Hot

It's about 90 degrees here in my apartment, but I'm trying my hardest not to turn on the AC.  It will be worth in when the electric bill comes in.  The solution so far has been shorts/tank top and ice water.  It's cooler at night...

Texas spring has been so sweet this year!  We had an abundance of rain, so it was the BEST season for wildflowers.  There were tons of bluebonnets, indian paintbrushes, and indian blanket flowers.  I love the way you'll look out and see fields awash in spectacular pink and yellow.  Everywhere are pastures covered in deep, dark bluebonnets surrounding island-like oak trees.   Even the thistles have their quaint purple spiky charm.

I love Texas highways in spring.  Thank you Ladybird Johnson!

Too bad that can't last.  We're headed into the hot times.  I adore the Texas Folklife Festival in San Antonio.  It's a HUGE event spanning several days on the grounds of the Institute of Texan Cultures in which there are multicultural food booths and performances, as well as pioneer themed crafts and performances.  Last year at the festival it was 105 degrees all day.  This was exceedingly unpleasant and forced me to eat too many snowcones.  I hope it isn't quite that hot this year, because I can't not go. I look forward to it all year.

Okay, so I need to finished this post.  My laptop is blowing hot air on me, and that just isn't gonna fly. 

My BFL came in the mail.  I think I'm in love.

Fiber porn

Oooooohhhh Yeah.

Shawls

I have been inspired by this book.  I think my thin purple merino is going to become this shawl (it's a Ravelry pic, so you probably have to be a member to see it).  I haven't measured my wraps per inch yet, but I will do this today when I go to lunch.  Hopefully it is fingering weight.  It is pretty darn thin. 

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Update:  I think it's LACE weight.  This could be even better!  I haven't measured it very precisely yet, though.  Didn't have a ruler to measure it around.

Scatterbrained rambling

So today I realized that I spin much more efficiently if I hold the fiber in my right hand and roll the spindle down my leg with my left hand.  I used to be stuck in park and draft.  No more!  I still have a spinning wheel on my wish list, though.  I started a savings envelope today.  It is still very, very empty.  I'm going to put sparkles on it.

I always thought I would want a traditional looking spinning wheel.  There have been lots of walking wheels put on craigslist and antiques which may or may not be fully functional.  The truth is that I don't have any experience with spinning wheels and I would not be able to evaluate anything I would find on craigslist.  So I'm aiming for new.  I've read loads of good things about the Fricke s160, plus it looks like it doesn't take up too much space.  And it's relatively (this is the key word here) inexpensive.  Compared to so many other wheels.  I thought about getting a Babe....but they're made of PVC pipe.  That just doesn't look as classy (although it would match my niddy noddy).

We are FINALLY all moved into our new apartment.  This moving business really cut into my craft time--almost NO crafting whatsoever for almost two weeks.  Today at work I looked at a crapload of spindle smut.  This tempted me to bust out my dowel-turned-spindle and my bag of gorgeous, gorgeous merino fiber (with that gorgeous, gorgeous luster).  I even ordered some more undyed fiber today from a little shop in Navasota, Tx on Etsy (with free shipping!  Yay!).  Next time I go through Navasota to the Renaissance Festival I am DEFINITELY stopping there!  It's about 4 hours from San Antonio, though.  Okay, back to the subject.  I ordered 8 oz of blue faced leicester.  So far I have only spun with merino/silk, merino and corriedale.  It's all about broadening my horizons. 

I need to finish and dye the corriedale I already have on my niddy noddy. 

My new apartment is niiiiiccceeeeeee.  I call it my treehouse.  The balcony is made from wood and has a big ash tree branch hanging over it.  I strapped a bird feeder to the railing so I can watch the birds fight all day.  So far I've gotten sparrows and fat doves.  I would love it if those doves would sit in the tree outside the window and sing their sweet melodies.  We've also got a nest of mud swallows with eggs in their nest. 

And last thing:  after devouring almost a whole pan of phenomenal brownies (courtesy of the hubby and his generous dashes of nuts and semi-sweet chocolate chips) I realized that all my clothes are getting really tight.  Time to cut back.  I can never just let this go on and buy clothes in the next size up because wearing loose clothing encourages me to go ahead and eat more ice cream until those clothes get tight.  All I can do is start running again.  Ay chingao.

Apartment Therapy

Short stature-->can't reach top of window-->inaccurate measurements-->curtains too short.

Enter sewing machine.  Accompanied, of course, by the almighty Seam Ripper and ribbon-turned-tabs.

Failure evolved into success.  Gotta love that.  I want to embellish them with buttons, but I did not have them.  This was my first time standing and sewing.  It was aaaaaawwwweeeeesome.  I love this material.  It is strewn with little rosies.

And one last AMAZING thing.  Yesterday as we were leaving our apartment complex I spotted a box filled with goodies next to the dumpster.  It contained all of Rachel's favorite things--it was almost like someone left it just for me.  It contained:  books (including Memoirs of a Geisha which I have been wanting to read), a tart burner, plastic pastel gingham silverware (oh yes!), picture frames (including one with a DIY pained paper mosaic which I refuse to throw away), two pens, a yellow vase, and a completely unopened-straight-from-the-UK-tin-of-Earl-Grey.

Thank you garbage fairies!

Cute house for sale

There is a house that I love in Lytle.  Every time I drive by it I say, "I want that house."  It's just a cozy looking small house that is green with red trim.  It always has flowers growing all around it.

Today when I drove by I noticed a for sale sign.  So I went onto the realtor's website and looked at the inside pictures.  It made me want it even more--it's my ideal dream house.  I like their antique furniture.

Too bad I'm poor.  I guess it's not meant to be.  At least I got to see inside at least once.  Its flaw is that it is only on a half acre and that the price is ridiculously high for an old, tiny house.

My future llamas will need more room than that :).

Purple merino

I went to Yarnivore today.  San Antonio has two yarn shops (other than Hobby Lobby/Michaels).  Only Yarnivore sells spinning supplies.  They don't have the hugest supply of fiber but everyone there is very nice and it is good to have the option of buying fiber locally and not having to wait on shipping.

I bought some simply gorgeous purple Merino.  It's the color of mountain laurel blooms, but does not smell like grape Kool-aid.