Sheep on a Spring

perfect

2012-01-22T16:46:00.004-07:00

All went well, we had a great time, my mom did not have a heart attack, kids and husband survived without me.

It's good to be back home.

happy day

2012-01-10T19:51:00.009-07:00

I have been plotting.

My mom's 70th birthday is coming up and I will surprise her!

I'll fly over to Germany for a week to celebrate with her and I am very grateful that my family agreed to work things out without me here at home!

A special birthday requires special gifts and since she does not use the internet I can show you what I created. I was real lucky since both my kids agreed to model!

Even though she hardly ever wears hats, she will love this one, knitted from my favorite super soft alpaca yarn (Baby Alpaca Grande Paint, Plymouth Yarn).

Goofball.

Of course my mother needs a pair of fingerless gloves, after all I am the queen of fingerless gloves! I cannot count how many pairs I have made!

Please note the neat zigzag edge at the wrist - special touch just for hers.

One last shot before I closed the gift box, this shows the color of the hat much better.

Still in progress (but almost done) is my very first Clapotis scarf. It should count as finishing a UFO, because I have wanted to make one of these for years!

I slightly altered the pattern, it is not quite as wide as the original, but it will be long enough to go twice around the neck and still be tied in the front.

The yarn is creme de la creme - Manos del Uruguay, hand dyed extrafine merino silk blend. Fantastic to work with and gorgeous color way that will suit my mom perfectly!

But pssst, let's keep this a secret for now until Saturday, okay?!

still counting

2012-01-05T21:11:00.005-07:00

Not much has happened in regards to my optimistic UFO plans, but we do wanna start the new year with a good laugh, right? So here is one that definitely belongs in the category what-was-I-thinking.

Beautiful super soft yarn, though...

It sits next to the couch ready to be frogged.

This dress top for the girlie in my favorite orange is done, ends woven in, straps attached.

Skirt fabric is picked (the one on the right), still needs to be attached. You see my good excuse why I could not get to work on that - ironing board occupied!

This vest should have never ended up in a box. But it did. I finished it in two hours. TWO!

It is awesome, long, fuzzy and soft.

Comes with the perfect vintage button, too.

Last but not least these coasters, that are meant to be a gift for a friend. Not really UFOs since I have not been working on them for long.

I had originally meant to use leftover noodles, but in the end that did not work. My selection did not have enough variety, and some of the colors I stripped specifically for this.

For twenty-twelve I wish all of you lots of time with color, fabric, string or whatever makes you tick, for creativity, with your art.

And I wish you love in your lives, lots of it!

counting...kinda

2011-12-28T22:21:00.005-07:00

My friend Cathy recently told me about a challenge that her sewing guild put out: to finish or repurpose your ufos (unfinished objects/projects) in 2012.

I really like the idea.

Since then I am walking through the house with a different perspective. I open closets and don't just get something, but I see ufos. Everywhere. The more I look the more I see and I am not even searching!

Closet in the hall...six on 2 of eight shelves.

So I am on it and I have started to pull them out. I am making decisions.

Some of them I don't remember why I never finished them, some I don't remember why I started them in the first place.

Take this Boteh scarf.

A clever and beautiful crochet pattern. I adore the yarn, my colors, super soft angora. Nice, right? But now that I turned on my honest inner ufo scanner... I'd never wear the darn thing!

One foot worth of Boteh undone, back into two balls of gorgeous angora yarn.

Since I did this, I have been onto two more projects, both of them almost finished by now.

Pictures and stories will come.

A great start into the coming year! It feels good, it feels sooo good!

seasonal

2011-12-19T22:56:00.005-07:00

We have officially started the holiday season - school's out, yep.

Teachers gifts have been made, given and were happily received as well as liked, purpose done.

I gave several custom made pouches - how did you guess? Only one ended up photographed, the one for the turtle loving 4th grade teacher.

And I am knitting. Trying to finish two hats and one pair of socks. Hhmm, the thought of those socks already gives me a headache.

Another earflap hat in a larger size - more realistic!

This one I just listed in my Etsy shop.

While it is still snowing here in beautiful Albuquerque we have a fire going and our Ike naps on his favorite spot these days.

May your holiday season include many happy moments for you and your loved ones, too.

Never too many

2011-12-04T21:17:00.005-07:00

Following up on my last post I have to share this one pic, taken in the hotel room on our Thanksgiving trip to Colorado Springs.

Eight. Not counting the two in my purse. Just saying.

The biggest is the one with the yarn, I would not have it any other way.

naughty or nice

2011-11-20T15:09:00.008-07:00

I confess. I am a total sucker for zippered pouches. Give me a good purpose and I'm on it, making one.

I like to use two very different fabrics to create a naughty and a nice side.

Suits me well.

Thank you, Alexander Henry, for creating this awesome fabric line.

For the back I used vintage fabric inherited from my dear great-aunt Katie.

This one is used for small projects, like fingerless gloves or sox.

***lightbulb***

Large project bag is needed. Badly.

Off I went to the sewing machine.

Then, with stylish storage completed, I started knitting the vest for the girl.

The bag currently holds 7 balls of yarn. And the knitting.

Naughty and nice... again Alexander Henry, the cowgirls, on the back some vintage thrifted goodness.

Quite a difference in size here.

And now you have it all, this one I made a while ago to hold all my knitting accessories. The KNIT & PURL was stamped on linen.

I do have a sister in crime...a friend who equally appreciates a nice zippered pouch and here is her birthday gift made from Woolrich woolens and suede leather.

I have been contemplating this style for a while now, a combo of slightly felted wool fabric and leather made for eternity and this is a first.

Small detail of perfection is the vintage heavy metal zipper, the pull being some kinda 3d chain with a metal ball.

Cowboy fabric and some detailed stitching on the inside.

A good sunday it is.

keeping up

2011-11-18T17:02:00.005-07:00

It feels like there is a lot lined up these days. To do. To finish. To wash. To get ready.

The other day I made a pile... several that is... on the sofa. A bunch of stuff in plain view so I could prioritize.

It is not working, the purple yarn is too thin for what I had in mind, I still don't know what to do with the christmas colored hand dyed pretty thick-thin yarn.

I have not started working on a new vest for my daughter now that she outgrew the last one, that grandma made for her a few years back, the pink thing with the fluffy edge, sitting there to be measured. I have not picked up the huge fluffy green vest, that I put down a year ago after finishing one arm opening - no clue why!

That's okay.

Other stuff has been taken care of. A solid wooden shelf - thrifted - moved into the studio and now holds all my woolens for rug hooking, I am delighted, because this is so much more practical, real inspiring plus it sure looks pretty!

I put all the cotton cone yarns on top of it and it's as if they were made to be right there!

The lion. Cool, huh?! Fell in love with him years ago in a thrift store, the colors are absolutely amazing.

Since the hooked rug, that my friend Amy and I are creating together, has arrived in Virginia I can finally show you what I added to beauty.

Love - no doubt about it!

Did some experimenting with ripped and hand cut not-woolen fabrics, some novelty yarns and mohair locks, which was really fun. Amy's turn now to get creative and add on!

The beautiful batts have been moved to the living room as well.

The first batch is done.

The subtle variations in the color will make this loads of fun to spin. There are still several batts left to spin up, before I need to come up with a perfect project.

Wishing you a very happy and equally creative and successful weekend - whatever you do.

...aaaaand..

2011-11-07T09:12:00.002-07:00

Forever have I contemplated buying a drum carder, one of those wonderful tools that allow processing your wool at home and/or making colorful blends for hand spinning.

By joining our local spinning and weaving guild "Las Aranas" I did not only meet tons of talented and creative folks, but I also have tools like carders available for rent for a very reasonable fee.

Right now this fancy baby is mine.

For four weeks.

I got busy and blended a greenish heathered alpaca-wool roving with more greens, blues, yellow and orange and look at the results.

A supersoft pile of batts, just waiting there for me and my wheel.

Of course I had to give it a go right away, I spun a small sample skein and I am in love!

This wil make about a pound of a variegated soft and airy yarn.

Oh, the possibilities....!

playtime

2011-11-06T15:29:00.006-07:00

New yarn has cometh to this home.

Is it truly needed? - Heck, no! But I got it anyways. You know, if our heater ever dies on us, we'll just cover the living room floor with wool and bury ourselves in the piles. I'll be darned if we could not make it through the whole winter that way!

Pretty, right?! And I'll keep it all for myself, ha.

With my Thursday rughookers gang I have started a new little mat, funny what happened to Mary's strips after she cut them.

We are learning a new technique, where the ends stay in the back of the work for a change.

Pumpkin done!

In between I made this cool strip holder, had all the materials at home. This turned out really great.

And I just love how sometimes you find something in your stash, that has been sitting there For-Evah - just waiting for this one special project, in this case the vintage corduroy, that I used for the outside.

That's it for today, gotta get back to work on the sofa, next time I'll show you what else I've been playing with these days.

I hope you have a good weekend, getting to do the things you love!

Until next year

2011-11-03T22:01:00.002-06:00

We have yet to put away the Halloween box, the mountains of candy will never be all eaten.

We had such a great time.

And may I whine just a little - it always goes by way too fast!

Flashback

2011-10-31T18:24:00.002-06:00

Boo!

..some older shots for you..!

We are almost ready, hope you have a great spooktacular Halloween!

daily business

2011-10-30T11:48:00.005-06:00

I have finished more fingerless gloves and added the first pair to my Etsy Shop.

This led to a really fun photo shoot with my daughter!

Since I mentioned the farmer's market, I thought I show you my little set-up.

I think it looked kinda cute. However the sales were not great, I think people are still not used to this being farmers AND artists. But there is a lot of room for growth.

Next year.

Here is the finished little mat that I showed you from the back side the other day.

I am not too fond of the corners, they look kinda fatso, because the material really bulked up. Hmm.

Gotta ask the wise woman aka my smart teacher.

Ike does not mind the funky corners! (And I actually don't mind too much either.)

I had not planned to show this, but since Munchkin decided to strike a pose...

Coasters in the make, not too far advanced at this point.

But who cares, when there is a cute cat in the picture, right?!

Thanks for stopping by! May you all have a very happy Sunday!

Happy Birthday

2011-10-26T16:59:00.010-06:00

Today my daddy would turn 70.

I think there are only two pictures that show him as a baby.

He grew up with three brothers.

He met my mother at a dance when he was real young. They got engaged when he was 18.

A match made in heaven. He loved her with all his heart.

When he was about 40 he turned his life style around. He quit smoking, became a dedicated runner and lost about 50 lbs.

He was a marathon runner.

He did not live to fulfill his dream to run the NYC Marathon.

He kept himself always busy, he hardly ever stood still or sat down. He always worked in his beautiful garden and he had a passion for hunting down cheap antiques and restoring them.

I scored two of the beautiful pieces and treasure them. They have traveled across the ocean with me.

He had an artist in him, too, and carved faces in wood for a while.

He had a fierce love for his family, but he could not always show it.

He adored his grandchildren.

He was the ultimate grandfather.

He had his secrets, too.

He once gave me this Zippo lighter, which I used for a long time, and I got the impression, that there was a special story connected to it.

He never told me.

Eight years ago he had to go.

Happy birthday, daddy. I miss you so so much. It never goes away.

Could Would and If

2011-10-24T14:58:00.009-06:00

Sometimes I manage to be real good at disciplining myself.

I am packing up for the farmer's and artisan market at the Albuquerque Academy tomorrow. I'll be there with my little table with fingerless gloves, eyeglass cases and this and that. Last one for this year, too, boohoo.

I have been running and every time I am up there on the trails I think that I live in the most beautiful place on earth.

I have finally decided on the border of this little hooked mat, attached a binding of wool fabric by hand stitching and it is being blocked right now.

Well...I hate to admit it, but this is a gift for a friend who's birthday was in March. Embarrassing. More pictures from the right side to come.

I grind my teeth and do the laundry.

Gosh did I really find 10 single socks in one load? They are all hers.

She kinda makes up for it with stuff likes this:

BUT.

What I reeeeaaaally want to get to is this.

I still can hardly believe that my dear friend Amy, who lives way too far away in Virginia, decided to get this going for us! We will work on two rugs, which we will mail back and forth between the two of us, and that is how the rugs will grow. In the end we will both have a mat to keep.

Isn't this just gorgeous? I so cannot wait to slow the pace and to finally get started.

I am so excited about this project, thank you, my friend!

And to all of my friends who stop by here, I hope your lives are full of accomplishments and beautiful things that lie ahead of you, too!

practice run

2011-10-22T20:36:00.003-06:00

The girl was invited to a birthday/Halloween party today.

Cut up black shirt, some make-up, and uber-wild hair.

Made for a great pre-Halloween Saturday afternoon!

We are so ready.

up and running

2011-10-21T19:36:00.003-06:00

I survived the 3rd annual High Desert Studio Tour.

Actually, the tour went smooth and easy, but getting ready... well, let's not get into that.

People loved the scarves again and there were plenty.

I had a blast making loads of eyeglass cases just days before the open house.

Lots of linen, fun and colorful bits of fabric and vintage buttons. Perfect use also for some vintage fabric that had been meant for a quilt, already pieced, found at Goodwill a long time ago.

I love each and everyone of these.

Fingerless gloves en masse as every year, they just never get old.

But here is the news, I started listing on Etsy again. This will be a slow process, don't expect it all at once. Listing of the day was this yarn:

Hand spun alpaca yarn, soft as a cloud and in the warmest shades of yellow and orange.

This always gets me wondering what another knitter might create.

The possibilities are endless!

Have a great weekend, friends!

Sneak peek

2011-09-29T14:02:00.006-06:00

The race is on, I am knitting and sewing as much as I can to finish as much as possible for the studio tour.

Mark your calendars, Albuquerque folks, High Desert Studio Tour coming up on October 15th from 10.00 'til 5.00.

It still means so much to me to be participating in an event like this, it is a long dream come true. For the third time.

When our kids were little we would visit a studio tour in Maryland. Lots of green countryside, lots of driving through rolling hills, lots of beautiful places with talented folks making art with glass, clay and - you guessed it - fibers. My favorite place was always Dancing Leaf Farm, the artist Dalis being the gifted, energetic and colorful owner, inspiring and creative with everything she touches and a studio and little store, that just made you wanna sit down and knit, crochet, spin or felt with her. Being far from Maryland now, I have not been to her studio in years, but we are still in touch, still friends, and Dalis even stopped by last year for a visit here in Albuquerque.

Since our move to New Mexico four years ago I am lucky to have a studio of my own, that makes me happy and inspires me. The kids are bigger, I have more time to myself, more time to create, and the yarn stash... well, let's not get into that, friends.

So I have ventured out of the house to offer my fiber art and people seem to like it. When the idea for the High Desert Studio Tour came up I was in and have been ever since. Some very talented folks open their houses and it is fun to look at their work spaces, their creations and possibly to shop. Nothing wrong with Christmas shopping in October, right?!

Start the tour at my home, there will be maps, or check out the whole thing on the High Desert website here. - See y'all!

today

2011-09-22T20:01:00.003-06:00

I went through loads of pictures since I need to find the best to put on some new business cards.
Somehow this one stood out from the crowd.

I own loads of straight knitting needles, my favorites being the colored vintage ones.
Almost never do I use them, because I prefer circular.

But they do look pretty, don't they?!

summer joy

2011-07-15T17:49:00.007-06:00

We don't do camps.

We travel and we hang around house and pool.
We like it this way.

This week has been exceptionally fine.

It is Harry Potter week. One movie every night, rootbeer float included.

For the last one we'll be going out.

New yarn has been spun.

There is more one the wheel.

And plenty of pretty fluff in perfect summer shadings is waitingto be worked on.

The studio is in the process of a major overhaul and I am almost done.

I like my pretty fabrics.

Cats and kids are happy.

So am I.

A good week.

sweet

2011-03-03T16:29:00.006-07:00

February had a happy ending with a happy son.

I finished his second pair of socks, the Zauberball ones, on a weekend trip.

He had to try them on right away.

Perfect!

And March started off really good, too.

I met deadlines, finishing my inventory sheet for the Spider's Market, a guild event coming up March 25 and 26 at the Albuquerque Garden Center.

If you love fiber arts, handmade artsy crafty stuff or anything fiber related, you do not want to miss this!

Sheep on a Spring will be represented with yarn, spinning fibers, knitted stuff and more.

For the first time I have assembled these precious little packages... dyed wool fabrics for rug hooking or applique needlework. Don't they look yummy?

The star mat is blocked and patiently awaits finishing of the edge. It is one of the hooked rugs that will be displayed at the 2011 Fiber Arts Fiesta in May. - Picture submitted, another deadline met.

I hooked the last loops close to midnight the other day, because I really wanted to block the mat asap.

This view awaited me in the morning:

The frame did not stay empty for long, woolens were stripped, a design that had been lingering in my mind was transferred onto linen and today I started.

The perfect project for this time of the year, spring is in the air.

And look what came in the mail!

This delightful package arrived from Maryland for Fiona and me to share.

It held letters and gifts from the Kiln for both of us!

Fiona is thrilled about her new penfriend, my friend Mary's daughter. This is so sweet to watch, it reminds me of the beginnings of my treasured friendship with my French penfriend Isa so many years ago. Now we are both married, both have kids of our own...*sigh*

Fiona calls her bracelet from Kellie her lucky charm and gives me reasons why - of course - it has already helped her for real!

And this is my beautiful goodie - this gorgeous pendant... Mary, I adore your work, you are so incredibly talented!

My first thought was, this is my new sun and I had to bring it out in the garden to hold it up in the blue New Mexican sky in front of our mountains.

Awesome!

Last, but certainly not least, there was another sweet gift. Just this morning my rug hooking friend Mary surprised me with this fuzzy little guy for my sheep/tool collection...

Thank you, my friends!!

playtime

2011-02-18T21:54:00.006-07:00

O, the days when I get to play...

I promised pictures of happenings in my house, but no, I did not do any kind of painting or redecorating, I dyed more rovings!

And I scoured some gifted raw fleece (thanks again to my rughooking friend Mary!) and I dyed some more, woolen fabrics for rug hooking this time.

There was wool everywhere - my idea of heaven!

So the kitchen was transformed into a dye studio again, no surface spared.

And the bathroom floors were not spared either - my giant drying rack.

I have yet to take a good shot of the various woolens fabrics, but pardon me for being distracted. My knitting neighbor friend Ellen is moving permanently to Florida and gave my her woolen treasures as a gift!

So now the living room is covered in yarns, too - can you even believe this?!

Here some of my favorites:

I keep cruising the balls, sorting a bit here and there, touching yarns and wondering what I might wanna create...

Heaven indeed!

Have a great weekend, my friends!

glimpses

2011-02-14T11:51:00.008-07:00

Boy, that was a fast week.
So many things that I need to show.

Let's go, but beware - picture heavy post!

Last week brought more joy in a box:

A cutter for rug hooking.

And a very fine one, too!

It has already been put to work and the star rug, our current guild project, is growing.

And growing.

Have I ever mentioned how good it feels to the bare feet to stand on a hooked rug? One day I will make a biiiig rug!

The pink ballet wrap is all done.

If you want to see it for real you should come to the Yarn Store at Nob Hill. I will be teaching this in a class there soon.

A green Ballet wrap #2 is in the make.

Last, but not least there is our newest family member Munchkin.

While Romeo finally found a more suitable home in Santa Fe (where he is not being harrassed by a fellow feline..), harmony has been achieved here as well.

Munchie fits right in with our gang.

I know I know, it's a crappy dark picture, but I just could not bother them with a flash..!

And yes, Ikie, you are cute, too.

More to come soon, since you have yet to get an idea of how magically/brutally I manage to transform parts of this house, when I am in a crafty and colorful mood.

Happy Valentine's Day, my friends!

good bye

2011-02-07T11:17:00.003-07:00

It is time to say farewell to an old friend.

She is pink.

She served me well for a long time.

Some folks might call her vintage.

My Motorola Razor.

She is retiring today, because Fedex brought my new personal assistant early.

I patiently waited for this for a very long time.

*sigh*

This is a good Monday.

This will be a good week, I can tell!

wool

2011-02-03T21:47:00.008-07:00

It is really cold in Albuquerque right now.

Schools are out and we've gotten quite a bit of snow - this happening just about a week after my son declared that this has been a lame/mild winter!
Not so, not at all!

As a knitter and a spinner I find it only logical to pull out the woolens in this kind of weather, however my kids don't - with one exception: When it comes to playing in the snow, let me tell you that they are my biggest wool advocats.

They will tell you that any woolen mitten will keep you warmer than the store bought ones.

Even when it does not look that way.

They can be loaded with snow on the outside, and yet they are warm and dry on the inside.

In this case she had doubled up with Lewis' mittens.

"Omg - my hands are still warm!"

Silly girl! I love photoshoots with her!

local

2011-01-31T09:23:00.006-07:00

I do not need any new yarn.

But I got some anyways.

Blue sky alpaca yarn, found at the new Yarn Store at Nob Hill, here on Facebook, I'm using a merino alpaca blend combined with brushed suri alpaca and it is every little bit as soft as it sounds.

I am making something similar to this (which I just finished for my little great grand niece in Florida), but a bit more like a ballet wrap that is tied in the back and with longer sleeves.

Finished wrap pictures and a class for slightly advanced knitters at the Yarn Store at Nob Hill will be coming soon!

not easy to please

2011-01-30T17:32:00.005-07:00

While all things girlie are quickly demanded and the wishes easily fulfilled, the boy is another story.
He is more picky and selective and I am usually really pleased, when he wants something handmade and even more when he uses it!
And boy stuff has indeed been coming out of the bouncing sheep's studio in the past weeks!

There has been the first ever pair of boy socks, that has been worn except when it had to see the washing machine, can you tell?

In the garage there are two small bins holding my stash of sock yarn, however, for his second pair I had to get one of these:

Zauberball (yes, this is indeed what the name is!)! How can anyone resist?

I so enjoy working with this yarn, it is very soft and the color variations are really fun, however, I am a bit disappointed at slight differences in the thickness. We'll see if this will develop into a problem.

As usual Ike was very interested in what I was doing and decided to hang with the fluff.

Don't you think he looks sad?

Just like the whole family he must be grieving the loss of our sweet cat Lucky just a while ago.

*sigh*

I had been looking for a purpose for these japanese cotton linen blends with Lego/robot pattern for a while.

A bag for the ipad!

Note the glow-in-the-dark Fimo button...

...and the first time use of my new labels.

It holds the camera and ipod in the front under a flap and there is an inside compartment for some other accessories. The hardware came from a cheaply thrifted bag and the strap can be removed.

Fabrics bought locally at Hip Stitch.

Lewis loves it and uses it all the time. Perfect. Happy boy, happy mama.

The twisted arm

2011-01-25T08:36:00.003-07:00

I could have titled this post just as well "when boredom leads to creativity" or something in that sense. To make a long story short, I had a very bored child, who bugged me to make doll clothes.
A long refusal on my side finally led to surrender, because... well, I love making doll clothes and I was in the right mood!
The decision to do it right made me come up with a dress pattern for the Corolle doll Lilly.

A pretty dress does NOT get velcro losures, but little vintage snaps.

Turned out he pattern fits!

The girlie ended up making a little matching tote bag and ribbons for the hair.

A good day!

Today in Abq

2010-12-26T13:51:00.003-07:00

You see him and you wonder, if it is Apple heaven or Apple hell.

Heaven it is. Trust me, I know.

I hope your Christmas was as good as his - it could not have been any better.

Virgo Fun

2010-12-05T19:24:00.006-07:00

The other day I pulled out all the dyed rovings, bundled them up, weighed and labeled them.

Even though I don't plan to recreate any of the colorways, I wanted to name the current selection.

And to sample them!

Sleepy Ike kept me company, as usual right in the middle/on top of everything.

Among the Rambouillet there was Ivanhoe, Loch Ness, Chelsea, Emily, Yoda, Shirley Temple...

... for Merino and Wensleydale I chose Rose Garden, Grandma's Kitchen, Summer Snow.

When my Americanized brain just didn't want to come up with any more splendid ideas, I named the last one Wanderlust, haha!

After this extacy in color I bundled up the latest shipment of Rambouillet fibers, natural shades of grey and brown, processed in excellent quality by Zeilingers in Michigan.

I cannot even begin to describe how cloudy soft and fluffy this stuff is!

Yum!

Wishing you all lots of colors, softness in your life and a very happy evening, too!

Sweet Surrender

2010-12-04T19:30:00.005-07:00

For over a year I managed to resist, now they got me with a sneaky sale...

This went straight from the shipping box into the washer, dryer, on the bed!

Do I sleep good!

Earl on Hand

2010-11-24T10:39:00.004-07:00

I am always a little bit sad to see summer go. Our dry New Mexican summers are simply the best and I need a while to adjust to the cooler wheather.

Wool is my comfort.

Fall and winter just beg for knitting and working with wool in front of a crackling fire and I so enjoy pulling the woolen sweaters from the depths of the closet like old friends, that you have not met in a long time.

This year there is the added pleasure of Earl and Princess. Remember?

The transformation from this...

...to this....

....never ceases to amaze me!

Just this week I needed my fingerless mitts for the first time this fall and that made up for the chill!

I can't say this often enough:

Thank you, Earl!

self

2010-11-18T21:20:00.004-07:00

Some people are really good at taking self portraits.

Not me.

Believe me, I have tried. Here is proof.

Sometimes I try to the point where the camera gets so heavy, that I have to support it with two hands.

Still doesn't work.

***sigh***

I do take pretty good bug shots though, I dare say.

When I am really desperate, I ask the girlie for help.

She did great!

And all this because I wanted to show you my latest favorite scarf!

I sure hope you'll like it, too!

back to black

2010-11-16T10:35:00.005-07:00

The big boys took off and life is (kinda) back to normal.

Yarn is everywhere.

I like it this way.

I have been making scarves for the Hip Stitch Craftshow this coming Saturday, they seem to be popular, I certainly think they are cool. - Gotta make stuff that you dig yourself, right?!

This one is my favorite:

I don't like black, and I hardly ever wear it. However, this scarf is different, because one of the yarns comes with a story.

The black yarn with the colorful fringes, has a history of being in my stash for almost 10 years.

I bought it with my dear friend Ulrike in the yarn store in Bethesda. I so remember us digging in the sales bins and coming up with just two balls of this fringy stuff in two colorways. One, the not-black-at-all one, I used years ago in Fiona's poncho, outgrown by now.

Please note the glow-in-the-dark homemade buttons!

Sweet memories!

I have yet to show you a special edition of my zippered pouches, finished a few days ago. - I made this for my apple gadget loving boy:

Cool japanese cotton-linen blend fabric, vintage polished zipper, lined with thick camou fleece.

All set.

ciao

2010-11-14T21:31:00.005-07:00

The brother and friend were in and out in three days.

You could not imagine them any more content, when they finally took off.

Facial expression definitely matching the cat, who swallowed the canary.

My wish: may their trip be everything they dreamed of!

no peeking

2010-10-25T11:27:00.010-06:00

Thanks for all your kind compliments, yes, the studio tour went very well!

It really got me in the groove and so I'm just keeping it coming, reducing the PC time in favor of my sewing machine and the knitting needles.

The zippered pouches really got me these days with their endless possible fabric combinations.

I enjoy going through my fabric stash, combining themed designs with colorful patterns, choosing flannel or vintage velvet for the lining and digging in the stash of vintage ribbons for the little tag loops.

The Olivia pencil pouch would be my favorite kid themed one. That fabric is just too nice in its blue and off-white simplicity.

Here blues on the back and flannel peace with an orange bang on the inside.

Now this one... what can I say...
It is one of my alltime favorite fabrics!

I love the combination with a rather conventional, traditionally pretty design - makes for a pleasant surprise when you flip it over!

The birthday of a very good friend of mine is coming up. Since she is a hardcore zippered pouch user, I knew what I had to make once I got my hands on this fabric:

I've named it the "girlfriend pouch" --- or "ants in my pants", since the back features tiny ants zooming around on those pretty blue swirls.

The beauty is lined with some vintage velvety corduroy, yum.

Happy birthday, Ann!

status

2010-10-15T13:26:00.007-06:00

All is well here.

Tarantula count of the year is on a record high with five sightings. No camera on me, so here one of last year's hot shots.

I got back into running, my birthday gift to myself.

Gadget love was satisfied - birthday gift from the family - which is indeed encouraging to get into gear.

Snake count is relatively low. Four sightings.

However, one as a house guest - trying for a sleepover with me!

Eeeek!

What you may or may not know is that I am getting ready for the High Desert Studio Tour.
Tomorrow is the day. And I have been busy.

Sneak peek...

See ya'!

Earl and Princess

2010-09-08T08:51:00.003-06:00

I would like to introduce you to some dear friends of mine, Princess and Earl.

Would you please let that name roll on your tongue!

Earl. King of the Meadow. His Royal Highness of the Enchanted Pasture.

At the beginning of the summer my fiberjunkie friend Amber and I embarked on a new and exciting journey. We bought Earl's and Princess' fluff, both Rambouillet sheep, which are descendant from the famous Spanish Merino sheep (read here for details of the history - actually quite interesting if you like sheep!).

You get the picture? These guys have soft wool. Really soft.

Long staple length, a real nice crimp and a beautiful very-close-to-white color.

We meticulously sorted the fleece, discarding the unusable parts, which are - to make it simple - those attached to the lower and especially the rear parts of the sheep.

This took quite some time. The girlie was declared Sheep Queen of High Desert.

A few weeks and some patient waiting later we got the fluff back from processing at Spinderella's Fiber Mill.

Yum!

Living in a house containing these white clouds and dyes and not touching them is like sitting next to chocolate and just looking.

Not possible.

So see what's been cooking in my kitchen lately!

Hope your life is as colorful as mine these days!

what was and what's left

2010-09-07T20:50:00.008-06:00

There was the tornado. The hurricane. The visit of the family! My brother, his wife, their two girls and Oma.

Three weeks of upside down familylife doubled up. Time crawled and flew.

We shared good laughs.

And good times.

Thoughtful and generous gifts were much appreciated!

Thank you!

The brother went on a Porsche shopping spree and ended up in Porsche heaven.

The latest toy is patiently waiting in our garage for transfer to the German Autobahn.

All is good.

short and sweet

2010-08-04T22:15:00.007-06:00

We have been back from Maui for a while now and there would be so much to tell about those 10 days.

However, my days are busy and by the time I get some quiet PC time my words seem to be all used up.....

Maui is beautiful! We drove 800 miles on the island and saw... a lot!

I started a new knitting project, too.

It was all good.

the happy place

2010-07-13T19:16:00.004-06:00

We'll be taking off on a little trip tomorrow. I know it will cheer me up and we will have a great time.

The ipod is fully stocked and I can't wait to listen to this:

I won't need any warm sweaters.

Neither will the kids.

I am off to dig in the stash to find me some vacation knitting! Pictures of the happy place will follow in about two weeks.

Wishing you a good time wherever you are!

the blues

2010-07-11T23:55:00.004-06:00

The unspeakable happened - I did not sell a single dress. Not one.

Total frustration took over and I comforted myself with a soothing dive into my blues.

You get the picture...

almost ready

2010-07-09T20:03:00.006-06:00

Too bad this is the last batch of dresses, because by now my girl actually enjoys modeling for me -- even though she'd never admit that she does!

This one is obviously way too big, would be better fitting for a 10 year old. I really love how the skirt with the pocket turned out, which I incorporated from the original ladies skirt:

Glitter on this one, and an A-line skirt:

Another cute one with the tied shoulder straps, but too small for my girl:

White and pink, the hem with a silk ribbon - for all the girlie girls out there:

This last one will be indeed the last one, just needs to be assembled. I love the skirt!

--- Off to do the tags.

Wishing you all a good weekend!

six to go

2010-07-06T13:22:00.005-06:00

Apparently Sundays are free of charge.

Looks like she even had fun, right?!

fair trade

2010-07-03T21:37:00.003-06:00

Even though my girl generally enjoys having her picture taken, she doesn't like to model in specific clothes, even more when changing is involved. And, boy, did I want her to model the new "green line" dresses for me.
I am creative, I grab a chance when I get it, so today...

"Mom, where is my bacon?" (that being said one hour after I called and asked if she wanted some)
"It's gone."
"But I wanted some!"
"Sorry, when you didn't come, we ate it all!"
~~~~~whining~~~~~crying~~~~~~
"I want bacon!"

Me, in my mind "Ha!!"
Out loud "Okay, I'll fix you some bacon, but only if you model the new dresses...!"
(Sneaky, huh?!)

You have to know, that I have not made bacon in years, so the advantage was clearly on my side, the appetite for the stuff fueled by deprivation, didn't matter that it was "just" turkey bacon!

I am not yet done with my sewing, hopefully there will be more modeled shots. Probably bacon won't work, so I'll have to come up with a new tactic!

So far the purple one is her favorite, but she has already stated, that she wants all the dresses, that don't sell at the Hip Stitch "Hipsters Craft Fair"!

That's my girl...!

it's all about the sheep - almost

2010-07-01T19:08:00.011-06:00

Summer break is in full swing.

The weather is splendid and perfect for daily dips in the pool. Breakfast is outside. Allways.
We stay up late and sleep in.
The kids have playdates. Almost every day.
The cats are happy, because everyone is around.

I went on my first run on the trails. Don't ask.

But it is just as beautiful as ever.

We went on a great little trip to Las Golondrinas and ran into their first ever Fiber Fest. Lots of yarn, spinning fibers and fiber related activities, including sheep shearing.

If I had to imagine a sheep shearer, he'd have to look like this gentleman, don't you agree?

Of course I could not resist and came home with more fibers, some of it I've already spun - I think even though it is just a picture, you can tell how soft this is - 100% angora fibers!

The knitting has slowed down tremendously since I'm back from Germany, three cardigans finished there, just buttons to add and I am thrilled about possibly adding some of Mary's latest creations!

I am still able to work a few stitches every day, so the next fluffyness is growing.

Also did I start sewing the "green line" dresses, where recycled fabric skirts are added on to handknit tops.

The idea to use recycled women's garment was born through my sweet Fiona's wish/demand for flowy, drapy skirts. It called for rayon fabric, but that is very hard/near impossible to find in stores. However, a lot of woman's dresses or skirts, produced f.ex. in India, are made from rayon fabric and are easily available in thrift stores, if you are willing to spend some time and effort to search, clean and reconstruct.

Usually I tend to accumulate a stash of dresses/skirts and dress tops (most of those knitted by my mom) before I start playing with different colors and patterns and try various combinations of skirts and tops, fun and definitely my favorite part in the whole process.

This is the first dress of the season.

What can I say... thank you, Goodwill!

But guess what...

I had a playdate, too.

While I was in Germany my friend Amber bought fluff - fleeces straight from the sheep, Rambouillet and Rambouillet cross, and yesterday we had our first go with the fine, soft, crimpy, smelly, greasy fluff that came from Princess. What a suitable name for the first ever bought fleece!

We worked on the husband's new ping pong table in the garage and it took us a bit over two joyful hours to sort through everything. - One fleece of four that is.

We planned to go for the next one in a week.

Earl, that'll be you!

Home, sweet home

2010-06-25T16:39:00.005-06:00

I feel like this every time I come home from a long vacation. It feels so good to be back to this view, the garden, the sunny weather, the light. Not to mention husband and little fuzzy friends, who had to stay at home.

Germany was fun. It always is.

There was lots of quality time to be spent with our wonderful and generous Oma, and the rest of the family.

As usual the weather was sometimes nice and sunny, good enough to enjoy outings to the lake.

And sometimes it was not so nice - the worst being a hail storm.

One summer ritual is Lewis' spending time in and cleaning my brother's garden pond.

Most of all he loves hunting down the critters in the water, like dragonfly larvae and these little guys:

They look like they might be related to lizards, but live in the water with cute little webbed feet and a flattened tail. Do you know what the "Molch" might be called in English?

Then there was the knitting. Lots of it. And lots of new Lana Grossa yarns, resulting from too many visits to my favorite yarn shop, the "Wollmaedchen" in Alzenau.

I have yet to take some decent pictures of the finished projects, so for now just a sneak peek.

There was also a much inspiring visit to my friend Rosi and her beautiful studio in Frankfurt. If you should ever need a gorgeous one-of-a-kind dress, tailored to your body from the most superb and elegant fabrics for --- say a dinner with the president, then she should be the person to consult! If you need to get in touch with her/the couture atelier, let me know.

And this is it for today.

Again, and I can't say it often enough, it's good to be home.

taking off

2010-05-19T23:17:00.003-06:00

My intentions were good. Pictures of the boy's birthday and Elementary Graduation, flowers on "my" trails, new knits and the first finished handspun skein of my blues.

Instead I am packing for our trip to Germany, helping with preparations for the Graduation, doing last minute laundry, and what not else.

So, let me just wish you good summer days until I'll be back mid June.

Take care, friends!

flash back

2010-05-11T22:11:00.006-06:00

Salinas Pueblo, New Mexico.
Have I mentioned yet how much I love New Mexico?

So many beautiful places to visit.

The kids never really want to go, but they always end up having lots of fun.

We had a picknick, too!

A good day.

a few things of importance (or not)

2010-05-08T23:21:00.008-06:00

I love having my mom here for Mother's Day.

I always try to give her a special gift, that I have made myself. This year it is a necklace and a bracelet.

Way back when I was little I loved picking flowers for her.

Lilacs were the flowers that my father would cut for her on Mother's Day. As far as I remember he did that every year.

Before I became a mother myself I picked a light green sofa. - Can you imagine?!

I've always wanted to be a mom.

It is much tougher than I thought it would be.

It is much more rewarding than I expected, too, I mean, really, check out the breakfast in bed I got last year!

To all the awesome women in my life, I wish you all a very happy Mother's Day, Moms or not!

P.S.

2010-05-05T23:44:00.004-06:00

I can't help it, I have to show you Fizzy!

He did awesome and we are so proud of him!

red, pink and green

2010-05-03T20:05:00.009-06:00

Time flies when you are busy doing fun stuff, like watching your son sing a solo as Fizzy in Bugsy Malone, his final Elementary School musical, going thriftstore digging with your favorite hunting buddy (my mom!) and participating in the Run for the Zoo.
But then there is the dark side, when you try hard not to be too grumpy, because you missed the Maryland Sheep and Wool Fair AGAIN, while other people, like Mary leisurely indulge in that fantastic event ($$+^%&^$&^**@) and get to enjoy some high quality fiber shopping time!
~~~sigh~~~

But I have been playing, too.
I had opened one of the cupboards in the laundry room and "found" some left over acid dyes, so speedyquick did I get the dye crockpot from the garage and went for it.
I gathered some of my recycled woolen fabrics for rug hooking and some plain beige singles wool yarn.

I added some fresh dyes, working in the kitchen as usual, and thinking a lot of Cathy of the Orange Sink as mine turned more and more green and red.

The results were gorgeous yarns and spotty and variegated wool fabrics, mainly greens, reds and pinks. - That is one thing that never fails to cheer me up and to make my day, the colorful results of some fun with dyes!

Who could have waited for the next rug hooking session with access to a cutter?! Not me, no, no.
No patience.
I made this small design, drew it right onto the linen, traced it with sharpie, cut some strips with the rotary cutter and got going.

I think the color of the heart is perfect!

Oma time

2010-04-27T23:32:00.002-06:00

Today our wonderful Oma got in from Germany.

Her visits are always passionately awaited.

They are thoroughly enjoyed - on both sides.

They always hold a lot of fun (last time the husband and me got to go to Las Vegas for five days!).

And they are never, seriously never, long enough!

reading again

2010-04-22T20:55:00.005-06:00

As my eyes have lost the sharpness they used to be famous for, my desire to read has decreased simultanuously. Imagine being reminded of your age every time you grab a book, because you have to adjust the distance at which you hold it in front of you (arms length!) or to reach for the reading glasses (after you finally gave in and bought them).
No fun.
I mostly switched to audiobooks with the added convenience, that you can knit/spin/sew/drive/you-name-it while you listen.

However, right now, I am reading a real book! One of my sisters-in-law wrote a book, she already mailed us a signed copy, sweet as she is, and I cannot put it down.
Apart from the fact that I am learning a lot about the family, how the husband and his sisters grew up, and life in the South in general, I laugh. A lot. This is the funniest book I have read in for-ever!

Thank you, Olivia!

The hooking in the meantime is suffering from growth pains. Look at the pile of wool strips, anything strike you as odd, when you compare it to the picture I'm working on?

I knew you'd figure it out - I'm pretty much out of pink. ---Thank God for great teachers with a humongous stash of wool fabrics!

So for now I'll be working with my yellow, blue and red. That's plenty.

On the matter of Earth Day, I'd like to share the insight of fellow blogger Sara, who says it (almost) all HERE. I thank her for getting me thinking and reducing our use of plastic even more.

Wishing us all a happy and green Earth Day!

mystery

2010-04-21T21:30:00.003-06:00

Remember the skunk yarn? Thanks to all of you who guessed!
I give you one more hint:
Some of you might get a real bad itch from this.... hmm??!!

Fiona had gathered the cat fur from brushing our two long haired sweeties and had long asked for me to spin the fluff.
It went very well, especially Lucky's fur is very fine. I guess Ike's by itself would have been too slippery.

They both sniffed it out real well, when I showed them.
Lucky said "how dare you combine my delicate fluff with that crazy young knucklehead's bristles?"

Ike was flattered.

Ike also liked the Goodwill scores of the day.

I know what I'll be havin' my latte in tomorrow morning.

Or even a cup of tea tonight.

The vintage flannel fabric - brandnew - will have to patiently wait for a suitable project.

I hope you all have a wonderful evening!

P.S. for Sara: The pink yarn, that I used for the loose girl cardi, is a blend with lots of cotton and rayon, cool and drapy for the spring/summer season and sadly not handspun!

a loose girl and a girlie flower

2010-04-20T12:46:00.005-06:00

Happy happy. The first rughooked picture is ....well almost done.

After being done with the picture in the skinny red frame, which was the original design, I decided to go with the ever-so-smart-teacher's suggestion and added a frame. That's what I'm working on right now, just a few more hours of hooking and some class time tonight!

The pink loose girl (HERE for Ravelers), however is done.

And I am happy.

Can you tell?!

time for change

2010-04-16T09:06:00.007-06:00

Fiona's room desperatly needed a makeover. Seriously. Too much stuff. Too many toys, animals. Too much of it hardly ever used.

So we have been sorting, rearranging, donating and organizing, storing the currently not so popular stuff in the garage and creating a more airy and light feel in her room.

What really got us into the groove, was a new vintage little cabinet, that we found in a furniture store in Nob Hill (thanks for the recommendation, Ann, love the place!).

Now there is a designated space for precious little knick knacks, like Indian pottery and Kachina dolls.

For now this is also, where Soe's tiny paintings are, which I brought from a trip to Hamburg last summer. Soe's child geared paintings are beautiful and - as for now - reasonably priced, and if you are in Hamburg, you should check out the little store near the Bahnhof Altona in HH Ottensen, where she sells her artwork. She has also done a fantastic job illustrating my friend Dirk's book, which may be published in the USA hopefully 2010 or next year, I will let you know. Soe is to be found HERE on the internet.

I have yet to show off a recent thriftstore score, this tiny handmade quilt, currently decorating Fiona's table for a teaparty.

Can you see the long fabric strips with the turtle pattern? Oh, to have a yard of that, sooo lovely!

And hey, the ripple blankie, re-discovered and risen from the clutter, sitting on the vintage little doll crib with the sheep matress!

And here, last but not least, a vintage Scherenschnitt of Dornroeschen (what is that called in English, hmm?),which is probably more dear to me than it is to her.

And guess what? She spends so much more time in her room, the dolls that remained in her room got new outfits, and btw, Irmchen to the far left is still her favorite:

And at her little desk she started working on a secret project for big brother, who will be 11 in May. (Eleven..., hear the ring of that number...!)

She said: "Does this look like camouflage?" (yes) "This is a lot of work, so I have to start it early!"

Pssst, this is our secret.

Have a great weekend!

skunk

2010-04-15T19:07:00.003-06:00

For a few days I had a little pile of fluff sitting next to the wheel and it did look indeed like a dead skunk. Well, at least from a distance. From close by it was just the perfectly managable amount for about a half hour of spinning for a tired mama on a late evening.

And that's just what I did.

Now, I am so curious, if you, my dear and faithful readers, are up to a challenge and want to give me a good guess on what fibers I have spun here into a lovely laceweight skunk yarn! Leave me a comment!

And here a sneak peak of the other project, here to be seen in the very first promising stages, and here in the very final stage:

Maybe I'll be done by tomorrow?

this morning

2010-04-13T09:36:00.003-06:00

It is all about the light.

Just like Visty I feel that the light has a special quality these days. But you have to hit the right moment.

On the breakfast table just before it got cluttered with the typical chaotic setting before school:

And this is what I see when I step out my back door. Especially gorgeous this morning with the sun just peeking over the Sandias (East would be on the right side on the picture - obvious, when you pay attention to the shadows) and the tips of the mountains covered in bright white clouds:

I can tell, this will be a beautiful day!

Silly Ike, rolling on his back, feels exactly the same way!

still not done

2010-04-09T11:52:00.010-06:00

I keep finding things around the house that I had meant to show you and forgot about, so here they come:

This was Lewis' best Easter egg artwork and somehow it ended up in front of the computer. I thought it was too cute how he gave the bunny the two oversized nibble teeth.

Fiona made this for us:

She had been very ill and spent the day in our big bed, however she somehow still managed to gather some energy and crafted this -- on the nightstand!

In the meantime my pink "loose girl" (here on Ravelry) keeps growing, since I was sitting a lot with the sick boy.

He felt better yesterday, good enough to help with the first finished sleeve!

I am hoping that I'll be able to finish this on the weekend - on time for warm spring weather!

Wishing you a good weekend as well!

stuck

2010-04-08T13:19:00.005-06:00

Not much happening here in the foothills.
Both kids sick, one after the other. I am glued to the house, however in that disorganized state, that I'm thrown in, when I am reduced to being the motherhen, that pampers the babies back to health.

Easter still held lots of fun - any holiday that grants you chocolate does, n'est-ce pas?!

We had the first outdoors breakfast of the season! It was still quite chilly, but we toughed it out. It seemed so suitable for the Easter Holiday!

Fiona really wants you to know that these are the best markers! They are indeed great.

Oh, how inspiring a new set of fancy markers and some nice artist's pad can be!

transformation

2010-04-03T20:48:00.003-06:00

When we color our traditional batch of eggs, they all turn out lovely. Of course I am thrilled when I get one just for myself, that honors my love of sheep.

But what I treasure even more is watching the kids create.

I see that look of total concentration, when they forget me with my camera.

I watch Lewis, who is getting ready to start middle school in September and I wonder, is it the last year, that he colors eggs with us?

My girlie is the one, who adores all artsy-crafty activities and dives right in. Oh boy, does she get messy!

I can never get enough of those little hands, I mean, just look at them in all their colorful gory!

She is eight now, but when I look at her hands, they remind me of the chubby little baby she was.

Happy Easter to you all!

No April Fools

2010-04-01T17:11:00.008-06:00

A pleasant sight at the front door just a few days ago!

I did not open my package from Kid Hollow Farm right away. I knew it contained the strongly desired blue fluff!

I dragged the wheel out, where the kids wanted to bike and worked on the last bit of the roses, that I wanted done before going for the blues.

I finished the next day and while the last rosy skeins were soaking in hot soapy water, I was already working on sampling the blues.

Much better for me, don't you agree?!

With all the warm weather I have been drawn to the little pink wrap thingie since then. It is growing. The back is finished and I'm halfway done with one front.

I am working the shoulders my special way, which I developed and have never seen in any magazine, -however, with all the fantastic knitters out there, I'm sure someone else had the same idea somewhere.
I use it for slanted shoulders and this is how it is done:
Instead of casting off three times a certain amount of stitches, in my case it would have been three times eight stitches, I knit short rows:
At first I knit 16 stitches and leave the last eight stitches un-knit, wrapping that 17th stitch on the needle, purl back over 16 stitches. Then I knit only 8 stitches, wrap the 9th, purl back. Then I knit once over all my 24 stitches and keep those as live stitches until I am ready to graft my shoulder. (This covers the left shoulder on the back of my garment. The short rows on the other shoulder are done on the purl side!) And voila, my shoulder is slanted without a bulky seam.

It is much less complicated than it sounds and the turnout is beautiful - my favorite way of making a shoulder.

I want to close with an impression of the last handspun yarns, that are just dry after the final wash, note the last two rosy skeins on the outsides!

All those pretty colors seem to get me in the mood for the upcoming Easter celebration.
I hope they will brighten your day as well!

In the garden

2010-03-31T09:32:00.002-06:00

Blueberries, raspberries and apricot tree are done.

Laundry? Dream on.

IHeartFaces Photo Challenge

2010-03-29T17:15:00.004-06:00

This is a pre-digital shot (scanned), taken 4th of July in Washington, D.C. - go figure! - of a stranger. I took it twelve years ago, in 1998, which was my first year in the USA after getting married and moving from Germany to Maryland.
Quite suitable, I believe, for the dramatic B&W photo challenge over at IHeartFaces.

Even though I dislike the shadows caused by the flash and wish the Washington Monument was not crooked, I think this is (apart from pictures of family members) one of the best pictures I ever took.

Thanks, Visty, for the inspiration!

elsewhere and here

2010-03-24T20:00:00.002-06:00

Do you know that we used to live in this cute and oh-so-Eastcoastish house in Germantown, Maryland, in this supernice neighborhood with reeeaaally cool neighbors?!

Bet you did not, at least not the neighbor part.

I'd like to introduce you to one of my former neighbors: Lena is smart, beautiful and cool, a runner, has two gorgeous and sweet kids and happens to own my favorite Italian restaurant Agrodolce in Germantown (with husband Phil). Lena just recently started a new journey in her life, she launched a blog and wants to get professional with her art of taking pictures, especially portraits.

Friends, check out her fantastic work, here on Flickr, read her blog and if you can, go have her take some awesome shots of you, the family, your kids, you and the love of your life, you name it!

Here, today?
Working the ass on the trails, snowflurries my company, again.
Coffee with friends in the morning.
Gathering stuff for the class, beginner knitting tomorrow morning.

Watching winter wrestle with spring. The day that started with snowfall ended with warm sun.

I am eying my trees, I have all that I wanted now, the Jonagold being my favorite, because it is my favorite apple! None are planted yet, and I am keeping my fingers crossed.

goals and plans

2010-03-21T14:05:00.007-06:00

The wheel is spinning.
Nine rosy ounces have been spun, plied and washed. I still adore this yarn and wish the color would work for me.

I remembered that I had already made a piece of clothing from a previously spun sample and searched the archives.
A sweater for Irmchen in 2008.

The actual yarn color is somewhere in the middle between the sweater and the finished skein. I'm working on the color thing, got me Adobe Photoshop Elements 8 and have yet to get started with it, I'm thinking next week when the kids are back in school.

While I am stalking the mail man, I pretend to track my package of blues across the country as it makes its way from Virginia. Since Pat mailed it on Wednesday I have been wondering where it is. Maybe it is spending the Sunday in Arkansas? Or Tennessee?

My goal is to have my roses all spun up by the time the two pounds of blue fluff arrive, so I don't need to feel guilty, when I dive into the blue right away. Another rosy nine ounces of finished yarn are soaking in hot soapy water right now (I use Eucalan in case you wonder), but there is still some more raw fluff waiting at the wheel.

I also have to confess, that I started a new project. Spring did it!

This week, when temperatures went up into the 60s, we were about to head out to the playground and I had to decide what project to take. I was in the mood for spring and summer colors and fibers, so the bright pink cotton from the stash (thank you, Goodwill, for high quality Italian yarn for a ridiculously cheap price!) was a quick choice and I decided to give it a go with a pattern from an older Verena, that I've had on my to-do-list for a while.

Now the plan for this is to knit at least a few rows every day, to keep it growing steadily. So far I more than stuck to my plan and I really like it.

Speaking of growth reminds me. - I bought an Apricot tree yesterday.

Two years ago we planted a fig tree in the protected area in front of the house, apparently it would not do good with our heavy spring winds anywhere else, and right now I'm holding my fingers crossed that it made it through our tough long winter.Until now it did not carry any figs.

I have always wanted a real fruit tree, maybe apples, cherries, peaches or - apricots. A tree that grows big and strong, where the kids can climb onto, or tie a hammock into the branches, but so far the time never seemed to be right.

That we are finally planting our tree shows me how much our family has grown roots and how much we look forward to our future here.

Right now I cannot imagine living anywhere else than the Southwest. I am still so in love with Albuquerque and New Mexico!

not the half of it

2010-03-16T14:48:00.006-06:00

Besides a secret knitting project, which will be off to London soon, I have been spinning. A lot.

I have been working mostly on the big wheel, my fast one, for at least two hours daily.

I feel that I have finally mastered the long backward draw, a technique which I find quite challenging since it is not easy to produce a yarn with a uniform amount of twist. However, once you manage it the rewards are huge, - more yarn in a shorter time.

Here are some of the results.

A 2-ply merino, dyed as roving by myself:

Surprisingly I still have a hard time finding prepared fibers for spinning locally. I guess a lot of the artists sell their rovings at yarn stores, where it it ends up double the price, which I'm not willing to pay.

Taos Wool Festival was a good source for fibers and I purchased from Robin Pascal from Edgewood, NM, a blend of wool, mohair, alpaca and angora, spun up here:

Then there is Kai Mohair, located in Texas. Lisa offers roving and gorgeous dyed mohair locks combined with fabulous customer service. The locks are not easy to spin, they require quite some teasing and predrafting, but the result is a gorgeous one-of-a-kind yarn, that is not available in any yarnstore! I recommend investing in the highest available grade/softest and most expensive fibers and you will be rewarded with a mohair yarn, that is almost as soft as angora.

Can you see the little curls and locks peaking out? Gotta love it!

As I've mentioned before, I still have my fiber sources on the East Coast, and as this last big order is all spun up, my favorite remains this pound of loveliness:

Now there is still one big bag of shades of rose colors waiting next to the wheel, a previous purchase from Kid Hollow Farm, one sample spun and knitted, because I can't get this out of my head, the Tweedy Aran Cardigan by Norah Gaughan (here on Ravelry):

I adore the yarn with all the lovely variations, but I don't feel the color would work for me. Since the knitting will be a lot of work, - not to mention the spinning - the color HAS to be right.

I had no choice, people!

- - - - I ordered two more pounds of my blue!

weather news

2010-03-15T20:46:00.006-06:00

While the kids are at home for spring break we have been surprised with another load of snow.

Can you tell that this is a lot of fresh snow?

The lighting was beautiful and dramatic, the kids had a blast in the backyard and the arroyo and I was outside for photos several times.

All this happened yesterday.

Today? Just one sad little pile of snow, where the snowman had been!

I owe you green

2010-03-12T12:49:00.004-07:00

Fiona's green hat was finished with a lot of greenish beeds, some embroidery on the dreads, one green feather and a pipe cleaner flower.

You see one proud girl!

fifteen minutes

2010-03-12T12:37:00.002-07:00

Fiona wants to take a bath and Lola has to come along.
There is just one little problem - Lola has no bathing suit!
Mama, can you make one?

I'll try, no promises!

One fifteen minute success story!

Fiona and Lola are very pleased!

Thanks, Uncle Ralfi

2010-03-10T09:00:00.001-07:00

The sweetest uncle sent this.

We love you, too!

hello world

2010-03-09T19:01:00.004-07:00

Albuquerque Journal, Sunday, March 7th, 2010:

Dear Mr. Piraro,

you totally made my day!

Now I can truly tell, that knitters are being recognized in this country as an important part of our society!

I really appreciate this, and wish you the best for your future, possibly a serious relationship with a passionate knitter, who will knit you some cozy socks or an even cozier sweater!

Yours truly!

P.S. Would you happen to know by any chance, where that class is being held?

WIP

2010-03-06T21:41:00.005-07:00

The other day Fiona came home all excited, because she has to make a wacky green hat for school.

I had not felted any large project in more than a year, but after some consideration I said, "well, we could felt one..?!" which of course was the beginning of a journey.

We went through all the felt books for some ideas/refreshing of techniques and I decided to work around a resist.

We measured the circumference of her head, took half of that and added 1/3 for shrinkage, cut the shape out of a thick clear plastic. We layered grass green merino on the resist, turned the shape several times in between, while folding over the overlaps until we had 3 layers of merino on each side of the resist.

I find the turning the hardest, because if you mess up and the stuff slips, it is the doom of your project. You will never again be able to get order into your nice layers of fibers, and I tell you the layering takes a loooot of time. We used a flat baking sheet underneath and towels or a placemat from some kind of foamy material to help with that.

At the same time Fiona worked some funny little felt snakes with a sushi mat.

She left one end of those unfelted, so they could be worked into the surface of the hat.

Just one layer of merino covers the fluffy end, above you see half of that process done.

She decorated the outer surface with some green fluff in different shades and we covered the wool layers with window screen. No pictures of the tidious scrubbing with hot soapy water until loose fibers are felted together. I tried to roll the hat with bubble wrap just once and when it seemed that the fibers were well enough connected I proceeded to the washingboard, my favorite part.

Sonja had said "This will be too big!" and she was right.

But not for long.

Just until we scrubbed the heck out of that thing on the magic washing board.

This process and its astonishing results never fail to amaze me...

Fine tuning will follow tomorrow.

transformation

2010-03-05T11:29:00.006-07:00

There once was a little pencil.

He lived happily with his two kids, who used him for their homework. But the little pencil always thought there was something missing and that he was meant for something grand, he just did not know what that would be. He felt a strong desire to stand out among his brothers and sisters, who all looked exactly like him. Yellow.

Then one day, the little girl chose him and started putting fluff around him.

He said 'hey, that tickles!', but she did not listen. She drenched him in hot water, put a lot of soap on him as if he was not clean and kept on rolling and rolling him in a tight mat!

He had to spend the whole night drying, not quite sure what was happening until this morning he was grabbed and put in the spotlight for photo after photo.

Now he knew, that he was really special, after all he was ...... Cinderfelto!

just a story

2010-03-02T17:06:00.004-07:00

The other day in the car:

Lewis: Mom, Dad (note how he adresses me first, but wisely adds his father!), you know, I was wondering, since the stuff in batteries is so poisonous and acidic, how can it give you energy?

Me: Wyatt?

Wyatt answers in a very complicated, detailed and knowledgeable way, because he is educated, smart and knows just about everything. Even though I know how smart he is I am amazed and impressed and listen in awe, barely understanding the half of it.

Then me: ... (thoughtful) ... if it was for me, we would still live in the Stoneage. But we would be warm, real warm!

one afternoon

2010-02-26T11:13:00.005-07:00

You may know, that the heart of our dining room is a beautiful large table, which comes in quite handy for formal dinners (once) or homework (almost daily) or crafting/painting with the kids (often) or crafting/knitting with friends (once a month).
When Amanda, aka Mrs. Soulemama invited her readers to think about the highlight of our week it took me a moment. Then I realized that my favorite time last week was a painting event at said table a few days ago. Not just did I thoroughly enjoy watching the kids do their artwork, but also did I love that we all worked on something similar, we all painted.

Here are the kids finished pictures, water colors combined with oil pastels. I don't think it is hard to guess, who did what.

But it was not just this creating in harmony, that made the afternoon special, but also what I was working on.

For quite a while I had been wondering what I would like to make as a larger design in rug hooking. And the idea of a rug that incorporates designs/pictures of the kids was just the "rough draft" until it hit me how I wanted to do it.

I started going through boxes with old artwork. I found pictures that used to be my favorites, others that symbolized important phases in the kids' lives or typical drawings that I've seen over and over again. The Giant Squid. Lewis was obsessed with the Giant Squid for a while. Snakes, another object of fascination for him when he was five, frogs, too. Halloween, everyones favorite. The little girl, always drawn by Fiona with the hair growing out above the ears. The green horse, a framed picture on the wall. The butterfly, for a while Fiona drew nothing but butterflies.

The idea how to put it all together came naturally.

And now I guess it is obvious, what made this afternoon so memorable. A feeling of being connected in a desire to create, at the same time remembering what we have shared in the past and to get a glimpse of where we come from and maybe also of where we are going.

I really don't know if mine will ever become a rug, but all these paintings will always remind me of a very special afternoon.

working hard

2010-02-24T16:42:00.008-07:00

I just got the latest fiber order in. Gorgeous mohair fluff from Kid Hollow Farm in Virginia, where Pat does a fantastic job of dyeing the fibers and creating gorgeous color combinations. If you are a spinner you MUST check out their fibers, there is nothing comparable available in New Mexico.
While I have been knitting a lot of fingerless mittens this winter, the ones that I made from the handspun yarn from their stuff were my favorites.
Not that I ran out of fibers (are you kidding? Me? Never!), but I swear, this stuff is like chocolate, totally addictive, you can never get enough and you always want to try new flavors/colorways. I got a bunch of new colors for fingerless mitts similar to these on Flickr, that will be available for sale. Send me an email, if you'd like to preorder mittens in a certain colorway.

And this lovelyness, a whole pound, has my name on it - these are so my colors, and I'm thinking sleeveless sweater??!!

This morning I was leisurely strolling through the house (yeah, right, leisurely!), when something moving on the floor caught my eye. I'm thinking "Dead spider? Moving? Not possible." I take a closer look and I see this tiny ant, no not a carpenter humungo-guy, but a little sugar ant dragging the dead corpse of a spider along, attached is a tiny bit of wool fluff, too.

I watched it for a long time, tried to capture a good shot (hard!) and was just amazed.

Somehow this also reminded me of myself in front of all those mountains of fibers!

Tonight the spider corpse has vanished, and I have a date with my wheel.

FiberLust

2010-02-23T12:25:00.005-07:00

Have I mentioned that I am spinning?

This is what I spun two days ago, washed it yesterday, ready today for the photos in fresh snow.

100% handdyed baby mohair locks, softest grade, 1 3/4oz, 20yds.

This is for sale directly from Sheeponaspring for $ 19.25. Contact me within about 10 days, if you'd like to purchase the skein, afterwards it will be available at Fiber Chicks in Old Town (for a higher amount).

There will be more colorways available soon, I will keep you posted.

This is how the yummy stuff looks like before it's worked with the wheel, fibers were purchased at the Taos Woolfestival last October.

And this is the gorgeous stuff that Dalis brought from Maryland. I love purple!

More pictures yet to come of more rovings, that I ordered from farms in Virginia, so many colors, I have a hard time choosing!

Time to go, off to the wheel, again in the company of "Weeds", sometimes the Olympics, and today maybe orange mohair locks...

I hope you have a great day, too.

the good and the bad

2010-02-22T16:02:00.007-07:00

The itch was real bad after Amber got her fabulous new double treadle Lendrum up and running. So this weekend I finally pulled my wheels out and got spinning. I spun up some batts of wool-alpaca-silk blends and plied the gorgeous rusty mohair yarn, that I had spun a while ago. Yarn is wet from a brief bath, so pictures have yet to be taken. Fun.

There was also a date with husband, which brought us to Old Town and - what a lucky "coincidence" :-) - to the relatively new yarnshop Fiber Chicks. They have one whole wall dedicated to consignment yarns and part of my newly spun yarns will soon be available for sale there. Good.

On Sunday then I had a visitor from my Maryland past, my oh-so-talented friend Dalis, here on Ravelry! I was thrilled that she made time for me, even brought me some fiber goodies! If your travels ever bring you to her area in Maryland, just north of D.C., you have to visit her little shop with a big selection of high quality yarns, fibers and related items on her farm or checkout her beautiful handdyed yarns available on Etsy here.

Time flew by and she had to leave too soon.

- Travel safely, friend!

Ready for the bad part?

Here is a look back to last summer, when Lewis tore a ligament in his foot just the day before we flew to Germany. Trampoline injury. Splint and crutches, pain and real bad swelling. Fortunately grandma owns this little cart and this is how we'd wheel him around.

Yesterday, total deja-vu, other kiddo, trampoline, After Hours Pediatrics, Emergency Room for X-rays, fortunately no fracture. And here she is today, foot up and swollen real bad, little Miss Bigfoot.

Spends the day on the sofa, ice on as much as possible, getting spoiled by her mama.

My kids and trampolines don't go together. We don't own one and never will.

Not compatible. Period.

ready

2010-02-19T09:58:00.005-07:00

You probably all know that I love wool and fibers. I knit and spin, I dye and felt, do embroidery and crochet, hey, I even occasionally do some other crafts as well.

That love for fibers as well as my dear friend Amy recently got me into an exciting and fun new hobby and I took a class in rug hooking with the immensely talented Cathy Kelly.

While I have yet to finish my first project, a hooked flower after a design by my daughter, I have been accumulating a new stash of woolen fabrics, all of them thrifted, coming from woolen garments. Just this week I was incredibly lucky and found two pieces, a skirt and a vest, which were made from the most gorgeous wool fabrics.

One of the treasured rug hooking pieces that I own is this album cover that Amy made for me.

If you are curious and want to see more examples of what lovely woolen fabric can be transformed into, go check out Brenda's work on Flickr, one nice example to be seen here or here by Dulcy.

But there is another important news, that I need to share. I opened my own SHOP on Etsy! Ta-dah!

I'm starting off slow with this hand dyed roving, a buttersoft blend of wool and baby alpaca in shades of green with hints of purple and pink. There will be more roving for handspinners and some yarns in the future, so check it out, add me to your favorite stores and spread the news!

Have a great weekend, friends!

these days

2010-02-16T22:29:00.009-07:00

Sunday, Valentine's dinner. I got orange.

Yesterday. Gave the kids the typewriters from Goodwill.

Life is good.

I still love you

2010-02-13T12:29:00.005-07:00

Even though this could or even should be about my husband since to this day we have been married for 12 years, this is not about him. (Happy anniversary, my love!)

Nor is it about my sweet son, who spread mud all over the house this morning. Hmpfff.

Or my equally sweet daughter, who was very .... hmm, I shall call it "uncooperative" last night.

No, inspired by Cathy's post about tea here I came to think about the change in my habits when it comes to hot beverages, that is latte vs. tea.

While in my twenties I used to drink a lot of hot tea, flavored black tea. Most likely everybody did in the 80s, right?! Habits changed towards coffee (I spare you the details) and right now I have my latte every morning, sometimes one in the afternoon, sometimes an espresso after dinner and have been the proud and happy owner of an ECM machine for 4 years now.

However, tea has never been forgotten, I had my cup of rooibus off and on. And I've always loved to shop for handmade tea mugs, I'm very specific about the shapes that I dig.

Pretty much for all my adult life I've been hunting for vintage tea tins, most of these being German flea market finds and now they have come back to being well used:

Just last year I got back into tea, that is brewing a pot in the afternoon, my favorite for quite a while being "Viennese Delight" from Collectibilitea here in Albuquerque, but - boohoo - they closed, which brought me back to Kroegers in Hamburg, Germany.

I admit it, I shamelessly use my connections over there (thank you Oma and Doris!) and have stashed up on flavored green and black teas. Think marzipan, caramel, strawberry cream, Hawaiian sunset...! Kroeger's is the best, bottled water, preheat your teapot, 3 minutes, a bit of honey, yum.

This good stuff is stored in above mentioned tins and there is a whole drawer dedicated to tea now.

But.

I do indeed still love you, my dear ECM!

just two things

2010-02-11T08:47:00.005-07:00

One of the noteworthy happenings in our house is definitely when the kids are crafting. That's when my heart jumps with delight, when they choose paper, glue and string over gameboy, TV, anything that requires electrical power!

Just a few days ago the Valentine bug hit Fiona and she got busy.

Days like that leave me thoroughly content.

Then there is music.

I have been hunting for a song, which - unfortunately - is not available through iTunes, though it really should be. This one was real popular in Germany, not sure about the US.

And if you are ready for a good laugh (the video is from the 70s, think shoes, dance moves, etc.) and you feel like some movin' and groovin' click here and have a fabulous day!

P.S. Thank you, Su.

the happy season

2009-12-19T23:09:00.008-07:00

What starts off with a lot of nice ideas for nice handmade gifts for nice people, family and friends, usually ends up as a chaotic scramble to pull things together at the last minute.

Imagine the mother, sitting in the dining room at 11.30pm before the last schoolday, fixing the little goodie bags for the enrichment teachers and the big goodie bags for the teachers after making the handmade gifts for the teachers. Or. The last seam on the totebag for the piano teacher was closed about an hour before she got here for the last pre-Christmas lesson. This list could go on and on. You get the picture.

However, all the rushing and running came to a halt for three special events.

One was the arrival of grandma from Germany - not all is lost! Where I am crazy, she is calm, where I am chaos, she is organized, where I go beyond things, she fills the basics (think laundry, dishes...), sounds good, huh?!

Then setting up the decorations. Over the last years the Christmas bins have been growing slowly and steadily. I find things in thriftstores, buy them in stores or handmade, or get them as gifts, some vintage, because friends know, that I like that. I am attached to all of them and love unwrapping every single piece and finding the perfect spot.

The third is the picking and the set-up of the Christmas tree. Traditionally the whole family goes to pick the perfect tree, then we decorate. This year it is even more special, because the kids did the decorating almost all by themselves with the help of grandma. The tree is perfect!

My wish for you... may your tree be perfect as well and may your Christmas be peaceful and happy!

P.S. If you wondered what became of the un-desired pants - a friend's daughter, sweet little Skyler, 3 years old, got them. Though she does have to grow a little before they will fit, mom thinks they will be perfect!

are you ready?

2009-12-02T22:00:00.006-07:00

Okay, friends, especially all the moms or dads of little girls, here it comes.

My first give-away!

These were my daughter's much loved favorite pants and she wore them for a good while almost every day. At some point - of course - the knees were through. I let it go. But then she showed me that she could stick her whole leg through the hole. And she mentioned she got quite chilly with the big air holes...

So mother did some extensive work: undid seams on bottom, then sides, then picked funky corduroy fabric for a funky 70s look and some durability. Remember? Favorite pants. Well, not any more. It started with something like "mommy, I'm really not sure." or "I don't really know what would fit with this."

- Well, what can I say...the jeans have been officially unfavorited and banned.

By now I have been authorized to make this a blog give-away to find a new home for the former favorites (size 6R, stretchy jeans fabric, Lee)!

Pop me a comment if you want these for your girl and by next Wednesday I'll draw the lucky winner and mail these to you!

you, too

2009-12-02T21:37:00.004-07:00

And then, yesterday, on the way to bed I found the other fuzzball snuggled up in purple handspun in my favorite basket.

Yes, Ike, I love you, too.

chain of events

2009-12-01T21:02:00.004-07:00

Some greenish spots on my kitchen countertops.
Newly dyed skeins of yarn on a rod above the tub to dry.
Little girl puts moist skeins on bathroom floor, because she is going to take a bath.
Mother comes to check on her and finds this:

That's my sweet cat. Real furry and a real good taste in yarn!

breaking the silence of the lambs

2009-11-25T15:47:00.006-07:00

A lot has happened around here in the past weeks.

The family has been to New Orleans for the fantastic wedding of our niece Elizabeth and her new husband Justin - check out the bathroom decorations!

We celebrated the woodfloors in our home with a sock party (loads of yummy food included).

After the open house/studio tour and one more holiday basar, I'm getting ready and creating as much as possible for the craft fair at Hip Stitch, Friday, 12/4, from 6.00 to 9.00 pm. and Saturday, 12/5, from 10.00 am. to 5.00 pm.

I have spun a lot of yarn, some handdyed, mainly to make more fingerless mittens, that are always a bestseller.

Another new product, that I've added to my "show stash" are zippered pouches. For those I love to use high quality fabrics and combine them with vintage ribbons, linen, whatever seems suitable.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving this pumpkin colored lovelyness has been added to my so far Koigu-free stash and I am truely thrilled!! Thank you soso much again, Amber!

And thank you to all my friends for being, who you are, and for being wonderful friends!

Happy Thanksgiving!

coming up

2009-11-03T21:34:00.003-07:00

I don't like blogging without photos, however since my pc harddrive died and email adresses are lost at this point I need to invite my friends via blog and hope you all read this!

I recently launched my small artsy crafty business named "sheep on a spring" (--no, again, NOT "on a STRing", people, get reading glasses!). I plan to produce more and start an etsy business, while participating in local craftshows as I have in the past.
At the same time one of my dreams is coming true and I will be a participating artist in the first (annual?!) studio tour in High Desert. I am truly thrilled and hope you have a chance to stop by at our house on Saturday between 10.00 and 5.00! Please drop me an email, if you need directions!
In addition to the handknits, handspun yarns and dyed rovings, that you might know, there will also be some more sewed items, where I love to combine high quality novelty fabrics with vintage or recycled fabrics or related items.

All together there will be a nice variety of handmade things to please yourself or that would make lovely christmas gifts!

Hope to see you then!

embarrassed

2009-10-13T09:38:00.008-06:00

I stand corrected by - ahem - not by my German, but an American friend (thank you, Amber), who kindly informed me, that what I named the Reichstag was in fact the Brandenburger Tor.

Ooops.

My house is dusty and will stay dusty for a week longer than anticipated. The company that delivered the wood messed up and we ran short. But well, we have not gotten the oil finish yet either, a product from Germany, that seems to be sold out all over the US at this point, so what the...

At the same time normal life somehow goes on and Fiona's fieldtrip brought us yesterday to Wagner Farm in Corrales. Don't we all love pumpkin pictures?

There is some knitting happening, too, almost finished fingerless gloves from handspun 2-ply yarn. I just need to weave in the ends.

A new project was started from bulky 2-ply handspun, a buttersoft blend of kid mohair and romney, to become a sleeveless vest in a design that I have been breeding over for quite a while now: long, just one huge button for closure at the neckline, the details will be developed as I go.

Sewing machine and ironing board found a current home in the low dust kitchen area and I was able to finally finish the birthday gift for my friend Mitchi in Maryland, this zippered pouch: vintage fabric, hand emboidered initials on linen, dark green velvet lining.

Doris, who will be taking off for Germany today, got a private lesson on sewing zippered pouches and surprised me yesterday with this lovelyness:

Thank you, Doris, and bye-bye 'til next year!

curious?

2009-10-11T13:25:00.004-06:00

Right now our family is dealing with a lot of dirt and dust, but it's all for a good cause.

As most of the tiles and carpet on our first floor have finally gone bye-bye, things are beginning to take shape after as little as 4 days, that the great crew of Marek & Co has been working here.

Take a look:

Rifted and quartered oak to be oiled. It will be perfect!

favorite Friday

2009-10-10T20:32:00.006-06:00

Once a year in October Albuquerque belongs to the balloonies.

For one week in the mornings we get to enjoy the view of the city with the sky filled with plenty of beautiful colorful balloons, high count of this year being close to 50 at a time - according to Fiona.

This is just the 3rd October that we have lived in Albuquerque, and I believe we are on the way to develop a new family tradition.

On Balloon Fiesta Friday we get up as early as 5.30am, leave the house without breakfast (ouch), take the shuttle bus from Hoffmanntown Church to the Balloon Fiesta Park, get a breakfast burrito (me)/funnelcake (Lewis)/cinnamon roll (Fiona)/snack from everyone else (my friend Doris, who is visiting from Germany right now) and watch the rise-and-shine of the special shape balloons.

It is a spectacular sight!

As to be expected I was thrilled to see some German balloons.

One of them had the shape of what was possibly the Reichstag in Berlin and was promoting a famous beer brand.

There was also a balloon shaped like what we call a "Bembel", a pitcher traditionally used to serve applewine in Frankfurt/Hessen, which is really close to where I was born and raised, yeah.

However, I must admit, that I find it odd, that Germany was represented by nothing but alcohol sponsored balloons. Germany may be famous for good beer and whatever other alcoholic beverages, but there is so much more, that makes Germany special.

Trust me.

lost words

2009-10-08T00:22:00.009-06:00

(The guy was wearing a cowboy hat and he could spin, too!)

What a day

2009-09-18T21:40:00.004-06:00

This was my day and it was good!

Thank you all for remembering, for calling, singing and emailing!

party time

2009-09-14T17:15:00.009-06:00

Just this weekend we finally had the very girlie girls party.

After Fiona's favorite strawberry cake eight screaming girls got to hop in the pool to get rid of some of that energy (if you know what I mean).

However the main event was printing like Lotta. I had sewn drawstring bags for everyone as goodie/goodie bag and we cut potatoes to stamp on the blank part of the bag.

The results were great!

A good party!

yum and yuck

2009-09-10T22:37:00.007-06:00

Let's start with the yuck, shall we?

One of the first things people will tell you about New Mexico is that we have some weird bugs around here and boy, I'm telling you, that we do!

Check out this thing which we spotted one night in the garden. It was huge, about 4 in (12 cm, my German friends!). Some research in Lewis' library, turned out it was a whipscorpion. While looking extremely gross, it is not poisonous. Good.

Be happy in the yard, but - poisonous or not - please do.not.ever.again.breed around my house!

And do not ever again let your baby sneek around in my kitchen in the morning. Especially not before breakfast! Next time I might just squish it to mush.

This time I had mercy. There you go, little gross guy!

Today I found this cardigan in Lewis' closet. It is very dear to me for several reasons. It was one of the early things that I knitted for him, and it was made from my own handspun yarn. For the very first time I had found prepared roving and this whole world of the wonderful American fiber community with its many resources had just let me peek in for the first time. I believe I even spun this with my first spinning wheel, purchased sometime early 80s, that I had brought with me from Germany after I got married!

While I look at the yarn and the knitted piece and think it looks yummy, there are critters, that feel the same way... They dared to choose this wonderful little cardigan as lunch/dinner/breakfast. Boohoo.

I'm still debating what I should do with it. It is washed. Nuke any leftover bugs in the Antarctica/freezer? Take about a hundred more pictures and toss it? Cut off the buttons as my mom reminded me? Unravel and reuse what's reusable? Not sure yet. For now it is resting on the sofa.

Time for real yum, and don't think about mashed whipscorpions any more, will ya'?!

Inspired by my friend Ulrike I recently made new sourdough and after failing several times (which results in bread with huge airbubbles and just not the right sour flavor) it seems that I finally got it right.

This is every single bit as good as it looks.

It is the reason why Fiona and me can't wait for breakfast these days. She calls it "Mamabread".

Lewis however complains and wants store bought bread. I tell him, that this is as good as it gets: all natural, whole rye, whole wheat, sourdough starter (again rye flour and water and the right kind of bacteria), sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, salt and water, that's all.

I tell him, what makes it truly the best is that it is made with love!

I say, eat it!

Yum.

...and another one

2009-09-08T14:43:00.004-06:00

I guess that last sewing session got me into the groove.

I made a pattern to work with the vintage handles.

Zippered and lined inside pocket in the middle, orange vintage velvet used as lining for outer layers.

Bellissima.

celebrating

2009-09-08T11:39:00.012-06:00

Among all the exciting things that happened last week was the 8th birthday of my little girl.

She loves gymnastics.

She loves Webkinz.

She loves Build-A-Bear-Workshop.

She draws and paints beautiful pictures.

She loves all things artsy and crafty.

She adores her big brother.

She stands up to her big brother, too.

She loves school.

She loves to cook and snack on the ingredients.

She loves broccoli, peppers, tomatoes and carrots .

She loves icecream. No, that's a huge understatement. She could live on icecream.

She's a good sport - except when she's tired.

She loves the dresses that Oma and me make.

She loves animals, stuffed and real.

She loves her Oma. And her Opa.

And she loves her family.

We love you, too, baby.

studio news

2009-09-06T20:46:00.006-06:00

I have dusted off the sewing machine and spent last night and this morning playing with some awesome fabric.
The idea was to make a totebag as a gift for a friend using some funky kinda southwestern fabric from my favorite fabric store Hip Stitch, "random" measurements and design.

Well, it worked, take a look!

I also figured out how to make a label - stamped it on a ribbon with fabric paint. I put it on the inside of the bag, next to a cell phone/accessory pocket.

This is my favorite girl - just look at that grin!

Happy birthday, Dana!