I seem to be so slow at getting things posted. Guess that's the Doormouse (yes, the little one from Alice in Wonderland) part of my character. I made it through the craft fair at the local senior citizen's center - actually did a fair weekend's work, especially where my handspun yarns were concerned. They accounted for most of my business. The only negative things was that someone stole a bracelet from my table - the booth behind me had two solid wooden puzzles stolen, and someone in another area lost a piece or two of their merchandise. I just don't get it - what's the point of stealing from a senior citizen? I would gladly have given the thief a discount if they didn't have the price of the bracelet ($15). But they had to steal from me. It makes me both angry and sad. I need to forgive this person, but it's tough today.

I finished the Cabled Christmas Stocking I designed for my class at Michaels. I'll try and get a photo of the sample I made and post it soon. I'll have the pattern for sale soon as well.

Yesterday was my 60th birthday. I have to admit that it was one of the nicest birthdays I've had in a long time. It was a very simple day - not a lot of fanfare, but it was very meaningful to me because I have now entered a new decade in my life. I feel a new sense of joy, like it's a chance to start over in a lot of ways. My sister and my DH both gave me checks to put toward a new car - my current one is on her last legs ... er, tires ... and needs repairs that would cost a lot more than she's worth (yes, I name my cars - this one is Natasha, aka Tasha). I've had her for 11 years, and she has over 138,000 miles. It's time to retire her. Even with a year-old transmission, there are way more things that need to be fixed than I care to pay for at this point. New a/c unit and fan, brakes on all 4 wheels, new locks on both drivers' doors, and new tires all around. I just want to find something that will last me for a long time.

Wow - it's been quite a while since I posted. Sorry about that. I've just been knitting my fingers to the bone, teaching knitting and jewelry classes, and making jewelry for an upcoming holiday bazaar. Lots to do before Nov. 9 - but I'm still making time to do fun things.

Yesterday, I attended a workshop sponsored by the Dallas Hand Knitters Guild, presented by Candace Eisner Strick. She's got to be the most fun ever. Her workshop was 25 Tips and Tricks for knitting. She has the most amazing one-row button hole. She showed us how to do bind off, then cast back on - all in the same row - and not have either end of the buttonhole have an overly tight or one end looser than the other. She also showed us another variation on the kitchner stitch (I've always HATED having to do the ends of socks), and I GET IT! There were tons of other things she included, and it was an absolute blast. The workshop coordinator for the guild was talking about having her come back for a lace seminar either after the first of the year or next guild year. Whenever she comes back, I can't wait for it. I picked up two of her kits - one is a shawl, and the other is a bolero jacket. They're in her Merging Colors yarns, and they're just too fabulous for words. The shawl is in purples, and the bolero is in greens flowing into blues. I'll have to try and get pictures tomorrow - the camera isn't liking me again (sigh).


I finished a baby blanket I was crocheting, and made some good progress on my "spare time socks" - the ones I take with me for sitting and waiting on appointments, etc. They're coming along well - I'm about half-way done with the foot on the first sock.


Tonight, I picked up a project I'm making for one of our knit shops. It's done on size 17 needles with absolutely wonderful fluffy wool yarn. It's got 3 cables, and we decided not to work the cable tassles on the ends. It looks too weird with them. Honest - I did try them out, but they were ... well ... weird. They didn't look at all right because they twisted around so much that you couldn't recognize the cables for what they are.


We got the first cold front of the season in North Texas last night, and it was cool and rainy all day today. It's supposed to keep dropping in temperature, but the rain is (hopefully) gone for now. Winter is different in Texas, and the Dallas area seems to be most unpredictible of all. But I'm glad it's getting here - we've definitely had more than our share of heat this year.

I'm off to knit more on the strange cable scarf.

Hooray! I'm finally learning how to add photos to my blog! This is my adorable dog, Missy (aka MsDawg). She's part Long-Haired Dachshund and part Cavalier King Charles Spaniel - that makes her a Dockalier, according to the groomer. She's 6 yrs old, and absolute love on 4 feet. Her companion, Kiki (aka Kamakazi Kitty), on the other hand, is mischief on 4 feet. She races through the house like a kamakazi pilot, running into furniture, walls, MsDawg, or whatever people happen to get in her way.

Here are some socks I knitted recently. I used Claudia's Handpaint sock yarn, and adapted the Horcrux Socks pattern to fit a 60-stitch cuff instead of the 40 sts they called for - they used DK weight yarn.

Ok - enough fun for this effort. I'm off to spin more yarn and play with more projects. I feel so "accomplished" now that I can load photos!

Today, I'm restarting my blog. I deleted all the old junk that didn't really have anything to do with knitting, so I can have this be all about what I'm doing in the fiber world. Sooo - a bit of an introduction is in order.

I'm currently 59 years old (will be 60 on Nov. 15), and I live in Garland, TX with my husband, dog (Missy aka MsDawg) and cat (Kiki aka Kamakaze Kitty). I have a 28-year-old daughter who lives in Bellevue, WA. She's not married, and has no children. I'm on disability because of severe arthritis - but it doesn't keep me from engaging in my fibery pursuits. I was a massage therapists in my last career, and had to give it up when the doctor told me he wouldn't rebuild my right thumb unless I found something else to do. Well, that was an easy answer ... fix me. I can always find something to do part-time. That's how my world of fiber exploded into something I do as much/often as the arthritis will permit. It's a standing joke that I knit or spin or do other crafts on prescription from my rheumatologist - he actually does encourage me to do as much as possible to keep my hands limber. Can you imagine being told that you "have to" do the things you love most in the world? I do everything from embroidery, needlepoint, cross stitch, needle tatting, and quilting to spinning my own yarns to use in knitting, crochet and weaving. I'm also into beading and jewelry making.

I teach knitting, crochet, and other fiber arts at Michaels in Plano, as well as jewelry and beading. For anyone interested in the classes I teach, they're usually on Tuesday or Saturday, but a few are on Sunday afternoon (but not today).

I need some help in figuring out how to post photos to my blog and the internet. Anyone want to volunteer to help a semi-computer-literate person learn how to get things done without pulling her hair out? I can be reached at bearspinner@yahoo.com, or through my blog.

Oh yes - I've just applied to join Ravelry. I hope it's as much of a help in organizing my supplies/stashes for all the various things I do. Wish I knew how many people are in line in front of me so I could estimate how long it will be till I get my invitation. Oh well, sometimes a surprise is a good thing.

Happy Fibery Sunday!