A Couple More for the Finish Line

Ok....the Navy Wool Wrap is finished and blocked...turned out better than I had imagined and light as a feather.  Finished size is 22" X 77".  Loved working with this wool and oddly enough the repeated lace pattern didn't make me nuts.  I debated putting a larger lace edging on, but decided that the small picot edge was perfect.  This wool has so many beautiful specs of color that these photos do not capture, but I'm working on getting that shot. 

Next...I have finally finished my felted yoga bag.  It has been knitted and felted since May, but I had not attached the strap or tie.  Those of you who know my foray into felting was an endless stream of profanity and frustration....however, I made it to the other side with a few projects and would do it again.  The first project still isn't finished and never will be because it disgusts me to look at it.  I'm thinking about burning it in my igloo.  This bag however turned out great.  The pattern is my own and knit in the round...it  was fun and finally...finished.

I know I have mentioned that I'm involved in a notebook round robin through Ravelry.  I received and filled out the first notebook this week.  It was from Angela in Oregon. I meant to take pics, but it is in its travel clothing (envelope) and I am not in the mood to gently peel off tape.  I'll remember next time.  I hope once this book makes it back to Angela that she enjoys all the groovy stuff inside.

Now a word about spinning.  I picked up a little book on spinning called "Spindle Spinning: From Novice to Expert" by Connie Delaney.  While the spinning part was nothing new, she does give great instructions on how to make my own wooden spindle.  The history she included is what really hit home with me.  I have discovered so many of the truths just by doing the task which  means they are indeed truths.  This is my favorite passage, " Maybe it's the pace of the spindle that adds to the delight.  Our society teaches us to be production and goal oriented.  That's fine so long as it keeps in its place, but we've let it run amuck.  Our minds are frazzled to the point of dysfunction.  Sometimes it's nice to shed the trappings of the modern mind and join our ancestors in a simple moment.  Spinning on the spindle, just for spinning: not to sell the yarn, or to weave, or even to give it away, but just for the delight of being in the moment with the spinning, and the yarn......spinning with this awareness clears the mind, relaxes the heart, lovers the blood pressure, brings a smile to the face and maybe a story to the lips.  The process itself become the thing."

For those of you who know me, staying in the moment and the journey is what I strive for and enjoy....so, this is a natural extension of that quest for peace.  I can almost hear my great-grandmother and grandmother chatting as I spin, spinning with me and smiling because I am indeed a child of theirs.