Tilt-a-whirl

A Very Happy Easter

The photo that I took of Schnickle flinging open the door to head out to the "back yard" was like a blur of motion because he was like a racehorse out of the chute. He had a lovely visit with his paternal grandparents and then came back up the hill for his All About Me visit from the Easter Bunny who drives an ATV around here. (When his mama was a girl, the Easter Bunny that cruised around in Oakland was all about the VW Van.)

Scnickle must have not been hearing too well while exploring what was new at the Little House (yeah, I know...it is not so little) while he was away for his visit, because he did not hear the EB go by in his multicolored vee-hickle. This is the Rural Rabbit and so there are lots of lovely places to hide stuff when you have piles of cut trees and the like. He and his Mama were overwhelmed by the wonderful treats that that rabbit hauled up the hill and the biggest hit was the little guy called Roberto and his little loader...perfect for the sandpile.

Well, there WAS a LITTLE candy but this rural EB knew that Schnickle was a book and truck dude.

I was cracking up once Mama got the Roberto Working Man unwrapped because there was running between her and the sandpile as Shnickle took things one at a time from her lap to the workspace.

He eventually settled down to work with Grampy, who consistently set up sand castles for the little dude and his loader to squash. It was all about squeals of joy and a grandfather remembering how much fun it is to play in the dirt.

We all eventually gravitated down the hill to the creek and the little guy finally made it all of the way down there with Mama and Grampy, being able to stick his fingers in the cold cold water. I told him that we need to get the gold panning equipment so that he and his grandfather can look for college money. :o)

It was a sweet morning, this Easter day. Schnickle insisted on walking his mother up and down the road on the other side of our small creek and I captured this image of him telling her to be careful as they came back down the hill. They are quite the pair and I am adoring having them here.

Sthpring hath sthprung

I mean it! My eyes are kind of itchy and my fingers are itchy to get into that darned scratchy dirt. Ai-yi-yi, the first day of Spring and I am raring to go! I guess that I just need to catch everybody up on the goings on, since you are not all climbing into my brain to pick out what I have been doing. Eh?

Yes, Alison, I had Holly sneak a couple of new colors onto the site! I know, I know...here they are.
First is that wild and totally Not Me color that I called Evah-glade. It is shades of lime and forest and stuff like that. I do not know WHY I dyed this stuff but after I listened to the muse, I told her that I kind of liked it.

Next, I put together a colorway that just wanted to be called Siobhan, for some reason. Blue and Periwinkle with a blush of pink.

This last colorway blew out of Stitches so fast that my head spun. It is Bruise, shown in the last thing that I had of it, in Supersport.

Let's see...there are a couple of new things from those Angels with "The Bad Red Hair" (their words, not mine), The Queenie Sisters. I share them with the gals from Just Our Yarn and this time I got to have a version of Eve knitted with some of MY yarn...the ever delicious and super soft Baby Alpaca Lace I think that Eve is dreamy and so did everyone at Stitches cuz I ran out of the pattern! (more will be on the way)

The other fun pattern that they came up with is called The Buzz About Lace and it is a terrific tutorial for beginning lace knitters. You have different lace patterns and when you are done with your lessons, you have three pretty Bee themed scarves. Pretty darned cool.

Now, on to the life around here. Mom seems to be happy enough, ensconced in the Nursing Home where people are paid to take her guff. (she is probably nice to THEM.) Anyway, I visit her a lot less and she seems to like it that way because we are boring and have nothing to talk to her about anymore, since she will not be moving in to Mini-me. So be it and AMEN. Thanks to all of you that helped me through the cathartic time of my letting go of the idiotic idea that I was meant to care for her forever...no...we are paying for that now. I can sleep at night. Isn't that delightful?

Now the rooms are filled with some visitors for awhile and it is delightful to have our little Schnickle here on a day to day basis. He IS Two, after all but a delightful little boy who is lucky enough to have his own pile of sand, thanks to the Bobcat driver who moved it behind Rod's tool shed. What two year old wouldn't love THIS?

We are probably about a month from completion of Mini-me and I tell you that I am CHOMPING AT THE BIT to get into my space. Here is the exterior as of March 20. With Mom not moving in, I guess that we can just have an awesome guest house!

Here is my newly painted office. So excited about the light.

Next is the workshop! This shot shows the wall where the stove, sink and washer will be. Man, to be able to do it all in one spot is going to be so magical. I am now using a camp stove under one of my old show canopies, outside of the garage! I guess that if you get old enough, you finally get to have it a "little" easier. Gee, I guess that I am happy again...go figure.

What a year it has been...it kicked my butt and stood me back up and dusted me off again. I am SO looking forward to our first ACHOO Spring in Placerville. I just plain love it here.

Oh! One last thing...if you bought Brenda Patipa's Twist Again there is going to be an errata put up by this evening. Someone found some errors and Brenda has fixed the written pattern. (the chart is right on) You can also find the Fix on Ravelry, where Brenda put up her own version of the Errata. Thanks to Holly for getting this up before leaving on a vacation. Tanks, Pal.

The learning curve

Well, you know that I had to get a new computer during That Month That Was. Of course when I graduated to the newest operating system, the old shoe program that I could use blind-folded to edit photos had to go bye bye. Oh lord...I have to learn something NEW. I felt like a real dumbass for the first few passes because it wasn't Just One new program, it was learning a new way to capture my photos. Well, I think that I got it and have started to finally be able to take some new pictures of yarn and so I will start off with showing the latest handspun. It is yummy to the tummy.

First is the 50/50 superfine cashmere/superfine merino in Plumdinger. It is a mix of all things plum and deep dark purple...dyed in the wool and given a heck of a lot of twist.

Then we have another cashmerino yarn in a double dyed color called Lapis.

This next one is my new favorite because the dyeing was a spontaneous thing. I spun this beautiful superfine beige cashmere and just let it sit and think about who it wanted to be for awhile...piled up on my windowsill for the turkeys to look at. On dyeing day I took it into the garage and sat it on the counter, trying to decide what colorway would be worthy of this magnificent yarn. (gulp) I DO tend to stare out into space while thinking and for some reason, the painted surface between the windows came into focus. Hmmm, the walls in the garage are finished just like the walls in the house, with a color called Wise Owl, which to me looks kind of like cafe au lait. I had been getting a little wild earlier and this space had a fresh coat of wild sprinkles of color (blush). Oh...look at THAT! Beige wall with sprinkles...meet Jackson. Sometimes you just have to let go and be an artist, letting go of the intrinsic value of that canvas.

I spun these yarns during a very stressful time, when only the act of making my Rose whir would center me. There you have it. I have some spinning ahead of me because I invested in some of the finest merino in the world...you would think it was cashmere. I have a couple of people waiting for some of this.

Schnickle is here for awhile and so he and Grampy got to watch the backhoe guy work on the leach field and then he got to watch the craftmanship of the stucco men applying our final color coat to the "little" house. Oh yes and the Gobblers are displaying like crazy now and so breakfast was eaten with entertainment...a real floor show of feathers and wobbling wattles. Life is good.

Shaking it off

There is just something so life affirming about waking up on recovery day, everything in focus and nothing in pain. It just reminds me of the old doctor joke...Doc, it hurts when I do this...Well, quit doing that. Now we just have The Bark of the Sea Lion, which to me means things are wrapping up...for ME. Rod is still doing his battle in his own way...upright and head tucked into one of Tom Clark's Angora caps. Hey, that is probably as good for him as my way of being horizontal with one of  Sweet Melissa's wonderful blankets wrapped around my feet. It's all good, baby.

Yesterday I got to venture out into the dye room, knowing that it would not be detrimental and in fact, the fact that I could lift and unpack the remains of our Stitches West adventure meant that I was right to wait the extra day. I got through that and suddenly felt the old joy of why I do what I do. I need to be around COLOR and textures and having rested involuntarily for 6 days made me fall in love with my life's work, once again. Sheila  sez that next time I need a rest, I should knock off of the SICK part. I could not agree more.

So today I will begin the next phase in my life by visiting Mom, who hopefully has INTUITED that I was sick and doesn't think that I am avoiding her because of her Bad Sleep-over and subsequent re-insertion into Placerville Pines. Today I can visit, bark a couple of bass notes for her and let her know that we've got her back, although someone ELSE will be washing it. It will be liberating for me and hopefully ok for her.

The Guest House/Studio has had the sheet rock finished and the first coat of stucco applied to half of the exterior. I went into the workshop area yesterday and just felt like skipping around like a kid. Plenty of light and windows. Whoopee! I was so amazed to hear so many people at Stitches being anxious to drive up to see us and the yarn/fiber in its natural setting. I can't wait. We WILL have to have an appointment basis or prescribed open house days so that I do not box myself in being a shop-keep. You don't want Shop Keep Lisa, you want this one. :o)

Oh...did you hear it? I have been outed for being OLD. I take it as a compliment, really. Some sweet young thing must have been shocked when her mind picture of me went from a 30 something, right into the nightmare of someone her mom's age. Too funny! Maybe she met the Lisa that had to stick her mom back in the home...now THAT one is OLD. :o) Dang, I feel younger already...

Stitches West was a rousing success and a joyful time of being reunited with my Bay Area friends. People keep asking if I miss life in Lafayette and all that I can say is that I miss The People. I got a good long friend fix with both Brenda Patipa and Audrey Clark (you know...the Sweater Audrey) chatting people up in the booth for most of the weekend. I hope that you got to meet them both and I swear, I wish that I could transport them up here when the studio is ready. Brenda brought a super cute new shrug to the show and once I get the photos cropped and ready for the site, I'll link you to it.

We had a lovely time visiting with Alison Hyde and I hope that you all got your books signed. I have a few left and will bring them down to Santa Monica in August, for those of you who were frustrated when no one had a copy in the building. Our girl is a big hit and a serious trouper.

Rod was the official booth photographer and when he showed me something yesterday, it made me laugh, which also made me cough up a lung. I was too close to the subject all week to really SEE what others saw. I give you the Before and Aftermath of one half of the booth at Stitches West 2008.

Thank you all for a really fine time and for your commiseration, concern and friendships. It helps me to remember why I do what I do and live to tell about it. Rod barks his agreement. :o)