Sunday, September 28, 2008

Back from the dead!

I'm back from the dead- a.k.a, writing my SIP, a.k.a. researching and writing 30 pages of original photonics work, a.k.a. having my brains smashed out with a gold brick wrapped in a slice of lemon.

IMG_2190

If I haven't linked her here before... this is the fantastic Holly, a.k.a. knitwithsnot. I was trying to give her big hair like the streetwalker lovely, beautiful high school student two tables down from us at Applebee's.

Holly is a professional zombie hunter. I, if you did not know, am a professional vampire slayer. This was a friendship that was simply meant to be.

We'd heard rumors of undead lurking in West Branch, MI, at the Northerm Michigan Lamb and Wool Festival. Since we have collectively cleared Kalamazoo of undead, we figured we would go lend a hand to anyone further up in the mitten.

After lopping off a few heads and staking a few vampires, we settled in to enjoy the fiber. We contributed our mad crochet skills to assembling a blanket for Hope Lodge:

IMG_2186

I also checked out this little gal for Shannon :

IMG_2187

Nope, not a vampire bunny. This little "broken chocolate" angora bun's going home with her :D

Shannon also had a surprise for me...

IMG_2192

... the RAMMSPINDLE :D :D :D I am soooooo happy to have this. It's one of her awesome Spinsanity Spindles, and the fiber is from Fibers by Em. I learned to spin by firelight (so no pictures of that awkwardness), and here is the product:

IMG_2199

Mah first yarn! I dunno what I'm going to make with it, but it will be awesome and I know it. I also got some other goodies from the fiberfest-

IMG_2193

Big, floofy, denimy batt of merino.

IMG_2194

My sweater. Yes, right now it is yarn, but it is my sweater. Briar Rose Fibers, lovely stuff... and that's 1200 yds.

IMG_2195

Two precious ounces of black alpaca. I'm going to get better at spinning before I try this one, it's going to be a cravat so I want a thinner yarn than I'm spinning on the Rammspindle now.

Also, since it's been a while, I owe everyone some project pictures. Since I'm lazy, I'm not digging up all my projects right now, so you just get my works in progress.

IMG_2196

I took these socks with me on the drive to West Branch and I have about 15 more minutes of work on them. This translates to, "Jax, just finish your Japanese homework and GRAFT THE TOE!!"

IMG_2197

A shapeless thing. This is actually the majority of the body of Rogue. It's made from recycled yarn so it is very eco-friendly and cost-effective.

IMG_2198

Bayerische socks. These actually take concentration, hence they go slow.

I'm fatigued now... more entertaining later :D