I've been knitting in very faint increments the past few days. Well, okay. The past three weeks, to be exact. Since Fiona's arrival. I've become obsessed with the magic of fur-becoming-yarn. I'm working on some alpaca now, which just came home this week. I bought it before I had Fiona, and dropped it off at MD S&W to be processed into roving by Zeilinger's. I asked for a light wash, but I think they stressed the light, and not the wash, part of that, as I find myself picking out Vegatable Matter every few inches or so. But the roving itself is so light and airy, I don't mind the VM at all.. this will make beautiful yarn. I'm spinning a dark fawn color now at a light worsted weight, the color of caramel candies (quick poll: is it CARE-ah-mell, CAR-ah-mell, or CAR-mell?) I have about three-fourths of a pound of that, and another pound and a half of white. They will be used together to make a poncho or shawl, I think.

Some of that white will be spun slightly finer - sport-weight-ish - to match the weight of some yarn I already have. At last year's Knitter's Retreat, I swapped for about a thousand yards of a rich nutmegy-pumpkiny-gingery orange alpaca yarn, soft as the devil. I want to make a sweater of this, with a stripe of the white alpaca, and a thin stripe of a super pale robins-egg-blue. I can see the sweater... I just have to knit the sweater!

Last night I met with and decided to join the Annapolis Guild of TKGA. I've been thinking about rejoining for a while, as I really do think I'd like to do the Master Knitter's program, and the magazine that comes with membership is quite good. And I sort of stumbled across this one, but did enjoy the meeting last night - a variety of different levels, and a small but friendly group. One of the women there, who was teaching us about knitting with beads, casually mentioned that she owned a shop. Turns out it's The Drafting Zone in Bowie MD, which was one of our favorite booths at MD S&W because of some unbelievable customer service. I'm now looking even more forward to a chance to visit her shop!

I've been playing around with different spinning positions, hand positions and speeds. I've "accidentally" done long-draw a few times and it's been lovely. The times that I've done it on purpose, it's come out quite uneven. But three or four times my attention has been distracted, and my hands reach far back, and I'll look back to my spinning, and *poof!* two different spinning points, fuzzy fluff between, and lovely, even yarn being fed into the flyer. When I try to do it on purpose, it's uneven and a bit awkward.

It's amazing how often we get in the way of ourselves doing miraculous things.

Thoughts for the Day:

Gary Zukav - “Trust allows you to give. Giving is abundant. Trust allows the experience of bliss. Bliss is awakefulness. Trust allows you to laugh. Laugh at the richness, the beauty and the playfulness of the universe. Apply consciousness to this process and all roads will lead to home.”

John Greenleaf Whittier - “I pray for faith, I long to trust; I listen with my heart, and hear A Voice without a sound: 'Be just, Be true, be merciful, revere The Word within thee: God is near! 'A light to sky and earth unknown Pales all their lights: a mightier force Than theirs the powers of Nature own, And, to its goal as at its source, His Spirit moves the Universe. 'Believe and trust. Through stars and suns, Through life and death, through soul and sense, His wise, paternal purpose runs; The darkness of His providence Is star-lit with benign intents.' O joy supreme! I know the Voice Like none beside on earth or sea; Yea, more, O soul of mine, rejoice, By all that He requires of me, I know what God himself must be.... I fear no more. The clouded face Of Nature smiles; through all her things Of time and space and sense I trace The moving of the Spirit’s wings, And hear the song of hope she sings.”