So... EyeCon is coming up...

I have so much to do before this weekend, OMG!

I will be sure to report back as much as possible... No laptop to bring with, so won't be able to do anything until Sunday night at the earliest.

Today...

* I got a haircut. It is super cute! OMG! I wish I could post pictures, but I suck at taking them of myself, so pics from EyeCon will no doubt show... as long as once I've washed it and styled it myself, the cuteness doesn't go phhhhhffffttt!

* I got a pedicure. With nail polish called "Jenson Beach Jade"... Yeah, it's not spelled like "Jensen," and yeah, he's not coming to EyeCon (of which I'm actually glad; I want the boy to go home and relax for the weekend, poor darling), and yeah, it's actually named after a real place somewhere in Florida (as are all the polishes by this company), BUT! It's called Jenson Beach Jade and I love it...

* I bought an extra memory card for my digital camera. I now can take 1800+ photos or 1.5 hours of video. FTW!

Still to do:

* homework
* picking out clothes (especially for the Platinum and PJ Parties!) and packing
* find and fix my slippers (the button fell off of one of them a few weeks ago)
* buying various sundry toiletries that I need to get anyway as I am out
* laundry
* decide what crafty things I'm taking with to keep my fingers busy and out of mischief
* I'm sure a lot of other things I'm not remembering right now...

So busy!

I don't know where this week went, but it's obviously gone now. I did horribly on my Latin test on Thursday. Probably worst grade of the semester (hopefully, will get no worse *knocks wood*). But I will not dwell on things I can't change now...

I went to the RenFaire last weekend, when it rained all day, but I did not care, and also again yesterday... My dad had gotten comp tickets from someone he knew through work and since I didn't get to buy anything while it rained (didn't want any of it to get wet), I wanted to go again before it ended for the year... This week, weather was perfect. Pictures will be forthcoming from both weekends as soon as they are uploaded.

I got a picnic basket and a fox tail... yes, an actual fox tail... yes, PETA would hate me... yes, I hate me a little for it too... but not enough not to get it from one of the leather workers... (Those were all the answers I gave to the questions my mom asked when she saw I had it.) *sighs* ... It's silver. And soft. And hangs off the back of my corset. I like. It's costume swag.

Picnic basket is for picnics at Hillsborough River State Park. Yay!

Other than that, been spinning and working on Sophie's birthday present way ahead of time. Got some of Jared's stuff spun. Ordered some green Corriedale and some gray super-fine Corriedale from coppermoose on ebay. It came a few days ago and I've been working away ever since. Will be nice. I like it a lot already. I think some of the gray will also be used as stripes for Jensen's hat.

Only one week left til EyeCon in Orlando. I'm going with Susan. Jared, his girlfriend Sandy, Samantha Ferris, Alona Tal, Jim Beaver, Chad Lindburg, and several other people from Supernatural will be there. Plus, a lot of Supernatural fans that I've met online from as far away as Australia. I'm very excited about it. There will be much rejoicing.

Still to do:
I have to pick out clothes and shoes... figure out what I'm wearing to the Platinum Party and the PJ Party especially. I need to find/fix my slippers. I also need a haircut and a pedicure... and figure out what crafty things I'm taking with to be working on... and an additional um... memory thing... for the digital camera would probably be wise in case I don't have any way to upload while there and take more than 651 photos... which is possible... it's almost three full days of fannish squee after all...

Also, behold:



Oh lord! I hate Dr. Phil!

Sandy McCoy interview...

Sandy McCoy is quite possibly the most adorable human being on the planet! I want to have lunch with her at some cute sidewalk bistro somewhere and go shopping afterward. OMG!

(Beware that there are spoilers in the interview about season 3 of Supernatural [but only about episodes that have already aired in the US])

Interview can be seen here

*flails as I read the interview*

Also, I so know what her and Jared's "secret" is... I think... I'm 99.999% sure anyway... and will be completely shocked if I'm wrong...

EDIT March 29, 2:20 AM: There is a SPOILER-FREE continuation of the interview here. I flail... full-on... for example, at this:

[Question:] Captain Kirk vs Captain Jack Sparrow

[Sandy:] (She gasps) God! I’m a huge Johnny Depp lover, there’s no contest. Okay, maybe against Jean Luc Picard, because I did love Star Trek: The Next Generation but not Captain Kirk. That would be a toss up, because I love Patrick Stewart also, so that’s where the contest would lie, but Captain Jack Sparrow would still definitely win. How do you not look at him and be in awe. And not just because of his physical appearance, oh gosh, he’s not human. He can’t be. Johnny Depp cannot be human, so he’d win and I’d like to go on record saying that. Even Jared has a man crush on him. He’s great.

Also there is a link to the music video she's in right now... Yes, that's her, the first person you see when it starts playing...

it's a small kind of accomplishment...

I'm watching Pride and Prejudice. The A&E mini. I love it. *sighs*

I've also been working on knitting and spinning today.

I've plied the first of the silk/linen roving. I've got approximately 45 yards out of one ounce, 2-ply. If I keep to that rate, I'll get approximately 722 yards out of the pound I've got. Keep in mind that this is at only 8 to 10 wpi... so pretty good really, I think. This is the first time I've ever tried to spin something of a technically "bulky" weight, as well as the first time I've tackled anything other than wool, and it's a bit uneven, which is fine because that's actually kind of what I'm going for here. I wonder, however, how large a shawl I'll be able to make out of it. Big, do you think?

I'm also working on my niece's birthday present. I'll be giving it to my sister early because I want Sophie to be able to wear it as much as possible before she outgrows it, even though she will only be one in August and the size says it's 18 months (it seems to be a bit small as I'm knitting). I'm making this. I'm using Cotton-Ease and getting the gauge, so yay! I get to use up some of my stash! I've altered the stripes too, and will also be making the matching hat. It's in fuchsia and periwinkle blue. I've got the back done and the front perhaps 1/3 done. And I started on it on Sunday afternoon. I think she will be completely precious (not that she's ever not completely precious) in it.

Roving issues...

First of all, yes, I think the acid dye with the silk/linen will work just fine... I just have to figure out the exact color.

Now, then...

I love the ladies at Yarns, Etc. in Greensboro, but the gray wool roving I got is, on close inspection and in practice, unspinnable in its current state. I have every confidence that when I blend it with the alpaca I have from Ilana (as I've already blended a small amount and tried drafting it) that it will spin perfectly and be completely beautiful. It's wonderfully soft. Not the slightest bit coarse or itchy. I think I could wear it next to the skin even. The problem is that the drum carding didn't remove enough of the noils and vm to draft it as it is. Too many little tangled bits and burrs, and besides that it has A LOT of crimp, which makes it cling to itself and not draft easily at all... I don't have my own cards yet to fix it, only dog slickers, which are only good for processing and blending very small amounts of fiber (any quantity just takes too long and I keep hitting my fingers, causing small scratches and irritation that is so not fun). I don't want this to reflect at all ill on the rovings that the ladies at Yarns, Etc sell. This was an emergency purchase and they were so very kind to accommodate me and get me what I asked them for during a very busy time of year for them. Every other bit of roving I've ever gotten from them has been utter heaven to spin. I just can't use this roving for this particular project. Although I think later this summer it will make some beautiful yarn when I have time to deal with it properly.

So, I'm on a search of ebay for other roving. I just got some delicious silk/linen stuff from coppermoose (I've bought from him many times before and he has incredibly wonderful stuff at very reasonable prices and quick shipping) and I think I will try him first.

On the handcards front, after extensive researching the different brands, I'm thinking the Schacht handcards. (And OMG their wheels are BEAUTIFUL but so expensive, OMG!) They cost a little bit more than most, but not that much more, and they are US made of domestic hardwood, and seem to have a lot of good features for longevity that the others don't have. I need advice on whether the curved or straight ones are better, or what the advantages of each are. I have nowhere near me where I might try them out for myself. Also, the coarsest fiber I ever work with is Corriedale, everything else is stuff like Merino, Shetland, and alpaca... so 72 or 112 points? I know 72 is "all purpose" and 112 is for "fine fibers"... but what exactly constitutes "fine fibers"? Because I know things can get a heck of a lot coarser than Corriedale, and the 72 point hardcards work for that, so... hmmmm...

EternalAutumn's Etsy Store

I'm taking a moment to pimp my sister Lara's new Etsy store. She makes handmade one of a kind jewelry pieces. It is beautiful, high-quality stuff. I can attest to this as I've been gifted with several of her pieces over the years. She tests each piece for strength and durability and if pieces break from use or otherwise, she will fix it for free. Check out her stuff! kthxbai!

Things to learn...

Two posts in one day! Oh, I'm feeling chatty...

There are two things I want to learn this summer...

1.) How to make soap using lye and oils. And how to mill it and add things to it. Yes, this is a very necessary endeavor.

2.) How to shoot... like, a gun... Jason told Susan and I last week that he thinks we should do that. Susan, of course, already knows how to shoot, but I don't. I've never shot a gun. I don't even think I've ever really held one either. And the only ones I've ever seen up close are Jason's rifles and shotguns and my mom's revolver. I don't even know what kind my mom's is. I saw it when I was a little kid, and I, being a good little girl, stayed away from it as I was told. (I just went and asked her about it. It's a .38 Special Official Police Colt. A friend of hers bought it for her at a gun show back in the 70s and she bought it from them. She still has it. It desperately needs to be cleaned and she hasn't fired it in 15+ years. But she took it out and showed it to me. My dad had a bit of a mini-fit over it. LOL!) So, yeah, I think it's an important skill to have... as an American... revolution, rebellion, purpose of the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution and all that... to at least know the mechanics of the process. How to handle it, load it, aim, fire, hit what you're trying to hit and not something else, and to clean it...

I told my dad my intentions and he vehemently grumbled about it. He hates guns, as they are for killing and that's about it. Reminding him that he eats meat that has to be killed by someone before he eats it doesn't help. He doesn't see getting steak or chicken from the grocery store and hunting and killing a deer for food as the same freaking kind of thing. Even though, you know, it kind of is... To him, one is okay and perfectly acceptable for civilized human beings, and the other is not something he particularly approves of or would ever participate in... I can't say why he thinks this way and it makes no sense to me. The only thing I can figure is that it's because he's a baby boomer from a Yankee and city-fied family and has an overall gentle demeanor. And that's all well and true, but I still think it's an important skill and one I'd like to add to my repertoire.

I will now go back to watching John Adams for the 50th time since Sunday. This miniseries is kickass! I highly recommend checking it out.

Been busy...

I went on a little trip to South Carolina and Virginia last week during my Spring Break to visit Susan and my brother and sisters and other family there. It was a lot of fun and it felt like a lot longer than just a week with all the things we did. I took lots of pictures (312 to be exact) on my mom's new digital camera, which I borrowed for the occasion.

While in Virginia, I picked out the granite for the countertop in my bathroom in the new cabin. The guy told me that it's called "Green Juparana" but I can't seem to find a picture of that online... In any case, it's got some subtle splotches of sagey green, but is mostly yellow and gold tones, with flecks or red and black in a folded pattern across the surface of the stone... It's very pretty and mirrors the exposed bedrock stone outside where the hill was cut back a bit.

The cabin itself is progressing quickly. The plumbing and electrical things are all done and the interior walls are being finished. The roof is pretty much finished as well. The flooring and ceilings go in next week. We went out and took pictures.

The back:


The front:


The hillside:


The view from the porch:


We also went to the fabric store and got things to make a shirt and a dress for me for EyeCon and a shirt and new dresses for Susan, which I think she mostly needed anyway, but is also making especially for EyeCon. It's in 16 days! Wheeee!

We also went to Yarns, Etc. in Greensboro and I got roving... I think the gray stuff might need to be picked through some more before spinning, but overall it's good stuff from a small farm, so I shan't complain. The blue-gray 30% mohair/70% corriedale is very nice... I've spun some on my Hitchhiker (which is now fixed and working perfectly) and did a simple 2-ply. See here:



And I spun up the last of the black Merino that I had... about 6 1/2 ounces...



I also bought a pound of bleached 50% linen/50% silk roving for a shawl I want to make of my own design, which I typed of before here... I'm going to spin it going for a dk-worsted weight... And I want to try Navajo plying. But first, I think I need to dye this stuff... I want light colors... I want light blue-green and very light, almost-not-there pink and I want to leave some of it natural. I have no idea how to go about achieving these colors though because everytime I've ever tried to dye things before I've been going for deep, dark colors and the only way I know how to get lighter colors is by exhausting the dyebath. Also, I've never dyed roving before, let alone roving that is silk/linen. And I don't want to fuck it up. Although, maybe it might be better to spin it, knit it and dye it afterward when it's all finished so that I can get the color placement exactly as I want it... and maybe even do something like a tie-dyeing effect... I don't know. So. Any help, suggestions or advice you might be able to give me on any of this will be much appreciated.

In other news: This Saturday, I'm going to RenFaire with my friends. It will be awesome...

Woah! We totally heard that, crazylady!

Check this out... This woman is an elected official in Oklahoma, and she thought only 50 people would ever hear what she was saying... I'd say her agenda is the most dangerous and distructive, ladies and gents. Hate destroys lives.

*sighs*

Well, I didn't drive up to South Carolina today. The weather across the entire east coast, just about, is why... It's a mess out there!

Luckily, the bad weather should be passed by very early tomorrow morning, so I'll set out tomorrow instead.

Awesome article...

... about Supernatural... There are no spoilers... at least, nothing specific. It's mostly about how amazing and underrated the show is, and how everyone who liked The X-Files, Charmed, Buffy, or Angel, or any other kickass sci-fi/horror show, will LOVE Supernatural. Seriously, she's not kidding. :D Check it out... Supernatural: How a show manages to succeed despite it's network

*pausing for a moment*

Yeah, this is really important... Watch this, please:



Seriously, y'all...

In other news, there will soon be pix of handspun yarn, just as soon as I can get them uploaded.

Waaaahooo!!! and a *sigh of relief*

Ahem (copied from Team Winchester):

Someone out there loves us...

The CW has announced Supernatural will return with season 4 this fall!

Some quotes:

"First things first -- Supernatural is back! You had us worried there for awhile, CW, what with taking it off the schedule for long periods of time and not promoting it as much as we'd like. But you seem to have realized what a gem you have on your hands, and we're beyond psyched that we'll get a fourth season."- CW Source

"Yes, fans of the Winchester brothers, who are always wary that Supernatural is on the verge of cancellation, can finally breathe a sigh of relief. The network announced that all of these shows are essential to the network's identity and pull in solid ratings, especially among the important demographic of women 18-34."- BuddyTV

"The CW today announced its batch of early pickups for this fall's season, and Supernatural--about a pair of brothers who hunt demons across the country--was one of six shows that has been cleared to return by the network."- TV.com

OMG! I have the cutest niece *ever*!

My sister, Lara, sent me new pictures of my niece, Sophie, today... She is getting cuter and cuter by the day. I love her so much! Look at that little face! Isn't she just the cutest baby you've ever seen?!?!?

Also... I think she has my eyes...

Yay!! I get to go visit her the week after next! Can't wait!