Spinning reds and blues

I just had a really scary super-dizz-blurry-and-out-of-focus episode. It was really bizarre and kind of freaky since I'm not sure what would have caused it*, and usually things don't actually go so blurry that you can't tell where steps are, etc. Plus, my mouth hurts since I had a new wire put in for braces so I haven't been able to eat anything that I REALLY wanted to today, like a nice bowl of cereal with soymilk or some chocolate with caramel and nuts in it. Or a giant bowl of popcorn.


Current tatting, a piece of lace about a yarn long. I am now adding a second "layer" to it. Knitting on the color work sweater I have been doing hasn't really made progress since I have been writing papers and doing the tatting in class. The astute among you will notice that I am needle tatting- this is not my usual, I prefer a shuttle. However, needle tatting has it merits. It is arguably negligibly faster and it can be easier to pick up some picots to join pieces with a needle than it is with shuttles. Also, beginners might find getting an even tension easier. However, needle tatting tends to be looser. In shuttle tatting the thread (one strand) is all that has to pull through. In needle tatting, the rings and chains have to be loose enough that your needle AND two threads (since there is a tail) can pass through. There are other things I dislike needle tatting for, but like crochet I do it on occasion, I love delicate handmade lace too much to not.

Maybe it (diziness) was caused by watching the cat eat a ladybug today. Ick. Besides the ladybug the only thing he has eater that is not dry food was cinnamon and sugar with butter drippings left on a plate from toast. You think he would at least want to eat some cheese or milk, but it's better if he doesn't of course! Joey is also OBSESSED with felt balls, like the ones Rachel Marie (Knitting Dirty Girl) makes but slightly bigger. I am not sure how he found them, but I had a stash of little felt balls about an inch- 1 1/2 inches diameter around someplace and now I am digging them out from under my secretary desk.

These little, harmless felt balls are serious prey here in casa-Joey, complete with full scale stalking mode. They get serious "air" when tossed as well, perfect for Joey who wants to be able to throw his prey in to the air and catch it with both paws and claws fully extended on the way back down.



At any rate, he turned down my offer of a nice ripe cherry. I want to say these are Rainer, but I am not sure (anyone know?). I love that more of the "fruit side" of produce is coming in to season now, since I am all about the really sugary foods.



Spinning has been happening here too. I don't usually draft out in long strips, I prefer to spin chunks over a finger in a long draw- woolen, sometimes with a woolen prep. These I did divide in to nice long strips, the yarn now drying is a variety of two plies that really shows off the red highlights more than the roving did.


*normally I would attribute it to being dehydrated, which I am not, or as a weird reaction to painkillers. However, I have been cranky today due to a LACK of painkillers (plus, Tylenol shouldn't make things blurry)