Fiber Musings

Sorry to anyone reading my blog from a feed. While technology didn’t
completely fail me, it also didn’t do what I wanted.

Yes, I can post via email from my cell — as long as it is plain text.
If I wanted to send a picture taken with the camera phone…well,
let’s just say that didn’t work. Word Press took that as a MIME
encrypted file and posted a bunch of gobblygook.

I’ll try posting via the normal manner from the library tomorrow,
since I don’t have Internet access at my cottage, except via my cell
phone. Hence the experiment.

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Port Townsend-Keystone Ferry, coming into Keystone.

Waldo: waiting patiently for the Ferry at Keystone.

Sign seen in the women’s bathroom on one of the Mulkiteo-Clinton ferries.

View of the sunset from my deck.

Life slows down on the island. Clocks don’t matter, unless you are trying to catch a ferry. Even then, there’s always the next ferry.

I’m off to Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival in Canby.

Posting will be a bit sporadic, even more so than normal. I have no internet access at my cottage.

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My sock knitting has languished, mostly because I have had no use for socks down here in California. Land of perpetual sun. But I’m spending the next month up in Washington. Land of perpetual rain. I need socks.

I dug out all my socks in progress, and found 4. This photo only shows 3 because I’m not happy with the 4th and will re-purpose the yarn.

Why am I showing you this? I’m taking these up to Washington and vow to finish these while I’m up there. Not only that, I’m taking a large assortment of sock yarn with me. All socks that I finish during my vacation will stay up in the cabin, for future trips.

You’ll recognize the hand paint from my self-patterned socks dye experiment. The other 2 pairs are Trekking XXL. I love this yarn.

Aside: Would you believe all 4 pairs of socks were on 2mm needles? In spite of this fact, I have even more 2mm needle. You know, just in case I decide to cast on for even more socks. The really interesting note is that all 4 pairs are worked over different number of stitches: 60, 64, 68, and 72. Huh. And they all fit.

That brings up the next topic. Why are we so optimistic when we pack our projects when we go on trips? Why do we think that we will read the 20 books on our nightstand, finish the 4 sweaters that we have in progress, various socks, lace shawls, AND pack more yarn and fiber to spin? If we haven’t been able to get to all of these in the past 12 months (or more), what makes us think that we can finish them in 4 measly weeks? Not to mention the watercolor paints that I plan on bringing with me — just in case, you know, that I have the urge to paint while walking on the beach with my dog.

Just call me Pollyanna.

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Okay, I give. There are too many subjects aside from my fiber addition that flit through my brain. I will break my original rule of keeping this to fiber only. I’ll try and keep it mostly fibers. How’s that?

Last night, I had dinner with Grace, Mark, Iris and my Mom. On the way home, we stopped off at an ice cream shop. Grace asked me about the grocery store that shared the same parking lot. I told her that it was my favorite grocery store. Of course, the next question was, what makes it my favorite?

My criteria for a good grocery store? It needs to have a good balance of organic food, “alternative products” (stevia, recycled paper products, holistic health care products), as well as the standard mass consumption products (garbage can liners, Oreos). The produce, whether organic or not, should be fresh. Locally grown produce a plus. The fish and meat should be really fresh, and provide meats produced or gathered in a sustainable fashion. And, this is for me only, have really, really good selection of bulk foods, cheeses, artisan breads and a great deli. This grocery store has it all, and friendly people. It’s a true neighborhood grocery store.

And the criteria to make a really good grocery store into a “favorite” grocery store?

1. It must be within walking/bicycling distance. By that, I mean that by whatever non-car transport method, I must be able to get the ice cream home before it melts. This grocery store is in the bicycling range majority of the time.
2. I should be able to do multiple errands within the same trip. If I’m driving, I shouldn’t have to move my car for these errands. This grocery store shares the same parking lot with a great pet store with holistic pet foods, coffee shop, restaurant, cleaners, and the said micro-creamery ice cream shop.

I favor this type of store because I do my groceries several times a week. This habit started when we lived in Boston with a very flakey refrigerator and even flakier landlord, who couldn’t seem to get the fridge fixed in a timely manner. We learned to only buy enough food to last a couple of days. At that time, we were walking distance to Bread and Circus, now Whole Foods, which made it really easy for us.

Okay, the other reason is that I never seem to be able to plan my menu that far ahead. The closest I came was when we had a subscription to locally produced organic produce. We still ended up going to the grocery store several times a week to pick the proteins.

Lastly, I prefer to support small local grocers to large national chains. Just because.

Oops.  Gotta run to the grocery store…

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I had a wonderful visit with Grace and Iris yesterday. We did a little shopping on California Street. Then it was to Thai Silk. I had a really difficult time dragging Grace out of there. It was a kid in candy store. Iris spent the entire shopping expedition with her nose in the new magic book she bought. She practiced one of her magic tricks on me while we had some ice cream.

This was followed by a wonderful evening sail, with help from my friends Larry and Robin. Mom and Mark met us for dinner at the club afterwards.

Pictures? I forgot my camera. You’ll have to wait for Grace’s.

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