Winter? Here?

This is what I woke up to this morning!  Arizona Winter!Yes, that is snow and the prediction is more to come.  Not enough to make a snowman or even a decent snowball.  It will be gone soon.The funny thing is my rosebush decided to put out one more flower.Not much weaving, spinning or knitting going in the Studio.  I hand quilted a top that I found in my mom’s sewing room last year.  Mom bought it at an estate sale in Kentucky years ago. It’s very old and faded, but I just couldn’t let all that hand appliqué be lost.  I still need to wash and dry it.  That can wait until the weather improves.Here’s wishing you a belated Merry Christmas and an early Happy New Year!

See ya,

Sandy

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Sorry it’s been so long!

I did not realize it had been so long since my last blog post.  Wow!  One would think I had fallen off the planet, but truly, I have been busy.  Last October, I was elected to our Homeowners Association Board of Directors and volunteered to be Chairman of the Activities and Hospitality Committee for our HOA.  That has left me with not a lot of spare time.  However, I have managed some knitting and just a little weaving. Here’s a shawl that I knitted from variegated yarn.I am working on a scarf called the “Work Day” scarf.I love making mug rugs on my Hokkett loom.I took another trip to Kentucky at the end of September to visit family.  Mom and “The Girls” had lunch at Cracker Barrel.Lunch again with Mom and my niece, Kaylee, at a Mexican restaurant.  Who knew you could get good Mexican food in Kentucky?Of course, a stop for ice cream!Back home in Arizona, I celebrated my ……(drum roll, please!)………….65 trips around the sun.  Can’t believe it?  Neither can I!  I had a wonderful dinner with our neighbors, Dorothy and Jerry.  They brought the “Birthday Bread”. Pat and Duffy made the celebration complete.I am still enjoying the beautiful mums from Dorothy and Jerry.As always, I will leave you with a Duffy moment.  It’ s Wubba Time.See ya,

Sandy O’

Spinning for the Tour de Fleece

During the month of July, there is a professional bike race in France called the Tour de France.  Wool spinners celebrate this race by participating in the Tour de Fleece.  I dusted off my Kromski spinning wheel and managed to pedal (spin) a few hundred yards of Shetland wool.I played around with some thread plying on another of my single hand spun yarn.  The type of thread made a big difference in the final look of the yarn.   The lighter color was plied with a rayon variegated thread.The darker yarn was plied with a thicker variegated cotton thread.  What a change!On a different note, we had quite a storm last week in Southern Arizona.  It’s our “monsoon” season and normally we get afternoon thunderstorms, a lot of lightning and thunder, not much rain.  This time it rained 1 3/8 inches, enough to get a stream running down the street plus about 10 minutes of pea size to marble size hail.We really can’t complain, we need every single drop.

See ya,

Sandy O’ at My Yellow Swing

Travels

Pat and I have been on the go recently.  I went to Kentucky to visit family, Pat went to Albuquerque to bike ride with friends.  Duffy stayed home.  My visit to Kentucky started with a road trip to Bowling Green, KY, specifically Western Kentucky University to watch my youngest niece, Kaylee, graduate.The rest of the time was catching up with sisters and Mom.I did find a special place in Lebanon, KY.  Oh, yeah!

Two weeks later, Pat loaded up his bikes and headed to Albuquerque to ride the La Ruta del Rancho Rendejo 2018 with Patrick O’, Khalil S. and Herb C., internet blog buddies from Mad Dog Media.  It was a 33 mile out-and-back ride on the Paseo del Bosque, no mishaps and from the grins on the faces, a pretty good time.So everyone is back home and Duffy is happy.See you later at My Yellow Swing.

Sandy O’

Simple Pleasures

Hi All,

It’s been a strange springtime.  The weather in Southern Arizona has kept me guessing on how to dress each morning.  I start out in jeans and long sleeves and by noon, it’s still jeans, but short sleeves.  This morning, I pulled on my shorts and it finally felt good.

So, what has been happening at My Yellow Swing?  I set up my antique pin loom with some scrap yarn.  I am pleased with the final product.  It will make nice placemats or small throw pillows.  Thanks, Kay.

I’ve spun the Churro fleece from a local ranch.  I will be using it in a tapestry weaving.I knitted a neck scarf from some leftover sock yarn.And I tried some art yarn in a couple of small weavings on my Hokett loom.  I just love that little loom.I will close now with an absolutely beautiful sunrise from last week.See ya

Sandy O’ at My Yellow Swing

 

Just a Quick Note

This is a super short post to show my recent spinning session.  I bought 4 ounces of Churro wool at our local farmer’s market.   I used the drum carder to blend in the light and dark colors of the wool.  Here is the finished double plyed yarn.  I am thinking that this would make a good plain weave fabric to become a tailored vest.  My friends cannot believe that I could cut up my hand woven fabric instead of leaving it whole as a shawl.Duffy’s not so sure either.

We shall see.

Sandy at My Yellow Swing

The Beginning and the End

I had received some beautiful hand dyed indigo wool roving from Dan Wibbels,  a distant cousin in Indiana.   I used my drum carder and blended the blue with white merino wool.  It spun up wonderfully.  I knitted it along with Brown Sheep navy and light gray yarn into a long sweater vest.  There is also my light blue hand spun yarn on the cap sleeves and around the collar.  I didn’t get a picture of the knitting on the needles, but here is a picture blocking the front vestAnd a not so good picture of the back.The finished project…..  I would have modeled it for a picture, but it’s in the mid 70’s here and WAY too warm to wear it.  I will wear it IF we get some cooler weather.  If not, there’s always next winter.

Duffy was impressed.

See ya,

Sandy at My Yellow Swing