Drum Carder, etc etc

Wow it's been a long time since I updated this blog, and much has happened, we have settled into our new home in Reno, Nevada and we love it here so far! Yours truly here has obtained a spinning wheel, and most recently a drum carder (yay), there it is above. LOVE IT! I am carding away, blending fibers, creating original colored handspun yarns, and having a good time. I would highly recommend a "Fancy Kitty" drum carder to anyone who is considering purchasing one. It is soundly made, excellent construction, and quite rugged and ready to be the workhorse I will need it to be! More coming soon, new yarns in my Etsy and Ebay shops this week!

Reno or Bust! ~ON THE ROAD ACROSS COUNTRY~!

I am writing this blog entry a couple days later than "real time" so while we are actually finished with day two of our road trip, I am writing about two days ago (Sunday) when we actually packed up the truck. Last night I was just too spent to even start but before I get too many pictures and stories to tell I better start the road trip diary.

This is our 24' diesel powered moving truck, AFTER we got it unstuck from the dirt in the front yard! No sooner did we get the truck and drive it home, it got stuck in the loose dirt in our driveway and we had to get the tow truck operator that lived next door to us to help us get it unstuck! ARGHHHH!!! Not a fun way to start out a cross-country trip. It took about two hours to finally get it out of the deep soil but we finally got started packing it up for our trip. We had WAY too much stuff for a 24' truck. I am ashamed I have amassed so much stuff! We had to leave behind some furniture and my magazine collection in order to have enough room for everything. It was miserably hot, humid and sunny and I thought I might pass out a few times but phew we got it done finally!

We had to pack and then repack the back of the truck several times to rearrange things so they would fit. Everyone was frustrated with the heat and the seemingly endless job of loading one box after another, and trying to make odd-shaped furniture fit in such a way that space was used most efficiently. Wow, quite the experience!

Here is the truck in our yard, almost ready to hit the road! It's a 2006 International diesel engine hauling machine! We went with Budget because of the good online reviews from others who have used them.

Truck interior, nicer than I expected!

I am sad to report that my son, who helped us pack the van and lift the furniture and heavy stuff, decided at the last moment he didn't want to come with us on the trip. He and Scott had some harsh words, egos were bruised, and my son just decided he was going to take off and disappear just prior to our leaving. I was deeply disappointed, and now very worried about his welfare since he didn't tell me where he was going or what he was planning to do. He is 25 years old, and technically an adult, but he's got a lot of growing up to do since he's never been on his own before. I can only hope he comes to his senses soon and contacts me so things can be made right.

This unfortunate situation made it hard to leave Monday morning, but leave we did. I am hoping and praying he finds his way back home, but in typical mother fashion, I *WILL* worry about him.

Tomorrow.... day one on the road!

My First Handspun Yarn

It's my very first handspun yarn! In between all the packing and all the things I have been doing to get ready to move soon, I have actually picked up my spindle and spun my very first ball of yarn! I've been thinking about doing this for a while now, but each time I seriously get ready to do it, I chickened out, fear of doing it wrong I suppose. But I decided to dip my toes in the water and just go for broke! I was inspired by Abby Franquemont (who has her own book called "Respect the Spindle") and her video on You Tube showing the basics of how to spin. It's actually easier than I thought it was going to be, and I took to it like a duck to water!

Granted, my first batch of yarn is overspun in most places, very very thick and thin and totally uneven, but hey, I DID IT! I am sure I'll get better with time, but using a spindle isn't as hard as I had anticipated it might be (hence the fear LOL). I have been wanting to get a spinning wheel for the longest time now but finances just won't allow it right now, so instead of dwelling on not being able to buy a wheel, I figured I would get myself started on a spindle, like women have been doing for centuries on end, well before the spinning wheel even came into existence.

Once I got my head wrapped around the idea that "WHEN THE FIBER SPINS, IT HOLDS TOGETHER AND MAKES YARN" I felt like I got over a huge hurdle in my path to spinning glory. I was having problems imagining how the fluffy fiber that pulls apart so easily could turn into strong twisted yarn, but is's all in the TWIST! Something changes when the fiber is spun, it really is a bit "magic". The other thing I didn't "get" until I actually did it was the twist of the fiber and how to prevent it from coming unspun again. It's all in setting the twist when you are done spinning it. Once the yarn has gotten wet and then dries again, it's like the spinning has set and it doesn't come unspun as I had worried it might. Thank you Abby for your book and the fantastic videos on YouTube.

Now to crochet something with my new yarn. I have no idea how much yardage this is, I know it isn't much because I was pretty much just spinning odd ends and leftover fibers rather than a long strand of roving. I used tons of colors and different kinds of fiber in this yarn, it should be fun to crochet with. I can see right now though that Merino is the sweetest fiber to spin, it spins up really easily.

Pre-Moving Chaos

WE GOT OUR AAA TRAVEL STUFF! In the mail today we got all our maps and a "tour book" of Nevada and Northern California! Yahoo! I haven't actually opened the maps yet, because maps are one of those crazy things that once you open it, it's near impossible to get it folded exactly like it was and it NEVER FOLDS FLAT AGAIN! Anyone else notice this phenomenon? SOOOOO, I am leaving the maps alone until we are actually ready to hit the road! It's so exciting, but what isn't so exciting is all the stuff we have yet to pack to ready for moving!

Last night we continued to pack our books, computer games, DVD's, and other small-ish items that can fit neatly into bins. We are nowhere *NEAR* done of course, it seems we just made a small dent in things, even after using all 15 of the plastic bins I purchased at the beginning of this month. So we are going to buy about 25 more tomorrow at Wally World... that ought to take care of most of the stuff that could be packed into the bins neatly for easy stacking and moving. This is a photo of yet even MORE of my books that we have yet to pack. Yes folks, there's MORE! MUCH MORE!

Ah yes, my yarn stash. We have not even begun to tackle this and it is quite a job! Sort-of like packing up a small yarn store to be moved! It's all really light though, unlike the books. Even a LOT of yarn doesn't amount to much weight. Note the meshed storage cubes I used for these, got them at TARGET! (Le Tar-jay)

So we are planning on renting a 17-foot U-Haul truck to move with. Do you think that will be enough space? We don't have a lot of furniture, but a fair amount... has anyone else ever used the 17' size for their moving? How big is it really? I do worry that we won't have enough space in the truck. It's hard to know just how much we will have to be moving until it's all packed up and ready for loading.

I love my bins! They stack so nicely and neatly, and Scott has a nice heavy-duty dolly that he used to use when he was doing music gigs (for hauling around all the equipment with) so we can get stuff into and out of the truck as easily as it can be done (vs. having to pick up each heavy bin and carry it on the truck, one by one). WE HAVE TOO MUCH STUFF! That is no secret, but hey it only seems like too much when you have to move it across the country! We are hoping to roll out of Florida here within 10-14 days from now, depending on whether our home sells as quickly as we hope it will.

I've Got Bins... And I'm Not Afraid to Use Them!

Okay so everyone knows I have a lot of stuff. AND they know I am a packrat. But a messy packrat I am *NOT* so I have purchased 15 storage bins from Wally world and I am going to start packing my things in there in a nice organized way. When these 15 are filled, I will buy 15 more to pack even more of my stuff. How does one person end up with SO MUCH STUFF????

Well, for one thing, both of my beloved parents have passed on, and I have inherited all of their stuff, of which I have given away or tossed over half of, and the other half means too much to me to toss, or it has vintage value and could be put up for sale on Etsy. I also inherited some furniture from them that is still located at my ex-husband's house (it's been there for the last 5 years because our home now is too small for it!) and he has been good enough to store it for free for me.

I own a gorgeous Heywood Wakefield set that goes with me everywhere, and the furniture at my ex's house is mostly teak wood that we got when my father was stationed overseas in Taiwan. So it's not cheap furniture or "throw away" type thrift store stuff. It was expensive back in the 1960's when it was purchased, and it's worth more now, plus I *GREW UP* with that furniture, how can I part with it?

So in addition to my own stuff that I have accumulated over the past 49 years, I now have half of my parents stuff, and on top of that all my crafting stuff! I own a ton of crafting stuff, probably way too much but you know he who dies with the most crafting stuff wins ya know? My yarn stash takes up shelving on nearly half the wall in our bedroom, so with me it's either go big or go home. I really believe in stocking up when the sales are on, because later on you will need or want these things and have to pay full price. My middle name is "NEVER PAY FULL PRICE FOR ANYTHING" so I am very much a sale go-getter kind of thrifty person.

I grew up in a home that was comfortable, but not well to do by any means. We made do and mended and reused and recycled things until they fell apart. I am still like that now, I am not easily seduced by expensive luxury goods because in the back of my mind I know I can get them cheaper.... I rarely EVER pay full price for anything. So this type of thinking has made me a bit of a packrat, but I cannot count the times that I have needed something and was so glad I had it packed away somewhere. It's pretty damn convenient not to have to run out to a store to buy things all the time. I tend to anticipate my needs and stock up in advance for leaner times.

The key for me now is to ORGANIZE! It's okay to have a lot of stuff but if it's not organized you have no idea where to find anything when you need it. That is something I am going to fix with the use of my handy bins and some labels. Every bin will be labeled so it's contents can be ascertained without even having to open the lid. This will be especially handy when we are ready to move to Reno. We are going to rent a big U-Haul truck and do it ourselves. I have asthma and am not in the best physical condition to be hauling things around, so Scott has to do the majority of it, and I want to make it as easy on him as possible.

So let the "stuff-sorting" begin!!!!

Objects in the mirror... Looking Back at 2010/Forward to 2011

Objects in the mirror..., originally uploaded by Pianoman75.

The old year of 2010 is ready to turn itself in and give way to the brand new baby 2011. I thought this picture taken from Flickr sets the tone for this entry quite well. I feel like this now, looking in my rear view mirror at things behind me and eager to "hit the road" so to speak onto a new life. If things go the way we are planning, we will be seeing a lot of the open road in the next month or two... all the way to Reno Nevada.

How did we settle on Reno you might wonder??? Well that's a bit of a long-ish roundabout sort of story but I'll try to write the condensed version here. Scott spent some time in Arizona when he was in the Air Force, and he really loved the desert climate and lifestyle. He never wanted to leave there actually, but ended up in Florida against his own desires, since his ex wife wanted to come here to be closer to her parents. Well in a way, it's good that things happened that way, or else he and I would never have met....

But I digress, back to my point. We both want to get out of Florida, and have for a long time. I prefer a mountain climate, with cool nights and mild summers. I initially chose Durango Colorado as our destination, but Scott voiced his concerns about the amount of snowfall they receive there since he really doesn't like snow (but I love it). The whole snow issue is what crossed New Hampshire off our list early on (sorry Suzanne, I was hoping we could meet up finally but not this time...), that and the fact that the northeast is a very expensive region of the country to live in, and we are on a strict budget.

So, I did some more looking around online in hopes of finding an area that had BOTH desert and mountains... and came up with Reno! There is some snow and cold weather (for me) but it is a "high desert" climate zone (for him) so it appears we have found a happy medium! I really like the fact that Reno is close to Lake Tahoe (would love to visit there) and San Francisco California is a day's drive to the west. The Yosemite National Park is within driving distance as well, a place I have not seen since I was a small child around 5 years old or so, I have pictures taken of me there, but I do not remember the trip itself, I was too young.

I really like the idea that the Sierra Nevada mountains are a stone's throw away, because I enjoy the mountains very much, and look forward to spending time walking and hiking the trails around Reno and the foothills of the Sierras. I also like the vibrant downtown area with the casinos and nightspots, and the great buffets! I have heard a lot of people saying that downtown Reno has "gone downhill" and is a sad reflection of it's glory days back in the 1960's. I guess that could be said for people who prefer the uber-modern to the retro kitsch. I personally *LOVE* the old kitschy signage and architecture. I was born in the 1960's for goodness sake, and I love that era. I can't wait to photograph Reno, it looks like lots of fun!

There are first-run shows and concerts at some of the larger casinos and like Albuquerque NM, there is a hot air balloon race every year that would be fun to attend. I hear the summers are quite warm but there is an afternoon wind that starts around 3pm, and of course once the sun sets, the air cools considerably. To *NOT* have 8 months of sweltering summer heat means I can get outside more often and not feel like I am going to pass out, I am so tired of being housebound all summer and half of spring and fall until it cools down.

So that's how we settled on Reno. The cost of living seems to be about the same as here or a bit lower, we plan to sell our home here and purchase another one similar to it when we get to Nevada. Moving is such a chore, but this time I am going to buy a bunch of plastic storage bins and put bulky or odd shaped things in them for easier moving and transport.

A Rainy Christmas Night

It's a rainy evening here in north central Florida, our neighbors to the immediate north are actually having SNOW as south as Atlanta! We are getting some heavy rain but no snow ;-(

but that's okay since we will have the chance to see snow in the near future! I have *NEVER* experienced a white Christmas before, nor have I ever been "out in the snow" or seen any accumulation on the ground. It will be a great experience for sure, I'm excited about that!

We had a modest but cozy holiday here today, and we are eating a late holiday dinner in a few hours. Since me and Scott are both "night people" we pretty much do everything there is to do after 1-2 PM. We opened our presents to each other about three hours ago and will sit down to dinner very shortly. On the menu? Brown sugar cured ham with glaze, herb stuffing with mushroom gravy, sweet potato casserole with pecans, brown sugar, raisins, and marshmallows baked on top, Hawaiian sweet rolls, sweet whole kernel corn, and jellied cranberry sauce. For dessert we will have Ghiardelli double chocolate brownies with toll house pieces and chocolate ganache topping.

It's only the three of us eating so no need to make tons of food, I pretty much make enough for us to have leftovers for a night or two after the holiday. The ham is always a treat since we don't eat much pork in our home. We are more chicken and pasta type people!

Christmas is coming to a close and soon the new year will be upon us! Big changes coming for us next year, along with a few new years resolutions that I am going to try and keep! One of them is to revise and revamp my Etsy shop a bit, I want to sell some other types of crochet and fiber items I have not stocked in the past, and I want to make a resolution to get outside more often, every day if possible. When I say get outside I mean outdoors doing something. Whether it's taking a long walk, hiking in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, or taking my bike for a spin down the road on which we will be living.

Even if I don't feel well that day I want to get outside into the fresh air every day, even if it means sitting on my porch and watching the sunset, but the main objective is to get more exercise, since I know that would help my health immensly.

Reno Nevada *ALSO* happens to be the home base of "Jimmy Beans Wool" and for that reason alone, even if I had no other reasons (and I do!) it would make Reno be a great place to live for me! I have ordered from their mail order website but the idea of visiting their store IN PERSON (and having it located within a short driving distance) is so exciting to me I can hardly stand the wait to move there! Oh the selection of yarn, Oh the variety! *drool* I am likely to get lost in the Malabrigo yarns section of the store and you won't see me anymore LOL! I simply adore Malabrigo and if I was a rich woman I would maintain my very own warehouse chock full of nothing but Malabrigo yarns! SOOO soft and cushy.

I also like the idea of playing penny slots at the casinos. Reno is the home of the Harrah's casino chain, and I went to the Harrah's in New Orleans when I was there quite some years ago with my ex husband, and I really had a fun time! I only took in whatever cash money I was prepared to lose, I never bet what I can't afford to lose, and I didn't end up ahead but I had a lot of fun! It's a fun past-time to do occasionally as a treat, but a dedicated gambler I am not! I tend to play most things very safe so gambling does not appeal to me as something I would want to do constantly. I find playing the slots occasionally to be more fun than playing Bingo and it's just another form of gambling really.

Well enough for now, I have Xmas dinner to prepare!

The Changes They Are A'Comin!

Downtown Reno, NV, originally uploaded by Ken Lund.

Things are going to be changing in our household after January 1st... I don't want to go into great detail but once we know more about the details I will share them. There is going to be a move in our future, one that we have been contemplating for a *VERY* long time.

Why? Myriad reasons, not the least is a wanderlust that both Scott and I share, but wanderlust is the surely the least of the reasons behind such a move.

I have NEVER lived anywhere outside the state of Florida since I was about 6 years old. My parents came to Florida to retire in 1967 and here I have been ever since then! I will soon be 50 years old, so do the math... nearly 45 of all my years on this earth have been spent living in Florida, and never anywhere outside of it.

I have never traveled to Europe, in fact I have only visited a small handful of US cities in my lifetime, mostly because I have never been able to afford to travel. As far as US cities go, I have visited El Paso Texas (on vacation) and I have visited Washington DC (on a conference with my ex). Outside of that, I really haven't been much of anywhere outside of the swamp that is north central Florida.

Don't get me wrong... lots of people love and adore Florida, and I will always consider it my "home state" no matter where I may end up, but to be honest I have had enough of Florida. After 45 straight years of Florida and more Florida and nothing but Florida, it's time (past time really) to move on.

I can no longer tolerate the extremely hot and humid summers, and I long to experience the four seasons and most of all SNOW! I want to be able to get outside in the summertime and hike on trails and sit out on my porch without being bathed in sweat and have to come right back inside to the A/C. It gets warm in Nevada, but nothing like this stagnant humid 95 degree plus heat day after day for months at a time.

I hear it is windy in Reno. I love wind. There is no wind inland in Florida. It's windy at the shore, of course with the sea breeze, but most people can't afford to live on the shore, it's very expensive. Inland Florida is like a hot humid swamp in the summertime, and I'm ready to climb out of the mire. I just can't take it anymore. I don't know if it's middle age and menopause that has me even more intolerant of the heat than I've ever been before, but I simply cannot tolerate heat. I am sure having developed asthma in the past couple of years doesn't help that either, since I feel like I cannot get my breath when it's still and hot and humid.

We moved out here to the woods in Micanopy a year ago and I looked forward to getting outside more, but to be honest, as soon as we moved in here last spring, the heat came and didn't let go until late October sometime, so I have spent the majority of that time.... indoors in the A/C. No July 4th picnics for me, it was miserable here on July 4th, with rain and heat and tons of insects. We went to watch the fireworks here in town that night and got eaten alive by mosquitoes.

Our electric bill during the summer months is so high we have to scrimp on other things to be able to pay it. I will look forward to leaving these things behind.

The Holidays

Wow the holidays have really snuck up on me this year! Being a full-time student and Etsy shop owner has kept me so busy in the past few months! I have finished the first term of my college classes and will start a new term the first week of January. Other than missing a few assignments in one of my classes I think I did pretty well for someone who hasn't been in school for over 25 years! We haven't received our final grades yet, but they should be posted pretty soon.

I have learned that in order to sell anything on Etsy, you have to re-list, re-list, and re-list again! I have gotten into the habit now of re-listing my newest items staggered apart by about an hour or so. Doing this every day costs me around $60/month but if I can make several sales by doing it, it's worth it! There are just SOOO many things to choose from on Etsy, if you don't keep your items right in the face of potential customers, they won't get seen at all!

The weather has turned colder in a most delightful way! All we are missing here now is snow! We have our fireplace burning away, we are sipping egg nog and apple cider each evening, and we have up our tiny Xmas tree. We don't have the space in our tiny cottage for a full sized Xmas tree, so we are using a small white pre-lit tree placed on our kitchen counter. Right now we are in the midst of a severe cold snap, so the temps outside are near freezing! I've been waiting all summer for this and couldn't be happier that it has finally arrived!

We're not putting up Xmas lights this year because we don't have a plug outlet that can be used outside for lights! Neither Scott nor myself are very flush with cash this year, so it will be a conservative Xmas, but we are enjoying all the other "free" goodies that the season brings, and those are priceless. Photos to come!

Crochet Tutorial: Yo-Yo Puff | craftpassion.com

Crochet Tutorial: Yo-Yo Puff | craftpassion.com