Mr. Hanna’s book coming out soon…

Our elementary school principal wrote this and it is illustrated by a past-parent.

Find it on Barnes & Noble.

Synopsis

Vincent J. Muggs is a 9-year-old boy who loves to explore. If he had all the technology in the world at his command, Vincent would envision eight separate scenarios of how things would be if he were in charge.

His innocent humor will charm adults as well as children. One unique feature in the book is a glossary of terms written in the order that they appear.

Vincent J. Muggs has the ability to allow children to understand some of life’s difficulties in a loving way. He has the boyish wisdom that will warm readers’ hearts, making this a story that will be read and reread over the years.

Sorry I haven’t posted much…

I have been working on an enrichment project (see my school blog) and dealing with trying to get the right insulin levels for the cat.  Add to that the stomach bug we got and the general business of summertime with children home from school and I have not been getting that much done in the way of fibery things.  I’ve spun with my spindle and I finished a prayer shawl.  Not much else.  I’ll get back to it.  Really!

Sorry about Dirk’s father…

DWIGHT D. SMITH SR.
(Jun 25, 2009)

DWIGHT D. SMITH SR., 68, of Huntington, W.Va., widower of Lillian Diane Withrow Smith, passed away Wednesday June 24, 2009, at Cabell Huntington Hospital. Funeral services will be conducted at 1 p.m. Friday at the Museum of Radio and Technology, Harveytown, by Pastor Bill Holley. Burial will follow in Hatfield Cemtery, Willow Wood, Ohio. He was born March 28, 1941, in Huntington, a son of the late Ralph Thomas and Thelma Rutherford Smith. He was a machinist with B.H. Mott and Son and McCorkle Machine and Engineering. He was a member of Grace Gospel Church, President of the Tri-State Amateur Radio Association, Board Member of the Museum of Radio and Technology, Cabell County Convention and Visitors Bureau of Huntington, American Rifle Association, Amateur Radio Relay League and was a licensed amateur radio operator. In addition to his wife and parents, he was preceded in death by a sister Madge Smith. Survivors include a son and daughter in law D. Darryl Smith Jr., and Leanna S. Smith; two godchildren, Megan Montanna Harless of Huntington and Thomas Marshall Harless of Lynn Haven, Fla; best friend Belle Burgess, and special friend and canine companion Dorri. Friends may call from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the Reger Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers the family requests contributions be made to the family to help cover medical and funeral expenses.
http://news.herald-dispatch.com/obituaries/index.php?id=36876470

My Suffolk wool arrived!

A fellow SCAdian/Spindler sent me a boxful of Suffolk fleece and it arrived today. I sent her some Coopworth, but she sent me more. Thanks Wendy!

I put about 1/3 of it into lingerie bags and have it soaking in a bucketful of hot, soapy (shampoo) water. I can’t wait to see how it comes out and how it spins up.

I am wondering if this is the same kind of sheep my friends Jane & Jerry have…When I got some of theirs before I think it was “old” and had lots of vm and I eventually gave up on it. I am in “negotiations” with Jane to get the meat from one of their lambs in a couple of months (I have to get a freezer first), in my attempt to eat more healthy, locally produced food. We are attempting to eat more veggies and we already don’t eat a huge amount of meat, but I thought that some local grass-fed lamb would be a good idea.

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

Don’t forget that it is Knit Night at the main Huntington/Cabell Public Library! First & third Mondays from 6-7 pm on the 4th floor (youth services), during storyhour.

Downtown Huntington Giveaway

Contact:
Holly Rice
Downtown Live Committee
Huntington Regional Chamber of Commerce
304-525-5131
Holly@huntingtonchamber.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Downtown Live Presents Ultimate Sweetheart Giveaway

Huntington, W.Va.—Feb. 6, 2009—Downtown Live is hosting a drawing for the Ultimate Sweetheart Package.

Businesses throughout Downtown Huntington will have registration cards and baskets in which to deposit the registration cards from Feb. 2 to Feb. 13. After Feb. 13, the winners will be announced from a random drawing of all the registered participants.

Prize packages may include: hotel stay and dinner package at the Pullman Plaza Hotel, dinner at Savannah’s, Jewel City Seafood, MU Hall of Fame Café, Uno Chicago Grill, Dos Amigos, Benny’s Cheesesteak, Max and Erma’s, Stewart’s Hotdogs, McDonald’s, Little Caesar’s Pizza, Taste of Asia, Pita Pit, cooking class for two at the Le Cook Store, jewelry from Reushlein Jewelers, gift certificates for Mug and Pia, C.M. Love Hardware, Mac and Dave’s and Studio 406 Salon, Community Trust Bank, movie tickets to the Marquee Cinema and 4th Avenue Cinema theater and tickets to Jeff Dunham’s Spark of Insanity at the Big Sandy Superstore Arena.

All participants need to do is visit one of the following businesses and fill out the requested information.

Places to register: Latta’s Toy Station, Mug and Pia, Le Cook Store, Marshall Hall of Fame Café, Community Trust Bank, Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, Dos Amigo’s, Uno Chicago Grill, Studio 406 Salon, Reushlein Jewelers, Benny’s Cheesesteak, Mac and Dave’s, Love’s Hardware and the Big Sandy Superstore Arena.

“This is another way Downtown Live is trying to encourage people of the Tri-State area to visit the many businesses downtown,” said Holly Rice, Downtown Live Coordinator. “This is an easy way to receive great prizes.”

The Downtown Live Committee is part of the Huntington Regional Chamber of Commerce. The committee’s purpose is to plan and execute events downtown that will create retail and restaurant traffic for area businesses.

River Cities Fiber Clan guild party

I had lots of fun, ate lots of food, saw fiber friends that I don’t get to see all the time, came home with some new stuff. All in all, a good time. And I brought DH and kids along and nobody complained too much.

In the “household exchange” I got 3 cotton washcloths (all matching/coordinating, including a round one!) and a little bottle of hand lotion from Joan. In the yarn/fiber exchange I got a gallon ziploc bagful of angora rabbit fur from a rabbit named CoCo that Laurie cannot spin because she is allergic.

I started spinning up the angora I got from Laurie in the fiber swap with some shetland (bought as raw wool from handsandnotions etsy shop a few months ago and washed myself)! Drat this unable-to-spin-fat-anymore thing! I have resorted to carding the little batts on my hand cards–about half angora and half shetland lambswool, and then pulling from one corner to pre-draft it out into something almost like pencil roving and then spinning it with hardly any more drafting (except trying to even out lumpy spots). That is working pretty well. I dyed some of the shetland with cherry kool aid and I’m going to ply one cherry single with one grey/tan single. Wish me luck!

I was going to ask Laurie for the pinecone pattern, but I found one online already (I’m not much of a crocheter yet, not sure if I can FOLLOW the pattern, lol, but it was at http://planetmfiles.com/2008/12/18/free-crochet-pine-cone-pattern/ )

Happy New Year 2009!

We had nice Christmas celebrations, shared with our church family at First United Methodist Church in Huntington, a couple of bachelor friends who shared meals wtih us, and with my in-laws, who drove down from Ithaca, NY. The kids got lots of toys.

I got some clothing, a bunch of DVDS and CDs and YARN of course, and, very interesting, a book on growing one’s own yarn dyes along with 3 packets of natural dyestuffs. My FIL spent a lot of his time reading the book and promising he wouldn’t steal it, so I haven’t read the whole thing yet. Already, however, I am plotting how I could get indigo to grow in my yard.

I spent a bunch of hours knitting and spinning and reading, as well as the regular tons of cooking so that I can have all the “right” foods for the holiday. New Year’s Eve the kids asked to stay up until midnight, which, I was pretty sure they were unable to actually do. We put on Prince Caspian on DVD and they were asleep halfway through (by 9:30 pm). Andrew and I watched the whole thing and then some Lois & Clark and then went to bed–not quite midnight. I stayed up, however, until 3 am (Happy New Year!) reading Graceling by Kristin Cashore.

I loved Graceling!  I brought it to our playgroup to loan to my 12-year old friend who liked those Twilight books and reads lots of fantasy.  He already had a copy at home because his mom’s friend’s friend WROTE it!  Cool. Anyhow, I really enjoyed it.  The main character is a strong, flawed young woman and there is magic and adventure and some romance, too.

 

I finished, finally, spinning my samples of Optim fiber from Chameleon Colorworks and plyed it and am knitting a cowl-type thing out of it (I hope) with a feather & fan lace pattern.

I meant to post a photo of the crocheted earflap hat I made from handspun Jacob wool…but I haven’t downloaded it yet.  Sorry!

Also, even though I’m not probably going to be participating in it (yet), I am stoked to find out more about EAGLE homeschooling group that my knitting friend Crystal is a big force behind.  I haven’t seen Crystal much at the library knit night–too bad, I could have found out about this earlier, but I’m sure it is one of the reasons I haven’t seen much of her.  lol

Merry Christmas!

Am working on dishcloths and just finished a prayer shawl for a friend’s grandfather. Haven’t spun in at least 2 weeks.

Haven’t finished the socks I did on the csm over Thanksgiving.

Evan has been under the weather. The school holiday activities went pretty well. We ate lots of good food yesterday (steak & mushroom pie, trifle) and today (french onion soup & quiche & pumpkin pie). Opened some cool gifts–mostly chocolate and dvds, lol. Watched the kids open gifts. Called the folks.

Tomorrow, more cleaning in expectation of more folks arriving (in-laws).

Happy knitting & spinning!

Still spinning …

on the coopworth fleece (2 full bobbins spun and andean plied, plus a little more started), and the superwash merino (making sockweight, I hope, yarn with it–four bobbins spun and plied into two 2-ply skeins).  Spun a little more on the wool/silk in pale green–I like this, but don’t like to do it when I’m going to be interrupted a lot.  Worked on it a bit on Saturday at the Port Oasis pity party, but then I let Rachel spin on my Babe…

 

Finished up a shawl yesterday (microfiber yarn that I started last year)–just need to add fringe now.  Started some socks as a gift this morning.  Wonder if I’ll get them done on time??  I’m using dk weight superwash on size 4 needles, hoping that will speed up the process. 

 

As my friend Jennifer points out, writing about knitting and spinning takes time away from actually doing it!