From left to right we have… two skeins of a Corriedale that are four ounces each and both at about 175 yards; two skeins of a Corriedale/Alpaca blend (one at 161 yards and one at 169; four ounces each); and one skein of a BFL/Silk blend that’s about 125 yards and three ounces.

Hrm. I guess, really, that’s not too shabby, and I shouldn’t think I didn’t meet my goal. That’s a little over 800 yards, and if you consider that all of them are 3-ply yarns then I really spun 2400 yards of yarn. So what if I only met about half the goal I wanted to meet? I was gone for half the time!

Imagine what I’ll do next year.

I went ahead and did three different mosaics for the different three categories of things I listed…

1. Plum Blush messy yarn ball mug – new color!
2. Calico Cat – new item. And COME ON! That’s funny! Get it? Calico cat?
3. Bird Welcome Sign – I have yet to actually *sell* a welcome sign, but I love making them! I’m particularly happy with how the flowers on this one came out.
4. 1970′s style owl soap dish – new color (at least… I’m pretty sure I’ve previously listed the green one… AHA! Yes, I have!).
5. Brown spotted large African Violet pot – new item and a new glaze style.
6. Small shell soap dish – new color.
7. Madonna in White – renewed item.
8. Buddha in Green – renewed item.
9. Pill boxes with flowers – renewed item.

1. Falkland – Fiber Content: 100% Falkland Wool
Yardage: 129 y (117 m)
Weight: 4 oz (112 g)
2. Wool/Alpaca – Fiber Content: 70% Wool, 30% Alpaca
Yardage: 76 y (69 m)
Weight: 2 oz (59 g)
3. Organic Merino – Fiber Content: 100% Organic Merino Wool
Yardage: 160 y (146 m)
Weight: 4 oz (100 g)
4. Wool Blend – Fiber Content: 100% wool blend
Yardage: 60 y (54 m)
Weight: 2 oz (56 g)

I might have gone a little crazy over the soap last week…

1. Celestial Moon soap – in both A Pirate’s Life, and Oatmeal, Milk, and Honey.
2. Bay Rum scented Grooved Bar – a men’s fragrance I’d never heard of until a few male friends started asking for it. I didn’t know if it was the right thing or not so I made it, asked a friend to test it (he approved it highly) and then before I could get it listed I sold out of it at the craft show! So here’s batch #2!
3. Hedgehog soap in both Patchouli, and Fresh Baked Bread.
4. Peace symbol guest soaps (set of six each) – in both Sunflower, and Sandalwood Vanilla – these are both extras from a custom order and unlikely to make it into regular rotation.
5. Oatmeal, Milk, and Honey scented When Pigs Fly soap – surplus from a custom order, unless I get more requests after this sells out I might not make more of this scent/design combo.
6. A Pirate’s Life scented Green Man – renewed item (note to self: make some of this fragrance in the skull soap!)
7. Cucumber Melon scented Sheep – this fragrance is really perfect for hot weather.
8. Four new Dragonfly sampler packs in sets of six – Lavender Blends (Lavender, Lavender Chamomile, Lavender Lemon, Lavender Patchouli, Lavender Rose, and Lavender Vanilla), Fruits and Veggie Blends (Apple, Blackberry, Cranberry, Cucumber Melon, Cucumber Mint, and Lettuce), Baked Good Blends (Cinnamon Toast, Fresh Baked Bread, Gingersnap, Maple Walnut Fudge, Pumpkin Pecan Cake, and Pumpkin Spice), and a whole new sampler set (Mangosteen, Midnight Rain, Papaya Coconut, Plumeria, Sheer Freesia, and Tropical Vacation). Feedback on the fragrances in both the new samplers and the Lavender Blends sets will determine if any of those scents will make it into regular shop rotation.
9. Longevity knot soap scented with Marie’s Hearth – renewed item.
10. Sweetgrass Southwest Bear – renewed item.
11. Cocoa Butter scented Baby Block soaps – sold out, made more!
12. Sandalwood Vanilla scented Celtic knot soap – renewed item.
13. Frankincense & Myrrh scented Skull Soap – renewed item.
14. Acorn soap (and for those of you who like the brain soap, this is about the same size) – Vanilla Maple Pecan, Hazelnut , and Teak & Sandalwood.
15. Yarn Ball soap – both Patchouli scented and Lavender scented.
16. 10 Soaps for $50 – mix and match from what I have available, or put your own things together!

Oops; apparently I forgot to add into the photo the Rose Scented Sunflower soap I listed, and the Leather scented Scarab Beetle soap; and that I made five new Sugar Skull Madonnas (how could I forget them?!). Told you it was a long week!

I’m most excited about the new six-packs, especially the Lavender Blends one (my favorites in there are Lavender Lemon and Lavender Patchouli). Anything in this list you’re excited about?

I was pretty social in May (one of the blog posts I want to write is about [un]sociability and people who work at home). Of course I went to Sweet Dreams… more than once. We also get together every Sunday night with friends and family to watch GAME OF THRONES, which we are all loving the crap out of.

The woman whose house burned down a few years ago (remember that?) moved into her finally-rebuilt house. We went to the party, as did most of the block. The same weekend, I went out with Aunt Gay and Uncle Joe to a friend’s house, of which I wish I had gotten more artsy photos because his house is amazing.

AND JAG AND ANTONY CAME TO VISIT! We went fun places. We had adventures. We had ice cream. We made a Satchel’s Van and took it everywhere (even to Sweet Dreams). Lots of good food was consumed. We saw pretty things.

While I didn’t get to ride the train, I did get to take Aunt Gay and Uncle Joe to a train station (they went to the Nebulas, where Uncle Joe got to present Connie Willis with the Nebula for BLACKOUT/ALL CLEAR – go Connie! Go Connie!).

I put a bright red wash in my hair, which has sadly already faded to shell pink.

CRAFTING

Let’s talk Macramé. Anyone do this? Anyone have a yarn or rope they like to use?

I started a series of blog posts on how I organize my craft room, after signing up for Pinterest (more on that later) and not finding any inspiring photos – for my line of crafting.

I want to knit a shawl for Amy, for her and Isaac’s wedding in September. Not wanting to wait until the last minute, I dyed the yarn already. I also finished a pair of socks, just haven’t blogged about them yet. And I plotted out a major spinning project – there’s this yearly spinning event called the Tour de Fleece (runs at the same time as the Tour de France) and I really want to spin down my stash. I’m going for quantity, not quality. Oh; and I think I need to give up on this stocking thing. I’m getting to the point where I get angry even just looking at the yarn! They’re just not turning out and I think I need to step away. I did start some new knitting that I can’t tell you about yet, but will excitedly crow about in a couple of weeks.

I fired the kiln only once? How could that be? Ah; twice. Make that three. I made more soaps in May than ceramics, as I had a couple of custom orders (the 10 for $50 set) and also wanted to get some new things done for the Craft Fair I did the last weekend of May.

I did another soap swap, and loved what I got back this time.

PETS

The kittens continued to be cute, and it’s a good thing for them because one of them is a little fucker.

HOME

When Jag and Antony were in town, Jag came over and along with Jenn and Laura, helped me wipe out my front yard weed infestation. Since then I’ve been working on organizing what was still alive, and planting new flowers.

My tomatoes started to fruit. So did my cucumbers (tiny, but delicious). Eventually I was getting handfuls every day of yummy juicy seedy goodness.

…. and those are all the things I’ve been meaning to mention!

We’re a small group, but a loud group; and we’re very appreciative of the Goddesses of Wild Iris putting up with our constant requests for beer and our loud cackling like maniacal hyenas who have Tourette’s. Wild Iris Books is quickly becoming my “third place” — much like Hanks was to many other people (just not to me… because, you know, I was at work when I was there!). I first became familiar with that term at Hanks, as many of our regulars (or as we liked to call them, “Silk Hankies,” HAHAHA) would call it that.

Are you interested in joining us? We’d love to have you! While it’s not the best time for a full-on, one-on-one lesson (we are only there for two hours, and we do come primarily to be social), we’re always glad to help out if you’re just not grasping something or are itching to try a new technique (like Navajo plying, or supported spindling). You will need to bring your own fiber and wheel or drop spindle, and we meet there the Third Thursday of every month from 6 PM to 8 PM. Parking is around back, and you can come in through the red double doors at the back — that’s where we’ll be sitting. Close to the beer.

Fiber: South African Fine

Yardage/Weight: In the cup – 157 yards/4 oz. On the bottom – 153 yards/4 oz.

From: The Spunky Eclectic Fiber club

Fiber: Alpaca

Yardage/Weight: 54 yards/2 oz

From: Absolutely do not remember where I got this; same packaging as the white alpaca from last week, so most likely the same place.

Fiber: Alpaca

Yardage/Weight: 54 yards/2 oz

From: Absolutely do not remember where I got this

Fiber: Superwash BlueFaced Leicester

Yardage/Weight: 235 yards/8 oz

From: The Spunky Eclectic Fiber Club

Fiber: 100% Coopworth

Yardage/Weight: 130 yards/~4 oz

From: the BlackBunny Fibers fiber club

Fiber: 50/50 Camel/Silk

Yardage/Weight: 94 yards/2 oz

From: A Verb for Keeping Warm, via my friend Jacquie