Spinning.........

I mentioned in the last post that I picked up another hobby, and that is spinning! At Osborn in one of the buildings/house there is a room where some ladies spin and some knit. One of the spinners asked me if I wanted to do it, and I said yes (of course!). I liked doing it, and she said she would sell me the roving (the fluffy wool rolled into a ball), and she knew one of the booths on the grounds sold handmade drop spindles. I ended up buying both, and got started in the car. It's a good car activity-keeps your hands busy! they have get some pictures of spinning up. This is what I have done so far, it takes practice to get a good consistency and do it fast. I'm trying! I can't wait to knit or crochet with my home-spun yarn! I think it's gonna be a while though... hopefully not. :)
It takes practice! Notice the drop spindle; suspended in mid-air.
The big fluffy material is wool. SO soft before you spin it, and after, not so much. The wool in that state is called roving. I would love to get fun, dyed roving for Christmas, or my birthday next year!
I found this quote on a website while I was trying to figure out the name roving on google, and thought it was pretty encouraging, cause today I probably dropped it the most! says:

“…and the spindle falls, don’t be discouraged. Just pick it up and try again. Many people will tell you that it is called a drop spindle because it just dropped. Take your time and practice, you will get it with time. It only looks easy after you have learned how. It just takes a few minuets to learn how to spin; it takes a lifetime to perfect the skill.”

-Kathryn of the Hills (whoever/whatever that is....) ;)

Osborn and Backbone Trip '09

Well, somehow my photos are in reverse order of what I wanted to have them... the one above was supposed to be the last one. Oh well, I guess we'll go backwards through the day today. This is at Backbone park, I like the unusual color of the water! Beautiful scenery.


I got to bring Olivia along this trip-she had never been to Backbone (that she can remember). It was a fun experience climbing the backbone (pictured above), and doing a bit more climbing than I remember doing when I was younger... :) A playground for big kids?? I guess you have to be more careful than a park, but still very fun! An enjoyable afternoon outside, getting fresh cool air, looking at lovely scenery, with friends and family.


After we were done at Osborn we stopped for a lunch-ish/snack at Joe's Pizza. It's a joint that really reminded me of a small town LITTLE restaurant... which it was-it's in Strawberry Point. It was somewhat run down but also, "quaint"? Our groups of families (Deeds, Wheelers, Schicks, Kennens, Halls, and us) basically filled the place. Good times with good friends.

Osborne Heritage Days was yummy, interesting, COLD (maybe freezing-literally). I learned a new crafty hobby thing-spinning. I hope it'll be fun enough for me to do it, and the yarn turn out well enough for me to keep at it. I now can at least begin to make my own yarn, I don't know all of the steps to making yarn, but I'm hoping to learn them! I have a drop spin spinner, and non-dyed wool I got at Osborn today. I spun on the ride home, and it's challenging to get it just the right width not to thick and don't let the wool break, etc. I'm looking forward to seeing how the yarn turns out! I'll try to get pictures of it on my blog soon. :D

Christmas- Homemade Gift Ideas?

I am wondering what are some favorite homemade Christmas presents that you have given or received in the past. Or do you have some great ideas for this year's Christmas presents? I'd love to hear about those too!

I like to make my gifts because it's more meaningful to me. Plus I think it's more fun that way to do the crafts yourself- sew, knit, crochet, paper crafts, etc.

Looking forward to getting started on making presents. :p All ready!

Please comment, and leave your ideas for homemade gifts.