Stasia's Place Of Grace

Monday, June 14, 2004

 

Oo la La la La La La!

Sheila Bosworth had sent a sample of some fantabulous fiber on a spindle I purchased from Journey Wheels. She was kind enough to track down information about its source, and here it is!

These lovelies are from MaryLynn FitzSimons at Indigo Moon Farm. Her Brushstrokes Batts are quite possibly the softest fibers I've ever felt - they truly rival my qiviut for "baby bunny tummy" softness! (Keep in mind I have not successfully aquired one of Kary Miksis's Kitchen Sink batts yet!)

I photographed these in sunlight, with my PMS chart nearby so you could confirm the colors on your monitor. The colors on the right-hand slip are pale yellow, bright pink, turquoise, and black. There is a regular color wheel in the center of the box. I did not alter the photos.

The fibers are sold by the batt, which range from 5 to 8 ounces. The price is $4 an ounce. The fiber content is 50% Alpaca, 25% Merino, 25% silk.

If you order from MaryLynn, know that these color letters are my references only - they're not her actual colorway names. (She is aware of this picture, so she'll know what you're talking about if you reference my Blog.)

You will have to check with MaryLynn if colorway "B" is actually one batt, or two, though I think it's one. Between my unpacking it all, carrying it outside, and the wind blowing everything hither and yon, that one kind of came apart on me!

Another view of B, taken in artificial lighting.

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What else arrived today?

A Bog Oak Tabachek spindle! The whorl wood was recovered from peat bogs in Ireland, where it was preserved for thousands of years. Who knows, maybe my Irish ancestors touched this same piece of wood! Tannic acid in the wood reacted with iron in the bog water to produce the black color, which permeates the entire piece of wood!

Speaking of spindles, check out Anne's Blog - she has some doozies in her June 13th entery!

Also, a package from Pauline Nolet of PJ Handcrafts appeared - my Cherry diz and diz threader!

And lastly, my Poetry Stone kits from Magnetic Poetry arrived (they have neat products, easy online ordering, great customer service, and quick shipping!)

You use cement to make brick markers, with text on them, for your garden - I'm envisioning Shakespeare quotations by the roses and rosemary.

The world can always use some inspirational words and poetry, right?

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Grateful For...

A big toad that has taken up residence under our deck. She will eat tons of slugs and bugs... hopefully all the mosquitoes that have hatched after all our recent rains! I leave the (flourescent) deck light on at night to attract more insects for her. I want her to stick around!

Homemade, all-natural onion/garlic/pepper aphid spray for my roses.

The roses are going to bloom soon!

Jeff installing vivid blue and yellow perennial flowers in the landscaped beds, and us working all weekend to lay bark mulch down. We have a long way to go but the garden beds are looking beautiful.

Grilled foods. Homemade lime-coconut milk sorbet. Organic blueberries and strawberries with organic, hand-whipped cream.

The Creator blessing me today by helping when I needed it. I intuited I should save a draft of this post, and indeed, my computer crashed twice! I also got the message that my color wheel was in with my art supplies, and not with my knitting or beads, when I couldn't find it and asked for guidance. If we only remember to ask for help, it comes to us so easily!

Two lovely gifts:

A sheepie measuring tape from my friend Nannette. You squeeze her tummy to make the tape go back in!

A photo of Val which my husband took, enlarged, and had framed as a surprise!

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What I Learned Today

It is a good idea, when scheduling one's day in advance, to leave "empty spaces" of 15 to 20 minutes in-between the activities.

I had a very efficient day planned, only I didn't take into account that it would be raining (so that I couldn't use my organic bug repellent on my roses), or that the mailman would want to chat for a bit, or that he'd be delivering several packages I'd want to open right away, or that the UPS man would follow on his heels...

Most especially I didn't plan for Valentine to tinkle in Jeff's work shoe early this morning, filling it all the way up, so that it overflowed when Jeff put his foot in it. Oops! (I'm grateful that Jeff has a sense of humor!)

From now on, I leave space for interruptions and rest in my day planner!

I hope your day was a little more organized than mine!

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