WOYWW 163

Not much has been going on except spinning the orange ply for my novelty yarn. It's about 1/3 the width of the first ply so I probably won't fill the bobbin. Blogger made some changes and is no longer supporting the browser I've been using (although it's on the list of approved browsers). All right for reading, but everything goes squirrely for posting. Finally figured out to use another browser lol.

I walk dogs at the almost local rescue. It's one of those win win win things, the dogs get out, I get exercise and we both get to socialize :D. So I was tickled pink to find out July 21 is National Craft for Your Local Shelter Day. I might not be able to do it on July 21, but it's good to have the reminder about other ways to contribute and still get my crafty time.

If you are wondering what all this WOYWW is, head over to Julia's Stamping Ground and have a gander at all sorts of crafty desks. Better yet, snap a picture of your own crafty space and join in the fun!

WOYWW 161 - Crafty Spinster Fun

OK, I'm not really spinning a bobbin full of wool at my desk, but my Lendrum Single Treadle spinning wheel won't fit on the desk, so I just showed you the bobbin. This is 4 ounces of a lovely hot pink, purple and orange roving purchased many years ago. I'm going to ply it with a lovely burnt orange for a novelty yarn using a technique that makes an intermittent bit of fluff. It will be my second entry into our local fair.

BTW, when I say spinster, I'm referring to the old skool definition one who spins wool (or other fibers) into yarn (or embroidery thread). The rest of my guild (except for my daughter) refer to themselves as spinners, which to me means people clad in lycra furiously pedaling stationary bicycles. I am a spinster :D.

Spinning is one of those things you can learn in less than a minute (it's twisting fibers together so they make yarn, rope, thread) and yet you can spend the rest of your life trying new techniques and fibers, so it can always be something different.

I have three wheels, but I mostly spin with spindles which are infinitely more portable than wheels. Plus each spindle is different, so one can rarely have too many :D. Also, spindles tend to be looked down on as a beginners tool, so I give them lots of love. I've been spinning since 1978 when I bought lessons from a member of the secret spinning police, but that's a tale for another day lol.

Three of my favorite spindles. The one on the left is a Bosworth Moosie (the whorl is made of moose antler) with unfleached flax top on it. The one in the middle is also a Bosworth, but I forget the type of wood. The one on the right is one I made with a toy wheel, a bit of dowel and an eye hook and then covered in a semi-irregular peyote stitch made with three different types of beads and is being used to spin some dyed silk cap.

My current purse project (in a plastic pencil case) another spindle I made with a wooden toy wheel, a dowel and a eye hook which I'm using to spin some navajo churro wool.

The top of the spindle. And in the upper left in the background is my sample of the plied wool from the first picture.

So that's what's going on in my crafty bit of the world, if you want to see more, head over to Julia's Stamping Ground and have a gander at what other people are doing. Better yet, take a picture and join in the fun :D.

WOYWW 160

This is an ultra close up of a stick pin my oldest younger sister made for me :D. Because I'm a spinster, she added a sheep bead. I love it!

I'm thinking of entering my winged clock in the local fair and am considering adding flowers. It's lying on it's back so I don't have to glue anything before I'm ready. On the right you can see my new stick pin. I'm not at all sure where the green background came from though lol. Other than that I've been working on rearranging my craftroom. It looks like furniture will be moved, but I have to work my way up to that.

In non crafty life, yesterday I walked dogs for over 4 hours at the not quite local dog rescue. The puppies kicked my butt the most, apparently I spent a lot of time clenching and bracing lol. My own dog was not at all amused that I had merely let her out, and came home covered with dog smells.

I've also been reading Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jennifer Lawson aka The Bloggess. I thought about reading it while I ate my sandwich, but I feared it would have caused choking so I took a break. Neil Gaiman said “The Bloggess writes stuff that actually is laugh-out-loud, but you know that really you shouldn’t be laughing and probably you’ll go to hell for laughing, so maybe you shouldn’t read it. That would be safer and wiser.”

If you are wondering what's all this WOYWW, head over to Julia's The Stamping Ground, and have a gander. Better yet, take a picture of your own workdesk and join in the fun :D.

WOYWW - 158

First, where I was last weekend: the Washington Mall in Washington, D.C. with 250,000ish other girl scouts. (Google Rock the Mall to see more). Our group huddled under umbrellas for shelter against the sun, but we left hours early. One of those so glad we went, and so glad we left early (because of the heat) events.

Crafting has been temporarily abandoned while I worked on some other things. While I haven't actually finished the page I was working on for so long, it's been moved to the side so I could make some cards.

And yesterday I received my birthday present from my oldest younger sister, Papertrey Ink's Stamp-A-Faire! I packed everything up so it will be ready to go. I'm so excited I can hardly wait till next month!

So What's on Your Workdesk this Wednesday? Scuttle over to Julia's Stamping Ground and join in the fun, or just have a nose around workdesks around the world :D.

WOYWW 151

I haven't been working on much crafty stuff recently, though I have been making patterns for the photo mats and journal mats out of scrap cardstock. Apparently my guillotine Tonic cutter is my new workspace lol. All the papers come from an older Club Ruby Designers kit (still available from Craft-e-Corner and on sale if you are interested).

I've been a busy bee with things like cleaning and sorting. I even made my own laundry detergent using the Duggar's recipe only it congealed too much to pour into other containers, so I did some math and we're using it right out of the bucket. It's working well and I think it will save us a lot of money. I've also been working with the dog so she doesn't pull so much whilst I'm walking her. We've been getting our exercise anyway lol.

If you are wondering what's all this WOYWW anyways, head over to Julia's Stamping Ground and have a gander. Better yet, snap a picture and show us yours :D.

WOYWW 147

Happy WOYWW :D. I can't believe week 156 is almost here. I've been putting my thinking cap on just in case we're doing another pif.

I'm working on another layout (a banner day). And I'm waffling about what sort of mats to use and wishing I had some Picket Fence Distress Stain. The paper is from My Mind's Eye from the My Mind's Eye Owl Club Ruby Designer's Kit. An older kit pre-dating my Design Team days, but still chock full of crafty goodness.

If you are wondering what all this WOYWW is about, head over to Julia's Stamping Ground and have a gander. Better yet, take a picture and join in the fun :D.

Papertrey Ink March 2012 Blog Hop

The challenge for the Papertrey Ink March 2012 blog hop was focus on sunshine and spring with yellow and aqua. On the Harvest Gold mat, I used the lemon stamp from Tea for Two Additions with Versamark and the sentiment and pitcher from Iconic Images stamped with Wild Honey Distress Ink. The second mat is Hawaiian Shores on a Stamper's Select White A2 cardbase.