Spinning For the First Time

See I'm spinning! My amazing friend who can spin, weave, knit and do almost anything was so kind and patient with me! She rocks!

She worked with me until I could do each of the steps and I'm so thankful! :)

She gave me tons of this white fluff to practice on. I really am addicted!

Happy crafting,

Ruinwen
:)

My First Handspun

Tada! I actually spun...okay I know it looks like a mess...but it's my first and I did it and I'm proud!

The tension was all kind of wonky for the 2nd bobbin and it took three of us to get it back. But we finally did and now I can't wait to spin with correct tension!

Happy everything,

Ruinwen
:)

Meet the New Addition to our Family! :)

Despite my poor camera skills, you can still see how sleek and beautiful Serenity is. I haven't spun anything yet...but I have worked the wheel to get the feel of spinning like the book recommends.

On Monday I hope to get together with the only spinner I know within a 50-mile radius and actually spin some yarn! :) I'm so excited! :)

A big shout of thanks goes out to the wonderful Kim who helped me with my newbie questions. :)

Happy crafting!

Ruinwen
:)

Picot edge shawl

I finally finished this little shawl. It actually is much bigger then I thought it would be. It is from Victorian Lace Today. I really love this little picot beaded edging. It is a nice mindless project and I was very happy with the results.

Ruinwen
:)

The Empress

I did this for Sallee but I found it quite appropriate. :)

You are The Empress

Beauty, happiness, pleasure, success, luxury, dissipation.

The Empress is associated with Venus, the feminine planet, so it represents,
beauty, charm, pleasure, luxury, and delight. You may be good at home decorating, art or anything to do with making things beautiful.

The Empress is a creator, be it the creation of life, of romance, of art or business. While the Magician is the primal spark, the idea made real, and the High Priestess is the one who gives the idea a form, the Empress is the womb where it gestates and grows till it is ready to be born. This is why her symbol is Venus, the goddess of beautiful things as well as love. Even so, the Empress is more Demeter, goddess of abundance, then sensual Venus. She is the giver of Earthly gifts, yet at the same time, she can, in anger withhold, as Demeter did when her daughter, Persephone, was kidnapped. In fury and grief, she kept the Earth barren till her child was returned to her.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Spring Fling

Here is the booth all set up.



Here is my meager display of knitted and crocheted items. But you know what I was happy to have that much done. DH made some lovely new chain mail pieces and combined metals too. I finally finished the drop stitch shawl and it turned out really nice...so all in all, I was very happy.

It was a s-l-o-w Fair. No one was buying. But as always we made back the fees and the food which makes us happy. My sister crocheted with us and she made some lovely pot scrubbies that have a sponge in them. My son and his cousins came to visit with Nana. Bless the Goddess for Nana who took care of the kids this weekend for all of us adults! She is a saint! :)

The tent behind us blew over and folded in half. The poor thing's legs were straight up in the air and it took quite a few of us to help get it down again. There was a lot of wind and we need to rethink some weight strategies since the wind moved our 25-pound ones!

But all in all, it was oodles of fun. And...I completed my goals for this month. I survived both Fairs! Yeah me! :)

Hope you all have an awesome day!

Ruinwen
:)

Oh, thank you so much for your support in the last post. You all are the best and the sweetest people on Earth! :)

You can't choose your battle grounds, the Gods do that for you. But you can plant a standard where a standard never flew.

Hi. Sorry I’ve been so silent. I started freaking out about Fair and lost a bunch of eye-lash in the process. The stuff didn’t frog it rather created the biggest knot you have ever seen. But I’m over it now. I always wait until the very last minute to really get organized. I wish I could stop being a procrastinator…maybe I’ll work on that next year? LOL

So I’ve got slim pickings this year and it will just have to be okay. I haven’t had a quiet time when I could work on the Masters. I haven’t designed stuff for a CAL. I haven’t designed a dog sweater for the LYS. I never even finished my dear Mother’s shawl. *big long sigh*

Something has to change. But the problem is I serve too many masters and I am adding another hobby as soon as the pieces come for my wheel...long story. I can manage to make sure our family gets everything that is necessary done. Why can’t I do it for myself?

I try to be healthy and work out and then it cuts into my knitting time. What is more important my health or fibery goodness? I’ve been cutting up fresh veggies and fruits in the morning and losing blogging and RSS time. But again what is more important?

Me. If I don’t take care of myself then my family will suffer. So for the last two weeks, I’ve been taking care of me. I’ve improved my diet, made time to work out, made time to meditate and breathe. I’ve been sleeping better and I have more energy then I’ve had in a while. But like any good relationship; it takes time and effort to maintain good health.

Next, I made a crafting schedule and if I follow it I should get a lot done. I decided on one night a week when I will shut myself away and knit for the Masters. Another night I will spin. Another I will work on a spiritual project I’ve wanted to do. Other projects will be worked on the weekends, downtime and at the LYS.

I took all those goals I planted at Ostra and found a time of day for them. All of them. I left Friday night, Saturday and Sunday free except for working out in the a.m. and spiritual time on Sunday in the a.m.

I really looked at what was important to me and found a place for it. I’ve tried to take baby steps and not take on too much. I always make these tight schedules with no free time. But I’ve even included our family night and no electronic devices night (that one kills the DH).

I’ve realized that blogging every day might be really pushing myself too hard. By making a time to blog once a week, then I know I have time to take the pictures, write something witty and get it up on the web before bed.

I’m trying to be realistic this time which is hard for a girl with her head in the clouds. I’m trying to balance my health, family, craft, and spirituality and I think if I can just get in a routine it just might be simpatico for once.

Thanks for listening to me babble.

Happy crafting,

Ruinwen
:)

Feeling a Bit Square

Everyone seems to be crocheting squares and I couldn't help myself. I was having vertigo pretty bad today so I could not knit. But these squares (this one is about 3'x3' right now) are easy for me to make up with my eyes closed. I can create them just by feel and it was nice to be able to do something today when the world just kept spinning on without me.

Speaking of spinning...my wheel has shipped and should be here soon! Yeah! :)

Happy crafting,

Ruinwen
:)

My New Yarn

This is the yarn I bought with my prize winnings. It is a rayon metallic that is as soft as butter. I don't know if you can see them, but there are sparkles all though it too. I'm in love with this yarn but I won't touch it until after Fair next week.

Happy Crafting,

Ruinwen
:)

I've Got the Blues!

We won the 1st Place Blue Ribbon in the lamb cook-off!

I want to thank everyone who helped especially my lovin' DH, my super BIL, and my amazing meatball roller! You all rock! :)

Now I'm going to pass out. Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

Ruinwen
:)
P.S. I'll show you what I bought with my winnings tomorrow. :)

Crochet Car Baby Blanket is Fini

I started this at 4:30 p.m. on Friday and finished it today. I love this yarn it is Butterfly Mercerized Cotton / Kertzer Variegated. The rest of the info is in some Cyrillic language. The colors are so vibrant that they jump out at you.

Happy crafting,

Ruinwen
:)

Ribbon scarf is Fini

Look at my Posy Sock Sack

We took a breather after the shopping and look what graced my door step...my Posy Sock Sack!

Isn't it just beautiful? I am so spoiled by her well-made bags that I can't use any others! I'm going to show it off at Sheep and Wool tomorrow!

Thank you Sallee!!!!!

Ruinwen
:)

Kismet

"More than any other part of the body, our hands reveal our inner state." 

-- Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

Knitting and crocheting have always been an outlet for my stress. I love the magic of using my hands to create something from a beautiful ball of yarn. I took yarn for granted until I met all you wonderful spinners and dyers. Now I understand the process that the yarn has to go through before I ever see it and it has only added to the magic.

I’ve dyed a bit, even if it was with Kool-Aid…and I enjoyed using a canvas of yarn to create a whole different kind of work of art. My eyes have opened up to color and the combinations one can make with joining hues and crafting something fresh and vibrant.

But what about creating the yarn itself? I don’t know if my ancestors spun or not but I feel it calling to me…the need to spin has been strong for a while now and I’ve pushed it away because of money or simply the fact that I don’t know how yet. I’ve wanted an Ashford Traditional for a while now. I can’t really tell you why because I’m not an expert on spinning wheels or anything…but it spoke to me the minute I saw one. No other wheel gave me this same feeling and the sense that I’m destined to spin has not diminished…if anything it is growing stronger.

I believe in fate and yesterday it hit me head-on. I hit the wrong web site by mistake and there was a sweet woman needing to sell her wheel with all its attachments. I practically freaked out. A beautiful Ashford Traditional and it had my name all over it. Being none too patient I waited until nightfall to discuss the purchase with my DH and he knows how much I’ve wanted one…even if I can’t spin yet…and now it is mine!!!

I’ve already named her Serenity…and as soon as she gets here and we get her back together I’ll be proud to show you our new addition! :)
*forgive me a happy dance!*

If any of you wonderful spinners have any advice I’d love for you to share. Please and thank you! :)

I’m so giddy today that I just don’t know what to do with myself.

I’ve been trying to post a bit each day. We’ll see how that goes. This is the third day in a row that I’ve posted *yeah me!* but tomorrow might be a little rough as we are making lamb meatballs for Sheep and Wool. Lots and lots of lamb…but I’ll still try and get something in.

BTW. The pic is a scarf I am making for a dear friend’s birthday. It is the same yarns as the shawl I made a while back ‘cuz she loved those colors. Modeling this swatch of yarn is my new Whirlpool oven…cooking has never been so fun. The scarf is a simple K2, (YO, K2tog) 3 times, K2: on both sides. It makes these little twisty trellises which you might not be able to see in the picture. I enjoyed the simplicity of the pattern so much that I want to make it again with big needles and something soft like butter.

TGIF and happy crafting,

Ruinwen
:)

10 Years Today!

I hold you close to me.
Feel the breath of you, and wonder of you
And remember a time
Without you
But only as one would remember
A bleak and distant nightmare
And you shudder against me in your sleep
Do you share the memory with me of dark times past?
And you smile
Do you share the memory of times to come?
The future holds such promise
And just as I cannot imagine how I survived the past
Without you
I cannot imagine a future
Without you.

All my love and light,

Ruinwen
:)
xxooxxoo

Taking Back My Power

“When you fight something, you’re tied to it forever. As long as you’re fighting it, you’re giving it power." 

-- Anthony de Mello

"What you resist persists. And only what you look at, and own, can disappear. You make it disappear by simply changing your mind about it."

-- Neale Donald Walsch

I have been stressing about a bunch of things lately. I’m kinda ignoring most of last month ‘cuz I feel I wasn’t true to it. A big thank you goes out to all of you who wished me a Happy Birthday. For the most part, it really wasn’t but c’est le vie. I did get scads of yarn which I will showcase a little later…and all of it is so yummy I just don’t know what to do with myself. My sis also got me the Michael Praed Robin Hood series which is yummy in a whole different way. ;)

I know that when life gives you lemons you make lemon aid…but my throat closes up and I stop breathing when I smell, taste or am 1 foot away from anything citrus…so bad analogy.

This month there will only be two goals:
1. Survive Maryland Sheep and Wool lamb cook-off (come see us at 10 on Sunday)
2. Survive Spring Fling

I think I’ve been trying to do too many things that I need to be accountable for. (who me?) So I’m going to par down on the goals because other stuff always comes up and then I feel bad I didn’t get my list done.

I’m working on baby steps trying to change the way I see things. Take for instance the bit of knitting I started to ease the whole “Masters fear” I’ve been going through. I doubled up a knit repeat. Now I could rip the whole thing out but it doesn’t look bad if I make it into a pattern…so after talking to DH I’ve decided to keep it and call it a pattern change. BTW I got this yarn with my prize money at last year’s Sheep and Wool. It is a hemp blend and the dealer can be found in my sidebar.

But the Masters is changing me. I can’t seem to automatically knit anymore. I’m thinking about each stitch, worrying that my purls are rowing out, is my ribbing tight, am I elongating a stitch by pushing in my needles too far and my favorite…is the cast on I chose the right one for this project?

I know that it is good to learn and grow and life is dependent on it but my knitting has slowed…my rhythm is lost…I feel adrift in a sea of rules and regulations that are changing me.

I’m not resisting the change if it makes me a better knitter but at times it is scary and frustrating…as change can be.

I find it interesting that just as I lost my ability to relax and breathe during knitting I gained a new breathing technique that relaxes and rejuvenates me. I have been deep breathing for five minutes before bed and I am sleeping better then I have in years and I wake up refreshed and ready to face the day.

So as one door closes another opens…the Goddess always provides what I need when I need it. I start May with a fresh new outlook. I may be knitting a bit slower because I’m watching each stitch be birthed into existence but I’m learning and growing as I do so.

Happy crafting,

Ruinwen
:)