Happiness is a box of stinky wool.  It's hard to tell in this photo, but Zepelin is rolling in unwashed Jacob/Cormo locks.  I had to put the camera down and break up the love fest a few seconds later.  He started eating the stuff.  Beautiful cat, but not the sharpest tool in the shed.
 
 

I stenciled this tote bag  to take to Stitches Midwest.  It was quick and kind of fun.  I originally intended just to have the dragon, but I accidentally got a little green paint on the bag on the first side, I knew I wouldn't get it off so I turned it into a couple of leaves.  Which required some branches and some flowers and something on the other side for balance ......
 
 
 
 
 

   My Grandmother's sewing machine, a Singer 66 made in 1927.   I hope to restore the treadle.
 
 

My other grandmother's sewing machine, a Singer 27 made in 1901.   It was originally a handcrank machine.  The odd thing is we're not quite sure where this one came from.   They lost everything in a house fire shortly after World War II.   We speculate that a friend or neighbor might have donated this to replace her machine.
 
 
 

Some of the spindles I made.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Okay, I realize this photo looks a little strange.
I had to scan the sock in two pieces and reassemble it in my graphics editing program because it was bigger than my scanner..
The pattern is from "A Gathering of Lace", I modified it by omitting one of the pattern repeats on the leg, three sets of diamonds would have made it almost a knee sock and I didn't want it that long.  The yarn is handspun from Corriedale top.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Shawl made from the Kerry Blue pattern in "Traditional Knitted Shawls".    This is made from the fleece of a Shetland lamb and spun entirely on a home made spindle.  I was inordinately pleased with myself.

This is a real hoot.   I took handfuls of carded Shetland and soaked it in the leftover Easter egg dye after the boys got done coloring eggs.   The resulting colored wool was spun varigated and then plyed with a strand of white Shetland.  This is laceweight, about 22 wpi.    Not sure what I'm going to do with it, but it was fun.

 Other dyeing experiments
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

My Shetland shawl pinned on the bed to block.    This was knitted from commercial fingering weight yarn on size 9 (US) needles.   I have purchased the fleece of a Shetland lamb and want to eventually spin yarn for another shawl out of that.
 
 

February 19, 2001.  My first skein of merino.   I have improved!

I am so proud!   I actually spun yarn and then knitted it!

My hat. Not the best picture.   I don't have a digital camera, so I laid it on the scanner.

The yarn was spun from grey coopworth roving and two strands plied together.   It is very thick.  I used size 13 knitting needles and 5 of the 6 balls I spun from the 8 ounces of roving.   This is big enough to pull down over my ears and cuff when I'm wearing a ponytail.  Since I have a larger than average head and an ungodly amount of hair, I probably could not find a ready made hat to do that, even if I shopped in the men's department for it.
 
 

     Point lace butterfly in progress.

Base was created by attaching photo copy of pattern to double thickness of muslin using clear Contact paper.
Three yards of hand crocheted cord was basted to outlines using contrasting color thread.   Fill stitches are per instructions.

I find my butterfly does not look exactly like the one in the book.   I think this might be partially due to my inexperience with the technique.  The fact that the directions for some of the stitches could be more clear is not helping.
 
 
 
 

Finished butterfly.    I found that crocheting the cord took much longer than the stitching.