moving

At long last, Feisty Fibers is leaving blogspot and moving to wordpress.

Check out the new blog here:

http://sarahsfeistyfibers.wordpress.com/

Hope to see you there!

How to prepare the not-so-scary fleece.

So, remember about this time last year when I went to the Maine Fiber Frolic and bought my first ever fleece?


Well, it turns out that a fleece is kind of a scary thing. It's big. It's dirty. It smells sheepy. It's not all tidy and combed and ready to go. Where do you even begin?

Well, to begin with, you want to tidy it up a bit, so hand sort it so that all the really gross bits are out.
To deal with the less gross bits, you need to wash it.

Tip 1: Use a big laundry bag! It's harder than it looks to deal with a wet fleece and it helps prevent agitation so that you don't felt your beautiful fleece.Tip 2: Use Dawn dish soap. You can buy expensive wool soaps, but Dawn will get the job done -- it gets grease off your dishes, why not lanolin off your fleece?

So, I started with a simple rinse.


Seems straightforward doesn't it?
It is until you get this:


Only one word for it. Gross.

This brings us to Tip 3: Make sure you have an outside space where it is ok to dump a lot of water. And so you don't bring the smell of eau de wet sheep in your house.
After a few rinses, I went ahead for the wash. I filled a tub of water, added Dawn until foamy and added my fleece. And let it sit there awhile.



And rinse.
And repeat.And repeat.
Keep going with the "wash/rinse" until the water goes (mostly) clear.
Then, spread out your fleece on a big towel or net to dry in the sunshine.


At this point, the wool is wet and sticks to your hands in long tendrils and you'll want to just wring it out. Don't. If you must, roll it up into your towel and pat it a bit. And then just be patient -- it will dry, I promise.

Now, all of this was done in North Carolina between me moving from Maine and moving out to Missouri (remember Tip 3). Since that time, it's been bundled up in an old pillowcase, just waiting to be loved. A note on storage: never store your fleece in a plastic bag. It'll get warm and cosy and you may end up with moldy wool. Also, the longer you wait to wash your fleece, the grosser it gets. So do this part, and then stash it away for awhile.

Now that it's summer and I'm mostly done with classes and the first half of my prelim (woohoo!), I decided it was time to be brave and dive in.

So, like the good graduate student I am, I started researching what I should be doing. "Comb it first" some people say. Others claim you can spin straight from the fleece (yeah, right!). So what to do?

I came across my New Favorite Fiber Website, The Earth Guild site on carding.
Now, I've never bought anything from this site, but it has such great tutorials that I would seriously consider it in the future.

This website taught me how to properly card wool. I tried it on my messy scary fleece that still looked awfully sheep like...and got heavenly puffy rolags.















So, what's next?

The actual spinning. I can't wait.
And as this wonderful website says,

Spinning, as everyone knows, is magic.

Rite of Passage

I have a wise friend, mentor, and role model, KL. She's a graduate student at Yale and is fantastic -- she's a fiber lover, was one of my first friends at college, and is my go-to person when my life (seems like it) is going to pieces.

Most recently, of course, this was about my prelim.

I took nearly two weeks off, simply to devote to studying. And before that, I was mostly working half days to study. I've eaten my weight in bagels, just so I can sit at my favorite big table at Einstein Bros. across the street and get a bunch done.

Of course, because it is me, I had many crises of confidence. One minute I was fine, the next I was absolutely positive I would fail the exam and be sent packing. I find my identity through my work -- whether it is work in the lab or academics or working at a horse stables or spinning wool, I judge my worth based on the scores and praise and affirmation of others. I'm not saying it is a good thing (it isn't) and I'm working on changing that part of myself, but it's there.

KL gave me very sage advice, though. "This is a rite of passage. Rites of passage are designed to be scary going in, but when you're done you get to say 'that wasn't so bad!'"

And she was right.
But only after it was completely done.

I got to the genetics library (where I took my prelim with the other genetics students) at 8:30 for the sole reason of turning on the lights that buzzed the least. (Aside: these are serious buzzing lights. High school gym type of buzzing. Maybe start to actually go insane kind of buzzing).

People trickled in, I sat and studied. The test was handed out at 9:30. Half a bagel, a cup of coffee, a liter of water later (thank goodness for nalgenes), and SIX HOURS later, I left barely able to form complete sentences.

You read that correctly. Six hours. The test was so thick they couldn't staple it. The last person to leave took 7 and a half hours. It was a serious test.

This morning, though, this was in my inbox:

Dear MGG First Years,

Congratulations, everyone passed the written prelim exam (and with room to
spare)!!!

Thank goodness!!!

So what that means is I passed.
KL was right -- now I can look back and say "it wasn't so bad!" Well, maybe tomorrow I can say that.

In the meantime, I'm taking a break from science and from school for awhile.

But boy am I glad I passed! :)

Aunt Ruth

My mum called with sad news yesterday - my great-aunt Ruth (my mum's mother's sister) died. She had been failing for some time, and I am glad that she is out of pain now. All the same, a death is always sad.

As you might imagine, I wasn't very close with my Aunt Ruth - she is of my grandmother's generation and lived in California (with the rest of my mum's family), but I have a few lovely memories of her.

The first I remember clearly, she took my mum and me to White's Bakery in Hawthorne (I think). Knowing I wouldn't want coffee, she brought cocoa just for me. And I had my first meringue. Talk about a life-changing experience.

The last time I was in California (which is waaayyy too long ago now), I went with Aunt Ruth (and various other members of my family) to the horse races, the first live thoroughbred races I'd been to. It was a wonderful day.

Besides those memories, it's amazing how much she impacted just my every day life.
Those of you who know me are familiar with phrases that I think everyone knows, but it turns out it's just me...all those came from Aunt Ruth. Things like "fine as frog's hair" for being really, really good (or really really sarcastic), "jump up and down and scratch" for getting excited about something, and, the one people think I'm the most crazy for, "While you're up, Catherine" which is directed at anyone (not just Catherine who is one of Aunt Ruth's sisters) for them to hop up and get you something from the other room.

Channeling fun times in Syme.

Yesterday, after an hour at the gym and several hours studying on my own and with other first-years in my program for the prelim, I went out with a friend, JB, on a quest to find her some "strappy sandle-y black nicer than flip-flops sandals." 1 trip to PayLess, 1 to WalMart, and a trip to two different Targets and we have her shoes. I was really hoping to get a pair like them in orange (because who doesn't need orange flats??), they didn't have my size. Something to look for.

My big purchase (apart from kitty litter for Patty), was a new box fan. Somehow, none of my fans from Syme managed to make the trip to St. Louis, mostly because my mum has comandeered the smaller ones, and the bigger ones I ended up using for my horses, and, well, that's just never a good idea to bring back into the house.

But now I am the proud owner of a Galaxy box fan.

Poor Patty can't decide if she likes it or not. She's upset that she can't look out that window any more, but when she finishes fussing about that, she lies on her back in front of the fan enjoying the breeze.
She looks pretty comfy, doesn't she?

It has made a world of difference in my room. With the jump from mid-50s to 60s weather all the way up to upper-70s to 90s weather, I think it was a good time to get it.

And now to study in my nice, breezy room!

body fibers

Today is The Saturday Before the Prelim. Last Saturday, I was doing other things other than studying thinking "I've got about two weeks to study! I can learn anything in that time!" Well, one week is already gone. I've only got the 'about' left.

With all this studying means a lot of sitting in non-ergonomic positions at the library, coffee shops, my desk, you name it, balancing papers, old prelims, a year's worth of notes and exams, and my computer, leaning over and under and sideways, pivoting without moving my bum, generally not being nice to my body.

Add that to eating poorly at all hours (which stems from not having much food that I want to eat and not enough time or patience to cook the food I want or go get easier food), not sleeping well, and next to no exercise. Plus the mind games of "what if I don't pass?" and guilt when I'm NOT studying and low spirits to high spirits depending on what I know when.

My poor body is rebelling. Today I can barely sit up straight for the muscle stiffness in my back and neck. I've been wearing my glasses for days because my eyes refuse to deal with contacts. My bad knee is even starting to ache again.


So what's a girl to do?

Start taking care of her body, that's what.

For starters, I'm taking the morning off of studying. I studied hard all day yesterday and am meeting up with other MGG first-years to study this afternoon, and I want to be fresh for it.

I'm going to try really really hard to get to the gym every day this week. (Except Thursday, I'm not quite THAT optimistic.) And I'm going to try to take it easy in there, but I need to get my body moving again.

I used to be quite fit, and, when I was, I felt better, I could do more, and I was happier. But this week, I'm just going to get moving. When I get back from my various adventures in the next few weeks, I'm going to dig out my work-out schedule when I was getting ready for the wilderness trip -- I do much better when I have a plan.

Plus, exercise has been found to have positive psychological benefits -- that's right, it means it'll make me less stressed out, better centered, allow me to channel my Caldwellian spirit. AND studies have shown that studying while exercising doesn't have the same benefits as the same exercise without. Which also means I'll have to take a break and let my mind relax.

So here's to keeping sane and getting back on speaking terms with my body!

Without the map the road is still the road

I've been having a hard time keeping perspective the last few days. It seems like if I fail my prelim, everything is over. But it isn't, not really. The sun has the convenient habit of getting up each morning, the day will go on. If I happen not to be a graduate student at the end of it, that's ok. I'd be good at doing lots of things.

Andy Wilkinson is a cowboy poet I had the great opportunity to meet, talk with, and listen to several years ago at one of the UHP's pre-exam pancake slam (I think it was still called the pre-exam somethin'-somethin' because we didn't know what we were going to do). One of his songs is "Without the map the road is still the road." It helps with the whole perspective thing.

If I stop being a grad student, this will have still been a great (though stressful) year where I learned a lot. Besides, I could always be a postal worker, right? Or an upholsterer?
Can't wait for this all to be over.
I sure hope I can hold on to the perspective.

When you wonder where you're goin', where you been and where you are,
Remember that the wise men followed nothin' but a star.
Across the trackless desert to Bethlehem they rode
Without the map the road is still the road.
Without the map the road is still the road.

Dorothy and the lion and their pals of straw and tin
Had no guidebook of instruction to get out like they got in.
But it didn't make no nevermind, they hit those bricks of gold,
'Cause without the map the road is still the road.

Without the map the road is still the road.
Every step is a journey, every journey is a step.
When your heart's gone to yearnin' and your soul's gone for help.
Ink lines ain't white lines, the routes don't make the roads,
Without the map the road is still the road.
Without the map the road is still the road.

All you need's a wide horizon and the ground beneath your feet,
And tomorrow is as certain as the sidewalk and the street.
Shiftin' sands and yellow bricks and every white lines shows that
Without the map the road is still the road.

Without the map the road is still the road.
Every step is a journey, every journey is a step.
When your heart's gone to yearnin' and your soul's gone for help.
Ink lines ain't white lines, the routes don't make the roads,
Without the map the road is still the road.
Without the map the road is still the road.

Without the map the road is still the road.
Without the map the road is still the road.

Closing in on year 1.

It's hard to believe that my first year at WashU is just about over.
And that my prelim is in 9 days. I'm trying very hard not to freak out, but my lack of sleep and lack of appetite seem to be thwarting my efforts. I go through waves of knowing that I know everything I really need to know and then dive into a deep well of not knowing what I'm doing here or how I'll ever 'get' everything in time.

This year in a list:

What I've accomplished:
- Molecular Cell Biology --> pass!
- Nucleic Acids and Protein Synthesis --> pass!
- Genomics --> pass!
- Advanced Genetics --> still waiting...
- Journal Club --> pass! (and I had to read and speak German and French in the process)
- submitted an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (though I didn't get it)
- wrote and submitted a 20 page postdoc grant proposal for a class (no comments back yet)
- two rotation talks in front of my peers and my department head
- accepted into the Lucille Markey Pathway for Human Pathobiology
- completed four rotations
- lost 15 pounds
- started (and had very moderate success with) an indoor garden
- have the Advanced Genetics TAship for the spring
- co-authored two papers under revision

other stuff done:
- brought Patty-cat home with me
- saw some of the sights in St. Louis
- learned perl
- spun up most of the fiber left from the Maine Fiber frolic
- knit a WHOLE hat
- started in on some 'seminar mittens'
- met with potential PIs to sort out what thesis lab to join
- made some good friends along the way

stuff left to do:
- pass the MGG Prelim in 9 days! (yeek!!!)
- go to NC for a few days and Maine for a week
- pick a thesis lab

next up:
- re-instituting Too Cute Tuesday St. Louis (see www.toocutetuesday.com)
- getting back to spinning (and tackle my fleece)
- seeing more of the sights in St. Louis
- get back hiking and outdoorsing more
- pass the second half of the MGG Qualifying exam in September

In which I come back to the world of blogging (again)

Hello patient readers (even if you are just the Great Void of the interwebs) -

I have decided to try to come back to the internet writing thingamajigggie. We'll see what happens.

It's Tuesday evening. Traditionally, it is Too Cute Tuesday, but, do to allergies, school work, and brewing storms, it's just Patty and me tonight. Which has given me time to catch up on some fiber reading.

Wait, you haven't met Patty? She is a marmalade cat who loves open windows, tummy rubs, and sleeping in. Not to mention long naps on my too-still spinning wheel and trying to catch knitting needles.


So, what's been going on with me?Well, we'll start with fibers of wool (and other delicious things)...


In an effort to actually update this, I'm only going to give you a run-down of what is to come. Tantalizing, yes?

Where my fibers are:
- my fleece is washed, bundled, and waiting for cards.

- my green-yellow silk blend is spun up, between sock and lace weight -- really lovely and textured.
- the purply-red mohair-wool heavenly stuff ended up being a wonderful (and EVEN!) plied worsted-weight.


- the bamboo I haven't quite sorted out...it's a difficult fiber length and mostly just falls apart. And when I card it, it seems to pill. More practice is certainly needed.

The Stash:
- the rest of the bamboo (and I have a TON!)
- my lovely heather gray
- some dyed wool, mostly jewel colors - I'm not quite sure what I was thinking when I dyed it. I will probably try some wet felting with it.
- dark gray churro
- jacob
- red churro
- Bag Of Caspar -- my brother-in-law sent me his and my sister's dog's winter coat!
- misc cream/white wool-in-the-grease

In good news re: The Stash, I've (finally) figured out a good way to store everything in my bookcases while allowing all my wool to breathe, using a combination of pillowcases, canvas bags, and cloth drawers.

Skills learned:

- how to make worsted weight yarn (at least with prepared fiber) - it's all about drafting and faith
- how to make a proper center pull ball using nothing but an extra knitting needle - it's all about winding and faith
- how to Not Feel Guilty about letting my wheel sit idle while I tackle this graduate school thing.


In other fiber news, I've come back to the world of knitting!

I've left my of Boring Rectangle Projects, at least for a little while, and have completed an apple baby hat for a good friend's baby, and am working on a pair of mittens designed after a child's mitten from the sixteenth century. It's perfect seminar knitting.

I've also chosen a pattern for my first sweater - it will be a lovely wrap sweater. I'll keep you updated.
And in OTHER fiber news, I've picked up needle felting...and I'm in love!


What's up next for fibers?

Well, unfortunately, my knitting is taking a back-seat to my perling. So, for right now, my fibers will stay where they are, at least until my qualifying exam at the end of May. I get frustrated at the wheel because I can't spin harder stuff, and need the time to really devote time to it on a regular basis.

In the meantime, though, I will plow ahead on my seminar-mittens and maybe try my hand at some creative carding.

~~~~~~~~~~

In terms of fibers of life, the semester will be wrapping up in about two months and I can't WAIT! I'm going to take two weeks off - the first few days here at my flat in St. Louis, cleaning and organizing and sleeping and spinning, then off to Chicago for a few days (I think), then home to Raleigh-home for a few days, a quick day trip to New Bern, then up to Maine for a week. whew.

Closer to home, I'm working on staying calmer and getting less wound up. As you know, that's a bit difficult for me. Yoga classes are helping though (searching for contentment and flexibility), I'm mostly enjoying my lab (learning about ostoblast and ostoclast signaling and playing with mice), and I was offered the TAship for the required 1st year genetics class. I've also started a wee container garden and am riding (and may be showing in the near future) So all in all doing well. At least as well as things can go for a crazy first year genetics student.

What is done:
- midterm for Genomics
- 3 rotations
- 1 rotation talk
- journal club
- NSF GRF news (I didn't get it - maybe next year!)
- Markey application
- TAship for next year

What is left to do:
- finish up my 4th rotation
- write a 20 page grant (due at the end of the month! yikes!)
- 3 more perl assignments
- 1 more genetics assignment
- Genomics final exam (at the end of the month! double yikes!)
- written qualifying exam (in two months! a bajillion yikes!)

Now I'm off to get some perling done!

Happy spinning!

In Which I Go to the Maine Fiber Frolic

I went to the Maine Fiber Frolic, held in Windsor, Maine, about two and a half house away (well, a bit more than three if you get lost). I got up early so was there just after 9 AM and got to check everything out without a huge crowd and then enjoy the mass of people that are fiber-lovers.

There were a TON of vendors, something for everyone - fiber, yarn, some wheels, some spindles, lots of knitting needles, a wool pool, hand-knit things, hooked rugs, felting fiber, baskets, livestock, fencing, the list goes on and on.

First, let me introduce to the stars of the show - the livestock!

We will start with the llamas.














Llama fiber is lovely, very fine, comes in lots of different colors, and has no lanolin so it doesn't require the same preparation as does other fibers (namely wool). Plus, they're pretty cool dudes, the surfer guys of the fiber livestock world. Good karma.

There were also lots and lots of goats, in many different varieties, angora and cashmere. All were friendly, from the adults on down to the kids, and there were several for sale.

There were signs posted all over the place, warning everyone not to feed their fingers to the goats, but all were very sweet to me! A few were very indignant at being penned up, calling to their owners and to other goats, demanding to be heard. I took pity on one and stopped to say hello - as you might imagine, he was very grateful.





For most of the llama and goat farms, you could buy their fiber right there - meet the goat, take his coat kind of deal. Everyone was very friendly and I learned how to groom a goat (much like grooming a dog or a horse, really) and how different their personalities all are.


Not do be outdone by the goats, the angora bunnies were out in full force. And since they breed like rabbits (obviously), there were a lot of bunnies for sale. I was very tempted, but I held firm. But don't you think an angora bunny would be perfect for my St. Louis apartment?

Since I was there already, I figured I would hang out and learn how to groom and shear angora rabbits - it's much simpler than I supposed, but I think it must be pretty hard to get the knack of. The bunnies don't seem to mind at all!

Then, of course, we have the sheep, the beautiful, beautiful sheep. I may stray off to other fibers, but I think wool is what I really love.














There were white sheep and black sheep. Young sheep and old sheep. Sleepy sheep and hungry sheep. And, as always, sheep interested in what I was doing.


Throughout the day, I wandered through vendors, had a go on some gorgeous (and perfectly balanced) spindles, talked with everyone I saw, and fingered and smelled all fiber in sight. I also tried my hand at selecting a fleece - yes, that's right, a whole fleece. There was a building devoted to it, whole fleeces bagged with the type of sheep and information - where it was from, what the farm is like, what the sheep was like, some of them even had the sheep's name! Of course, there was also fleece from other animals, but, like I said, I'm a sheep girl.

My fleece is pretty small, only 2.25 lbs of Border Leicester with a staple length of about 3 inches. I'm really really excited. Selecting this fleece took me about an hour after digging through dozens of other fleeces, finding the really expensive stuff and then looking at the cheap stuff to try and sort out the differences. Unfortunately, I forgot that sheep like hay and that I'm very VERY allergic to it, so by the end of it, I was happy but my arms and hands were a bright angry red from the hay.

At lunchtime, I set out to the field where Dave Kennard, an honest to goodness professional shephard, gave a sheepdog presentation. It was incredible. He was working with several sheep and two goats, one old sheepdog, one puppy (only nine months old!) named Dottie, and two middle-aged dogs, Nellie and Brittany. All were border collies and even the puppy who was having a very hard time listening, were incredible. They know over 40 verbal and whistle commands, including directions for clockwise and counterclockwise, lieing down, crawling on their bellies, backing up, the list goes on. It was absolutely fascinating. Borders heard with "eye power," essentially staring the sheep down. It only takes three dogs to move a herd of sheep down a road (you read that right, down a road) - one in the front who walks backwards, one who pushes them from behind, and one on the side to keep them in the correct lane of traffic. The entire time the sheep were being herded, made to stand in a square made by cones, and split by the dogs, the shepard stood still in front of us.

Last, but not least, I have to show off some of my new fibers. I've already spun up some of it and will post pictures as I go.

A picture of my fleece is above, but here is a lock to show you staple length - I can't wait to prepare it!

I found some gorgeous Navajo-Churro roving, it's delicious, a long, pretty straight staple, really textured,I decided it was time for me to try something new - vegetable fiber. I chose some gorgeous bamboo. It has a lovely sheen, almost like silk, and has a super-short staple that will be a challenge. But it is so so so soft!














Now for some exciting stuff - blends and colors! First, we have some hand dyed roving, 50% Mohair and 50% wool. It's really really soft and lofty, and I think it'll spin up beautifully. I think I may try for some plied worsted-weight with it, so I'm going to practice some more with my regular wool first. Sadie, who you see modeling the fiber, is one of my god-dogs -- we spend a lot of time together. Her dog-mom's blog is here.














Last, but certainly not least, is this gorgeous hand dyed blend of wool, mohair, and silk. It's incredibly textured, each fiber taking the dye differently. I've spun it up (as you can see here - and more pictures to follow), and it's very moody, jewel colored, changing from green to purple to almost yellow, and quite strong. It's spinning up to be about lace weight, a bit more a bit less.















I will keep you updated as I spin up this wonderful fiber and prepare my fleece.

Happy fibering!

Novel thoughts.

A room without a book is like a body without a soul.
- Cicero

I took an awesome trip to Tuckerman Ravine in New Hampshire the weekend before last, and I promise that my next post will be all about the hike. I had a magical experience today, though, that I need to share.

I am now a member of the Bar Harbor library - the Jesup Memorial Library. It's a beautiful library. Think a miniature of Henry Higgins' in My Fair Lady combined with the feel of the Strahov Monastery library. It's really tiny and lovely. You walk in the front door, and the foyer is a round room, the floor a moaic of black and white hexagon tiles. To the left is the children's library, a room about the size of Syme rm. 312, complete with a reading area, books on tape, and young adult's fiction. To the right of the foyer is the periodicals room, about the same size of the children's room, a room bathed in sunlight (or at least outside light), with all the newspapers you'd ever want.

Straight ahead off the foyer (that you really must pronouce foy-yay) is the main library. The room is borderd by alcoves of books - the first floor is fiction and mysteries. Of course, there are those books that are fiction but don't quite fit anywhere, like Westerns, are shelved in the deep window sills. Each alcove has a table or a desk and there are stairs to reach the tip-toppy shelves.

At the end of the long room are two spiral staircases that creak beautifully when you step up them. Below the right hand staircase is a closet that is the 'Maine room,' housing all the Maine and local authors. The second floor, reserved for non-fiction, is open and bookshelves line the walls. Keep in mind that these are all actual old-fashioned wooden bookshelves. There are so many books that every bookcase has books crammed onto the top.

Of course, I checked out several books -
The Fifth of March by Ann Rinaldi
The Secret Life of Lobsters by Trevor Corson
Five Sisters: The Langhornes of Virginia by James Fox
Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
My Father had a Daughter: Judith Shakespeare's Tale by Grace Tiffany

I think I'd like to start keeping track of the books I read. So the list begins...
I'll give an update when I go through all the books in my room.

Happy reading!

Spring Cleaning

I had an awakening a few weeks ago when I was at the gym and stepped on the scale. I’m not as bothered about the weight I’ve gained as I am about my health dwindling. It also hit me that I was letting my hair grow out – that means a change is a’commin’! I realized today that about this time every year at Uni I did an inventory – a spring cleaning of sorts.

So, for this year, instead of spring cleaning your house spring clean yourself.

1. Spring has (started to) sprung!

Take advantage of the nicer weather and walk. Take the mile or mile and a half challenge – walk, run, or bike anywhere within a mile or mile and a half. For me, that means walking to friends’ houses, the grocery store, and (starting this week) to work.

It’s rainy, you say? Embrace it. Invest in a good raincoat shell, some fun wellies, and go jump in some puddles. It’s too hot? Take some extra water, indulge in some Gatorade.

Rules for walking:
- wear good shoes
- walk on a sidewalk or on the LEFT side of the road
- always, always, ALWAYS carry water. And actually drink it.
- don’t forget your iPod (I’ve named mine Lucy)! Make sure to keep the volume low enough so you can hear cars and other walkers
- take a little bit of time to wander – notice something new, find the sunshine, take a mini-vacation.

2. If your body is a temple, it’s time to start treating it like one.

One great thing about living in Bar Harbor is that there are no fast food restaurants. When you go grocery shopping, look and see what produce looks good. Cut down on meat and get your protein from beans and fresh-tasting salads. For myself, I’m taking out all sweets and “extra” carbs like crackers and chips. The ice cream places are starting to open up in town, though, so once in awhile I’ll splurge on some really really good ice cream.

3. Your temple needs to live in a temple.

I know, I wasn’t going to start talking about spring cleaning, but that’s an important part of personal health, too. I’ve started really hating doing dishes, so today I’m going to completely tidy up the kitchen and try and keep on top of it.

It’s time to switch out the winter clothes! Since I live in a pretty cold place, I’ve got to keep some (ok, a lot) of my winter layering clothes, but I’m going to re-think my storage situations, use my clothes and colors to decorate my shelves. Also, since I’ve lived here for a few months (hard to believe), I can figure out how to use my space more effectively.

Evaluate your space. Switch things up – spend twenty minutes putting up a new pictures or posters. It’ll freshen up your space with no cost to you. Oh, and make your bed. Every day. It’s much more relaxing to LOOK at a made bed – and even better to sleep in one.

I am also going to try to institute a computer-free area. I love having wireless, but I’m much happier if Mildred doesn’t tempt me away from my reading or fiber time.

4. Nurture a living thing.

I am a much happier person when I’m giving part of myself to something else. Whether it’s a plant or an animal or another person. I have a plant that my sister gave me sophomore year, a Christmas cactus, and I live with two dogs. In addition, I’m an adopted “aunt” to my friend’s dog and I let her out a few times a week.

5. Give of yourself.

Find an hour or two of your week and volunteer, whether it’s with Girl Scouts (I’ve got a Daisy troop!) or shelving books at the library or just doing paperwork at your local Good Will. It doesn’t take a lot of time to give back to your community. In giving of yourself, you are most yourself.

6. Find something you really love.

Identify that thing that you really love (riding, spinning, whatever it is), and make it happen. Schedule a time every day or a few times a week to do something you love, even if it’s just for a few minutes. Use the time to come back to yourself.

7. Take the time to look nice. Every day.

Now, I’m not talking about wearing your prom dress or a business suit. But wear a clean t-shirt. Wear fun socks. Add a scarf. Once in awhile, shake it up. When you’re going to have a paper-reading day (or it’s lab meeting day), wear that blouse you love but never get to wear. Carry a cute bag. Everyone feels better when they look better.

For the gym (yes, the gym!), go to Good Will and find some funky colored t-shirts that are way too big and cut and tie them – fun color and design that’s cooler than just a regular t-shirt.

8. Treat yourself.

Paint your toenails. Create a new bag. Find some new fiber to spin up. Watch a favorite movie. Buy yourself some flowers. Do something once a week just because. It's a time to re-fresh.

Happy Spring! We’ll see if I can keep all these up into the summer.

Letters

I was reading some of the archives of one of my friends' fabulous blog and discovered post where she wrote a letter to her 12-year-old self. Got me thinking. I know I wrote a letter to myself to be read at the ripe old age of 18 when I was 10, but I've never thought of going in the opposite direction.

When I was 12 I thought I'd change the world. I was your standard goody-two-shoes student and my greatest ambition was to get a good education. I guess I thought subconsciously that I'd do something great early on. I wanted to write a novel, that's still on my list. I wanted to go to NC State and be a vet, so that's one of the two done. I took for granted that I'd have lots of interesting friends and a significant other by the time I was 22. I certainly have a few interesting and close friends, but no significant other. I thought I'd have a good job and have figured this whole 'life' thing out, I figured I'd be grown-up.

I think that my 12 year old self would be disappointed in me. I was supposed to be doing "cool" things when I was 22, not looking at another five or six years of school to do something that I'm pretty convinced that I want to do....but then again, five years ago, I wanted to go into business. Ha. 22 seemed so old when I was 12. 22 meant I was an adult, that my character had been settled on, that I'd know what I was doing in life.

I would want my 12 year old self to know that life is sometimes scary, but it's been totally worth it when I've pushed my limits. I'd want her to know that it's normal to question everything and that for a lot of the questions, she'll have mentors to help her work them out. (And that a lot of them may never be worked out, and that's ok, too.) I would want her to know that she'll grow 'younger' and more mature in college, learn to have fun and not worry so much, become more capable and more spontaneous. I'd want her to learn that sooner, to remind her 22 year old self to stop taking the safe roads.

I guess I can still make a difference, I don't know. I'm hoping I'll figure out what I want to do in life soonish. I feel better with a plan. I have in my head what I want to do, sort of, but I'm not sure how to get there. But then, 32 seems a long way away, much like 22 did when I was 12. A lot can happen in 10 years.

A few thoughts on weaving.

It's Holy Saturday, so I figured I'd post about weaving. What does weaving have to do with Holy Week and Easter? Well, I didn't make the connection until last night when I was at church for Good Friday.

"When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took His clothes and divided them into four shares, a share for each soldier. They also took His tunic, but the tunic was seamless, woven in once piece from the top down. So they said to one another, 'Let's not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it will be.'"

During the homily, Fr. O'Hara mentioned that what he was most fascinated with as a young person in this gospel was the everyday details that are included, from what the soldiers carried to the garden, to what type of fire Peter stood by to stay warm, to the quality of Jesus' clothing. "Mary was a really good weaver," Father said, "to make a garment seamless and strong, especially something that would have been worn so hard as a tunic."

I like knowing that Mary was a skilled weaver, though if you think about it, she would have had to have been in that time. To think about Mary the Mother of God spinning and weaving to clothe her family, probably going to the equivalent of our 'Stitch 'n' Bitch' or quilting bees. She must have had a favorite spindle and little tricks for drafting. She definitely must have had tricks for keeping her weaving even and strong.

I did a little bit of online research, and (of course), I'm not the first person to have thought a bit about this. According to one blog, the Eastern Orthodox tradition generally depicts Mary spinning at the time of the annunciation, rather than reading like we most often see in the Western European tradition. She is usually shown spinning a red thread that would later be used to weave the veil of the temple.

Separate from the Annunciation and spinning, the Virgin Mary is often depicted weaving in The Book of Hours, essentially a lay-person's breviary or Divine Office. The Book of Hours is an illuminated manuscript, or one with decorated letters, borders, and miniatures. It is interesting that these miniatures show Mary doing essential household chores, doing the work to care for her household.


It makes you wonder why most images of Mary depict her either holding baby Jesus or at the base of the cross. She was a busy woman, with friends and responsibilities. She had to learn to spin and weave as a child and probably started off with pretty lumpy-looking, uneven yarn, weaving it into stretched and uneven cloth. She had to go through all the growing pains and frustrations that we do - all while caring for the Son of God. Talk about responsibility. And through that all, she still was a superb craftswoman, clothing her son in a beautifully woven tunic.

a good reason that Maine winters are long

Fibers of yarn...

I finished my hat last night and wore it to church this morning. So far I've only found one mistake, but I've decided that I subconsciously put it there on purpose (for the evil spirits to come out, a custom I learned about in the fifth grade when I was learning about Australian aborigines).

I can't believe that I didn't discover cables before now - they're so easy. The hat is a wee bit too long, but it cuffs up pretty nicely, so it works. A big plus is that it covers my ears, a must when it's cold out, especially since I don't like ear muffs.

I was worried about running out of yarn, but I must have had more than I realized because I have quite a bit leftover. Maybe I'll make something else, we'll see.


and fibers of life...

I've (finally) decided on a grad school! Mum and I had a long talk today trying to talk things out. I've chosen Washington University in St. Louis - I think it has much more of the atmosphere I'm looking for and a greater variety of research. I'm a little bit overwhelmed with it all at the moment, but I'm excited, too. It's really happening!

Mad as a hatter

My first project, start to finish--a hat! When it comes to that, it's one of the only projects I've ever finished at all. You can find the pattern here.

It's cabled (another first) and a little bit too long, but now I know. It's long enough to go down over my ears (a must for me), and it's fine to cuff up. Another plus? I've got quite a bit of yarn left...whoops.

Pictures tomorrow.

The wheel's been a spinnin'!

Well, I've not kept up with this as I ought to have, but life's gotten in the way.

I spun up another bobbin-worth of my standard gray heather and ended up plying it, finishing it all up during Too Cute Tuesday (see the blog that started it all: http://www.breakingeven.typepad.com/). I ended up with a skein worthy of knitting and a few people to ooh and ahh over it.

I've finally gotten so I'm pretty good at keeping even tension and twist. Next? Getting the final weight to be what I want. I think this time, I was shooting for worsted, but I didn't make the singles thin enough.

I'm trying to sort out what to knit with it. I want it to be something I'll use, either wear or have about. My mum found a great website - http://simpleknits.blogspot.com/2008/03/500-patterns-to-knit-with-1-285-yards.html. I'm enjoying looking at my yarn and imagining what it will be. In the meantime, I may have found a sweater I want to try. Anyone who knows me (and my problem with UFOs) must be surprised. A conversation at work with one of our postdocs made me start thinking - maybe I just get bored too quickly and need a more complicated pattern.Last night, I decided that I needed some spinning therapy. Ghandi believed the deepest state of spinning was a state of zen, and I think he had a point (like he did about so many things). I decided to spin up the wool I dyed green a few weeks ago. I like it much better all spun up than in the fiber - it has lovely tones of grey you can't really see in the pictures. On that note, I need to work on taking much better pictures. I guess that some pictures are better than no pictures.

The whole bunch of it (and it was quite a bit of a bunch - you can see the dyed roving in an earlier post) was spun up in about an hour and a half. It's about lace weight now so now for the big decision: do I keep it at lace weight or ply it with some lace-weight gray?

Now that I look at these pictures, some of them are pretty good, nice and "arty." One of these days I'll get good functional pictures, too!


Tomorrow or the next day I'm going to be going on a fiber-slurge. I think I'm going to try some dyed wool from a different type of sheep and probably some vegetable fiber, bamboo or soy. I would desparately like a new bobbin for my wheel. It's getting old to wind off the single to ply anything or work on another project. I'd also like a niddy noddy so I really know how much yarn I've got. We'll see.

pet peeves.

Open pipette tip boxes.
When the revolving door to the dark room is left part way open.
Deliberately misspelled words (like thanx or kewl).
When my name is misspelled (the 'h' is important).
Part-way opened (or closed, I suppose) drawers.
When my last name is mispronounced (it's not hard - two syllables, Am-End)
When assumptions and impressions cloud sound reasoning.
An empty glove box (why doesn't the person to take the last glove just replace it?).
Tubing that isn't the correct size for the biosafety cabinet vacuum.
Running out of bleach.
Not being able to find the scissors.
Rolly chairs that don't actually roll.
Having frost on the inside of my windshield.
Having to use the last aliquot of Taq.

The fabric between fiddling and football

I went to McKay's Public House this evening to have dinner and listen to a co-worker (and friend)'s daughter fiddling. She was incredible. She has only been playing for five or six years and is way better than I could ever be. She's been in multiple bands and in at least one orchestra. Practices at least three hours a day. AND seems to be like a normal 13 year old. Her notes were so pure and strong, her double stops right on, her fingering pristine.

I've always wanted to be really good at something, to have a talent for something. You know, like the college football star who is fabulous and loves to go to practice, to hold a football.

I've never been just good at something. I've never had that burning passion for something. I've never had talent and the drive to become better. I thought I had it for dance when I was a dancer. But I was never really great at dance, I never went to the next level. And even if I had that drive, I wasn't meant for a ballet dancer, couldn't hack it as a modern dancer.

I thought for sure I had it for riding. I have a talent there. I can stay on a rearing horse, I have the patience to teach ground manners, I can go into autopilot whenever I'm in trouble, and I really good at preping for a horse show. I ahve But without a horse, I've stopped advancing. I can ride anything, but I can't do it really well. I'm an ok rider. I'd be placed in most advanced classes, riding advanced riders at most riding schools, but I'm not an advanced rider. I can't go over fences. I can't rope a cow. I can sit on the back of a pleasure horse.

On the other hand, I love horses, I am inspired by them, I am empowered by them. Maybe that's what talent is, maybe that's what makes greatness.

I'm also good at inspiring others to do big things...but is it enough to be the guy the guy depends on? I don't know.

I want to be great.

Fibers of friendship.

"You're young and I'm old, but our souls are about the same age, I reckon. We boh belong to the race that knows Joseph, as Cornelia Bryant would say."

"The race that knows Joseph?" puzzled Anne.

"Yes. Cornelia divides all the folks in the world into two kinds--the race that knows Joseph and the race that don't. If a person sorter sees eye to eye with you, and pretty much the same ideas about things, and the same taste in jokes--why, then he belongs to the race that knows Joseph."

"Oh, I understand," exclaimed Anne, light breaking in upon her. "It's what I used to call--and still call in quotation marks--'kindred spirits.'"

"Jest so--jest so," agreed Captain Jim. "We're it, whatever it is. When you come in to-night, Mistress Blythe, I says to myself, says I, 'Yes, she's of the race that knows Joseph.' And mighty glad I was, for if it wasn't so we couldn't have had any real satisfaction in each other's company. The race that knows Joseph is the salt of the airth, I reckon."

L. M. Montgomery, Anne's House of Dreams