Woolly weekend

I spent the vast majority of my weekend carding fibers and spinning. It was one of the best weekends in recent memory. I also finally boiled up my bag of onion skins to make dye.

I've turned this:

(this is actually fiber I still need to spin)

Into this:

(a single and it's chain-plied counterpart)


This is a 50/40/10 mix of local alpaca, wool, and tussah silk. I plan to dye it with the onion skins and ply it.

Recently the Imp began having worries about bad dreams. I give him a "potion" every night (lavender oil from Lusa Organics on his chest - just a dot) and we have a dream catcher on the wall. Now the Beast is fearing sleep. I've walked him to sleep several nights in a row while he verbally worries about dreams.

I want to give him (and his brother) a dream faerie. While walking the Beast I thought up a waldorf style doll. It would be between seven and ten inches tall. I'd knit them a little outfit. They would be filled with positive energy and my boys could keep them tucked in with them at night. I'd come up with a story for them - how the faeries guard against bad dreams or something. It all sounded so simple. So perfect. I even thought - what if they were more animal like. With cat or elf ears - a tail!

By the light of day I remember how much I really don't like sewing. How frustrating I find stuffing dolls and making hair. How could I possibly fill a doll with positive thoughts when I'm cursing every step of the way? So my next thought is to put out to you all that I'd be absolutely thrilled if someone wanted to set up a swap with me. I knit, crochet, spin yarn, mix herbal teas (I'm really enjoying a combination of rooibos, red raspberry, and nettle, with a pinch of peppermint), make salves, etc.

Unrelated, but worth mentioning. If I seem morose or withdrawn these days it's because I've been thinking. If things had been different, I'd likely be holding a newborn right now. In an attempt to not dwell I've been throwing myself into my spinning and preparing for the Beast's upcoming birthday (and B's a week later).