Consumed

Lately I have caught a couple of episodes of "Consumed" on HGTV. It is all about folks that are living in chaos because of all the stuff they have accumulated. Basically, the host of the show goes in, takes everything but absolute necessities away for 30 days, then the people try to work on relationships and address the reasons for the accumulation of possessions. At the end of the month they all go to the warehouse and try to get rid of at least 50% of the junk.

This is ringing a bell. I am not exactly a hoarder. Hmm. Maybe I am in denial. Ok. I AM A HOARDER.
Mostly of hobby stuff.  I have loads of hobby stuff that I have bought over the past several years, as well as things I have inherited. I have been through many craft phases and have the detrius from all of them stored in a shed on our property. Lately, this shed is also a junk repository. Whenever I don't know what to do with something, it goes into the shed. I can hardly walk in there. There are also little caches of wool, fabric, books etc all over the house. Also lots of clothes to go through. On my days off next week, I intend to start a ruthless sort through all this stuff. Goal: get rid of all the things I have been storing for years and never used.

Estimated start date: October 8th. Watch me go.

Adventures in Dying

Well, we hauled out the dyepot again. Had a lovely time dying all sorts of fibery goodness. However, all this fun was preceded by some misery. Note to self: never, ever put damp items in a rubbermaid tote and close it up for several months. I opened my tote of dying accessories and had to pitch most of them out because of mold. None of it was very expensive, thank goodness. Plastic tablecloths, paintbrushes, and a bamboo steamer. But still a waste. Last time I dyed stuff I was visiting my friend Lynda, and we packed everything up and I headed for the ferry, completely forgetting to dry everything out on my arrival home. Once the clean up ordeal was over, Joelene and I got to work and dyed wool for her own Swirl! jacket. She wants a jacket that looks like fall leaves and moss. I think she has succeeded.

Joelene's Fall Frenzy

I was in a mood for bright colors, as usual. I dyed some lovely light mohair and some 50/50 wool silk for another Swirl! jacket too. Yes, I know I am not finished the first one yet. I also dyed alpaca laceweight and some wool roving for spinning. Only darkness kept us from going further.

Susan's Royal Peacock Plumage

Roving, Color - Black Cherry

Now everything is drying out in the bathroom. It is amazing how much water wool can soak up. Even with the dehumidifier running it has taken 3 days to dry out. Then we had to wind it up into balls. Do you know how long it takes to wind up 2800 yds of laceweight alpaca? Too long.