Marginal
Notes:

Weather: Hot, muggy with drizzly rain.  We've had the AC running too much lately.  

Current projects:

 

Current Projects: Socks for me. Also playing with yarn for a shawl.  I can't decide on the pattern though. Various hats, scarves and mittens.  I want to have some on hand to sell at the CT Sheep Show in the Spring.

Projects on hold.  I'm bored with these!:

A lace scarf out of hand painted Merino.  This is a test project for the business.  I might start to sell this yarn.  Haven't finished it.  Not crazy about the colors.  Maybe I'll make it into socks instead.

Charcoal gray alpaca sweater.  I have misplaced the instructions.  Should be interesting to finish it without them. 

No quilts in progress

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   It's been way too long since I have been here.  I haven't been feeling all that well and I have finally come to realize that it's probably due to the fact that I came off of my pain medicine in early May.  I was diagnosed back in 1999 with Fibromyalgia.  It's a controversial disorder that causes joint and muscle pain (layman's term for it is arthritis of the muscles), memory loss, disorientation, fatigue and numerous other symptoms.  Some medical professional don't believe it even exists.  That is a mental manifestation--the pain is in your head!  I had been taking part in a clinical study of a new medicine for it.  The study ended in May.  I hadn't realized how much the medicine must have been helping, because I really ache now.  Even Steve has commented that my mood is miserable.  Good news is that I have just signed on to start another study with a different drug.  I won't receive the medicine for several more weeks though so I have to tough it out till then.

Steve is still the same.  Damn fool started smoking again.  He won't stop till he ends up in the hospital for a month.  I'm so angry with him.  He's killing himself and all I can do is watch.

We finally got our website back up and running last weekend.  Sorry for the delay.  We were really behind in doing the inventory.  When we finally did it, it took all day Sunday.  I still have some holes in the products that I need to fill, but all in good time.  I've decided to no longer carry the Gaywool Dyes.  The are expensive for me and they don't move.  Honestly folks, there are more places out there to get quality dye at a reasonable price.  I only have 4 or 5 Gaywools left and I'm just going to keep them for myself.

We stayed home over vacation.  Steve worked very hard insulating and sheet rocking the bunny barn.  It's amazing what a difference it makes in there.  He also had the propane heater installed and inspected.  We won't have frosty buns this winter.

I can't even remember what I did on vacation.  I know I planted tons of flowers in our containers.  I usually plant in containers as we have a lot of moles in the yard.  I picked a few fleeces from a local farm.  The wife is mother to a young man that went to school in town here with Ryan and Ryanne.  She doesn't spin, but she couldn't just throw out the wool.  She gave it all to me for free with the promise that I must dye some of it red and make her a scarf.  The fleeces are filthy and need to be shirted still.  I'm thinking to send them out for processing to save myself all of that work of cleaning them.   I really can't remember what I did every day, but I know I was always busy.  

I finished Kathy's socks.  I ended up over dyeing them with Easter egg dye as the dye lots of the skeins were different and there was a noticeable line of color change on them.  I refer to them now as her mottled plum colored socks.

I still need to finish straightening out the bunny barn this weekend.  I already cleaned all the cages this morning.  Ms. Eloise is in the house here with us.  Her cage requires that I take her out to clean it.  Rather than leaving her out there when she can get into trouble, I brought her in here.  The dog and cats are keeping an eye on her for me.  Don't worry, they won't hurt her.  She lived in the house until last year so they are all used to each other.  Besides she is about the same size as the cats and I think they are afraid of her.

So I traveled up to Cummington on Memorial Day weekend to attend the MA Sheep Show.  I love that little show.  Everything is so compact and easy to shop.  It's not as spread out as the NH show and it's only about a 2 hour ride from here.  I was good in a fiber sense in that I only bought sock yarn.  I always buy sock yarn.  It's my default fiber purchase.  But I was very bad in other ways.  Louise was there.  You remember Louise, don't you?  Louise the rabbit breeder from the CT Show?

Here is Steve with 6 week old Madeleine.  She is an English Angora, like Ms. Eliose.  She will molt and then I can comb out her fur.  Yes, that 9 rabbits now.  She was actually too young to go home with me, but Louise felt I could take care of her.  Anyone else wanting her bunnies, could purchase them but could not take them home for 2 weeks.   Maddy was the size of a hamster or Guinea pig.  In our herd of bunnies, we now have 2 English, a German (Ruby), 2 Satins (George & Henry), 3 Giants (Isadora, Tess and Gillian) and a mixed German, English and Satin (Nigel)

Since it is miserable outside, much too hot, sticky and now rainy, I won't be finishing the garden today.  It's a good day to stay in the AC and maybe spin or knit.  I can't wash fleeces as they won't dry with all this dampness.  I could shave bunnies, but that would take an effort on my part,  Perhaps, clean the house?  Never.  

Recently completed projects-most recent first:

		Purple socks for Kathy
A Shetland lace scarf out of baby alpaca spun on Prudence my antique Shaker wheel.	Mittens for a woman in my unit made out of bits and pieces of yarn from the stash	Mittens for my supervisor out of some Noro I had in the stash.
Mittens for Ryanne to match the Shetland lace scarf out of the softest Merino wool	Shetland Lace scarf out of pink angora.  I need to block it as it seems to have grown when I washed it.  It's now about 8' long!  I gave this to Ryanne's mother.  She loves it.	A blue and multicolored handspun, multidirectional scarf.  I gave this to Ryanne's father as a combo Christmas & birthday present.
Finished a hat out of multicolored handspun from roving I purchased at Rhinebeck last year.  It's pretty shades of blues and greens.  I made it for the Tamarra the temp that left work and now is in school in NH.  I need to make her some mittens too and I will mail them to her.	Finished a Shetland lace scarf in greens & orange hand painted Merino from the NH Sheep show.  It's for Ryanne for Christmas	Started and finished a quick multi-directional scarf out of the same green homespun for the other temp at work (Tamarra) who was leaving.  She's going to school in NH so she'll need it.
Knit another hat for Ryanne.  This one larger and out of green homespun.  I added a few stripes of orange to make it the colors of the Irish flag.  She's very Irish.	A blue hat with pink embroidered flowers and beads.  I gave it to another girl at work for her toddler daughter.	Little basket weave socks for a toddler.  I gave the to a girl at work for her 18 month old daughter.
A hat for Ryanne out of some blue Merino.  I think it's too small though.	A homespun wool scarf in Autumn colors using  a Shetland lace pattern.  It's my first attempt at lace and I'm enjoying it.	Socks.  Two pairs.  One for me and I gave the other to Ryanne.
Made a quick scarf to wear to work out of the recycled silk I purchased on vacation.	Ryanne has the green sweater.  I haven't seen it or her for a while.  I have no idea what stage it is at.  She was lengthening the sleeves (I have very short arms) and adding volume to the neck.	Socks.  Blue & green variegated yarn.  I gave them to Ryanne
Multidirectional Diagonal scarf out of brown homespun wool and alpaca.  I gave it to Jack the Therapist.  He didn't have a scarf.	Finished the never ending cardigan turned vest!  The buttons are sewn on, I just have to make button holes and block it.	Pair of mittens for a child.  They are knit out of Blue Wool-Ease from Lion Brand so they will be washable.  I gave them to Chef Dave at work for his little boy Michael.
A multidirectional diagonal scarf for Dennis out of blue homespun wool.	A scarf for the scarf swap at our spinning guild made out of a mohair blend I purchased at Rhinebeck and some blue homespun wool.	Mittens for the girl who lives down the street made out of brown alpaca and a wool in autumnal colors.
Another hat for my chiropractor's baby out of multicolored acrylic..	Blue mittens to match the scarf for Ryanne	A simple gray winter hat. It's from the Border Leicester fleece that I bought last year.  It's for LP for Christmas.
A turquoise blue wool and silk blend scarf for Ryanne.	Socks out of hand painted wool in lovely muted, "desert" colors.  I inadvertently washed them and the wool felted.  I now have slipper socks.	A grass green colored angora & alpaca simple raglan sweater
Hot pink hat for my chiropractor's baby.	A cowl from a blend of Cotswold wool and alpaca.	A glittery scarf with yarn purchased from Threadbear.
Hat for Dennis of  homespun charcoal gray Corridale wool.	An ugly brown sweater for Dennis out of a mix of homespun wools.  He loves it	Multicolored socks for me.