JessaLu Knits (and Spins!)

Archive for June, 2006

<p>…hear about my weekend?</p><p>First, there was a spinning class on Thursday <a href="http://jessaluknits.com/exit.php?url_id=1532&amp;entry_id=221" title="http://www.countrywool.com" onmouseover="window.status=’http://www.countrywool.com’;return true;" onmouseout="window.status=”;return true;" target="_blank">here</a>. Claudia is very patient and talented and I managed to grasp the concept of wheel spinning pretty quickly. I rented an Ashford Joy from her for a month and so far we are getting along just swimmingly. Here she is relaxing in my living room:</p><p><a onclick="F1 = window.open(‘/uploads/Photos/06-20-06004.jpg’,'Zoom’,'height=351,width=463,top=216,left=288,toolbar=no,menubar=no,location=no,resize=1,resizable=1,scrollbars=yes’); return false;" href="http://jessaluknits.com/uploads/Photos/06-20-06004.jpg" class="serendipity_image_link"><img width="175" height="131" src="http://jessaluknits.com/uploads/Photos/06-20-06004.serendipityThumb.jpg" style="border: 0px none ; float: left; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;" alt="" /></a> <a onclick="F1 = window.open(‘/uploads/Photos/06-20-06006.jpg’,'Zoom’,'height=463,width=351,top=160,left=344,toolbar=no,menubar=no,location=no,resize=1,resizable=1,scrollbars=yes’); return false;" href="uploads/Photos/06-20-06006.jpg" class="serendipity_image_link"><img width="131" height="175" src="uploads/Photos/06-20-06006.serendipityThumb.jpg" style="border: 0px none ; float: left; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;" alt="" /></a> </p><p><a onclick="F1 = window.open(‘/uploads/Photos/06-20-06008.jpg’,'Zoom’,'height=351,width=463,top=216,left=288,toolbar=no,menubar=no,location=no,resize=1,resizable=1,scrollbars=yes’); return false;" href="http://jessaluknits.com/uploads/Photos/06-20-06008.jpg" class="serendipity_image_link"><img width="175" height="131" src="http://jessaluknits.com/uploads/Photos/06-20-06008.serendipityThumb.jpg" style="border: 0px none ; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;" alt="" /></a></p><p /><p /><p /><p /><p>That is the BFL from Foxfire Farms that I bought at Cummington – not too shabby, eh?</p><p>I also spun this:</p><p><a class="serendipity_image_link" href="http://jessaluknits.com/uploads/Photos/06-20-06010.jpg" onclick="F1 = window.open(‘/uploads/Photos/06-20-06010.jpg’,'Zoom’,'height=351,width=463,top=216,left=288,toolbar=no,menubar=no,location=no,resize=1,resizable=1,scrollbars=yes’); return false;"><img width="175" height="131" style="border: 0px none ; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;" src="http://jessaluknits.com/uploads/Photos/06-20-06010.serendipityThumb.jpg" alt="" /></a></p><p>The left is Merino/Silk and the right is Corriedale. I plan on plying them together tomorrow. The Corriedale is a bit bigger now, I found another piece of roving hiding under the coffee table tonight. I spun it and now it sits waiting…</p><p>Of course, I also have to go to a town meeting tomorrow to vote on a new fire truck. This is assuming that I am back on the voter rolls and am allowed to vote. The clerk is still blaming me, btw. Supposedly I told her my address was a PO Box – even though I’ve lived here for six years and never had a PO Box. She’s insane. </p><p>Anyway, because I will be showing support for my local fire department I will not have time to ply tomorrow. Which sucks :o( You know what also floors me? The people who do not want to support the purchase of a new truck – they’re all up in arms about the expense, etc. I wonder how they’d feel if their house was on fire and the truck that the Department has currently didn’t start to go save their McMansion…? I bet they’d be playing a different tune…</p><p>But I digress…</p><p>And I’ve digressed so much that this post is a bit long – I’ll tell you tomorrow about where I went last weekend ;o) I bet you can’t wait. </p><p>In the meantime I have a question for you spinners out there. I am now in the market for a wheel of my own – other than the very good advice of trying them all or at least as many as I can possibly get my hands on, do you have any pearls of wisdom regarding a favorite brand/model? If it helps, I tend to spin a little on the thin side and like spinning and knitting fingering/sport weight.</p><p /><p /><p />

<p align="center"><img width="448" height="336" src="http://jessaluknits.com/uploads/Photos/CarShow2006001.jpg" style="border: 0px none ; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;" alt="" /></p><p>I mean, just because you are the *only* company that exists in the Hudson Valley that specializes in the ‘Giant Tire Service’ business doesn’t automatically make you #1…or does it?</p><p>————————————-</p><p>You’re probably here looking for that post I promised about how I spent my weekend…sorry but it’s going to have to wait. I found out that my lovely daughter has failed English for the 2nd year IN. A. ROW. so I must go kill her now. Okay so I won’t *kill* her, I’ll just make her life a living hell. Sounds like a plan to me ;o)</p><p>Two years in a row. Seriously, she’s lucky she’s not locked in her room living on bread &amp; water (with cheese every third day so she doesn’t develop osteoporosis. Who says I’m not thoughful?)</p><p>At this point I’m a little too upset to give you guys anything other than snark and tears – and you deserve so much more than that. I shall endeavor to pull myself out of the wasteland of despair that is raising a teenager and find my ‘happy place’ tomorrow.</p><p>In the meantime I’ll be casting on something that’s nice plain, boring old vanilla stockinette. I need a mental break. (Yelling at a brick wall will do that to you.) <a href="http://jessaluknits.com/exit.php?url_id=1523&amp;entry_id=220" title="http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEwinter03/PATTfrenchmarket.html" onmouseover="window.status=’http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEwinter03/PATTfrenchmarket.html’;return true;" onmouseout="window.status=”;return true;" target="_blank">French Market</a> bag, here I come!</p>

<p>The peonies have finally decided to show what they’re made of – wanna see?</p><p align="center"><a onclick="F1 = window.open(‘/uploads/Photos/Garden06-14-2006001web.jpg’,'Zoom’,'height=615,width=708,top=84,left=293.5,toolbar=no,menubar=no,location=no,resize=1,resizable=1,scrollbars=yes’); return false;" href="http://jessaluknits.com/uploads/Photos/Garden06-14-2006001web.jpg" class="serendipity_image_link"></a><a class="serendipity_image_link" href="http://jessaluknits.com/uploads/Photos/Garden06-14-2006001web.jpg" onclick="F1 = window.open(‘/uploads/Photos/Garden06-14-2006001web.jpg’,'Zoom’,'height=615,width=708,top=84,left=293.5,toolbar=no,menubar=no,location=no,resize=1,resizable=1,scrollbars=yes’); return false;"><img width="175" height="152" style="border: 0px none ; float: left; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;" src="http://jessaluknits.com/uploads/Photos/Garden06-14-2006001web.serendipityThumb.jpg" alt="" /></a><a class="serendipity_image_link" href="http://jessaluknits.com/uploads/Photos/Garden06-14-2006003.jpg" onclick="F1 = window.open(‘/uploads/Photos/Garden06-14-2006003.jpg’,'Zoom’,'height=615,width=815,top=84,left=240,toolbar=no,menubar=no,location=no,resize=1,resizable=1,scrollbars=yes’); return false;"><img width="175" height="131" style="border: 0px none ; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;" src="http://jessaluknits.com/uploads/Photos/Garden06-14-2006003.serendipityThumb.jpg" alt="" /></a></p><p /><p /><p align="center"><a class="serendipity_image_link" href="http://jessaluknits.com/uploads/Photos/Garden06-14-2006004.jpg" onclick="F1 = window.open(‘/uploads/Photos/Garden06-14-2006004.jpg’,'Zoom’,'height=615,width=815,top=84,left=240,toolbar=no,menubar=no,location=no,resize=1,resizable=1,scrollbars=yes’); return false;"><img width="175" height="131" style="border: 0px none ; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;" src="http://jessaluknits.com/uploads/Photos/Garden06-14-2006004.serendipityThumb.jpg" alt="" /></a></p><p /><p /><p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"> </span></p><p> <a onclick="F1 = window.open(‘/uploads/Photos/Garden06-14-2006004.jpg’,'Zoom’,'height=615,width=815,top=84,left=240,toolbar=no,menubar=no,location=no,resize=1,resizable=1,scrollbars=yes’); return false;" href="http://jessaluknits.com/uploads/Photos/Garden06-14-2006004.jpg" class="serendipity_image_link"></a></p><p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span></p><p> The bush on the left in the last photo just bloomed today – I have more photos but my camera is wandering around here somewhere in a somewhat drunken stupor…I’m hoping to find it soon…</p><p>And my favorite photo:</p><p align="center"><a onclick="F1 = window.open(‘/uploads/Photos/Garden06-14-2006007a.jpg’,'Zoom’,'height=615,width=815,top=84,left=240,toolbar=no,menubar=no,location=no,resize=1,resizable=1,scrollbars=yes’); return false;" href="http://jessaluknits.com/uploads/Photos/Garden06-14-2006007a.jpg" class="serendipity_image_link"><img width="175" height="131" src="http://jessaluknits.com/uploads/Photos/Garden06-14-2006007a.serendipityThumb.jpg" style="border: 0px none ; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;" alt="" /></a></p><p>There are some other plants out there too:</p><p><a onclick="F1 = window.open(‘/uploads/Photos/Garden06-14-2006002.jpg’,'Zoom’,'height=653,width=615,top=65,left=340,toolbar=no,menubar=no,location=no,resize=1,resizable=1,scrollbars=yes’); return false;" href="http://jessaluknits.com/uploads/Photos/Garden06-14-2006002.jpg" class="serendipity_image_link"><img width="165" height="175" src="http://jessaluknits.com/uploads/Photos/Garden06-14-2006002.serendipityThumb.jpg" style="border: 0px none ; float: left; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;" alt="" /></a><a onclick="F1 = window.open(‘/uploads/Photos/Garden06-14-2006013.jpg’,'Zoom’,'height=815,width=615,top=-16,left=340,toolbar=no,menubar=no,location=no,resize=1,resizable=1,scrollbars=yes’); return false;" href="http://jessaluknits.com/uploads/Photos/Garden06-14-2006013.jpg" class="serendipity_image_link"><img width="131" height="175" src="http://jessaluknits.com/uploads/Photos/Garden06-14-2006013.serendipityThumb.jpg" style="border: 0px none ; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;" alt="" /></a></p><p>I love that Jack-in-the-Pulpit. My grandmother (maternal) used to take walks with me and we used to keep track of how many of those plants we saw each time we went out. When I moved in with <span title="Roger Rabbit – my SO" class="serendipity_glossaryMarkup">RR</span> this plant was keeping court in the middle of a patch of overgrown Lily of the Valley and Iris. I ended up digging out that garden and making it the rose garden it is today however, I didn’t touch Jack. His being there was a sign to me that she approved of RR ;o) <br /> </p><p>You do realize that I’ll be torturing you all with garden photos all season, right? ;o) Thanks for putting up with the bragging ;o) I promise I’ll post about my knitting/spinning soon…</p><p><i>Coming up, how my spinning class went, what I brought home with me and where I’m posting from ;o)</i></p>