Fiber Everywhere!

Tomorrow is the big day! I have the privilege of speaking to a group of homeschooled kiddos and some of their families about my passion - FIBER. Just think. Two whole hours to talk about nothing but sheep, wool, dye, and spinning! And they are expecting those topics - I won't be "some weird lady that is facinated with sheep". I also get to teach the group how to use a drop spindle. Here they are, ready for willing hands!

While getting things ready to teach tomorrow, I realized that we are low on hand dyed rovings. So out came the dye pots. This first roving is by far my favorite. I have been saving purple onion skins since about Christmas. I finally had plenty, so in the pot they went. I was expecting some shade of purple, rust or brown, but got a gorgeous golden yellow! I love it!

Here is a drying rack full of fiber, too. I am not pleased with the rose. I apparently did not get the powdered dye stirred in well, so it spotted, and not in a pretty way. I will probably overdye it with plum. Dark plum fixes pretty much every mistake!

And finally, this beauty is still in the pot as I type:

I am going to have to go clean up the kitchen so I can cook supper. Unfortunately, this fiber doesn't digest well, and my family expects food at some point before bedtime. Sigh................

Finished The Shawl!

I finally finished the Fleurdelise shawl I have been working on. It is made from a merino/silk sock yarn that mama gave me for my birthday last year. I don't knit socks. (I don't wear them, either, unless it is REALLY cold!) My attention span isn't long enough to make two of the same exact things in a row. But I loved this colorway when I saw it on etsy. It is called "Pumpkin Spice" and came from http://www.marigoldjen.etsy.com/ So, with it sitting in my stash, I had to find something to make from it. The pattern is by Michelle Miller, and I downloaded it from Ravelry. If you click on the picture below, it will take you to the pattern. (I don't know how I did it, but somehow it happened!)
I love how this yarn is multicolored, but it doesn't look "busy" like a lot of verigated yarns.

This picture is a little dark, but you can see the overall lacy look.

This will be a gift for a very dear lady that I used to work with. I seldom manage to keep things I create. I manage to justify to myself that time spent sitting on my hiney knitting is okay if I am making something for someone else. This lady is a beautiful Christian role model, and was a joy to work with. When I started this shawl, it was going to be for myself, but she kept coming to mind as I was working. Then one day I was driving down the street in front of the school, thinking about the section of the shawl I was working on, and there she stood, waiting to cross the street to another building on campus. Sometimes the Lord makes things very plain!