I am here... and the update is gonna happen by about 9:30-ish.
It is small... but delish!


Pics at Flickr.

Oceans of Fiber by HollyEQQ

Happy Fifth of July.
Holly

What?  Wool for the fourth of July? What are you?  A nut?

YUP!!

I got two big beautiful boxes of wool on Friday and since I have been at home chillin', I got to work washing. 
Farm Box 1


Box 2


It is great and I am the luckiest girl in the world!  There is nothing like fresh wool from the farm.  Particularly after it has been cleaned and scoured.  Squeeee.
And when you see these locks you will totally understand.
Teesdale

Wensleydale

Coopworth - prewash

Clean Coopworth

Romney -prewash

Love.

Wool.

Locks.
My living room now has a wall-o-wool!  About 10 lbs in one day - plus more that is dyed!

Sigh.
Oh and got the hair lightened yesterday.  It had been going darker and darker and it was time for a change.

Alrighty then, getting late.  Gotta wrap up the computer work so I can get some Zzzzz's.  They are a priority this weekend.
Holly

p.s.  Forgot to reply to ya'll - date was with my nephew!  He took me out to a birthday dinner - just me and him.  He is getting so dang mature although I still have to drive!

Ok, after a suuuper busy month of June, I am bringing in this holiday (yup, today) with a bang.
Rest.  Relax.  Recoup.  That is me!
I needed a couple days just to find myself again.  And I am thrilled so far.  The dye pots have been good to me this week, there is plenty of fiber for me to get ready for the update this weekend, people have been shopping, and I am at home.  YEAH!  Life is good.
And, hopefully, if all goes well, I can even find time to spin.  I miss spinning.  I have gotten in a bit here and there but I am hopeful with a full day of rest my spinning mojo will pop back up.  I have a couple of fun simple yarns on the agenda and a couple of intricate and exciting yarns too!  So, we shall see.
One of the dye pots this week is called Dirty Love:

Before fluffing...

And some dark persian waters Xlong Australian Merino.  This colorway has so much more than pictured...
And then later, much much later, I woke up to find Lazy Ass resting, as usual, but this time on the living room floor. He has the LONGEST TAIL.  It looks.. well... funny!


He is a funny dog.

And yes, I know, I am going to get emails about how I should let him sleep ON the couch instead of the pile of stuff that I need to do that is sitting on the couch.  Or buy him his own bed.  Poor thing... no where to sleep.
HA!!!
He is snoring right now with his head on my pillow.  He would prefer ME to sleep on the living room floor.
Oh and he wants his girlfriend to know that he is beefing up so he can help her go hunting.  He tried to talk me into a burger but I blew him off.
Holly

Alrighty then!  About SISAL... you can read from the description that it is used in making rope and twine... it is similar to hemp/ flax - read feels like hay - and that it is a natural product that is processed by squishing out all the pulp so that it leaves only the stronger reeds.  Cool huh.  But how SMALL is it?  I mean, I can work with a little texture if it is super small and supple.  But I am not in the mood to be wrapping tree branches around my yarn!
SO, I took a picture with some rafia - the stuff you use to tie up a present.  It is the smaller version of rafia.
I love this tang color because it isn't a color I use very often. And I probably would never have dyed it.. this sisal came to me already dyed which is fun. I can't wait to add some of the Tang to some pink wool to make it pop!


Ok, then on Saturday I ran in to a technical problem.  I had 10 minutes to take pictures and when I went outside my camera fogged over!  Yup, it is that hot out.  Usually when I have this happen, it only takes a minutes for the outside lens to acclimate.  But for whatever reason this time it was an inside lense and it took - oh- freakin' forever and my dinner date came and had to wait for me to finish taking pictures.  So the first few had to go as they were.... 


This is another bag of the Bamboo locks - the one above is actually got less grass in it (little bits of vm you see in the picture) and a little bit more of the taupe.


Oh, yes, I had a dinner date for those of you that went back up to read that again.
His Mom dropped him off at my house but he did pay the bill!
This mohair is really really pretty... you can kinda see in through the fog!

Figured it made life interesting!  It is like a surprise colorway!
That looks similar to this one!



And last but not least... The Lover colorway is BACK.
I love this mohair and the colorway.... so pretty!


Alrighty then... go check out the goodies.
I got works to do!
Holly

Saturday was an amazing day of fun and sun!
Rollin' down the highway... headin' out to the beach!
(I was driving when I took this picture all decked out in Aloha)






A walk out to the dock on the Bay.


I spent a good portion of the day out by the pool.  It was warm. 
But after the sun was high in the sky, we went out to the beach.


ah... the end to a beautiful day.

Then a walk across to the Bay to see the sunset...


And then the family cooked me my favorite meal and I had chocolate on chocolate ice cream cake.
Sweet.  Definitely beats last year.  I got a house fire for my birthday!
Night.
Holly

I should be done in an hour.  Yup, really.

Oceans of Fiber by HollyEQQ


Itsa comin'.
Holly

Every now and then I stumble upon a pretty shot.  It is usually be default.
But I was looking at my blog just now and geez louiz - this photograph is pretty.

Probably cause it is one of my favoritist yarns ever... but that sky, the surf in the background and that clean white beautiful banana fiber against locks and trim from the 50's.  It is no wonder!  It was a beautiful day when I took these photographs.  And the wind was blowing a gale!
Holly

Tonight has been the craziest of nights... in a sad but wonderful way with cleansing tears.
No, nothing bad happened.  No, nobody took up my offer to sell my dog to the highest bidder.

I watched Obama speak about healthcare - sadly I missed a bunch in the beginning. 
I have mixed emotions but I am ever hopeful.  One day, I may be able to quit my day job if we have some kind of law that requires private insurance companies to offer me health insurance.  Currently I am unable to get insurance due to pre-existing conditions denials with the only exception being via a group policy - thus the day job.  Sigh.  
Am I sure that what the President is suggesting is the right thing for our country?  Nope.  I wait like the rest of the country to see how it all plays out.  I am ever hopeful.

And in between watching Obama and waiting for him to come back on, I started watching the Notebook.  Double sigh.  I have seen it before but I forgot what an amazing love story it is and how it makes me cry every time.  It makes me sad.  And hopeful.  Ultimately it brings me back to the thought that someday somebody is going to want to love me forever.  One day he will walk into my life and I will sit on the porch swing with him as we grow old together.  I am ever hopeful.  I hit 39 this year and I guess I am a little sad about it. 
Crying over a sad movie right before bedtime doesn't help, that is for sure.  And don't get me wrong, I have a box full of  engagement rings from men who have begged me to marry them over the years.  I chose not to for whatever reason and I don't have many regrets.  None of them were the one.  I just don't think I have met him yet.  I sure hope not because if so, he is long gone.

Ok, well, cried for the opportunity to have health insurance without working myself to the bone trying to maintain a day job and then cried over the opportunity of being HollyEQQ full time and finally cried about finding the man of my dreams. 
Maybe one day all my dreams can come true.  I can't put myself before the needs of my country.  I hope that the people we have elected will make the best choice for us and for the future of our country.
And I gotta go to work tomorrow.
Night.
Holly

Ok, lets try this again.... I UPDATED!!!
Go check it out!

Favorites?  Well I kinda love them all for different reasons so I am gonna show you one of each.  So there!

The mohair is super sweet yearling and perfect for mohairy yarns!  

And the Merino is a one of a kind Xlong fleece I imported from Australia.  Stunning!!

Crab Island One Mohair

Youth One Mohair


Landscape Two Xlong Australian Merino Locks


Eisenlite Two Mohair Locks

Crab Island One Xlong Australian merino

And top it off with some Crab Island Glitz!


Oh and a few weeks ago I went and took pictures of two of my favorite scarves.  
They were yarns that someone bought and asked me to knit up!  I loved how they turned out.
Clean Drawrs


And Blown Away - a skinny scarf with lots of ribbon fringe - perfect for  Florida.



Oh and did I mention there was still a yarn LEFT!    I think everyone must have been on vacation again!  But hey, whatever!  I love this yarn!

It is a beautiful cotswold and merino with bits of 1950/1960 chiffon scarves straight from my Mom's scarf box! 

And silk and bamboo and well... shiny stuff.  There are also some strips of a beautiful batiked material!
The one on the far left....  I got these at the same quilt retreat that I got the other fabric strips!

And this cotswold cross in Emerald coast yup, there is still some left!  It was so easy to spin with supa long soft-a-licous locks.

And some St. Thomas Merino (sorry - all gone)


It was inspired by all the time I have spent at the beach recently!  And sooooooooft!


Otherwise, things are going swimmingly around here.

I am giving away my dog to the highest bidder.  Any takers?
Holly

 

Mr. Ass doesn't have many needs in life.  He eats, he sleeps, he well.... he needs a new Martingale collar.
Bad. Like really bad.

His is looking as grimey as the sheeps hair!

Remember last year when it looked so new and pretty???


Yup, it has lived a good long life.  It is hard to keep a fabric collar clean on a dog that is horizontal so often.  So we just buy new ones!  He doesn't really like the other heavier kind of collar because, well, he is sleeping so much he likes a softer silky type of collar. 

And he has to have a Martingale collar because he neck is bigger than his ears.  Yup, it is true! 
If you weren't in the know, he would pretend one of those other collars fit because he is nice like that.

Until you got around the block and he saw a cat.  Then he would show you how fast you could walk air!  While he shows the cat who runs fastest!


I went a lookin'... and I like these two by GreytEscape


I love this silk one.... but is it tooooo girly for a mandog like Mr. Ass?

Or these at BigdogBling  (I thought the first one was pretty funny - cause he so smart ya know)

The ModDog  (I love her photography and her style - it was hard to pick three!)

And I love the Mojito - but dang these colors get dirty fast....

and this one is not a martingale - but I think I am gonna ask her about making him one!  He needs a sheeps collar... I mean... really!  If there was EVER a dog that needed a sheep collar it would be mine!

Ok, opinions please?  What do you think Mr. Ass would like?

Holly

p.s.  Slept like a brick last night - I am like a whole new girl!