It isn’t getting easier

Yesterday after the snowy morning, followed by a bit of rain, then more flurries, we drove the dozen miles to Joe’s Tree Farm and found a tree for the house. About the time we got home with it, the temperature that only got up to 36 f started falling. The tree was put in the stand and watered, hubby built a fire in the fireplace, I got a pot of stew started using left over pot roast and it’s gravy, made myself a mug of hot cocoa, and set to work decorating the tree. Putting the tree up, the huge Starfish, we got on our first cruise about 7 years ago, on as a tree topper, lights on and lit didn’t bother me. As soon as I opened the bin of ornaments, the history of our life together, I just froze, tears welled up and I didn’t want to continue. Beginning in 1977, our first shared Christmas, we purchased an ornament for our “Charlie Brown” tree. Each year, another ornament was added. Years we had a new baby in the house, there was a Baby’s First as well as the annual Hallmark ornament. At some point, the ornaments came from craft shows, or if we took a vacation and saw an appropriate token that could be the ornament, we added that and all are dated. There is a ceramic bell from Mexico, several carved/turned wood, pottery, and painted gourd ones. There are a few given us by others that have significance. As I brought them out, I cried more at the loss of family members, the isolation from our children and grandchildren. The tree is up, the house is decorated except for hanging two blown glass ones, that require some ribbon.

It isn’t getting easier. There have been 53 cases of Covid in our rural area in the past week, that is 15% of the cases since the pandemic began and in just 7 days. A neighbor told us yesterday that he had had it a few weeks ago, yet we still are seeing few masks. We waited to get the tree on a week day to avoid a crowded situation at the farm and the attendant that cut our tree said Sunday they had the lot full and a field adjacent as an overflow parking lot. We were one of three cars today, but two women arrived back from cutting their own tree as we arrived and without masks, entered the shop and stayed in there until their tree was brought in from the field, tied, and labelled. We stayed out in the cold to avoid them until our tree was ready for us to pay. There was no consideration of others, the older woman stayed near where we needed to be to pay for our tree.

We avoid going in any building we can. The online grocery order picked up Sunday was lacking several items from the list. There was no notice that the items weren’t available and we didn’t pay for them, but it means I will have to go in the grocer to get them. The curbside is nice, but certainly not perfect. I am having emotional burnout, but I can’t become complacent.

Covid has caused the Noel Nights event at Wilderness Road Regional Museum to be cancelled. I am sad that I won’t be able to vend, but feel bad for the Museum as this is a fund raiser for them. I am hoping that the Program Director who may have been exposed stays well. If you are still shopping for gifts, if you favorite an item in my shop, you will receive a 20% off coupon, many of the items ship free, there are knit and woven garments and accessories, salves, beard oils, yarn, and more. Check it out.

Worth?

I have been asked many times, “How long does it take you to spin that yarn?” That is such a difficult question to answer without just saying,” it depends. ” Four ounces spun Aran weight or Worsted weight takes much less time to spin than Fingering weight or lace weight. The type of fiber makes a difference as does the fiber prep. Also, whether it was spun on the wheel or on spindles. Then comes the internal argument about how much to price it if it is being sold as yarn and not knitted or woven into a garment or accessory.

Saturday morning I started spinning 4.5 ounces of a soft unknown wool, I believe it is Merino, but it wasn’t marked when it was given to me. I didn’t spin continuously, but did try to track about how long it took to spin and ply it. It spun to 17 WPI, so fairly fine. The fiber wasn’t in the best condition, there were small pieces, some matting (not quite felted). My estimate is about 10 hours to produce on the wheel. I ended up with 313.5 yards. If I knit it into a simple lace asymmetrical triangular shawl, it will take another 10-15 hours. To price the yarn at a price it might sell, I would charge 10 cents per yard for basic wool, and at that price, I have to accept that the time I spent on it was basically recreation, as my time would be only $3/hour. This particular fiber was given to me, often I spend $25 for 4 ounces of dyed roving which then negates anything I would have earned and it basically just provides money to buy more wool. If I knit it into a shawl, it would list for about $40-45 for 25 hours of hand spinning, then hand knitting work if it sold. If it was purchased roving at $20-25 for 4 ounces, plus 25 hours of my time, I would be making less than a dollar an hour to create a one of a kind, handmade item.

I typically only use my handspun yarn for garments I knit for my shop, once in a while a gift skein or trade skein will be used, but I have to value my time as therapy and recreation as this region won’t support the true value of hand spun, hand knit items.

This is the skein I produced, it really is quite pretty, soft and with nice drape, but I definitely can’t use this photo in my shop. I don’t know what you see, but I see a huge turd pile. I guess I need to work on my photography skills.

And in that vein, this is what I saw when I woke.

It isn’t much and it won’t last, but it is pretty now. Again, I need to work on my photography skills.

The calendar flipped and so did the weather

All day yesterday in preparation to turn from November into December, the temperature that wasn’t that high in the first place, fell. From mid 40’s to 28. Yesterday morning and the night before, we got about 2″ of rain. Overnight, a dusting of snow and there are still flurries.

It isn’t the earliest snow we have ever had here, but with it are gale force gusts of wind driving the wind chill to bone penetrating cold. When I opened the coop pop door, they just looked at me like I was crazy if I thought they were going to step their dainty claws into that white stuff and wind. Their water is frozen, that I have to remedy even if they stay indoors all day. It is only going up a couple of degrees today and even colder tonight.

As November ends, so ends another month of Jenkins spindle challenge.

The month ended with a bit more than 130 g of spun fiber, some spindle plied. The purple skein on the left if BFL wool that came with my birthday spindle, plied with BFL/silk blend with more of it on the spindle. The white/burgundy is Alpaca blended with dyed Coopworth. Last night I finished spinning it on the wheel as I didn’t like the way it handled on the spindles and ended up with 268 yards of fingering weight yarn that went into my shop for sale.

December will begin finishing the gray Jacob seen in the bowl above and here, along with more of the Redbud colored BFL/Silk.

Last month’s spinning was slowed by knitting as I finished the sweater for one grand daughter, the Intarsia knit Christmas stocking for the newest grand son, and a pair of fingerless mitts from spindle spun yarn for my shop.

All have been wet or steam blocked and ready to go.

Somewhere during the month, I also finished this skein on the wheel as it frustrated me on the spindles. And it joined the Alpaca/Coopworth in my shop.

Yesterday a jar of Daikon radish kimchee was started, two batches of soap made to saponify overnight. Today I will wash out the pots and spatulas now that the caustic mix is soap and make one more batch of the soap I use as shampoo and body soap for my use this next year.

I decorated the outside on the porch Sunday afternoon, I guess I should start on the inside too. I also need to get some gifts wrapped that will have to go in the mail soon.

I guess I should get busy.