What I woke up to this morning:



I have the sweetest kid ever.

OK, seriously?  My bank card number is stolen two days before I leave to fly across the country?  Really?

Thanks very much, hackers.

(But a huge thank you to my bank, who caught the fraudulent charges before they posted to my account, canceled that card, and issued me a new card immediately so I wouldn't have to travel without one.  You guys rock.)

Brace yourselves, I have an actual fiber project to show today!



This is one ounce of a qiviut and silk blend that I spun for a friend.  I'm not sure of the ratio of silk to qiviut, but it's just right to let the best features of both fibers shine through - the softness and subtle halo of the qiviut and the shine and strength of silk.  She bought this on a trip to Alaska and I must say it was about the softest thing I've ever felt.

It was gorgeous to spin.



It came as a batt and I spun very, very, very fine singles using long draw.  This was a conscious choice, because even though Delanne didn't want a laceweight yarn, this fiber really wanted and needed to be spun fine.  Thick singles of a short, fine fiber like qiviut won't hold up as well in the finished yarn as multiple fine singles.

My solution was to spin ridiculously fine singles, 3-ply that into a very fine laceweight, then ply the laceweight onto itself to make a 6-ply cabled yarn. The finished yarn is 1 ounce (28 grams), and 75 yards; approximately sport weight.  Very, very soft.  So soft.

Start to finish, this was a wonderful experience. The fiber happily and effortlessly spun into singles, the singles plied together snugly, then they graciously relaxed into a round cabled yarn. 

Today's spatial relationship logic puzzle: Twisty Cat Edition.

I haven't bought a lightbulb in several years and am overwhelmed. All I need is a regular, ordinary, energy-efficient lightbulb. There are approximately 40 bajillion options.

A list:

pick up various clutter from living room floor
    (ask Emma to pick up her room)
vacuum entire house
first load of laundry
remove orphan clean dishes from dishwasher
load dishwasher and run it
    (tell Emma to pick up her room)
dust living room
second load of laundry
empty dishwasher
    (send Emma to her room to pick up)
clean my bathroom
no, CLEAN my bathroom, even the corners and the grout
third load of laundry
clean two aquaria
    (quickmarch Emma back to her room and watch her start picking up)
clean two litterboxes
fourth load of laundry
take out the trash
take out the recycling
    (high-five Emma as I walk past her room and see progress)
clean the stove
no, CLEAN the stove, even the nasty sticky grease in the hood vent screen
fifth load of laundry
declutter the counter by the back door
    (gigantic smooshy hugs for Emma and her clean room)
go out to dinner
 

I feel like I actually accomplished something today.

I don't know if anyone out there in blogland is even still doing this, but it doesn't matter because it's now a personal tradition that I like.  Here's my contribution to the Eighth Annual Blogger's (Silent) Poetry Reading for St. Bridget's Day.



Exhale
by Sue Brady

There’s something to know
that’s bigger than me,
bigger than you…
bigger than the sum of us.

Our equation’s answer
became a negative number,
poisonous,
painful,
numb,
then empty in its calculation.
The stagnant smolder
has burned away even the shell.

The world goes around, and
Three becomes two minus one.
A remnant glowing spark remains…
Bright love
and the future made tangible,
her hand in mine
warms the cold ashes of me.

The world goes around;
I exhale to let go,
Let go to move on.
The world goes around,
The world goes around.
The world goes around and around.