Where's the Bearded Lady?

Earlier today two of the great Quilting Broads came over, not to quilt, but to spin. Nary a patch was cut, not a seam was sewn. Instead, Liz, an expert quilter and darn good beginning knitter, spun up her initial offering to the Spinning Gods. This is something every new spinner must do. You spin something that looks like what the cat just coughed up, you look at it in dismay and toss it over your shoulder. A couple of weeks later you are laughing at your former frustration as the yarn slips smoothly past your fingers onto a bobbin just like water through the rocks of a mountain stream.

Kit joined us after a while, appearing out of the weeks-long rain like an apparition at my door; toting, instead of an umbrella, a wheel well suited to withstand intrepid pourdowns. I finally got a photo of it-- a self-customized Babe.

Can you believe it? It's a veritable masterpiece of spinning PVC wonder. Who wouldn't want one or seven of these, customized to fit every mood and weather condition?

Pat brought more examples of her fabulous fabric dyeing results (actually, she's using Dynaflow fabric paint, not dye) and tantalized my widening eyes with this beauty, on which she had used salt crystals to achieve the final effect:

For my part, aside from teaching Liz, I experimented with spinning tow flax top. I moistened my fingertips every so often, for I had read that the successful flax spinner should do this. It helps to smooth the fiber and bring out the shine, it is reported. It is not reported that it also helps to shrivel the skin on your fingertips and keep them cold-- a gaping omission, in my opinion. I finally got the hang of it-- very low twist and short drafting. Perhaps one day I'll spin up enough to weave something simple and elegant, like a burlap bag, or evening gown.

In case you were lying awake at night wondering if I ever got my fireplace painted, the answer is a qualified 'yes'. The Gray has promised to do the detail and touch-up work, but the majority is done and I have returned the room to a less chaotic state. Now you can sleep soundly once again.

As I write this, Harvey is jumping from one sofa to another while Grazzi makes her way around the room flinging anything she finds unanchored, making said object fly energetically across the room. I believe she is a reincarnated Olympic discus thrower. Meanwhile, Sherlock is running small circles around both of the giants, pretending to protect his place as head of the household.

I'm just wondering where I will find the bearded lady in the house.

Posted by Sheila at January 16, 2006 06:37 PM Posted to | TrackBack