Quick post--I'm still here!

I've been rather frantic for the last few days, trying to get ready to go on vacation and prepare for my classes at the Snake River Fiber Fair.

I can't believe how long it's taken me to get my handouts ready for my charting class! Thank goodness I had a bunch done from my lecture to the K.N.I.T. Guild (Knitting Needles In Tulsa) last month. I've also put together some samples and exercises, as I'll have people actually doing some charting in my class. It should be fun but it's taken me a lot longer to get everything ready than I'd anticipated. (Doesn't it always?) Hopefully people's eyes won't glaze over too much. LOL!

Our vacation is going to be a lot of fun! I just have to finish getting ready and then I can relax.

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Thanks so much to everyone who commented about my blogging. I go through phases where I think "why bother?" and then you wonderful people let me know why I do. :-)

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I'm getting close to finishing up the Shetland Tea Shawl. Well, I still have a lot to go but I'm almost to the edging. Six plain rounds and then I have to figure out what I'm going to do for the edging! Here's a pic of what I thought I'd do but I'm just not loving it:

The ruler is showing that the top edge (above the faggoting) is 8" so this is BIG. I love how big it is but I'm just not sure I'm going to love it on this shawl. I was hoping for something that was a bit more, well, regular--those big eyelets look somewhat random to me.

I'm thinking that a traditional Shetland pattern made into a border might be better. Back to the swatching, which is probably going to have to wait until we come back.

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Hopefully I'll be able to do a post or two while we're gone, but we'll see. I'm looking forward to being back in the west, and the gorgeous scenery.

Spinning and Snake River Fiber Fair

My awesome, wonderful sister who was probably tired of listening to me whine about how I didn't have any fiber to spin sent me some neat roving she picked up at a fiber fair a few weeks ago:

It's 89% Coopworth/11% silk noil and I'm having a blast spinning it up! The tag says it's called "King's Ransom."

I keep stopping, pulling some off the bobbin and letting it twist back on itself to see how the "real" yarn is going to be. I'm trying not to spin all this up right now so that I can enjoy the process, but it's so hard!! I keep telling myself "just fifteen more minutes, then I'll quit" and then it's been a half-an-hour. LOL!

Time is really getting away from me! I'll be teaching at the Snake River Fiber Fair this year in Idaho Falls, Idaho, and I need to start getting ready for that. I'll be teaching a three-hour class on using and making charts for knitting, as well as a three-hour class making jewelry for your knitting: abacus bracelets and stitch markers. It should be really fun! Unfortunately the other classes I'm interested in taking are on the same day, so that's a bummer. I'll be able to make the dinner on Saturday night and the spin in afterwards, though, so that's good.

For Christmas a few years ago I made my Dad a quilt with trombones on it, and my Mom entered it in a quilt show there in Idaho Falls. Turns out it got a rosette for "best use of theme!" My Mom says she took a picture but they're kinda busy enjoying Yellowstone so they haven't sent it yet. :-) Here's a picture from when they hung it up:


That's about all that's fit to post around here. I've got a sunburn from being outside all day practically yesterday (Ryan REALLY loves his new bike) so I'm kinda tired today. It's rainy today so it's a good day to stay inside and recover from yesterday.