Yes, I am still alive. I've just been busy lately. I'm currently looking for a job. Now, I know everyone thinks this is to support my fiber habit, but actually, it's to support my SCA habit. My friends Cat and Cullen are currently snug in the midst of thousands of crazy people in weird clothes, for a 2 week long camping/reenactment adventure. I'm jealous. I've vowed to join them next year.

Now, this isn't entirely without fibery goodness. I managed to get myself started with tablet weaving last night. (This is, of course, so I can make trim for the Viking garb I'm planning.) I'll post pictures when I get this second piece done.

Have you ever had one of those moments where you think "Wow!!! I have to blog this?" I had one of those tonight. I spent an hour and a half on the phone with a dear friend I hadn't spoken to in more than 5 years. You see, we practically grew up together, were inseparable, BFF, all of that. I, however, moved one week into high school. Well, back to the topic at hand. We caught up, and reminisced, and talked knitting. We didn't just talk knitting, no, she asked me for help. And I gave it. You can't keep good geeks down!

Well, that's it for tonight. I have a loom to warp.

Wow. I really haven't updated in a while.

Well, let's see.

We took a family trip to northern Vermont. Dad's fishing buddy up there is also a carpenter/machine knitter/weaver. While I'm pretty sure I could have done without the astounding levels of testosterone involved in putting two vastly intelligent, talented (if somewhat arrogant and pigheaded) men in the same house for more than 5 minutes, my yarn and fiber stash definitely benefitted.

It took some creative stuffing and an extra bag (an army issue duffle, in fact) to get it all on the plane. How's that for luck? The aforementioned fishing buddy gifted me with a cone of Debbie Bliss Aran Tweed in dark purple, the equivalent of a 1/3-1/4 a cone of a fingering weight merino/camel down blend in charcoal, and about a half a cone in forest green. He also sent a few balls of cotton boucle home with my mother, which have since been passed on to me.

On the purchased goods side, we stopped by Wooly Buggah Farm one very snowy afternoon and I picked up 2 ounces of white Cormo pencil roving, a pound of 70% Columbia/30% mohair roving, and three skeins of natural, daaark chocolate brown, worsted Columbia (from a ewe I happened to meet! She was quite a... character... but her lamb was very sweet.) Actually, in retrospect, I snagged the last she had of all three of those. Much sheepy discussion was had. I even got offered a lamb, but I figured that may not go over too well on the flight.

Of course, I had the foresight to take a spindle with me. I started spinning as soon as we got back to our host's abode. There is nothing like sitting inside a cozy house as the snow falls, with a lap dog curled up at your side, a cat on the stairs, and spinning while someone else measures out warp for a new project.

On an amusing note, the two of us got into a bit of a debate as I went to ply a bit of Cormo over two-ply yarn and singles. I favor two-ply, myself. As a weaver, he prefers singles. (I won the debate, I believe, since he called a few days ago to ask me about good wheels for... you guessed it, plying singles.)

I have since gotten a Strauch drumcarder. For my 22nd birthday, at that. I've carded more wool in the past 4 days than any sane person should. Batts of BFL and silk noil, Columbia and mohair, Gotland cross and mohair, superwash and silk, merino and alpaca... Yes, I am a carding fool. Pictures, I'm sure, will follow later, along with the results of tonight's dyeing experiment.