Of Fibre and Frogs

This is what's going on on my kitchen table today...

...hence the title of this post.

Due to space problems and cabin fever, I am now sharing my working space with Mr. Odd-Lot (a.k.a. Number One Son). He is building frogs for an upcoming puppet show about water and the creatures who dwell in it, written by a brilliant new playwright--yours truly! Needless to say, the January blahs are well in the past and life has resumed its insane pace around here. It is a lot of fun to have someone to chat with while you work, though.

The work at hand hit a bit of a snag today when, working through the last bag of a lovely merino-silk blend, I hit a snarl of crap. This fiber was beautifully prepared in smooth rovings for four and a half bags, and it was a dream to spin. Then, right as I was coming into the home stretch, broken, tangled, chunky carded fibres in no particular visible preparation format appeared. So my afternoon of spinning became an afternoon of making rolags. Insert unhappy face icon here. This was fibre from a reliable source, so I am bewildered as to this development. Was there a cat-astrophe that I was unaware of? Did the shopkeep put this stuff in a bag to set aside and then forget that it was supposed to be garbage? Did aliens invade and mess with my stash? The mystery may never be solved.

Thank the universe that I am a mighty Master Spinner and can deal with these crises as they arise. This is why there is a pile of rolags residing on my kitchen table with the frogs.

Moving on...I finally delivered the yoga shawl to it's happy recipient.

She waited patiently for almost a year for it, and seems fairly satisfied. She hinted that others who frequent her studio would be willing to have one as well, but I don't know if I can keep up the pace of a shawl a year!

Before I wrap up, I would like to thank everyone, in Blogland and out, who has responded to the Blue Duck. It's awesome to know I made Marie's day, and friends and family have rallied around with Blue Duck stories of their own (including Number One Son, who shares my story). In honor of the Blue Ducks everywhere, there is one being knit, with pictures to follow soon!