Miniskirt

Miniskirt, originally uploaded by Verica.

I love making these miniskirts.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Winter is great for hermits. I finished two complete batches of yarn, shown drying in the bathtub. I finished spinning all of 2007's shearing (undyed, hanging on top) and plyed a not-so-bright dried marigold dye batch with some undyed wool. The result is a subtle heather-y effect. The purple-ish stuff is the Merino batch that I thought I messed up and looks fine in a single-ply. The black? Ah, that's the black Merino fleece I bought over the summer at the Michigan Fiber Fest. Deep, rich, and soft. Yes, that's a natural shade.

I like winter

I like winter. Scenes like this snow-covered garden mean I don't have to weed, cultivate, or harvest. As much as I love this garden I do get worn out by September and in 2008 I was harvesting through late November.
I'm staying in town until March. The farmhouse is shut down, offering me no heat or water. I've moved all my wool with me and am spending my time watching (cable) TV and spinning, spinning, spinning.
I'm nearly done with all the naturally-dyed wool. 2008 was the year of the marigolds. Golds, greens, yellows. I also had a small batch of dusty yellow from the walnut leaves.
More sales are scheduled. If you're in town the weekend of January 10 I'll be at the Handmade Market at the Empty Bottle, 1035 N. Western, Chicago, from noon-4:30.