute little shop, but also a completely separate home to go home to at the end of the day. AH, can life get any more grand, I think not!

Indiana Fiber & Music Festival

2011-04-14T09:35:00.000-05:00

Just a quick shout to let you know LunabudKnits will be at the First Annual Indiana Fiber & Music Festival. The Festival is April 30 through May 1st in Charlestown, IN which is just a smidgen outside of Louisville, KY and not far from Cincinnati, OH. I sure hope to see you there!

My Wheel's Likes & Dislikes.

2011-04-12T12:16:00.002-05:00

I have very much so enjoyed reading everyone's odes and woes of their wheels in the Spin-List Group on Yahoo. Figure it is my turn to give it a whirl and thought I might as well post them here too;)

My numero uno absolutely favorite go to wheel is the Louet S10. Here are the reasons why I adore it so....

For starters, I can spin art yarn on it and cram a large assortment of funky stuff through the 1/2" orifice. This also makes using an orifice hook pretty well obsolete.

Secondly, the bobbins... OMG... the huge bobbins just make me squeeee in delight when I find I have managed to spin an entire 1/2 pound of wool onto just one bobbin. In truth here, the last ounce was a bugger to get on, but it did go on;)

Finally I like that you ABSOLUTELY CAN spin lace with this wheel simply by adding a core to the bobbin. My favorite method is to use a piece of foam insulation cut to the size of my bobbin and spinning from there. This is the same insulation tubing used to winterize metal piping in colder climates. Of course Louet does make a lace flyer with fatcore bobbins for this wheel, but I have always been a fan of simple home ingenuity;)

Probably my only dislike of this wheel is that it is a touch modern looking for my tastes. But in all honesty, the simple look of the S10 is really growing on me. Especially after I came to realization what a lovely canvas it makes when painting scenes and happy smiling sheepies!

Now, some of my current wheels and likes/dislikes:

S10 Single Treadle:

Same as above but add the dislike of having just one treadle.

S17 Single Treadle:

Likes: For the most part the same as the S10 Single Treadle, but the price simply can not be beat!!

dislike..... Assembly. But for the price, who cares!

PS: I custom paint these for folks:)

Louet Victoria

Likes: Super fast little spinner that can transition easily from lace to bulky in a heart beat. It fits in a back pack so that you can take on a flight as carry on luggage. Assembling and disassembling is as easy as pulling off the flyer assemble and disconnecting the footman to fold it over and put in the back pack. Great if you need to save space or erm... Keep the hubs from knowing you brought yet another wheel into the house...hahaha

Dislikes: smaller bobbins than the S10, but they are comparable if not larger in size that other popular wheels. So really, what am I being itchy about..hahaha

100+yr Castle Wheel- (on left)

Likes: simple design with ornate turnings. Easy to use and was my first wheel.

dislikes: There is only one itty-bitty bobbin so any type of production is definitely out of the question.

Kromski Sonata (Sold) (on right)

Likes: Semi Portable. This was my very first brand spanking wheel that was not over 100 years old and I was amazed at it's smooth treadling and ease of use.

Dislikes: It is really not at all easy to assemble or disassemble in my opinion. When put up it saves a little more space than when assembled, but not a wheel that you can take on a plane as carry on baggage.

Oak Walking Wheel 100+ yr

Likes: Absolutely stunning wheel that is complete and excellent for demonstrations.

dislikes: Weighs a ton and difficult to transport. This makes it more of a conversation piece in my living room.

Castle Wheel from Lithuania 100+yr

Likes: Pretty blue paint and ornately hand turned woodwork. Spins, but with a wobble

Dislikes: Quite a few of the pieces did not arrive with the wheel from Lithuania which resulted in costly repairs.

Pirtle Wheel

Likes: 1" orifice excellent for spinning bulky & art yarns

Dislikes: The treadle is so darn awkward

1960's model Charkha

Likes: It's a pretty display piece.

Dislikes: Wobble to drive wheel which causes the drive band to pop off.

late 1800's early 1900's table tip Charkha (No Picture)

Likes: It's cute

Dislikes: Needs a new quill, but the repair will be tricky. Still working it out.

The Greatest Show on EARTH!

2011-04-01T11:49:00.001-05:00

Everyone loves a Circus. In my family they do:) Last night, we took Luke to his first circus!

He has no idea what he is in for!

The one time Dad slowed down from our run to the Yum Arena. Jen & I had to almost jog to keep up with Dad & Luke!

I love the elephants.

Taking a break.

Conga line!

Luke could not keep his eyes off of the Clowns!

Dad couldn't help but borrow Luke's hat for a little while. in between bites of pizza!

Tigers.

Oh My!

Don't worry, I've been busy the past few weeks catching up on some dye work!

Classes KSFF

2011-03-27T22:21:00.000-05:00

I am so darn excited to be teaching 2 classes at the Kentucky Sheep and Fiber Festival in May. If you are in the Lexington KY area May 20-22, my class schedule and info is below. You can also print off the Registration form here: KSFF Registration

Art Yarn – Advanced Spinning

INSTRUCTOR: Stephanie Stratton

DATE: Friday, May 21^st 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm

DESCRIPTION OF WORKSHOP: Learn to construct Art Yarns such as Core Spun, Tail Spun, Coils, Hives, using Spin-Ins (such as sequins, ribbons, beads, wool locks, fabric strips, etc.), 3 Ply Navaho and Thick & Thin.

SKILL LEVEL: This is an advanced spinning class for those who are comfortable spinning and plying yarn.

WORKSHOP FEE: $65 MATERIAL FEE: None

MATERIALS NEEDED: Spinning wheel, 1 bobbin of pre-spun singles, darning needle, bobbins, fiber, cone or skein of woolen yarn, thread, and spin-ins.

SUPPLIES FOR SALE: Yes

Carding Art Batts

INSTRUCTOR: Stephanie Stratton

DATE: Saturday May 21^st 11:00 am - 1:00 pm

DESCRIPTION OF WORKSHOP: Want to know how the beautifully sparkly, deliciously funky and extremely expensive art batts are created? Or perhaps you are mystified by how to make your own roving from scratch?

SKILL LEVEL: Basic knowledge of carding is preferred, but squeaky clean drum carding newbies are welcome.

WORKSHOP FEE: $55 MATERIAL FEE: None

MATERIALS NEEDED: Drum Carder & Diz and Fiber (Can reserve carder in advance, only 3 available!)

SUPPLIES FOR SALE: Yes

Hail Storm

2011-03-26T11:18:00.000-05:00

You have to love our Kentucky weather in the spring. One week we have lovely 70 degree temps when along comes a hail storm to crank us down a notch to 50s during the days and freezing at night. The hail we got wasn't much to complain about, but there were other areas that got golf ball sized rocks. Here are a few pics of the little icy rocks.

He's HERE!!

2011-03-25T21:24:00.000-05:00

Guess whose little nephew flew in from Japan this week!!!

MINE DID! MINE DID!! MINE DID!!!

I would like to extend a huge and hearty Thank You to the US Navy for transporting such a special little cargo and his Mom across the Pacific and then home to Kentucky! This picture was taken just as Luke and Jen stepped out of the airport to go home. Unfortunately, I only had my cell phone, so this is the only picture I got.

Mom as you can tell is just as happy if not more so than I am;)

I have one more little favor for the US Navy... Keep my brother safe while he is working in Japan. I know that his job is important, not only to the United States, but to the relief effort as well. All I ask is that you keep him safe and healthy while he is helping others!

Running around Aunt Stephanie's table

FAst asleep after a long afternoon of shopping with Mom & Aunt Stephanie

Look at the grin. I tell you, this little fellow will be a heart breaker some day!

This one is from Luke's trip home for the Holidays a few months ago. He was fascinated by the player piano at Mom & Dad's.

Florida Class

2011-03-11T09:43:00.001-05:00

Right - O! It is so time to get back to Blogging!

How about I start it out right with a post about how the classes went in Pensacola ;)

Unfortunately, I was so into each class that I completely forgot to take pictures until the very last beginning wheel class after a few people had left already. There were two drop spindle classes that were completely full, two beginning spinning wheels also full and one advanced art yarn class not so full, but it did make a fun day of spinning where everyone got to learn all the techniques they wanted to.

Sad News

2011-02-19T16:33:00.000-05:00

Camping

I think my tears have subsided for a short while. Just long enough for me to let you know that Miss Piper, the most wonderful and loyal puppy in the world went to sleep this afternoon forever. I am so glad to know she is no longer in pain.

She was not just a giant in size, but in heart as well. At 11 years old, she went well beyond the 8-9 year live expectancy of a Newfoundland. She wanted to go on, but her poor joints simply could not keep up. We spent most of this morning and early afternoon, just lounging together. And my Wonderful Brother-In-law Dr Scott Nieves of Beaumont Vet Center came over this afternoon to help my girl end her pain. Piper lay on the cool tile (her favorite spot) and closed her eyes in comfort with those she loved best standing guard and in her home. Thank you Dr Scott for helping my girl.

I miss my girl so very much. I miss how she would flip my arm up for loving if I did not respond soon enough. I miss how she would flop on the grass and wiggle on her back with all 4 in the air until you went over to give her belly rubs. I miss how she would look at me and woof, woof in her deep voice. I miss her sweet puppy smell. I miss her sad eyes. I miss how she never knew a stranger yet always wanted just me. I even miss how her drool would almost hit the ceiling when she shook he head! Thank you God for sharing this wonderful creature with me even if it was for just a short little while.

Thirsty girl!

Supervising my knitting in Red River Gorge.

Hiking at the Gorge

Snow, Snow, Snow!

Test Knitters Needed........

2011-02-04T17:06:00.001-05:00

Space Cadets

I finished these mittens quite a while back and am in search of test knitters. Basically, I am looking for test knitters for the pattern. Just spent the afternoon pecking the details out on the key board and I just want to make double sure there are no mistakes in the pattern before I start selling it in a kit. If you are interested in test knitting contact me through the new website: LunabudKnits PS, your email contact info will not be shared with anyone:) These are a fairly quick knit and I am looking for serious minded knitters. Beginners are welcome too. Thanks!

Fiber Fail

2011-02-04T13:09:00.000-05:00

I love my fiber and I love Miss Piper, but there is a reason I use to take her to the groomer for a clipping. Miss Piper is a 150 lb geriatric Newfoundland dog. Most Newfies live to the age of 8 or 9, but Piper turned 11 years old December 31st! She has arthritis and brushing her long coat is not very comfortable for my big girl.

Due to her advanced age and arthritis, Piper can not go for truck rides any more:( Just yesterday, she knew I was leaving the house for a trip to town and she meandered out the door to stand next to my truck as if to say... 'UM, I'm going too!' I know she would try to hop in the truck if I gave her a chance. Unfortunately, she is having a hard time moving around these days and any attempt at a big jump would probably result in injury for our big girl, so I have to do the 'fake out'. This usually involves either walking around with the keys in my pocket all morning, or setting them on the front porch out of the fuzz ball's ear shot.

The really sad part of this story is my lack of clipping ability. See there really is a reason why I like the groomer to clip Miss Piper and this is it:

Before

After

Poor Piper, we are only a little over half way through! I"m just happy that she like the feel of her buzz cut, because it sure is not a very cute one. Sorry girl!

Yarnside Gathering

2011-01-31T20:17:00.001-05:00

I promise, I am not moving to Pensacola. But I sure do like to visit there ever chance I can get! This trip to the Panhandle of Florida will find me at a LYS (Local Yarn Shop) teaching classes. The shop is Yarnside Gathering and it is located at 3480 Barrancas Ave in Pensacola Florida.

Here is the schedule for those interested.....

February 23rd
Beginning Drop Spinning......

Cost $20 Materials $20

Details: Learn to spin your own yarn using an inexpensive drop spindle. Material fee includes drop spindle and fiber.

February 24th

Beginning Spinning......

Cost: $30 Materials: varies

Details: Learn to spin yarn using a spinning wheel. You will learn fiber prep basics, spinning and plying. Material fee will vary depending upon amount and type of fiber purchased to use. You may bring your own wheel or use a demo wheel.

February 26th

Advanced Art Yarn Spinning....

Cost: $40 Materials: See Details.

Details: For those who know and are comfortable with the basics of spinning a plied yarn. You will learn the art of constructing Art yarns such as core spun, tail spun, coils, hives, 3-ply navaho and thick-n-thin. Materials needed: a spinning wheel, bobbin of pre-spun singles, darning needle, bobbins, fiber, & things you would like to spin into your yarn (beads, fabric, sequins, wool locks, batts, etc). Fiber will be available for purchase and you are welcome to bring your own. If you previously took the Beginning Spinning class, please ask instructor;) Several spinning wheels will be available for use.

A few of my art yarns as a teaser.....

Better late than never.

2011-01-31T18:54:00.000-05:00

I have no excuse for not wishing blogland Merry Christmas and Happy New Year on time. Well, I do have one good excuse! My Brother, Beau & his family came home for the Holidays all the way from JAPAN! It truly was a bless for all of us as this is the first time any of us except for Mom of course have met little Luke! See, Beau & Jen are stationed in Japan and my littlest nephew Luke was born there!

Here are a few pics and videos of the Lukester on our family vaca in Pensacola.

Just off the plane at our house in KY on New Years.

Hot tub Lukie!

Playing pass the baby at dinner!

We shop. Luke sleeps!

YO! Where's my Gabba, Gabba!

Oh, and that is ice in the bird bath. I debated adding one more picture of the manatee that had frozen to death due to the cold weather, but decided it was a tad to graphic for general audiences.

OH Yeah! Happy Belated Christmas & New Year!

Zippety Do Dah...

2010-12-22T17:49:00.000-05:00

Zippety Day... My oh my what a wonderful day! I always love the day after the longest day of the year. It means the days only get longer from here on out and my winter blues will soon be burned away with good old sun shine;) Really, it doesn't take a whole lot to keep this girl happy you know!

I don't think I really have anything to post about except the new combed top and batts at the shop LunabudKnits and the weather we have had recently which has delayed a few packages getting out on time.

You know me, I'm always looking for new products at reasonable prices. We have a winner, winner, chicken dinner with the new Merino Combed Top! It is available on the Etsy site as well as the new site : LunabudKnits.com. I've picked a few Holiday Colors to show it off:

Carnelian

Grey

Tartan Green

The next order of business is our new creation of Battlets. Battlets are wool based mini batts weighing .5 - 1 ounce each. They have tons of mystery add ins and have been carded until we have reached the perfect smooth texture. Some might have hemp, flax, angelina, glitz, firestar, cotton, angora, mohair, noil, neps, silk, sari, etc. Each selection is as fun as can be and a complete surprise when you receive it as you never know what you will be getting color or fiber wise! Great if you are in a spinning slump and need a little inspiration;)

Battlets

Finally, we are getting around to the weather. We started out with just snow, which was OK. If I can get a good head start, my truck will just barely make it up the hill in snow. But then a few days later we got snow which later turned to freezing rain. Now, I know you all have seen pics of my truck, but let me assure you that it does not have 4 wheel drive. The scrooge in me was way to cheap to splurge for that luxury as well as automatic locks, automatic windows or cruise control. Trust me, 10 years later I'm giving myself a well deserved kick in the seat of the pants. Needless to say, there are some days I just can't get up the hill to deliver my packages to the post office. Especially in the ice!

Snow is not that bad.

This is after the crews finally got the roads clear. The white stuff on the branches is not snow. That's pure ice... Ice....Baby!

When sheep attack!

2010-12-12T13:23:00.000-05:00

Only kidding folks, there are no attacking sheep in this post, but there are quite a few inquisitive ones!

The picture here is of Sherman a very friendly sheep who lives in Cynthiana on Equinox Farm. You can read more about his crazy antics at the farm blog: Punkin's Patch. PS, her blog is very fun to follow because unlike me, she does not forget to post..hahaha

See for the longest time, I have been meaning to stop by to see my friend Sara's farm. She has had several open houses at the farm; all of which I have not been able to attend. So, when she asked about one of the carder brands I carried.... It was the perfect excuse for a visit to the farm!

It is hard not to miss Sherman!

Especially when he pesters you while taking pictures!

One of the adventure chickens.

I think this fellows name is Hemp. He's just as sweet as can be! Kind of hard not to be with a begging stare like this!

Weasley was feeling a little left out when we went inside!

Ewenice and her little friend Remmy

Fleece on the sheep.

Hank the guardian of the flock. He is a very friendly and inquisitive boy!

Hank keeping an eye on his sheep.

I think this one felt a little left out.

The Strauch Petite carder. If you look out the window you can see the big ball of yarn on my truck bed.

Another view of the carder.

Such a sweet kitty.

Had to say good bye to Miss Ewenice before I left.

Sara & her friend raise honey bees too!

You know you are on a good farm when there is a swing hanging from the rafters!

The score!

2010-12-08T10:09:00.000-05:00

Yep, every once in a while, you score and score real big! This is from a little drive I took back on Oct, 30th;)

It involved a beautiful drive to Beattyville,KY. While the drive along windy roads, being ferried over the river, trucking along the river, going over a mountain, and driving beside, over and below train tracks was exhilarating, the real joy of the trip was what I brought home as you can see from the pictures!

The Valley View Ferry has been in operation since 1785 and is Kentucky's longest running business.

On board the ferry.

In the cute little town of Ravenna

Sun peeking over the ridge.

Driving along a stream.

There be cows in dem dare hills!

To the other side of the tracks.

Under the tracks.

And every once in a while, you see something a little 'off the wall'.

Met Bill at the end of the day at Regatta Seafood in Lexington Green.

The booty.............

Bill picking out an egg for breakfast the next morning.

Don't you just love farm fresh eggs?

And Kentucky grown sweet taters?

And what is that in the back of my truck the next morning?....... Oh, just a couple hundred pounds of sheep wool!