Ringing in February

My Change Ringing (Plain Bob Minor) Scarf is about half done. I feel like I have been knitting forever!  But it has only been about 3 weeks.

Empty Nesting

I sold two cockatiels today.  I know they are going to a good home, I know I had too many and it was getting overwhelming, but I miss them already.  It was very hard to unload their cage to a stranger in a parking lot and drive off.  They went to a friend of a friend, so updates might be forthcoming, but it was still sad to hear them calling out for me as we drove away.

Good luck, little birds. 

Vacation

I took last week off and did a lot of relaxing.

I finally hit level 90 in World of Warcraft (4 months after release) and am quite excited. Now I am raising a cloud serpent to be a flying mount. He is so cute.

I crocheted a potholder which sees use daily - no more grabbing the teakettle with an old sock.  I also crocheted a spinning wheel bobbin for my Quidditch project for the Harry Potter themed knitting group. I have also been knitting on a cabled scarf and a glove # 1 of a pair.  I have finger and the thumb to go.

Holly (the new dog) went to the vet and got shots, spayed, dental cleaning and a microchip.  Her recovery has been smooth and we are taking walks again.  This morning I stopped by the car to grab a hat and she took a running leap right into the passenger seat!  Before, she was shy about getting in the car and had to be forcibly removed from the driver's seat. I guess going to the "spa" (vet) for the day really agreed with her.

Fritti (the 15 1/2 year old cat) also went to the vet and got a new prescription for some antibiotics; they must be working because his sneezing seems much reduced.  Kiwi the parrot passed away, I miss her a lot but we had a great last month together and her passing was very quiet and peaceful.

Yesterday afternoon I finally made it back to archery and had a really great time.  No one else came out, so I was able to look dumb & practice & get good tips from the hosts.  I left feeling much more confident and will be back again soon.

Last night I found all the equipment and materials for my OWL and BROOM projects (HP knitting group again) and swatched so I could submit my proposals by the deadline. I  am making laceweight yarn from some cormo roving that is wonderful and soft.  I found three bags of it, but when I got them together, they are clearly all different shades of white (see below).  However, I made my swatch and I think that I have plenty of fiber in each color, so I think I will use the one in the front (bright white) for the project. Overdyeing would also be an option, but I have my heart set on a white shawl.

Holly photobombing my spinning picture

Closet Clean Out

Closet stash diving day 2: found 3 bobbins for my Majacraft wheel, although the yarn on them was an almost total loss. I think I can salvage some of the pure angora, though.  Underneath the brown romney on one bobbin was some wool / soy silk that I had been sampling. Pleasantly, I found the matching roving over the weekend. Good to know I have a bobbin already started.

Found the bag of cormo I was looking for, it has some moth damage but should be about 80% salvageable.  When I put it with the bag I have set aside, there should be plenty for my winter OWL.  I think there is another bag of it somewhere... I will leave that stash dive until tomorrow.

Big surprise, found four missing skeins of finished yarn in perfect condition. Two are matching yellow ingeo. One is a dove colored merino & silk blend and one is a graduated gray to purple 3 ply in blue faced leicester that I designed, dyed, spun & plied. That one I had been thinking of recently; I think it will look well as the center of a circular shawl.  I just need to find one where I can bind off when I run out of yarn without any buckling. There is no skein tag, but I think there is about 400 yards.

Also found a crap ton of red heart acrylic and 6 cents as well as the pink silk sliver I was looking for and some green & yellow dyed merino top I had forgotten about. The pink silk was an experiment in dyeing from a workshop many years ago.  I had relegated it to "purely ornamental status" but I think I can use it in a class this term.  It will be interesting to spin and see what I get anyway.  The green / yellow / blue merino is actually from a different dyeing class (with Nancy Finn) and my inspiration was Kiwi, my indian ringneck parrot. She is still with me and the top isn't getting any younger; I may have to spin that up too.  Maybe into a parrot hat.

And I found *another* half pound of cotton sliver.  Will it ever end?  I am trying to get it all into one location, but continue to find so much I will need a bigger box quite soon.

New Year's Beach Party

I love my new WoW guild (I love my old guild as well).  I plowed forward in the face of apathy and we had a really fun beach party.  Not everyone came, but those who did were really into it. Thank you, Midnight Forerunners!

Pictures are blurry because, well, my character was drunk.