I didn’t get much sleep to speak of between 2 and 7 this morning. At seven I went back to bed for a little over 2 hours. So I’m groggy and mellow today, listening to Abbey Road, Magical Mystery Tour, and watching the gray sky.

Last night, as usual, was fantastic at Village Yarn and Tea for spinning. It’s a big group smashed into a small space, but it’s fun to hear so many conversations going on in any direction, jumping into any and all of them at some point or another throughout the evening.

Isn’t that a fantastic thing about fiber arts? Getting the opportunity to visit with people from different backgrounds and age groups and having something in common? I love it.

I was telling Pat how bad I am with Alpaca, and that I need to practice. When I spun up the black alpaca roving from Madrona, I felt like a newbie spinner with no control at all. It was awful. She said she has buckets of Alpaca fleece just sitting around that she’s tired of. So it looks like we’re all going over to her house on Sunday evening to see Abner and pick up some Alpaca. The kids will be thrilled, and I’m really looking forward to a good lick in the face and burying my nose in his shoulder to breathe him in like old times. If he’s calm enough, I’d also love to put him and Clark nose to nose. Clark hasn’t seen a dog yet.

I’m almost done plying my three bobbins, which aren’t even close to the same length.

So I’m going to be doctoring them with my remaining fleece, trying to even it out.

I got about 10 more rows done on the shawl

and for variety’s sake, here’s a picture of my favorite violet, just beginning to burst with blooms

I spot some Koigu in the top right corner, behind some leaves.

I dug that skein out because one of Abby’s fingerless mitts were stolen on the playground a month or so ago. She said that they fell out of her shirt when she was on the monkey bars, and as she dropped down to get them, a boy with black hair grabbed one and took off. She couldn’t get a good look at him, so she doesn’t know who it was, but one of her mitts is gone, and it hasn’t turned up.

That really sucks.

So, when the shawl is done, I may make another one for her. Since I was improvising as I went the first time, it’s going to be tricky.