Daddy Makeover

Like father, like daughter. Lilly must like Dad's copycat hairstyle.

My New Favorite Sammie

Here's something that I put together for a quick lunch recently. I took some of those round sandwich breads and toasted them lightly. (Warning: if you separate the halves and toast them individually, they get really crispy--it's like eating a sandwich made of old 45's. Instead, pop both halves into one slot of the toaster and the inside stays nice and soft. I learned this trick from Paul's mom.) Spread each half with a light layer of hummus and a bit of fresh, chopped basil. YUMMO!

Handspun, Handknit Socks

One of my spinning goals--probably the most commonly held goal for beginning spinners--is to be able to spin "skinny" yarn. When you start wheel spinning, the job of coordinating the movements of the hands and feet is so difficult that it's all you can do to even hold on to the wool as it goes through the fingers. The task of controlling the tension on the fiber and adjusting the wheel, takes practice. In my case, it took a lesson at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival with one of the "rock stars" of the spinning world, Judith MacKenzie.

Since then, I have been working with my little Pocket Wheel to perfect this skill and finally, I've produced enough 3 ply yarn (about 400 yards) to knit a pair of simple socks. The yarn is a little thicker than yarn that I usually purchase, so the socks are bulkier than others that I've made. Nevertheless, they will work fine with my stretched out clogs and I'm really pleased with them. Now, all I have to do is to survive another summer in Maryland so that I can wear them!

Annapolis Spins in Public

This month, the Annapolis spinning group spent the day spinning outside on the lawn of the library in Severna Park. The temperature was in the upper 90's with humidity to match, but the trees offered solid shade and an occasional breeze kept us comfortable until mid-afternoon. We spent the day visiting with each other and answering questions from the library patrons as they passed. Most people, unfamiliar with fiberarts, just want to know what we're doing but typically, the men seem interested in how the wheels work and the women want to know what we're going to do with the "string." My favorite was the lady who shared that, as a child she'd wanted a toy spinning wheel but never got it because her parents were afraid that she'd break it. Since then, she has always had a curiousity about spinning but never had an opportunity to try it. We promised that, if she returned for another meeting, we would give her a shot at it.




Here are two photos of a wheel that one of the members has embellished with a woodburned mandala design. It's even more amazing in person.

Cutie Patootie

Here's a current photo of our littlest girl. Her mom took her to a music festival where she was one of the star attractions. Looking at that little face makes me understand why my parents were so crazy about my own children. It's a good thing.

Upper Valley Fiber Festival

While in Ohio, I drove to Troy, about 20 minutes north of Dayton to attend the Upper Valley Fiber Festival being held on the same weekend. While the show was a small one--about 40 vendors--but I found the quality of the vendors to be excellent. There were a number of wool felting artists present--more than I think I see around my local shows--and I especially enjoyed the work of Morning View Farms. Their wool "paintings" were extraordinary.




I also visited the Paper Alice booth where Alison (aka. Paper Alice) demonstrated the art of papermaking, using a blender, a mold, and a handful of shredded junk mail. In just a few minutes, we watched as she created beautiful papers--the kind I've often purchased in art stores--using a McDonald's bag, a pinch of grass, some parsley, and a fresh dandelion. Her stall was filled with wonderful handmade books, notes and cards that she'd constructed using exactly what she was making there in front of us. It left me anxious to go home and try it out myself, especially since I just happened to have an unused paper mold at home with my rubber stamp collection!


The very best part of the show was that I got the chance to spend the day with one of my favorite people, Robin H., whom I originally met when I attended her rug hooking camps in Virginia. She and her husband recently relocated to Ohio and, when I discovered this fact, we immediately made plans to get together. Robin is one of those people who make you feel comfortable the minute you meet her and, even though we haven't seen each other for 4 or 5 years, it was like we'd been together last week. Robin brought along a new friend, Sue, a beginning spinner and the two of us had a terrific time "enabling" her.

To Dayton and Back

Every year, amateur radio operators from all over the world converge on Dayton, Ohio, for the Hamvention. The weekend is filled with seminars, a massive trade show and flea market, and other gatherings, all dedicated to ham radio. Paul has attended several times in the past and this year, I decided to accompany him. We stayed in Fairborn, with the QRP Association, a group hams whose special interest is low power radio operations.

Since amateur radio is primarily a male dominated activity, the wives--or XYL's, in ham lingo--in QRP took over one of the conference rooms in the hotel and, while the guys attended seminars and traveled to Dayton for the show, we did our own thing. Several ladies brought sewing machines and worked on quilt projects, others did needlework, knitted, and crocheted. I took my little spinning wheel and spent most of my time spinning yarn for a baby sweater.


Throughout, the hotel took good care of us by providing plenty of coffee, tea, and cookies. On the second day, the president of the organization sent the ladies a platter of chocolate covered strawberries from Shari's Berries. The berries were the size of a golf ball and each one was covered with a different kind of chocolate--one was coated in white chocolate with coconut, another was dark chocolate with mini chips, others sported both bittersweet and milk chocolate or nuts. It was a feast for the eyes and the tastebuds. I took a picture of them but unfortunately, they weren't as photogenic as they were delicious. There are plenty of good photos on the website.

Truthfully, if I'd have known I'd have such a good time at the world's largest hamfest, it wouldn't have taken me so long to get there! Now I can't wait til next May.