A New Life, a New Home

We moved … I’ve been terribly busy … and I’m homesick. Saying goodbye was so damn difficult that I couldn’t bring myself to say goodbye to the people I’ve met and have come to known. It was especially hard for Nugget, but the people of Erfenbach won’t forget her and have christened her an “Erfenbacher” — no matter where she lives, she’ll always have a home there.

Our life in this part of Germany is … different. It’s country, it’s flat, and I’m having a hell of a time with the dialect. There are a lot of cows, horses, some sheep too, and the surrounding cornfields remind me of Nebraska. During our househunting ventures, I saw a flock of sheep that appears to be Merinolandschaf. I have some of that fiber that I plan to spin soon and if all goes well, then perhaps I’ll contact the shepherd and inquire about their next shearing.

Sadly, there are no yarn shops near me. Not that online shopping has ever stopped me (and you know  nothing beats copping a good yarn feel), but we did manage a road trip to Wolle + Design in Jülich-Stetternich that was amazing. They even do workshops and yes, I took pictures!

For now, I must go. I have new assignments to upload and Finals next month. If you left a comment, thank you, and I’ll reply soon :)

Catching My Breath

Wow, it’s been a long time! I’ve been busy lately — projects, exams, temporary single-parenting while Rock was away on business — trying to hang on to what little sanity I have left. It’s usually not a problem when Rock isn’t home, but the timing wasn’t good at all. There were days … there were days when I couldn’t get my sh*t together. I admit it. I’m no SuperMom (and I sure as hell don’t aspire to be one), but I got really sick and tired of certain people staring at me like I pulled a Winehouse. So if you’ve written or left a comment on one of the posts here and wondered where I’ve been, now you know. Heck, my MIL started re-sending her e-mails with the subject line, “ARE YOU ALIVE?!”, which of course prompted me to write a hasty reply explaining why I’m ignoring my Inbox. Although somewhat annoying, her e-mails are better than phone calls ;)

But Rock is finally home.

And I can catch my breath.

I didn’t sign up for my school’s fifth term and the registration date slipped my mind. Whether by accident or design, I need the break until the next term begins. The time off will be good for Nugget and we can do much needed Momma-Daughter bonding. Oh, and I can rid the house of accumulated junk. Why? Because we’re moving to another area of Germany. I’m a bit apprehensive about the move, but the good thing is that Rock and me will be more judicious when selecting another pre-school for Nugget (pending lawsuits come to mind).

Speaking about more time … I can finally finish those WIPs (and start new ones) and get cracking on Summer of Socks 2008!

Tahitian Sunday

Finally! Some time with Max (my spinning wheel, in case you didn’t know I actually named the thing). I finished spinning up a bobbin of hand-dyed Optim months ago and plied it last Sunday. It was nice to bond with Max again, even if it was just a plying session.

Fiber: Optim from Chameleon Colorworks’ August Fiber of the Month, Tahiti
Weight: 4 oz.
Length: 486 yds.
Specs: 22 WPI, Navajo-plied, wheel spun on Kromski Sonata

There’s a sheen to this fiber that I like, but I’m sure it will pill like crazy. I pre-drafted the fiber a bit and tried a point-of-twist drafting technique using the 14:1 ratio. It made for some fast drafting and mad treadling which I think suits Optim. Since the fiber prefers a thin spin (and I don’t), we had some obvious issues. I do love the way it feels against the skin, though … perhaps a scarf? You thought I had plans for another pair of socks, didn’t you?

Opal Rainforest Love

You know I love knitting socks. Cabled, lace, and even plain vanilla. But my secret passion is Opal’s Rainforest Collection. I plan to knit through the first two existing collections that I do have before I gobble up Collection III and the soon-to-be released Collection IV.

It’s crazy, I know.

It’s nothing fancy. For late night Netflix and while reading my assignments, socks are the knitting project I prefer, especially with Rainforest yarn.

I won’t bore you with the details, unless you want to click the following link for all the plain vanilla specs.

Happy knitting!