Spinning! (That's Meant To Be In The Tune Of Winning!)

I cannot believe it has been a year since I have spun yarn. Yes, a year. The same yarn I was spinning in Santa Fe last year is still on my spindle and is collecting dust. It's not that I'm not passionate about it anymore. Frankly, I'm not really certain what happened. Maybe there was just too much going on last year, my lovely little family did go through a lot. I love spinning. The sound of the wheel is comforting, the motion of spinning is calming, and the art of creating something is so very satisfying. Maybe I am just mourning not being in New Mexico! My poor little wheel has just been sitting, waiting for me to do something...anything. I have so much roving that still needs to be spun. I have so much wool that still needs to be carded (thank you so much Taos Sunflower!). I am excited about it. I am excited about spinning again, carding again, and even learning to dye wool...the proper way. I think sometimes it is easy to get in a slump. Not that you have lost passion...but just a plain ol' slump. However, I have come out of that slump and I plan to spin, card, dye, and learn as many new things about spinning and wool that I possibly can!

Cheers! 

Monday In Santa Fe

Another beautiful day in Santa Fe.  We took it easy this morning which was really nice. My dad and I went for a little hike and when we came back to the casita my sister made banana/granola and blueberry pancakes along with fruit salad and a bird in a nest! Hiking in this altitude is tough so we were hungry when we got back!

Then for a bit more relaxing and hanging out be fore we took off for the day. My poor little V is sick. We had to pick up meds for her and I hope that she will be good as new soon so she can enjoy SF with us.

Mimi stayed back with V and the rest of us had lunch at Upper Crust Pizza. My sister and I shared the whole wheat sunny chicken pesto pizza. Fantastic! The pizza is great. You can't get a whole wheat pizza back home that I am aware of unless you make it yourself. This was dang good! Thank you Upper Crust! We sat on the patio. The weather was great and there was a nice breeze. The people that worked there were great too.

A shot of the nice little area we ate in. Great views all around.

After pizza we went shopping of course. My younger cousin Phoebe got a cute little purse she had her eye on yesterday and also picked up a few buttons to put on it from Santa Fe Hemp. She is 11 so I am sure she found the store very interesting. But, I love this store and my sister did too so I am glad about that! I could not resist this necklace.

I love owls and this necklace is so very charming. 

We also went to Todos Santos! The best chocolates and confections in Santa Fe if you ask me plus it has a Dia de los Muertos theme. I mean, you can't possibly beat that! The people the work there are consistent, the same people that have been working there since I started going several years back, and they are friendly so that is an added bonus.  As usual I had to purchase a "box of chocolates" and a few little extras. I also had to get a little something special for V since she has been sick.

We also stopped by Miriam's Well. I love this store and go here mainly for woolies to spin.Miriam is a very eccentric and lovely lady that owns the place.

Unfortunately, she was on vacation. I guess we can let this one slide since everyone deserves a vacation. The very nice lady holding down the fort said that Miriam will be back on Wednesday so my sister and I will go back. I think Thursday will be the day we go to La Boca as well. That will be a good day! I wish we had a place like La Boca where I am from.

Well, geeze, back to what is most important...the woolies!

I picked up 100% Targhee and a Merino pencil roving. Pencil roving is so easy to spin with. For me, there is no predafting required and is it very simple for me to spin a thin and consistent yarn. There is something about Santa Fe that makes me feel even more creative and makes me want to create even more than when I am at home. It must be the calm spirit of Santa Fe. I could just knit and spin all day in Santa Fe. So, that is what I have been doing, the knitting part anyway. But, as usual, I brought the old reliable wheel too so I am going to spin some too while I am here. I have been working on knitting a hat for my uncle. I really have never knit a hat before so we will see how it turns out. I figure if I can knit socks I can knit a hat!

Oh, Santa Fe, if it were not for my hubby staying back home while I am here I may never leave!

Cheers to another great day in Santa Fe!

Victoria Yarn And Fun Little Yarn Shops

You know, I went to that cute little shop in Victoria but I never showed what I purchased!  I picked up some merino roving and wool locks. Right now I am spinning it up!  I also just found their blog! 

I don't have carders to card out the locks so I decided to just spin it into the yarn. The nice guy at the shop offered to let me come back and use their carders but we ran out of time and I was not able to go back.  I regret that! 

Here are my locks in their little brown paper sack.  They are so soft! 

I am not quite sure what I am going to knit when I am done spinning but, I know I am going to knit something for myself so when I wear it I will be reminded of Victoria! 

When I travel a favorite thing I like to do is find knitting shops and buy roving in hoards. Stores to purchase roving are few and far between where I live. New Mexico has a great roving selection!  Here are 2 stores that are among my favorite finds in NM:

Taos Sunflower:  The storefront is not there anymore but she has an online store.  I went gaga in this place.  It was wonderful!  There was so much to choose from and the prices of the roving were the most reasonable that I have ever found! I feel fortunate that I was able to visit the storefront before closing!

Miriam's Well:  The lady that owns this place is very helpful.  I actually purchased my spinning wheel there a little over 3 years ago. She is quite liberal and expresses her views...which I like...but I was concerned about what my dad might think.  But, he sat down with her while I was inside shopping and they had a very nice conversation. It was great! 

 (that is Miriam out front of her store moving around her geraniums)

This was a poster hanging in her store (I was not kidding when I said she was liberal, ha!). So, I took a picture of it. You really could not get away with hanging a poster like this in a store in Texas...well, unless the store is in Austin I guess. 

Anyhoo...happy weekend everyone!

Cheers! 

Meet Oster

This is Oster. He has been a bit depressed I think. Living in a small dark space where you are not seen all that much can do that to you.  There was a time where Oster came out of his dark quarters quite frequently. But it seems, that maybe for the past year he had been forgotten.  Feeling awfully bad about this and inspired to semi-bake, Oster came out of his dark and lonely space.  Oh, and Oster was neglected for far too long.  He has the ability to create such fabulous aromas!  The house is filled with the scent of whole wheat green Chile cheese bread. Oster, I promise I will not forget about you again.

Whole Wheat Green Chile Cheese Bread

(In the bread oven- 2lb loaf)

1 and 2/3 c. water
1 small can of green Chilies (do not drain the juice)

2 tablespoons margarine or butter, softened (i actually melted it just slightly)

1/3 c. packed brown sugar

2 teaspoons salt
2 cups shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese

4 and 2/3 c. whole wheat flour

3 teaspoons active dry yeast

Add the ingredients in the order listed above. Before putting the yeast in, use your finger to make a well in the whole wheat flower to pour the yeast in. Make sure the yeast never comes in contact with the water. Then, set your bread machine to get baking! ***updated tip, the green Chiles turned out to be very subtle.  If you want this bread to pack a punch I recommend adding another can. I am going to do this next time.***

While my bread was baking, I spun some yarn. This yarn is 100% merino. I am also spinning into it angora rabbit hair from my sisters angora bunny. This yarn is apart of my special project which will be revealed sometime in October.

This is also a little sneak peek at what is to come in October. I worked on it this weekend. I used wool felt and wool roving to needle felt it. Then added buttons from my grandmothers button collection. 

Cheers! 

Spinning, Knitting, Felting, And Needle Felting

This is a little project that I have been working on. I spun the yarn myself, knitted it, felted it, and the did a little needle felt work on it.  I think I am going to needle felt more spirals on it. If I do I will post the final product.  I think it looks a little Alice In Wonderland-ie.

I love the little mushrooms. I sewed glass beads on to make the mushroom spots. 

There is something very gratifying about making something from scratch!  Now, all I need is my own sheep then I can say I really made it from scratch! 

Cheers and happy spinning, knitting, and felting! 

Lazy Thursday

You know, vacations are all about being lazy, so that is exactly what Jeff and I did today. We had this fantastic house all to ourselves because my parents went out with a realtor to look at houses in this area. They want to retire in New Mexico so they wanted to get an idea of what the houses are like here in Ruidoso and the kind of life they will be able to live. I hear this is a great area to ski in and I have never been skiing so I would like to come back and do that sometime. The mountains are magnificent and there are some of the tallest trees I have ever seen here in Ruidoso! All of the animals that come up to the house are just incredible...deer, turkeys, humming birds, bobcats, and even bears!


So, anywhoo, what else is there to do on a lazy day with a fantastic house in the mountain forest? Spin some yarn and watch the World Cup!

I did not have my knitty noddy with me so I made one out of 2 chairs. This is about a yard's length so I went for it and it worked great. So, if you are ever on vacation with out a knitty noddy, 2 chairs is the way to do it, worked like a charm.

Then I found a litter box (it was clean, sometimes you just gotta make due with what you have) to make my yarn bath with, worked like a charm too!

Currently, my yarn is out hanging to dry. I really need to move to the mountains. Handspun yarn dries so much faster here, no humidity, I love it!

Do you like the grocery sacks I have hanging there? Mountain rocks are in them for weight. Again, worked like a charm!

Lazy Thursday got a little less lazy when we went to the Magic Forest for dinner. This is a really cool place and they have great pizza. My mom and I split the veggie pizza, it had broccoli on it, never had that on my pizza before but it was good!

Jeff had the Chicken Alfredo (he actually let me take a picture of it! Probably because my mom was there and she is an avid supporter of blogging) and….

My dad had the “Asian Hunan Somethin’ Or Other” (which he referred to it as). He did not like the red peppers so he gave them to Jeff to eat.

Then, we came back and chilled out on the deck, my most favorite part of this trip.

Cheers!

They Let Us Loose!

So, today, my parents let me and Jeff loose on the town! Fortunatley, there is not much trouble to get into in this town. We did a bit of shopping on Sudderth, had lunch and drinks at the Dream Catcher Café, and went to Mario’s Market (give the video time to load) to pick up some things for dinner tonight. We have frequented Mario's. This is a great little market and Mario is so nice and helpful. Help Support Mario when you go to Ruidoso!

We came back to the house, I did a bit of spinning, and then started working on dinner.

We had chicken fajitas because I wanted to keep things festive!

Cheers!

Tuesday In Tularosa

This morning, I got up, made myself a little “great start” breakfast, and sat out on the deck. I think sitting on the deck has been my favorite part so far on this vacation. The weather is beautiful and you can’t beat this view!!

Jeff and I found a gas station and “cocktail lounge” called Club Gas, never heard of such a thing. But, you can also get vodka shots at the gas station and this is still all too new to me. In Texas, can’t buy liquor on Sunday or after 9pm on every other day.

They also have really neat flowers here called Red Hot Pokers. I want to go to the local nursery to pick up some to plant at home.

Later this afternoon we drove to Tularosa and went to the Tularosa Vineyards for a little wine tasting. Jeff and I picked up a bottle of Sangiovese.

They have a winery mascot. He was the biggest yet sweetest dog I have ever met. Apparently he is 6 years old and has grown up on the winery.

On Monday we also went to the Relleno Bros Winery for a tasting and Jeff and I picked up Dolcetto del Cielo. So, I guess you could say we are having really good luck with finding wineries. The unfortunate truth is that there are absolutely no knitting or fiber stores in this area of New Mexico! I am very disappointed. So, I took my disappointment and spun with it…..with a little roving I brought up here. Good darn thing I did!

Okay, back to the Tularosa trip…I am getting a little out of order here. After the wine tasting we went to the Three Rivers Petroglyph site. My dad kept calling them, Pyroglyphs, ha!

It was about a one mile hike up a rocky cliff and the view was amazing on the way up.

We saw some really interesting petroglyphs.

After our afternoon hike, we stopped in at the Three Rivers Trading Post. Jeff and I talked with a nice Native American who told us about his Grandpa Four Bears and the traditions of his tribe, which goes back to the leather birds.


After our little mini day trip, we all headed back to the house and I cooked red trout, asparagus, and roasted sweet potatoes. We also had a little of that wine we got from the winery!

Cheers!

Waking Up In Ruidoso

Wow, there were 5 deer outside my window when I woke up this morning. By the time I got up, put my glasses on, and grabbed my camera, there was only one left.

Tonight I am sleeping with my camera on the nightstand so I can get a better picture tomorrow. Now I am sitting on the deck, sipping on coffee, reading my Spin Off mag and enjoying the weather.

I also had a few humming birds come visit. One hummed right by my head for about 15 seconds!

Cheers!

Going to New Mexico

It is the wee hours of the morning and we will have to wake up at the crack of dawn. My dad likes to get a freakishly early start. If I go to bed in the next 15 minutes, I will get a good solid 4 hours of sleep!

After many hours of cleaning, packing, taking the girls to the Vet's office for their vacation, and some yard work, I am beat. But, I do have to say, when I got home from work I had the most lovely surprise! Roving! A very sweet and thoughtful friend picked some up for me in Taos. It was such a fantastic surprise after a long week! Thank you!! I can't wait to start spinning. You know, I love roving, but I especially love roving from New Mexico. I think it carries the spirits with it.

So, what would any roving hoarder and spinner do? Pack it all up and take it to New Mexico!

My dad is going to have a coronary when he sees all of this.

I also thought my Mama and I would need a little pampering so I made a lavender sugar scrub to take along.

New Mexico, here I come!

It Is Time....

........to start spinning all that roving. Which leads me to my number one New Year's resolution. Spin all that roving!

So, that is what I have been doing. I have decided that not only is it time to start spinning all my roving, it is time to start knitting with my own handspun yarn. Not quite sure why I have not really done this before. I guess I have been concentrating too much on spinning and not on the gratification of knitting my own yarn. It is kinda cool really. To have made something all on my own from just mere fibers. Now all I need is a little Corriedale sheep! :-)

This is the yarn that I got from the Taos Sunflower. It is Copper and Berry Corriedale that I spun into 2 ply. I am knitting it into a little something for someone that I cannot say!

Cheers!