Bad Karma Day ends well.....

I asked if it were going to rain today, and was told "no", so I left the house with out my raincoat....and it began to rain as soon as I turned the first corner.  

I thought I would head out early for the optician to have my new glasses adjusted since they are slipping a bit.   It is just north of the Temple, so an easy stop on the way, but when I got there there was a sign on the door which said "Closed today, sorry for the inconvenience."   Yes, it is inconvenient since they are not open late enough during the week to stop by after work. So now, I have to try again next Saturday morning.

I was plenty early for my Torah Study class (Torah is the first 5 Books of the Bible, for those unfamiliar) which I have been attending  since 1987.....A line, a word, a phrase, or no progress at all and we are still in Leviticus having started at Genesis 1:1.   Sounds weird, I know, but it is a wonderful group of people and led by two great Rabbis.   But, I digress.   Instead of going straight to the Temple, I decided to stop at Starbucks which is conveniently situated in a shopping center next to the Temple.    My grande non-fat latte and I got back into the car, and yes, you guessed it, the car wouldn't start.   Turn the key, all the lights come on, the radio comes on, but no ignition, no engagement of the starter, just the click and a slight hummm.  I sat there calmly sipping my caffeine fix and occasionally trying again.   Turn the wheel, step on the brakes, in and out of gear, depress the clutch, trying each time to get the car to start.  Run through the gears, sip some latte, try again.  NOTHING.    I eventually left a note on the windshield saying the car died, and help would be coming at 12:15, because with the way the morning had been going so far, it was likely to be towed, or ticketed for overstaying my welcome in front of Starbucks.    I had called the hub and he would come to my rescue after my class.   I walked over to Temple and enjoyed the session as usual, then walked back to find him waiting already.   He put the car in neutral and coasted it back out of the parking space, now it was blocking the driving lane in the shopping center.  With the kindness of strangers, since hub's back is bad, and mine is weak as well, we got a push, the clutch was popped and the engine started.   Off to the Hyundai dealer straight away, because I was afraid if I turned off the car again, it would be dead again.    Turns out there is a switch that engages under the clutch area that allows the starter to start, and mine was intermittently shorting out preventing its starting.   Easy peasy, except, no part in stock and they can't get it and fix the car until Tuesday.  

I took out my frustrations with the day so far hand carding more of my Shetland fleece.   It cards very nicely, even if the process is slower and the volume is less than a drum carder.   I figured out how to roll the rolags and then stretch them out into nice little balls of roving.   Each ball is between 5-10 grams in weight and now ready for spinning.

I finished the afternoon by heading over to the new 24 Hour Fitness club which just opened yesterday, replacing my old, small, and definitely yucky club that I have been a member of for over 10 years.  Not that I have been using it too much lately, but now I vow to start up again.   They grandfathered in all the people who went to the now closed site, and we do not have to pay an upcharge to go to this brand new fancy schmancy club with all the amenities.  Yay!   So I worked out....elliptical, treadmill, some weight machines, and on Wednesday I meet with a trainer for a fitness orientation, to jump start my training program again.  It is convenient to home and on the way home from work so I have no excuses....well, only a few....but I need all my readers to encourage me to keep on keeping on and to try to regain my former level of fitness, which has greatly suffered with too many free lunches and less mobility on my new job.  I ain't getting any younger, so it is now or never.

So a good ending to a lousy start of the day.    Good Karma wishes for tomorrow, everyone!  And some happy orchid photos to enjoy!

Knitting with handspun Alpaca

I have had a heckuva time planning a project for my Alpaca yarn. I finished spinning it up, and plying it, but it is thinner than I thought it would be.

I believe it is heavy fingering or sport now, even held double (that is 4 individual plies). First, I thought a scarf and I tried a few ideas, settling on a 3X3 rib pattern, but it was eating the yarn like there is no tomorrow. I started out with 10 oz of raw fleece, and I'll be damned if more than 3 months of washing, carding and spinning would go into a single project for someone who might never appreciate the effort that went into it. I turned to mittens, but couldn't find a pattern for the gauge I was getting, and knitting with size 9 double points was awkward at best for pattern work. I then decided to get out long size 7 needles, and use another pattern for basic construction, and now I am knitting plain mittens using the magic loop method.

The fabric created is nice and I should be able to get a few pairs out of my yarn. Since Alpaca is warmer than wool, these should be nice for family members in cold climates. I have til February to complete a couple of pairs, so I think this is doable. The second pair I may knit as fingerless mittens for more dexterity. To be continued.

As the Who said, "I'm Free!!"

Am I dating myself with the Who reference???    I passed my last exam today at work, so now I am free to knit, spin and read my own choice of books in my free time!    I am now fully licensed and registered at my new job, so my free time is my own, without guilt!    If anyone tells you they are too old to learn new tricks, like the proverbial old dog, tell them about me, reinventing myself at the age of nearly 59.   Anything is possible if you work hard enough and take a chance.   Of course, I was definitely aided by my new boss who also took a chance on me.    I am forever grateful for her confidence in me, and the opportunity she has given me..

Another walk in the trail on Sunday and I visited my friend, the Koi, and it looks like mating season is over for this year.   I talked to a wonderful older lady at the pond, who told me that this Koi has been in the pond for 19 years and she knows the woman who released it there.   It grew too large for her yard pond and she has been watching it over the years, grow to this enormous size.   I understand that there was another one, but it has not been seen in a couple of years.   The heron was back as well, but no photos of interest there this time.

A few more flower shots:

These are tropical Hibiscus that I am growing in pots on the back porch.   Now that there is no more smoking at my home, I can enjoy this back patio again, so I thought I would dress it up with plants.   I have always loved Hibiscus flowers, and I have discovered that so does the dog!    The first weekend, she ate about 8 blooms. I worried that they would make her sick, so I googled them and learned that in the South Sea Islands, the blooms are eaten in salads.    So the dog would not get sick, but I was not happy, nevertheless.    I then sprayed the two plants with Liquid Fence which does a good job keeping the bunnies from eating my flowers  and it seems to have discouraged the dog as well!   Good, now I don't have to kill her..........
My clematis have broken out in a multitude of blooms.   Too bad they only last a few weeks

Another weather report......Rain! Rain! Go Away!    Once the sun shines again, as it must, things will be very lush and green.    I should have some new Iris blooming from the ones sent to me by IronNeedles last fall.    I have buds on at least two varieties, and can hardly wait to see the blooms!  This photo is before the rains began again.   Once the sun comes out again, I know it will pop open with a fury!

Tonight I worked (played) on spinning the Suri Alpaca fiber that I was given at one of the Alpaca shows earlier this spring.  To remind you, here is my washing episode.   After watching many videos on hand-carding, I tried again and I think I have the hang of it now.   Here are a few photos of the progress:

I carded up a bunch of fiber, but my rolags are not nice and pretty like I see them in the videos and in books, so I just gathered the fiber off the carders and put the bunches in a plastic bag.   I then spun from the resulting clouds of fiber, best as I could.

And here are the singles on my wheel.   

I will be two-plying this yarn and should have about 2-3 oz of finished yarn when I am done.

Before the rains began, I photographed my original Iris, which had been in my garden for many years.   Usually, by the time they are ready to bloom, we get the strong Spring storms which make the heavy bloom stalks just lay down in defeat.   This year, I enjoyed many blooms before the winds and rain began.   

Of course, now they are down, and it is too sad to photograph, so enjoy the before photo!