WHERE HAS A YEAR GONE?

It has been over a year since I have found time to post to my blog. A lot has happened over the year. First off, my SO and I retired from GM. It might not have been the right time financially but my health and body are happy we did. No more being forced to do a job that causes injury and much pain. No more having to work crazy hours and drive in blinding snow storms late at night. Just before we retired I purchased a pop-up camper. Now that gas is so high it is perfect for us to take to the fiber festivals and camping. We save money on hotels so we can afford the gas. The first time we went camping was to the Northern Michigan Sheep and Wool Show in West Branch last fall. The fairgrounds there has a very nice campground. We took Herman (our dog) with us and he was such a good little camper. It was great to stay right on site so we could check Herman every hour. When Poppa got tired of all the wool he would take Herman for long walks.

Last fall I joined the knit group at Twisted Warp & Skein in Merrill, MI. We get together every Tuesday night from 6 to 9. It is great group and makes for a nice night out. I have spent most of my knitting time making socks. I have also spent a great deal of time learning to spin my own yarn. I am still having a hard time making a consistant sock weight yarn but it is getting much better.

During the last year my spinning flock gained a new member. Last spring we purchased Scooter. He is a white Angora Rabbit. Bunny love is the only way to describe him. Did you know that buns yawn when they wake up? Then Scotter does this stretching excersise. He does his front legs first and then his back legs. After that he hops around his cage and finds one of his toys to play with. I could watch him all day. About 6 months after getting him my allergies kicked in and I can no long hold him and snuggle. I have to wear a mask and goggles just to groom him. Poppa to the rescue again. He is very good about taking care of Scooter and spending time with him. I took a class last fall to learn how to spin angora. I just love spinning it but I will only be able to spin Scooters wool outside in the summer.

The year has centered around my passion for knitting and spinning. This spring was our second year to attend Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. We camped at Rambling Pines Campground in Woodbine, MD just 10 minutes away from Howard County Fairgrounds. We stayed for a whole week. The weather was just perfect. It got a little cool late at night and I had to put the heater on. During the day it got up into the 80's. This years festival was especially great because of all the Ravelry activities. Jess and Casey held meet-ups each day and a big party at the Sheraton on Saturday night. It was a great festival. We got to see friends we made the year before and made new ones too. I didn't have a long shopping list like last year and didn't think I would buy much.

The item that was on the top of my shopping list is the one thing I came home without. I wanted a set of lace stretchers to block a shawl. Hope to find some at Allegan this fall. Here is a picture of my stash before I unpacked it. I will post pictures of individual items later. We have been busy every weekend since we got back home. We have been to two rabbit shows, a horse show, a art show and an antique show. During the weeks we have gone up north for more Targhee wool, helped with my friends sheep shearing and had the llamas sheared. Tomorrow we are off to a computer show and a graduation party.

The MS&W festival was over on Sunday but we stayed and spent Monday and Tuesday in Sterling, VA to see the new grandbaby. Grandpa had a good time spoiling and bonding with baby Jake. This is a blended family with three sons. My son and Poppa's two boys. We both have a Brian. Here is a picture of three generations of boys.