Passion is but a prelude to
Years of gradual unfolding…
Deng Ming~Dao

It is with a very sad heart that I post of Miss Shelley's passing.

This little dog possessed an endearing sweet soul and a mischievous spirit.  I will forever miss my dear companion, but I am thankful and blessed to have been able to spend almost 11 years with this sweet baby.

Cavaliers truly are the most delightful little dogs with such gentle little temperaments, but sadly the majority of them will succumb to heart diseases at some point in their lives and in the end it is how we lost Miss Shelley as well. 😦

Thankfully she had maintained very good health and quality of life until a week ago and only went downhill quickly yesterday…..for that I am grateful.

Sleep well my little angel….you will always own a piece of our hearts.

I will post Fitness Friday information over the weekend……

It's hard to believe it's been 9 years since I watched this little girl make her way into this great big world. 
Happy Birthday Sweetie!!

Last week was such a discombobulated week!  Do you ever feel like you are working really hard but just going in circles and not really getting where you need to be? 
That was my week last week.  Heck, I even missed Fitness Friday and I had had a pretty good week on that front.

I did manage to squeek Hannah's shrug out though…..and just by the hair of my chiny chin chin I tell you.  Hannah's bus was leaving for Washington DC at 6am and the shrug was finished at 2am.  With no time for a final fitting, I am hoping that it fits ok.  We did a prefitting before I stitched up the sleeves before she went to bed, so fingers are crossed that it turned out right. 
I think she owes me a modeling shot when she gets home……..don't you?  😉

Hannah's shrug is moving along at a good pace and she seems very happy with it, so this is good.  I have been squeezing in precious knitting time late at night and early in the morning.  This is my "me" time….. 🙂

The last few days have been busy ones.  The dyepot has been in overdrive and the girls have been getting some much needed grooming.  I'm sure if anyone peeked in my windows they would think I am a crazy lady, as I run back and forth from the dog grooming table and the monstrous stand blow dryer to the stove to stir the cauldons.  Yes………spring is definitely in the air and I have been getting a good workout this week. 🙂

I haven't shown you the girls lately, so I thought you might enjoy seeing how they have grown…..


Maggie and Cleo….hard to believe that they will turn 3 in May!

Little Miss Gypsy turns a year next week….isn't she cute?  She will be starting her show career this summer.

….and Miss Bliss…yikes, is almost 6!  Where does the time go?  The other 2 girls get their beauty baths tomorrow. 🙂

Maggie will hit the show ring hopefully this summer as well.  

The snow is gone, the grass is starting to green up…… ~life is good! ~

So…..how did you do this week? 

Me…..it was a combination of good and bad.  The bad part…

The resident cookie monster that lives inside of me came for an extended visit.  Normally I am not much of a cookie person, but homemade cookies….that is an entirely different story….what can I say other than I am weak.  Thankfully we are thru Hannah's fund raising frozen cookie dough. 🙂

Sooo…………not one pound was lost this week…not a one.

Now the good…

I didn't gain a single pound either. :)  I climbed on the treadmill every day this week and followed that with a mini session of pilates.  I really hate to exercise, but I have to admit that I do feel better once I am done.  One of the things that Wii Fit has shown me is I truly AM unbalanced.  Years ago in high school I had a pretty serious hamstring injury that still bothers me occasionally even though it has been years.  I don't think I put as much weight on my right leg, which has left that side of me a wee bit weaker and much less flexible, so I am working on that now. 🙂

Friday's tip:  If you are craving something sweet, this yogi tea will curb it with zero calories.  The sweetness of the licorice in the tea gets you right in the back of the throat and satisfies that little craving…..and by the time you have finished a small pot of tea you feel full from the water in the tea.  (at least I do)

Yes, that is some Licorice tea in that mug. :)  Above I mentioned Hannah's fund raising.  She has worked hard at raising money to go to Washington DC with her class.  She casually mentioned the other day that she would like me to make something for her to wear over her formal dress that she is going to wear on their cruise dinner.

Holy crapola…..what can I knit and knit quickly?  First I pulled out the dye pot to see if I could match her dress.  It's a kind of aqua blue and silver.  I dyed some merino/bamboo worsted weight yarn that I have a solid blue that matched her dress to a tee.  I then did that same color but added some silver to the pot.  Ken and I had bets that she would choose the solid more boring one but she surprised us and picked the other.  Hmmm…….
(it's raining here today, so the color is off somewhat in these pictures)


Then came the pattern search.  We all know that I am not a fast knitter, so it had to be easy peasy.  I remembered the cute little shrug that Terry had made for Bethany and hoped that the pattern would work with the yarn.  The gauge swatch was spot on, but I wasn't liking how floppy it was looking, so I went down a needle size knowing Hannah is very small.  I am much happier with the fabric……..now my fingers are crossed that she will like it. 🙂

Cat sits in the sun.
Dog sits in the grass.
Turtle sits on the rock.
Frog sits on the lily pad.
Why aren't people so smart?
Deng Ming~Dao

 As you can see, Maplewing did not grow too much over the last week.  I finished the second section on Friday and then moved onto section C which promptly kicked my butt hard.

The first 2 sections moved along so quickly with a knit stitch before and after each pattern repeat.  That knit stitch worked almost like a marker which made it easy to see any mistakes that were made.

Moving on to Section C (you can see the small change at the top where I am working) it suddenly changed.  I swear I spent 4 hours Sunday morning watching the Sunday news programs… knitting and ripping and knitting and ripping.  By noon I was pretty frustrated, so like the animals in the Tao quote, I knew it was time for me to put her aside and be still.  I thought if I let her sit for a few days then we could start again with a fresh mind.

I find that when my mind is tired, spinning is best diversion for me.  It's always so soothing to sit behind the wheel and let fiber become what it wants to become instead of fighting with patterns.  I finished plying the Pumpkin Patch roving on the Van Eaton wheel Sunday night and it got a nice bath this morning.  I am very happy with the way the VE wheel is working. 🙂

I have been trying to become friends with my spindles as well.  I purchased this Forrester beauty at Spa and was very diligent for the first week after spa to spin a little every day on it and the singles grew.  This spindle spins so nicely, but I can honestly admit that I am just not a patient person.  I enjoy spinning on a spindle in the short term, but finishing something via the spindle……not so much.  It seems to take forever and then I lose interest.  Soo……..that pretty merino/silk is now being spun on the Van Eaton and I will smile when I dust this pretty spindle.

With the weekend behind me, the girls back in school and my dyeing orders almost caught up, I was able to sit with Maplewing again with an uncluttered mind and wouldn't you know it…….we are back on track and in the rhythm once again!

It is good to know when to let something sit and then when to get back to it 🙂

Given that I am going to visit THE you tube Saturday grrl today, I thought I would do the you tube thing today too.  Thankfully Ashley gives me these little gifts every now and then. 🙂 (that streak of light in the video is the sun.)

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

You are probably wondering what all this has to do with fitness.  Before I get started however, I want to let those of you who emailed me hoping to squeeze into the contest a little late know that you are all entered!  Everyone is listed in my side bar. 🙂

Ok……so let me tell you………

As I was weighing in this morning on wii fit, I got to thinking. (always dangerous)  During the summer I always do Friday's flowers and given that we are all looking foward to summer, I thought I would do a Friday spring something to tide us over until summer.

From now until the first day of summer I am going to do Fitness Friday and then I will gently roll into Friday's Flowers.  For me, Fitness Friday will be a day to share with you the ups and downs of my fitness plan, along with any helpful tips and recipes I have found along the way.  It will give anyone a chance who wants to join along the opportunity to share what is working for you and what is not.  Kind of a support group for our Spring into Summer contest.  :)   I am posting this today on Thursday to give you all a chance to join along with me tomorrow.  :)  (snag the button if you want.)

I will be honest with you, last week was not a great week for me in terms of Springing into Summer.  There were a few stressful things going on that kept me distracted enough not to really pay attention to what I was eating and there was NO exercising.  For me, knowing that I will share a part of my week on Fridays will definitely motivate me to pay attention.

Today for the first time in a very long time, I hopped on the treadmill.  Yep, I moved all of the clothes that were hanging off of it, dusted it off, grabbed my book, my ipod and my favorite Sigg bottle that a wonderful friend gifted to me and got moving.

You see….I REALLY want to have a nice vegetable garden this summer……and…….I need to be strong enough to work hard in the garden instead of feeling like I may keel over and have a heart attack if I work too hard in the summer heat.  So, while my garden is still covered in snow, I am going to take the time to learn more about Lasagna Gardening as I work on my treadmill.

 My commitment for this very first Friday's Fitness is 5 days a week of exercise.  At least 3 days on the treadmill and 2 days of strength training.  I am a pretty busy lady, so making this commitment means that I will have to do a little less of something else.  This one is a no brainer…but not so easy.  I am going to limit my online computer time to coffee time in the morning and a little catch up time in the evening.  It will get me up out of my computer chair and on my feet, which is all good, right?

and now….a little fiber……..


Isn't she lovely?
Maplewing is growing and will now start to move a lot faster.  I finished all of the first section and am now down to just a little over 300 stitches per row and will continue to decrease.  Starting a shawl from the bottom up feels SO slow at the beginning, but moves along fast towards the end…yay!  I really love working on this pattern.  It is so intuitive, which makes fixing errors so easy. 🙂

Olivia is now on the needles and is what I pick up to work on after doing a few long rows of Maplewing.  I will be glad when I am beyond the double moss stitch though.  Not because I mind doing it, but it is so hard to figure out where I left off if I forgot to write it down.  This is my first time working with Rowan Felted Tweed…..such wonderful stuff!!!

There's been some spinning going on as well.  I find that at the end of the night, spinning with a cup of tea or a glass of wine is the perfect way to close the day.  My spinning wheels have been neglected over the winter, so I have made sure lately to include just a little bit of spinning at the end of each day and it is paying off.  I am almost finished with the second bobbin of this beautiful Foxfire Cashmere/Silk blend.  Isn't scrumptious?  Barb certainly has some of the nicest luxury fibers, doesn't she?

I have also been trying to make sure that the new little Van Eaton miss gets her fair share of time spent, so I do a little work on her each morning before I hop on the wii fitt.  Bobbin #1 has 2 ounces of Pumpkin Patch BFL on it and I will start the second 2 ounces tomorrow.

So there you have it…..all in the week of the Woolen Rabbit. 🙂

2 pictures of me in less than a month…what's up with that?  Sheesh…you know I hate having my picture up there….

Well, this picture is worth a thousand words!!  Can you see what I am wearing?  Yes, that is Oh Canada!!  No, it is not the one that was stolen, but one that Karolyn, known as Joyfulpurls on Ravelry made for me with yarn bought and donated by Lorraine….and pattern proveded by Anne .

Included with the shawl was this little note:

To say that I am completely and totally blown away would be an understatement.  I am so incredibly touched by this not so random act of kindness! 

Fiber people truly are T.H.E best!  I have a couple of other not so random acts of kindness that I want to share with you soon, but I will save that for another day. 🙂

Thank you Girls from the bottom of my heart!!!

Spring is starting to happen here in the North Country.  The snow is quickly melting and thoughts of gardening are dancing around in my head.  With the new season approaching the renewal of committing back to my "healthy me" regiment is back at the top of my to do list :).

Earlier this winter, Kathy and I were going to motivate each other in the weight loss department with a  new pair of black fat baby boots if we met our goal.  Do either of us have a pair?  Why no….no we do not.

Hmmm…….  She and I have talked back and forth about this a few times over the last few weeks and have come up with a game plan to keep both us and anyone who wants to jump on board motivated with a little contest. 

In Kathy's words this is how it will work…..

A mere twelve weeks to focus
on you.  Seems pretty do-able.  So, join us and you'll enter Summer
feeling and looking lighter and healthier. 

Here's what we propose:

Comment on this post or over at Kathy's
and let us know that you will be joining us.  Then, over the weekend,
weigh yourself and measure your waist, bust, and hips.  Put all the
info away.  Then, on June 21st, do the same thing and let us know the
percentage change.  (For the measurement, just add the three
measurements together).

 As for what you do to get there, that's your choice.  Tell us or
don't.  Post about it or not.  This is a flexible contest.  We will
likely give updates from time-to-time. Here is a button if you want to put it on your blog. (please save it to your computer first.)

In June, we'll let you know three winners — best percentage weight
loss; best percentage inch loss; and a random winner.  We'll send the
winners something fun!

Let us know you'll be joining us by midnight on Sunday, March 22nd.  Happy Spring! 

 
I have been waiting with baited breath all week for the box that was carrying this incredible wheel to me from the west coast.  Isn't she pretty?

You may remember a few years ago I had a similar one but for some reason I just could not get it to spin well for me.  If you look at the comments from that post, June was quite envious that I had scored that wheel, so when I was ready to part with her I offered it to her first.  June spent some time tinkering with her and had her spinning like a dream.  Obviously they were meant for each other.

When this wheel became available a few weeks ago, I emailed June to find out what she did to get her wheel in good spinning form.  She sent me her notes and I tucked them away in anticipation of my new arrival.

This wheel is truly a one of a kind wheel made with 11 different kinds of wood.  I'm guessing that Mr. Van Eaton was anticipating his retirement and was using his stash.  I could be wrong….but that's my guess.

If you click on the picture to make it big you can see that the wheel itself is made from Figured Maple and the spokes are made of Cherry.  The treadle is made with Apple wood, there is also Myrtle, Mesquite, Oak, Apricot and Plum…..and……

Ebony…….isn't this handle exquisite?

The front Maiden is made from Mesquite and the rear one is Plum.

Even the Kate is special.  The body is made of Cherry, which is housing a Black Walnut, an Apple and a Locust bobbin.  The 4th bobbin is made of Mesquite.  My favorite of all though are the purpleheart whorls……..just beautiful.

Some of you may know that years ago I used to restore antiques.  I have a huge appreciation for beautiful wood and am always a sucker when I see something that was carved with care.  It's the number one reason why I have so many drop spindles that I rarely use…….they are just so beautiful and they make me smile when I dust them.

 Mr Van Eaton is a true artist when it comes to cutting and molding these exotic and not so exotic woods.  The care he takes in the finish work is amongst the best out there.  The fiddleback maple one that June has is stunning and the birdseye maple one I had years ago was breath~taking.

 As much as I love the beauty of wood in spinning wheels, the wheel has to spin well in order for it to stay here as there is only so much space.  So when I took this beauty out of the box, she got a nice soothing rubdown with my lavender/lemon wood wax from Bristol Springs Herbery and was oiled in all of the necessary places.  In the past I had set my Van Eaton's up to be spun double drive, but June told me she had set hers up for scotch tension, so I did the same.

It was with great interpretation that I sat behind this grrl of many colors.  Would she spin well enough to stay….or would I keep her just for her beauty even if she didn't?  Lots of questions…..that were all answered with the very first pushes on that beautiful applewood treadle.

Sigh…………she is a KEEPER!  She spins like a dream.  All of the issues that I had with the other 2 are not present.  Perhaps it was just the difference of the double drive verses the scotch tension or maybe it is just karma.  I always say that a wheel makes it's way eventually to the right home and this grrl is home. 🙂

******Speaking of wheels, I am very excited to have been approved to be a distributer of Schacht Reeves Wheels.  After hearing about the Anniversary Cherry Matchless that is coming out in June, it pushed me one step closer to making my shop a reality :)*****