A few days later the snowman took a bow, a humongous bow. Actually it looks like he's looking at his weenie. If we weren't on a busy road I'd add another carrot just to drive Jim crazy. Yes, he's back too.

Let's just say he's bowing to 2007. Here's to finishing grad school and renewing my marriage. For the first time in my life I have a job I love AND I'm done with school. No more degrees and no more have to gets, just life. I've been celebrating ever since by knitting, spinning, sewing, and organizing my knitting, spinning and sewing. All I want to do is stay home. I've been cooking and backing, I even made bread!

Cheers everyone!

What is it now, a year later. No matter, finally said apron is done and and will be shipped off tomorrow. I used the same fabric plus a Lady Bug accent which I hope will reignite Joachim's Lady Bug craze.

I think it's cruel to deny your crafty sibling the opportunity to shower you with handmade lovelies. Unless of course he thinks my handmade lovelies are crummy....

Nah! He would have told me by now.

When I was halfway past the heel the colors started to look familiar. I remembered a photo I took at the conservatory in Golden Gate park a couple of weeks ago.

I would never have put those colors together and yet there they are, out in the world. Eons before self patterning sock yarns I'm sure.

While I was working out the feather and fan variation in my head I finished another pair plus a baby hat.

Again self patterning sock yarn. It makes beautiful baby hats. Now I need to write, and post, the patterns for the variation and for what to do with leftover sock yarn. And there's always leftover sock yarn. I think I might try a purse with a clasp.

My latest finished project is my favorite. I'm particularly proud of this one. I spun the yarn myself. The solid color came from a merino, mohair blend from Tall Grass Farm dyed with Gaywools. The variegated is some beautiful roving from Toni's.

It was one of those stop and go projects. I'm not a cable girl and there was a bit of piecing to do. I'd like to rewrite it in the round. I have two aprons to make before I can send it off. And the Epic? I'm on Pattern 13 of 92. I just got enough yarn to finish the project.

Summer is turning out to be as magical as I thought it would. Of course I've only shared recent successes. There's a bit of unintentionally felted lace I should share. Later. Definitely later.

Unlike the Dear Jane quilt and the Civil War Diary quilt, patterns and fabric bought and untouched, I’ve worked on the knitted sampler everyday since I opened the book. While the project is still young, I’m on Pattern 6 of 91, I find myself reaching for it all the time.

Partly because I want to teach lace again, this time with my own patterns and my own instructions. Partly because I'm learning so much. This project is perfect because I can try out a variety of patterns, gauge their difficulty and applicability, and make adjustments as I go. I just can’t do that from a picture. I need to knit the pattern before I can design with it. It's a trait that used to drive my bosses crazy when I developed software. I always had to develop a piece before I could plan the whole.

I’m not the least bit interested in changing! It wasn’t until I started knitting seriously that I began to finish things. Not just knitted things, but work things and home things and school things. I don’t know if it’s

1) the portability
2) the acceptance that projects need a break from you as much as you need a break from them
3) the stockpiling of projects
4) the balance between easy and difficult, short and long, classic and new fangled

but when I approach life like I knit, I get loads of stuff done.

This project scores two out of three on the frugality scale. I borrowed the book from the library, used KnitPicks yarn from my stash BUT I just had to try the new addi Turbo Lace needles. Toni just go them in. The points are great The cable is so fantastic you forget it's there. They're very lightweight. The only thing is a slight ringing in my ears when I use them. ???

Compared to other stashes I’ve heard and read about, I never thought I had much of a problem. However, the recent combination of the blues, a non existent budget, and the persistent notion that I can save money by making everything I need has turned a few fiber/fabric related excursions into piles, piles, piles of interesting projects; so many piles in fact that I have officially exceeded the capacity of my sewing room. The priciest ones are of course my well intentioned attempts at frugality.

Frugal Attempt #1 - How about purchasing raw fiber and processing it myself? What a great idea! First purchase 3 ½ pounds of raw Shetland fiber at the bargain price of $5 a pound. Then a carder, used, because hand carding is too hard on my hands. And an electronic scale, 20% off at Bed & Beyond, to measure, and later dye, TAH DAH 8 1/8 ounces of clean smelling wool, still sprinkled with vegetable matter.

Lessons Learned – Raw fiber is gross. It smells and requires many baths. The smell is so off putting that I was perhaps too vigorous in my cleansing efforts. After drying, I ended up with wads, yes wads and wads of wool that was sometimes soft and easy to comb, most times rough and full of non woolly bits. I had to comb it first with Claire’s wire dog brush before I could feed it into the carder. I must admit the combing was strangely soothing. I suspect that the fleece needed serious skirting first. And more determination on my part, hence the measly 14% return on raw weight. I refuse to calculate the price per ounce, it’s too embarrassing. Suffice to say that I need to process about a dozen shetlands before I can call the frugal aspect of the project a success.

This is it after cleanup:

Only nine boxes more to go. I'm trying to do at least two a day. I let it go so badly last year I have to weed heavily. Imagine digging up a partially felted Aran out of the soil. Normally I don't have to weed at all but like I said, I let it go last year. Once I'm done I'll have room for 169 plants.

Claire helped. She helped alot. So much in fact she required two baths in as many days. In addition to the vegetable garden, I plan on starting a herb garden, a dye garden and a sunflower forest.

I know, a bit amibtious. But it's amazing what a little fresh air and sunshine will do.

I was also frugal! Well, controlled. I got the buttons at JoAnn for $7.72 instead of the $45 hand fired lovelies I've been coveting.

I also finished the Cobblestone quilt. I totally winged this one. I'm pretty good at that, especially when the fabrics call to me. The colors look surprisingly good on the dining room table. I'll be paying A Pieceful Gathering a visit really soon to get this baby machine quilted. And I decided to teach quilting again. I feel like I'm coming back to life. I'm finishing unfinished things and ideas for new projects are piling up.

Okay here are more reasons to love teaching. First yesterday was a Snow Day. Okay? Like snow, like bed, like hot chocolate, like knitting and spinning ALL DAY LONG. Then today I got Valentine goodies from my students. My husband and I are no longer together so this expression of sweetness was so unexpected and so absolutely beautiful that I feel no matter what happens, I'll be okay. I'll be better than okay. I'll be loved and love in return.

A few things happened in quick succession. First I got the latest issue of Wild Fibers. I turned quickly to the results of the Buffalo Gold Fiber Contest and fell in love with the winning shawl. Then I went to The Fold to teach lace. My student was a no show, which gave me plenty of time to look in on other classes. I don't know if it's Toni or the fiber but that place always attracts the smartest, funniest, most interesting people. It's hard to stay away and it's wretching to leave. It's a mecca for hilarity I tell you. If you haven't gone yet you're missing out on a special kind of happy. So GO! You're crazy not to.

Then, as I was leaving, I picked up two ounces of Buffalo Gold. In addition to two new books (Homespun Handknit and Hands on Spinning), logs for the fire, a bakery fresh baguette and some yummy brie. And oh yea, some hot chocolate and Baileys and daffodils dammit. I haven't splurged in a long while. Besides it is bitter cold as in below zero, without windchill, and the wind, she is blowing hard. So yesterday and today I spun American Bison by a roaring fire and ate Ring Dings.

It was a good day! It was an American Day!

I don't know if I'll get my family back. But at least I know my heart still works. I still love and am loved in return.

I bought a tree but I haven't decorated it yet. Actually that's not true. I did add one ornament. A sign of times to come. I hope. What is a happy sheep with bunny slippers if not the epitome of comfort.

I miss my life. There's so much I don't care about and so little I do. The only knitting that calls to me now are shawls. Long, repetitive, strips of comfort...

Adult reality hit hard. When the girls whimpered and I went downstairs to let them out, I couldn't open the door for all the snow. Deva loves a challenge but Claire was at a loss. Her small stature demands clear paths. The shovel was found, pitiful paths were made and now I have to add boots and gloves to my shopping list. No fiber, no fabric and the only skill I'll be adding this weekend is learning how to operate the snow blower.

P.S. It's not that Claire didn't try. It's just that her digging ability doesn't apply to snow. It only applies to the dirt underneath the snow.