Getting Fleeced

On a scale of 1 - 10, Rhinebeck was a 55. Where do I begin? The best part was being with my knitting and spinning buddies. Left to right from front row; Adrienne, Vanessa (in her amazing Firebirds), Hopealope. (Back row right to left) Stephanie, Anmiryam and Regan. Veni, Vidi, Vitaculture. We came we saw, we drank wine.

It rained when it didn't matter and the sun shone when it mattered. Rhinebeck is like a Mid Eastern bazaar or maybe it was just the camelids that made me think of this analogy. Here are a couple of cute little Alpaca just passing through. The chocolate brown one is darling. It was so much fun to wear the sweaters that actually made it to the FO pile and have people recognize what book or designer it came from.

The festival is made of many outdoor buildings which are often barns. Vendors set up their wares and let the games begin. We really enjoyed checking out the unusual rovings and yarns. Here is a great shot of Stephanie fondling some colourful yarn. Her Koigu sweater garnered many admiring comments and longing glances.




I'm pretty sure this was the booth belonging to "The Fold". Talk about a feeding frenzy - Socks that Rock continue to be a big draw and the inventory was depleted pretty much the first day. Chalk me up for one skein of "Olive Garden" colourway. I also got a pair of the new Sheila Ernst Pyrex glass circular needles in a bright cobalt blue colour. They're a different feel to knit with and I think with a silky yarn they'd be perfect.

The other highlight for me was actually getting to try out both a Robin Wheel and an Wee Robin Wheel. I put a deposit on the Wee Robin wheel last March without having tried it. I figured if I tried one at Rhinebeck and I didn't like it I could cancel - no harm done. If I did like it though, then I'm through 6 months of the wait. The vendor was there and I did try one - I truly LOVED it. I'm so happy to have this reassurance. Thanks to Vanessa for enabling me on this one. Here she is spinning on the Wee Robin (she's ahead of me on the list). By the way, that's her Marina by VY Yarns that she's wearing. Seeing all of Vanessa's Starmore creations was another high point of the trip.

I did buy some Mostly Merino in a lovely Periwinkle colour to make Ariann by Bonne Marie. I had to guesstimate the amount needed when I bought my 9 skeins and after checking Hope's handy laptop at the hotel, decided to go back and get an insurance skein. DRAT - Murphy's Law. All the periwinkle was gonzo. I guess I'll just have to live on the edge. I think I have enough but it'll be close.

The objective of the trip was to beef up my roving stash and I was successful in doing so. Here's a shot of all the lovely colours. It's now packed away in a box so, I'll need this to remind myself of what's tucked away.

I tried to get a variety of breeds to try the different fibres. I got Blue Faced Leicester (Biffle as Hope calls it), Polworth and Corriedale from Grafton Fibers. It'll be interesting to see the difference in how the various breeds spin up.

I also nabbed some bright red merino made by Ashland Bay. This was to christen my lace weight Golding spindle. I got the tsunami design in purple heart. What is that next to it????

It's a long discontinued Lollipop spindle in the ladybug design. I have a sentimental attachment to ladybugs. My late mother collected them so I continue the tradition. Hope has let me be its Foster Mom for a while. If anyone knows where a used ladybug lolli is being sold, let me know.
Doesn't it look nice with the red roving?

It's been a busy stressful week but every now and again I picture the brilliant leaves and all the wonderful yarn and fibre. Better than Prozac baby!

Feeling Sheepish

2 more sleeps until I wing my way to Rhinebeck and in honour of that trip, I've been working with my new Schacht to attempt to do some plying. First I set it up in double drive and spun the singles from two different batts of merino roving. One was variegated ruby tones with flecks of mustard and charcoal from Grafton Fibers. The top bobbin was a deep rose colour from The Black Lamb. You can see the singles on my Lazy Kate here. I've been reading the Deb Menz book on Colour in Spinning and though these singles were intended as a way to get acquainted with my wheel, I figured I could kill two birds with one stone and ply them to see what the blended result was.
Here it is - the first full bobbin of 2 ply yarn. It's interesting to see how the rose "quiets" the fiery colours on the bottom bobbin. I also boldly decided to set up my Schacht in Scotch Tension mode to do the plying. I chose the Schacht because of it's versatility so, I figure I'd better use the different settings. I did like the Scotch Tension for plying - the take up is nice. Of course, I couldn't get the plying to work until I used the hooks on the flyer on the left side instead. I couldn't find any reference to doing this in the instruction book, I guess I'm supposed to be bright enough to figure it out...guess again.

Up until now, I've only spun with Merino which I hear is a hard one to start with because the staple is not so long. It's so soft though that it makes it worth while. I have wanted to try some Blue Faced Leichester for a while so, I've treated myself to some roving from Lisa Souza. Here are 4 x 4 oz hanks of BFL roving in colourway Jonquil and colourway Lime and Violet. I can't wait to try this. Lisa's customer service is wonderful, I highly recommend her to do business with.

I'm sure these lovelies will be joined by my bounty from Rihinebeck. I'm hoping some of my favourite podcasters will cross my path. This trip is all about the roving for me (and the amazing friends I'm going to see). I'm not really planning to buy any yarn or books. Maybe a Golding spindle lace weight? I also want to try the Louet Victoria. Every girl needs a few wheels right?

Stay tuned - full report next week.

CIAO

Skirting the Issue

It's Saturday night and I should be writing two articles that are due soon. I write to make extra money to buy yarn. I rarely have time to knit because I'm busy writing...However yarn-buying on line, oh yeah baby that's easy to sneak in between paragraphs.

Though Ava has been my front burner project, I did manage to fall in love with and cast on for this little number last Spring. It's made from Koigu PPM pink, wheat (cream)and white. I love working on this project because it's a bit of a sampler where patterns change up and give some variety and also because "hey - it's Koigu. Nuff said."

Here's a shot of the skirt in the day light just shy of finishing the biased lace part. The pattern really twists to the left but that all gets hidden when it's assembled. I'm now zipping along on the top part which is straight stockinette and decreasing so hopefully the front will be done soon. Prior to assembling the front and the back, I'll weave in cream coloured ribbon on the upper lace part and use the white to embroider flowers and outline the cream bands.

Here's another shot taken outside on the grass and a bit more straight on.





Popular theory seems to be that knitted skirts are a "no-win proposition". They supposedly stretch and bag. I tried on a beautiful crochet ready-made skirt last spring by Nanette Lepore (selling to the tune of $385) and was hooked on the idea of knitting and or crocheting a skirt. I didn't buy the Nanette Lepore skirt but did stash up to make this adorable crochet skirt. It's by Doris Chan from the Fall KnitScene. Ms. Chan has a book about crochet coming out this Fall called "Amazing Lace" that I'm intrigued to see. I did actually get the exact yarn as specified (on sale no less) at Romni wools. It's
Muench Sir Galli (100 % silk; 104 yd (95 m)/ 50 g): #4907 beige rose, 6 (7, 8, 9, 10) balls. This yarn has been discontinued but my guess is that Rowan Summer Tweed would make a great sub.

In the meantime, I'll bond with my Koigu in front of Grey's Anatomy. I'm so glad Dr. McSteamy is back. Personally, I'm rooting for Addison to grab the brass ring. I actually bought season 2 on DVD to get my fix all week long. The podcast by the producers of the show is awesome too. There's even a Greys Anatomy Knitalong to knit something gray while following the show.

Happy Thanksgiving here in Canada. I'll be having Andrew Peller Signature Series Sur Lie Chardonnay with my turkey. The wine is aged resting on its "lies"(pronounced lees) which makes it taste like taking a big bite into a warm slice of bread with butter. Yeasty and buttery. Perfect with stuffing.

I Should do THIS more often

Voila!!! We have an FO. May I present the lovely Ava from Rowan #34 created in the prescribed yarns. All Rowan Wool Cotton - main colour Coffee Rich. I used to work for Rich Products and Coffee Rich was their flagship product so - I couldn't resist. My son took the picture so it's a bit fuzzy.

I made the size small which tends to always work for me with Rowan patterns. This is a Louisa Harding design -Lousia rocks.

The only qualm I have about the design is the arm length (a bit on the long side for my tastes but I can live with it). I decided to substitute a leather lace in the turquoise colour for the tie made out of yarn as indicated in the pattern.
I also added some beads to pick up on the colours of the flowers. I'm wearing it with a red cami to off set the brown.

Overall, I'll enjoy wearing this sweater probably more than I enjoyed knitting it. I like the fit and colours but with stockinette stitch and very simple intarsia - there wasn't much to keep me enthralled with the actual knitting process. I also found that I had to do a lot of calculations to complete certain sections. The directions were sketchy and said things like "knit until it looks to be about 2 inches shorter than the front". Maybe ok for some knitters but I like number of rows or total inches rather than having to compare to other pieces. Just my beef.

The Wool Cotton is fab and I can't wait to use it in another project.

Here's a closer shot- normally I'm not so serious looking. I guess a fashion photo shoot as we're rushing to karate class doesn't exactly make for a relaxed model. I'll have to have more wine next time. I really love the feeling one gets when a project is finally done and it doesn't suck. I think that this occasion calls for a real celebratory wine.

Therefore, I'll probably break out the Trius Brut. It's made in the traditional Champagne method and all bottles are turned by hand. After all, it's not everyday that one has an FO to show. Though, judging by the size of my stash, figuring out how to turn out one a day may just be needed!

The Love Schacht

I'm a relatively new spinner only having started on a wheel this past January. I tried many wheels during my search and was a good girl waiting to buy one until I'd done my due diligence. I had a feeling that the Schacht would be the one for me (thanks to the Hopester for the endorsement) but after trying one at the Ontario Handspinning Seminar in June (I actually stalked a poor elderly lady who had one and begged her to let me try it) - I knew it was a fit. I've had my wheel since the beginning of July and we're still getting acquainted. I haven't named it - does that make me a bad mom? Here she is in her special corner after giving my husband's retro uber speakers the boot to the curb.

I love the wide treadles and it spins like a dream. I know it's more wheel than I need right now but I'm planning to learn as quickly as I can so I can be worthy of such a beautiful tool. I especially love the laminate wood design shown here. I could sit and gaze at it all day. I should be spinning on it all day and now that my business travel is out of the way for a while, hopefully I can. Right now I'm just futzing around getting familiar with the wheel and playing with plying (jeeze - that sounded positively Seuss) and getting a nice balanced yarn.

My goal is to spin enough lace weight to make a shawl. I'm getting thinner (the yarn not me) but to make a 2 ply lace weight, it will have to be darn thin. I've jumped right into spinning merino which I now discover ain't exactly the easiest fibre for a beginner to start with. Exactly what is the easiest fibre to start with? I read that Bluefaced Leicester and Coopworth are good because they have long staple fibres but are they nice to handle? I'm a soft girl and that's why the merino blend is my drug of choice.

I did play with some Handmaiden merino sliver which had been hand dyed in a colourway called "Origin". Oddly enough, I purchased the same colourway in their Sea Silk yarn when I was in Victoria B.C. in August. I didn't realize it was the same shade at first. It's interesting to see the difference that plying makes. Here is the Sea Silk and my handspun side by side. The handspun is on the right and the Sea Silk on the left (like any of you needed to be driven there...pretty easy to tell isn't it?). The sprig of ivy is my artsy attempt to jazz up the photo. It's a 2 ply done on the Lendrum I rented from my guild. I've yet to ply on my Schacht - that's next and I'm going to ply up two different colours of merino wools from different suppliers. Just to see the effect. I suspect that if I had Andean (chained singles) plied this - it would be less "Barber polelike" (I was going to say Barber polish but that may actually qualify as a racial slur). I'm having fun and being away from spinning, knitting and yoga all last week has made me unbalanced - I need to regroup.

The only drawback to the Schacht is its lack of easy portability. I reason however that the number of times I need to lug it around are so few that it's not a deal breaker for such a great wheel. I also reason that I can always buy another wheel for portability. I'm chomping at the bit to try the new Louet Victoria. Hopefully they'll have one at Rhinebeck to try. I figure I'm just 31 sleeps away!!!!

Overzealous

This is my dog Echo. She's a Flat Coated Retriever. This is how she looks these days.

When the neighbours ask what happened, my husband tells them that I've gone way overboard on my spinning hobby and that nobody is safe from the shearing clippers.

Actually, she's just had ACL surgery. She's 9 and during a walk a few weeks ago, her leg went out from under her. Hopefully, this will do the trick. The vet bill could have funded that Kid Silk ball gown in Rowan #40!

I did have quite an enjoyable day at the Kitchener Waterloo Knitter's Fair. They had record crowds this year. As of 1:00 pm apparently they had 1,600 people. I had taken a certain amount of cash to spend on goodies. I must say this time I was much more spinning focused than knitting. There were more spinning vendors there than before and I tried to buy things that normally I wouldn't get elsewhere. For starters, I scooped this amazing Tom Forrester spindle. It's made of Black Walnut whirl and a Rock Maple spindle. Not only are Tom Forrester's spindles beautiful, they spin better than anything else. Yes - than anything! These babies go forever and the balance is perfect. The roving it's sitting on was purchased at the Black Lamb booth. I'm working with the same roving on my Schacht wheel and it's a delight to work with. She makes up these batts herself.

I picked up a Fiddlesticks "Paisley Long Shawl" pattern but resisted getting the yarn to make it right this minute. It calls for Zephyr Merino Silk and I do adore the lovely royal purple colour. I want to do Print 'O the Wave first out of some Hand Maiden Sea Silk I already have.

I also got the new Fall Phildar. There are a couple of patterns that dazzle. This cardigan in particular jumped out at me. The floral motifs kind of remind me of that cardigan in Rowan #39 but the ruffles and the cables really set this off. I may even make it from stash. I have some Jo Sharp SilkRoad Aran that might just fit the bill. It's a lovely cream colour.

I also got some blocking rods since I've always wanted to try them and I also got my first set of carders. They're the paddle type by Ashford. You see, looking at this naked dog has me thinking what a lovely yarn I could make if I carded a bit of her hair with some wool. It would be a way to immortalize her forever. I've read a tutorial or two but this is something I'll have to give some serious thought. Which brings me to my last purchase for the day.

I got this T-shirt at a booth run by Sheep Strings. On the back it says "Find your way at Sheep Strings". Gotta love a good logo.

Oh, and the wine for today. Well let's just say I got home, put up my feet and poured a nice robust Merlot. All in all - the perfect way to spend a Saturday.

I'm away on business this week so we'll it'll be quiet here for a few days. Cheers!

3 Times a Lady

I've always liked Louisa Harding. I like her understated yet trendy design sense and on the two or 3 occasions that I've met her in person at a seminar or show - she's been lovely. I was really rooting for her when she left Rowan and launched her own line of yarn. I will admit I was a bit disappointed to see the plethora of ribbon in her line up. I do not like knitting with ribbon. As a trim perhaps but not the whole thing. I've tried it several times and I just can't stay with it.

I did purchase both of her books from last Fall and even the yarn to make this design from one of her first books. It's called Cecile and the "drop stitch / cable work" you can barely see on the shoulder sold me. I actually started the sleeve right after Stitches (at the Philly airport no less) last year. This is how far I got. I just really struggle with the way the colour pooled and I wished there were more subtle colourways. Her Spring and Summer collections were pretty but nothing that "had" to come and live in my stash. Then - a few days ago, that all changed.

I received my new Ram Wools catalog and noticed some lovely patterns featured from Ms. Harding's 3 new books. A little "Googlestalking" later and I found the images on line. I must say, I was blown away and ordered one of them to check it out more closely.
Today, the postman delivered this to me. It's called Winter's Muse Portraits. It's part of a series of books built around the muse theme.


This is one of the most beautifully photographed knitting books I've seen in a long time. It's a winner because there are about 4 patterns at least I'd love to make. I'm thrilled to see soft, feminine shades of both the Kimono Angora and ribbon yarns. This lovely bolero jacket uses a soft pink variegated angora with rice coloured ribbon trim. It's so pretty and the yarn appears to be reasonably priced.








I also love this next bolero jacket and it took a couple of viewings before I realized that the arms are done in the Kimono ribbon for the first third ending in the angora for the balance of the arm. Same shade - just different textures and I love the lacy effect. I'm torn between these two as to which is my favourite.



Last but not least, this sassy little pull over in coral pink and bright raspberry appears to be feminine yet comfortable. I bet it's a fun knit too. I'm trying to show restraint in spite of my love for these designs. Organizing the stash over the Labour Day weekend was a sobering experience. (Remind me not to sober up next time).

My only advice to Ms. Harding would be to keep her website up to date. Knitters like to ogle on line and her website still has the summer collection featured. So what wine would I pair with this book? Why a floral, light Chenin Blanc of course. Elegant, romantic and very classy.

It's All in the Accessories

I've been enamoured of the really cute felted handbags that seem to be popping up everywhere these days. I've got to be honest, a nice quick project appeals to me right now and I've been dying to try the new Tapestry (self striping) yarn from Rowan. When I saw this bag in the new Rowan 40 - it all came together. Maybe it's the wicker handles, maybe it's the "Mary Poppins" vibe in the picture - I don't know why but I love this little bag. I was at the Needle Emporium the day the load of Tapestry was being unpacked and scooped 4 balls of this yarn in the shade "Antique". It's a lovely series of purples, violets, golds and taupes. I have a jacket that's a chinchilla colour with lilac polar fleece lining - it'll be perfect!

I even scored the wicker handles from a store in the U.K. and I'll be doing the bobbles in Kid Classic colours "Bear and lavender Ice". I also found some old Rowan Magpie in a grape shade called "Thistle". I've also decided to line it with a cute little gingham print in the royal purple and gold colourway. I'm using my new Knit Picks Options needles for this and I'm blown away so far by the quality of these needles.

It took a few rows to decide if I liked the Tapestry yarn or not. I'm LOVING it! It's got a haze to it and is loosely spun which can result in some catching and split yarn but once you get used to the yarn, it sails along. It's made with wool and "Soya Protein Fibre". The yarn has a "silk-like" luster and is buttery soft. It stripes like Noro but the shades are much more...well....British (subdued).

Ava now has button bands and a collar band so all that remains is the attaching of the arms and sewing up the sides. With school starting this week and a national sales meeting to attend, the knitting and the blogging will have to fit into the few spare moments I'll have. Is it September 16th yet?

New Toys

I'm growing to REALLY love 7:45 am. That's about the time my post man usually leaves my treat of the week in my mail box. This week, my set of Knit Picks "Options" interchangable needles arrived. Voila! Here they are in all their purply glory. I didn't go for the "starter set" because I rarely use anything over a 6mm needle. I ended up ordering ala carte and took 3.5mm to 6mm tips with all the stops in between . I then ordered cables in 24", 32", 40", 47" and 60" to cover my bases. The buzz on these babies is pretty good and they seem to be of decent quality. The real attraction according to various Internet posts is the nice sharp tips these have. I'm making the Vogue Cover skirt from the Spring 2006 magazine with my Holtz and Stein ebony needles right now and those pointy tips are a delight.



There is a little hole at the base of each nickle plated tip of the Options needles where you insert a metal "key" to help tighten the tip onto the cable and hopefully prevent the needle from coming loose. Those purple discs you see in the box are "stoppers" that screw onto the end of the cable so you can use the cable as a holder. Each cable comes with a twin - one for holding and one to continue knitting . That's a very cool and unexpected feature in my book.

I'm generally a far bigger fan of wooden needles than I am of nickle plated. I know many people swear by their Addi Turbos and they do have their place but nothing beats the warmth and silkiness of a luxury wood. I've decided to treat myself to a pair of Lantern Moon circular needles when I go to the Kitchener / Waterloo Knitter's Fair on Sept. 9. Guess I better tell Julie to bring them along when she sets up her booth. Though somehow, I expect she's planning to do so already. I'm planning to christen the Options needles this weekend by playing with some of the new Rowan Tapestry. I could probably buy a small island with the money I've spent on needles but when you spend so much time with a project, the yarn and the needles gotta be worth touching. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

The Movable Finish Line

Oh yeah, now I remember why I hesitate to finish my projects. It's usually a cocktail of the following emotions and experiences:

1. Obstacles not factored into the finishing equation.
2. Proportionally less experience in finishing objects (I have my black belt in starting them).
3. Testing various finishing methods to see which produces the best result (usually not the one suggested in the pattern).

I boldly picked up my pieces to Ava on Saturday only to find that I'd not yet woven in all the intarsia ends on the back. Oy!!!! After getting that out of the way, I set about to joining front and back at shoulders. The pattern recommends a back stitch. Now, I've tended to use 3 needle bind offs but this shoulder is shaped so, I elected to try the back stitch. First attempt looked horrible! Geeze, I even researched it in my handy/dandy Montse Stanley Knitter's Handbook. My second attempt was utilizing a crochet bind off. Still not as smooth as I would like but mattress stitch just won't give the stability needed here so, I'll go with this. As Lucy Neatby would say, "If they can't see anything wrong from the back of a galloping horse... don't worry about it." Ya gotta think a lady with great hair like this knows a thing or two about damning the torpedoes. So, now that the shoulders are taken care of, the next step will be the button bands.

I did prep the first side by measuring off the length into manageable quarters. The band only requires two rows of garter stitch. I can deal with that and hopefully, it fits nicely with no rippling.

I've really enjoyed working with the Rowan Wool and Cotton. In fact, last April I treated myself to this lovely design in the same yarn from Kim Hargreaves.

It's called Sal.

I got the colour shown here, it's called Grand and is a fab rich purple. It comes with the white shell buttons too and is wrapped beautifully.

In the meantime, I'll keep the focus on Ava. After all, I need to brush up on those rarely used finishing skills!

From Spirit into Matter

I remember taking a seminar about 8 years ago with Louisa Harding where the conversation turned to sweater finishing. We were discussing how some knitters will knit all pieces to a garment and then never put it together. Lousia mentioned that she couldn't understand how someone could put so much work into a project only to not see it through to completion. I see her point but on the other hand, I can relate to the angst of finally assembling something. You see, as long as it's a WIP - it still has the potential to turn out perfectly. Once it's a FO, all bets are off. On that note, I introduce you to Ava. Ava is my current "FO in waiting". I've completed the knitting of all sleeves, fronts and back. Now, I've only to assemble and knit the button bands.

All preliminary indications are that this sweater will be a winner. The pieces measure to spec. and have blocked beautifully. Ironically, this is a Louisa Harding design from Rowan #34 made from Wool and Cotton in a lovely chocolate brown called "coffee rich". Here's a picture of the two fronts after blocking. Everything seems to match and measures exactly to the size I'd targeted.

It's my intention to substitute the brown, yarn lace through the front with a bright aqua leather lace decorated with co-ordinating beads. Here's a shot of the two sleeves pre-blocking with the lacing and beads to show the (hopeful) effect.

All has dried and now there's only me, my darning needle and two rows of garter stitch to get this puppy to the finish line. I will finish Ava but I'm not rushing to do so. I'm not quite sure if it's about savouring the completion or being frightened that the end result won't meet my expectations. Either way, we'll all be finding out which it is soon - this weekend, there will be some finishing round these parts!

The Masterworks

Musical compositions that stand the test of time and become benchmarks for other pieces are known as "masterworks" in the symphony world. I'm always intrigued by the biographies of the various composers. Some were flashy and popular in their life times and others have grown in reputation over centuries as people have begun to appreciate their talent. I've come to see Mr. Martin Storey as one of those "quiet masters" of the knitting world. I've always admired his work but it rarely inspired a "gotta have it" moment for me......until now. Maybe I've changed, maybe he's changed but all of a sudden I'm really liking RYC designs. Today I went for my dose of "retail therapy" to my LYS The Needle Emporium. Julie had just come in with the new Rowan yarns and RYC books. I had seen this book on line and couldn't wait to get a closer look. It's definately a winner in my estimation. Classic Style features RYCs new Silk Wool DK in delicious colours. The yarn glows with the silk yet seems to be a nice bouyant consistency. This is one of those books that has many designs that appeal to me but my personal favourite is this lovely cardigan called "Charm"

I just love its simplicity, elegance and most of all the colour which is porcelain (I'm a sucker for teals and aquas). This is contemporary yet vintage all at the same time. I imagine that the trailing leaf and vine design would be just enough to add a little intrigue yet keep it simple. The back of the sweater is equally stunning. This would be a firm favourite and an enjoyable knit from start to finish.

Though I do adore this colour - there is an amazing royal purple that would be beautiful.

I was half way out the door when Julie ponted out a nice bag of RYC Alpaca DK in the colour "zinc". Zinc is a sagey/ aqua colour - rich but muted. It also happens to be the prescribed yarn for one of the designs in this new RYC book that I fell in love with.


Don't you just love the cute little Alpacas on the cover? The RYC Alpaca DK is "TDF" soft as well and comes in subtle lovely colours. The design that's calling to me is named "Evergreen".

The front and back are knit back and forth with beads scattered all over. When it comes time to knit the yoke - they're joined and knit in the round using soft neutral tones with a hint of colour. It's stunning!!! I resisted buying the book but boy oh boy if it weren't for the looming vet bill for my cherished dog's ACL surgery - I'd be leafing through it now.

So what wine does one pair with a Martin Storey design. I would suggest an elegant Riesling. The crisp simplicity of a good Riesling leaves no where to hide if the winemaking isn't just right - much like these designs. A little sweet - a little tangy and much underappreciated.

What's the plural of moose?

Today, the mailman delivered my new "moosie spindle". I love my mail man. He knows to deliver my conquests during that slim window between the time my husband leaves for work and I do. Without further ado - here is my 1.32 oz moose antler spindle with ebony shaft from Bosworth Spindles.

I purchased my first spindle from another source at Stitches East last September and though it wasn't the best spindle, I was hooked. Word on the street is that Bosworth spindles are the gold standard and after purchasing a very "tigery" bocote spindle in Feb., I placed my name on the moosie list.

I put my name on the list in March this year and I made the cut (you'd think I was auditioning for "Idol" or something) in June for the "July herd". One gets to choose the whirl from many lovely options and then choose a complementary shaft wood. That's where it got tough for me but in the end, ebony won out and I'm so thrilled with the results. It spins like a dream (I barely made it out the door to work on time I was so busy playing with it). The roving attached is from The Fold and has a bit of sparkle to it. I - of course had to immediately contact The Fold to see if they had more...they do. I think this extra special roving is the perfect pairing with the moosie spindle. My kids were immediately concerned for the welfare of the donor moose so I showed them the attached tag that confirms "no moose were harmed in the making of this spindle." Thanks for including that Sheila - I'm not sure they would have believed me! So, what wine does one break out for such an occasion? Why Trius Grand Red of course! A Niagara wine - winner of the 2006 Les Citadelles du Vin (2006): Trophé Prestige (substitut de la médaille de bronze). Trius Grand Red is an assemblage of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot grape varieties. Fruit forward, jammy and in a class of its own - much like the moosie spindle!