Procrastinating

I'm the Queen of it.

Lately (okay, months) I've needed to file an amended tax return but I've gotten SO much more done instead! (Funny how that works.)

I took pictures (around 400) of my stash and loaded them on Ravelry.  Every. Last. Bit. (It's only been since Oct 2007) I took some things out for my Knitting Group swap that's coming up. I was surprised at some of the novelty stuff I just wasn't willing to part with yet. Now that I'm experimenting with embroidery, I see that stuff with a new perspective I guess.

While pulling out all that stash I found a few UFO's in the closet that have also been set aside for years. (Why on earth did I pick those colors? - I knit it, why didn't I felt it?) Some are getting frogged and a couple are getting finished (one day..soon).

I've played on my spinning wheel. Right now I'm in the middle of plying, which I usually love, it goes pretty quickly. But the thinner you spin, the longer it takes. I think my next yarn will be in the dk/worsted category. It makes me sleepy. And the cats keep trying to bite my singles.

I've been reading like the library will be closing permanently. Books are wonderful escapes.
(That one really doesn't count as something new since the library guy would send a search party out for my hubby if he didn't make my usual pickup).

Sooooo, The Big Guy and I are sitting there talking and I'm complaining to him about doing the taxes (instructions suck, blah, blah, blah) - I open it up. I read for a second. And I got it done in less than 5 minutes. At least I made myself look pretty smarty-pants in front of him. Yes, I felt silly for not just getting it over with since I've been staring at and avoiding the folder for so long, but it's like going to the dentist, who really WANTS to go to the dentist? Who really WANTS to read IRS forms?  But it just shows that when you have support, you can do anything. And I'm the one always telling my girls "things are never as bad as you think they'll be". And "If there's something you hate to do, just get it out of the way". Huh.

ANYWAY, I forgot to post about the Smokey Mountains Fiber Festival I went to in March.

Here's a sampling:
Rows and rows and rows of goodies. I honestly could never handle a bigger festival like SAFF, I seriously go into hyperventilating mode and almost get the vapors. I almost spent my whole budget at the first three booths! I mostly bought fiber to spin and I only came home with one skein of sock yarn (that I was going to buy eventually anyway).

 The sheep were very sweet!

This man is amazing, I wish I could remember his name. I don't know how his back can take this but he's done it long enough to be a real expert at it, I wanted to go hug him, he was just so sweet. We missed the sheep shearing last year so this year we traded off events (last year we saw the dog round up). 

 All in one piece. Amazing.

Bags for sale. I almost bought one for my friend Helen but I know she has some stockpiled already. I'm not one who has the strength to clean, card, or prep my own fleece. I totally know my limitations. My next big expenditure (dream) may be an electric spinner so that's what my pennies are being saved for. Although if I ever see a drum carder or good combs really cheap.....(like that will happen!)

There were a lot of things showcased: weaving, quilting, etc. This lady does bobbin lace, she took her time and explained it to me and was great at it. With all those bobbins, you actually only use 4 at a time. You follow a chart just like we do in knitting or weaving, and basically this is just "weaving". How she can know what place she's in is amazing with those tiny loops, but you "read" it just like knitting or crochet. (She's making another bookmark like the blue one there.)

The Big Guy was awesome, he was the cash register man, and bag carrier, AND photographer. Like I said, I was having the vapors with all that fiber-love goodness and was bouncing around like a crazy woman from booth to booth. It's like it was my oxygen.

Good thing this is only once a year, it's also only about 45 minutes away. I contemplated going to the Lexington KY one in May, but seriously, I can't spin that fast and I have enough fiber to last quite awhile. I have to keep some perspective on space. There's always next year....

Happy Knitting & Spinning!