US Postal Service

Remember the days when it was exciting to go to the mailbox and get the mail? Wonderful things always came in the mail... letters from friends and family, mail order packages, Sears Roebuck catalog... it was all good.

Now, I'm all grown up, and between the responsibilities of being an adult and the commonplace usage of email, the only thing that ever comes in the mail is bills. However, I have a plan for that. If I can get my letters online, why not my bill statements? I pay all my bills online, so my mailbox is a lot less depressing. Now, when there's something in my mailbox, it's usually something fun. Last week was a good week. The mailman brought three skeins of sock yarn - like I need more sock yarn! But this is Dream In Color Smooshy, and I didn't have any of that. The colors are just beautiful, and I can't wait until the next round of Sock Madness so I can use one of them. I also got some new knitting needle tips for my Harmony Options set from Knit Picks. Definitely a good mail week.

As good as last week was, yesterday was ten times better because I got two wonderful packages on the same day. So, instead of a good mail week, I had one awesome mail day.


The first package contained a brand new set of earphones for my iPod with custom-molded ear buds. Why go to the trouble and expense of getting custom earphones? Well, there are several reasons - better sound, not having your sound bleed out and annoy those in your general vicinity, and not having the noise being made by those same people drown out the music coming through the earbuds. Those are all good reasons, but they could be obtained with a set of quality Shure buds. The primary reason for going custom is that those earbuds are also hearing protectors that will provide about 45db noise reduction. Many competitive shooters use music to keep the mind focused during competition, but when using music, you can't ignore hearing protection. I have a set of Shure buds, and they have great sound, but they provide next to no hearing protection when discharging a firearm. These new custom ear budsaccomplish both tasks and look good in the process - beauty, function, and protection. Awesome!

The second package contained a new drop spindle. I know... I'm working on building a business making drop spindles, and I do have a turkish model in my offering. Why would I ever buy one made by someone else? I'll tell you why. The turkish models I'm making are about 5-6" in height with 3-3.5" arms. They're small enough to be easily portable and hover in the 1-2 ounce weight range. They're also beautiful because I use only pretty wood.

I was intrigued by this little fella from the first moment I saw it online. I don't make anything this small, and I really don't plan to start. That doesn't change the fact that I wanted one. It's the kuchulu model from Jenkins Woodworking, and it's much, much smaller than my hand. The shaft is ebony is only 3" tall. The arms are holly, and the combination of black and white is striking. It only weighs 10 grams - can you believe it?!? This thing flies like it has wings. This is the first spindle I've ever purchased. Ever since I learned what a drop spindle was, I've always made my own... and not just a chop stick and a CD model. I went right for the quality offerings from the very beginning. I gotta tell you, I couldn't be happier with this purchase. Ed did a wonderful job on this "shrinky dink" turkish spindle, and knowing what I do about the effort and skill it takes to make something like this, it's well worth the price. I absolutely love it!

So, what came in your mail box today?

Springtime In Texas

Well, it's been two months since my first post. Guess I don't quite have this blogging thing down yet. It's been a busy two months indeed. It's springtime here in Texas, and there are wildflowers everywhere. This is one of the best times to be here. Everything is green... and blue, and orange, and red, and yellow, and purple, etc. The weather is great for getting off the couch and doing things. Here's what I've been up to since my last update...

WOODWORKING

My parents spent the winter down here, and one of things Daddy and I worked on was a rocking horse I had started this past fall. She's being made out of 3" thick walnut with curly maple accents for the mane and tail. She's turning out beautiful.

We also cranked out some drop spindles. Daddy took a turn at turning the shafts while I worked on the whorls. We made about 10 spindles of various types. Five of them have already been sold at the local yarn shop (LYS), and there are about 10 more to finish up. Susan at Yarnorama gets her first pick, then I'll post the rest for sale on Etsy.

SPINNING

I'm now officially in love with small Turkish style spindles. Daddy and I experimented with making some, and I now have almost an ounce of BFL spun up on one made of Desert Ironwood - one of my favorite woods. This fiber is so soft, and beautifully dyed by my friend Kennedy. I've also got some ruby red Merino that I'm spinning on my walnut top whorl. That fiber is destined to be a shawl. I also tried out one of my new tiny turks made from a bamboo cuttingo board. At 1.25 ounces, it's quite a bit lighter than my Desert Ironwood spindle, which weighs 2 oz. Before I knew it, I had a good start on one of the first rovings I ever bought - a beautiful light blue mix of alpaca, merino, and silk and splashes of charcoal. It's spinning up a lot easier than I remembered it. I'm able to get nice even singles now, whereas before, I got a thick, ugly mess. Guess I've come a long way in my spinning ability... either that, or it's the exceptional spindles I'm using made by yours truly.

KNITTING

This is where I've been the most busy. Sock Madness is in full swing, and round 3 just finished early this morning. I'm quite surprised that I'm still in it. I'm on the "Anne of Green Cables" team, and as of this morning, we're down to 20 knitters on each team - there are four teams in all. The first rounds was a sideways sock. Instead of being knit from cuff to toe or vice versa, it's knit flat from side to side and then grafted down the length of the sock. It looks pretty cool, but because stockinette has very little vertical stretch to it and the rules of Sock Madness at the time wouldn't allow me to increase the number of rows, it was knit to an 8" foot circumference. Mine is 9" with a high instep. So, these beautiful socks have absolutely no chance of fitting a normal Brock foot - nor that of any of my friends. Unfortunately, they're destined to be frogged.

Round 2 was colorwork - a beautiful pattern from YarnYenta (Heatherly Walker) called Cool Beans. I haven't done colorwork since I made a cardigan in college. And back then, I did the stranding too tight. Guess what? Not much has changed in 20 years. Sock 1 was too small, so I said I would give the socks to my sister. I guess I got the hang of it, though, because sock 2 worked out perfectly and fit me. The good news is that I slipped into the next to last position on my team for that round, but I've got two orphans that look similar, but fit two different people. I'm either destined to make two more of these or frog one and knit one more - probably the latter. Care to guess who gets them? Sorry, Linda.

Round 3 just ended, and I was one of the early finishers. Finally, a nice, stretchy lace pattern called GAMs from TheDrollEclectic (Taya Schram). I used a hank of sock yarn I got at Christmas time in Michigan from Threadbear Fiber Arts. This yarn is hand-dyed by the shop ownder, Rob Matyska, and it's gorgeous. Nice, very short repeats so that there's no discernible pooling or, God forbid, striping. Love it! My favorite sock so far in this madness.

Other than socks, I'm doing the SheKnits (Sharon Dreifuss) Mystery Knit-A-Long #3. It's a beaded, lace shawl. The pattern is sent out in six clues. The fun is that you don't know what it will look like until you knit the clue. Not knowing ahead of time what I'll get is a huge learning curve for me. It's good for a lot of knitters, though. If you show them a beaded shawl and say "knit this", they might say "I can't do that. I'm not good enough yet." But, if you give them a clue and say "knit this" and it's only a series of knits, purls, yarnovers, knit two together, etc., they just do it. And before they know it, they've done lace. And for the advanced techniques like making a bobble or beading, Sharon creates these videos that show you exactly how to do them. I highly recommend her KALs. They're fun, and the designs, whether they end up being a felted bag or a shawl, are always beautiful.

SHOOTING

I've participated in two registered trapshoots since my last blog update. Let's just pretend that I did well, which I didn't, and that I'm still qualified for A class, which I'm not. Taking four months off from competing was hard, but financially required. However, starting back up is even harder. May will be a busy month for me in my shooting life. I'm sure there will be many wonderful things to write about next month.

That's it for now. Make it a great day!

Introduction

Welcome to my first ever blog posting. For this initial foray into the world of blogging, I'll just introduce myself. And the best way to tell you about me is to explain my blog title.

Guns, Fiber, and Sawdust
My three favorite activities. Where all my non-work time is spent, and where all my non-budget money goes. They're my obsessions... my life... the most important things to me outside my family.

GUNS
I grew up in a shooting family, and our sport has always been primarily trapshooting. While I also shoot skeet, sporting clays, pistol, rifle, and dove and quail hunt every season, my obsession will always be ATA (Amateur Trapshooting Association) trapshooting. I love it. I've been competing since March of 2007. Last year, I bought a small 18" travel trailer that I tow all over Texas to different ATA registered shoots. I can't begin to describe the joy and fun I've had so far competing in this sport. I've met the most amazing people, and have the honor to call them fellow competitors and friends. They epitomize the meaning of sportsmanship. I've also been blessed to have experienced some success in this sport. In fact, I just found out yesterday (officially) that I made the TTA (Texas Trapshooting Association) Ladies' State Team for the second year in a row. Last year, I finished third. This year, I finished second. My goal this next year is finish in first place and captain the ladies' team. Considering the caliber of women currently shooting ATA trap in the state of Texas, this is a very tall goal.

FIBER
I love all things fiber. I was taught in my early teen years to crochet and knit by family members. My entire family has always been crafty, and I guess it was inevitable that I inherit this bug. Over the years, I taught myself the arts of tatting, crochet, quilting, and cross stitch - mostly from reading books. And the simple dishcloth or potholder patterns hold absolutely no interest for me. I want the hard stuff. I was doing fair isle colorwork and cables back in college as a way to destress from classes. I work my cross stitch on 24-36 count even weave (can't stand Aida cloth). I've worked some amazingly detailed Christmas stockings. Two so far. One for me, and one for my sister. After college, I mostly crocheted. A few baby blankets for the those friends blessed in starting their own families. Mostly, I crocheted Christmas stuff in #10 bedpsread cotton. The more intricate, the better.

In July of last year, though, after a few years' hiatus, I got bit by the knitting bug again... HARD! It started with an innocent project class with my Mom while visiting family in Michigan. We both liked the tote bag patterns being taught, and we thought it would be a good way to spend Mom/Daughter time. It turned out to be Mom/Daughter/Sister/Cousin time (even better!). The end result is that I got bit, and I've been going full steam ever since.

I'm now completely in love with making hand-knit socks and lace shawls. Don't know when I'll ever use a shawl, but I've got two in progress with plans for a dozen more. I guess it's the challenge of knitting lace. It's so beautiful.

I also got bit recently by the spinning bug. A friend at my knitting group, Kennedy, usually brings her spinning wheel with her. When I first met her, I would just stare, fascinated. One week, she pulled out a drop spindle and started spinning using that. She showed it to me, and I thought "I can make that in my woodshop". Once I made a spindle, I had to learn to use it. How else could I tell if I made it right?? She has since convinced me that instead of continuing to search for the perfect shade of red yarn to make a particular shawl, I should instead buy 8 oz of merino roving that just happened to be the perfect color of red, and spin the yarn myself. I've almost got my first full spindle of singles, and it's going very well.

SAWDUST
As you might have guessed when I talked about making my own drop spindle, I love making sawdust. I have a woodshop that makes most men jealous. I mostly work with the lathe and the scroll saw. The more intricate the project, the more I want to do it. I've got a couple things in progress, including a very large wall hanging of The Lord's Prayer and a large walnut rocking horse. My current obsession, though, happens to be making drop spindles.

After making that first one, I kept making them. I would bring them to knit group, and Kennedy would test drive each one and give me pointers on how to improve them. Her help was invaluable in so many ways. Each time she pointed out a way to improve, I learned, not just how to make a better spindle, but how to actually use the darn thing. Now, it appears that I'm on the cusp of having myself a start-up business. I made a set of five drop spindles in November of 2009 and took them to Kennedy to test drive. She snatched up one for herself right away (must be I did okay). The rest I took out to Yarnorama in Paige, TX. Susan, the owner, bought them all and is selling them in her shop. Now I'm working out the kinks in establishing an efficient production line so that i can make several more. The working name of my new business is JB Woodworks, but that is subject to change. One google search on that name turns up way too many matches. I think I need something more unique... but first, let's get the next batch made.

I attended a Christmas party out at Yarnorama this year, and one of the things we did was write down our fiber goals for 2010. One of mine was to spin my ruby roving and knit my bleeding hearts shawl. Another was to knit the Aeolian Shawl. Another was to make and sell 100 drop spindles. Guess I better get busy...