Bustin' out all over

Things are bustin' out all over: the leaves on trees, flowers popping out on bushes and trees, the sun (finally!), new cars in driveways . . .

That's ToolMan's new baby; a brand new Scion xD. Although the Toyota minivan has served us faithfully for the past several years, hauling lumber from Lowe's, paint from Bi-Mart, furniture from Costco, me to OFFF, and knitters to Yarnia, it was time to trade it in. It wasn't giving us any problems; on the contrary, it still ran like a top and will probably still be going years from now. But, pulling into the gas station with a 1/4 tank, and still paying $65 to fill up, made up our minds for us; we needed something more economical.

ToolMan did the shopping and negotiating last week while I was at work. How luxurious to leave that task to someone who enjoys it so! The Scion website says the xD "features urban sophistication, utilitarian tendencies, and simple yet stylish flair." I'm not entirely sure that meshes with how ToolMan and I see ourselves. Actually the only things we really cared about were, in order: (1) the gas mileage, (2) does it have a fairly indestructible interior and can Andy Rooney see out the windows without climbing the doors, and (3) will the spinning wheel fit in the cargo compartment?

Speaking of bustin' out all over, my fiber area in the family room is fairly bustin' at the seams.

Why yes, that is a second spinning wheel you see there.

That's a Lendrum Complete that just came to live with us on Saturday! ToolMan and I went out for our usual Saturday morning breakfast out and then we headed for Costco. At least, that's where I thought we were going until Toolman kept heading west. Once we hit Forest Grove, I knew where we were headed: Woodland Woolworks. ToolMan said since I had a birthday coming up, he wanted to go buy my birthday present, and since it was such nice weather, and we had a new car, he knew just the place to go buy a spinning wheel. (After almost 20 years, he knows me pretty well!) He knew I'd been lusting after a Lendrum Complete and now that I've taken this spinning thing so seriously, it was time I had my dream wheel.

When we arrived, I went in the Discontinued Room (always my first stop), and admired a Schact Matchless and a couple of Saxony-style wheels before taking a turn through the yarns and books. Then we headed upstairs, and who do we run into? Duffy! She and I had a great time trying out all the wheels. We tried out the Hitchhiker, Louets, Ashfords, Kromskis, Majacraft, and of course, the Lendrums. Interestingly, we both liked the same features of wheels, but for entirely different reasons!

Then wonderful gals packed up my new baby, along with the lazy kate, extra bobbins, fast flyer, and plying head, and all my assorted goodies for me. I used my craft dollars to get a set of Majacraft mini-combs but they're on back order and will be mailed to me when they come in.

If you look closely, you'll see one bobbin from the Country Craftsman on the horizontal rod of the winding station; it took me 3 hours to spin those 2 ounces last weekend. But up there on top is a full 4 ounce Lendrum bobbin, plus another 1/2 full bobbin on the Lendrum. I did both of those in 3 hours! I bought a pound of this last year at OFFF and originally intended to ply it with some darker green. But now that I've unbraided it and started spinning, I'm not sure I'll do that. It was kettle dyed, so it has some lovely variegation as well as shades of yellow-green and blue green which should give a nice tweed to the finished yarn.

I think I'll spin and ply the darker green separately and then alternate the two in a Fibonacci sequence for an Adult Surprise Jacket. It'll be perfect for taking Andy Rooney to Hondo Dog Park next fall.

Speaking of Andy Rooney, I want to say thanks to everybody who asked about how he's doing. He's become a regular at the vet clinic, but he's doing MUCH better. We've been able to reduce his morning insulin dosage, he's lost 10 pounds, his appetite is back, and he's starting to get that bounce back in his step.

He had a good romp today at Hondo, although we made him stay in the "Small and Timid" area; he's not quite up to running with the big dogs again, but don't tell him that. After about 20 minutes, we cleaned him up and put him back in the car. He wasn't asleep by the time we got home, although he did nap all afternoon. But, boy, was it ever nice to see him chasing and wrestling with his friends again!