have tea, will travel

I could have named this post, "have tea, tent, fiber, and boards.  will travel."  I did not have boards with me on this trip because I knew I would not have time to ride.  I thought I might not even have the possiblity to ride or a surface since none of my skateboards have off pavement tires.

After work on Thursday, I got into my old truck and drove to Estes Park, Colorado.  There was a wool market I wished to attend.  Actually, the original plan was that my best friend and I would go to the wool market together.  She started crocheting and I got her even more hooked.  

But then she scheduled a job over the time of the fair.  I decided to go anyway with the very off chance that I might see my best friend.  The closest she was was Vail.  Oh well.  We are trying to go together next year.  Or maybe I can talk her into going to SAFF.

I had a pretty fabulous camp site in the Rockies.  The skies were lovely.

I really did not have the best camera with me.

I sat.  Drank tea.  Watched the sky.  Enjoyed the mountains.  

I will right more about the market tomorrow.  I wish to drink tea and spin yarn.

By the way, have tea, will travel.  Traveling again this coming weekend but in the opposite direction.  My old truck and I.

me and my old truck

I am taking my old truck and heading to these skies this weekend.  There is a wool market I wish to attend.  And even though life has thrown more then a few curves in just the recent past, I decided that I am going.  I get to see mountains again.  Which is just does not usually happen so soon.  And maybe I will get to see my best friend.

The drive will be interesting.  I took my normal walk with Koda Bear this evening.  The first with him since we got back which also gives a few ideas on the curves that have been thrown.  Koda Bear does not walk.  He runs, jumps, droops, drags, hides, spins, hunts.  Everything small boys should do but holding my hand.  My arthritis does very well with one speed but add in all the different speed and gait changes?  I can barely move right now.  I am hoping a both in salt and ibuprofen will help.  At least I can sit while I drive.

I am down to my phone for a camera currently but hopefully, I will get some good photos.  I will share more mountains.  A bit of the dirt bag lifestyle going on!

modified calm cowl

When I was on the mountain, I picked up some gradient yarn from Huckleberry Knits.  I like the NW Handpun a lot and they are close to the mountain.  The yarn is basically a superwash sock yarn with a nice weight.  

I made a calm cowl for the Tall Short Person and I had been wearing a Buff a lot this spring.  I decided to change the calm cowl a bit.  I made it so I did not need it to loop.  I have pictures on my camera that I made that of one that is not so tall.  But I loved the colours here of this yarn so I decided to use all the yardage.  It was a good project that I did not have to think about during the whole automobile breakdown experience.  The picture above was taken in a park in Utah.

The colours are just so pretty.

It will keep my neck warm which is a plus, especially when wearing a coat or sweater.  I can put it underneath or above a shawl.  I am not a scarf person because they do not keep between my shoulder blades warm.  

I wished I had put this picture on Instagram.  I like it so much better then the one I did.  I have no practice taking selfies.

an antique rose or pink

Before I left for the mountain, I started to play with some plant dye.  I had hibiscus on my tea shelf (in a one kilo bag) and decided to give it a go.  I took two cups of hibiscus if I remember correctly with four cups of water and a good glug of salt.  Yes, that is really how I measure unless I am writing down a recipe.  You should have seen the teriyaki recipe I texted to a friend.

I simmered and steeped some of the silk ribbon I made in the hibiscus infusion.  Next time, I might put it in its own bag just so I do not have to clean off so much hibiscus.

I let it dry.  Pressed it.  Found some cotton batiste in my stash.

I cut out some lace motifs from the leftovers of the last lace I used and put the chemise together.  I love the colors.  The gold tone with the antique rose.  

Not something that goes easily under most dresses but a fun experiment.  I have washed it and so far the ribbon has not ran.  It will be a continue experiment as I wear it more.  I think I may start looking into how to crochet my own lace because I want something just a bit different and then I could dye it as well.

I am finding on my walks through the woods, I am starting to wonder how much of that plant I would have to collect to see what color it would create.  I need to order some cheaper silk to play with but that may wait until this weekend when I have more of a chance to go through fabric samples.  Life is very crazy right now.

My truck got a tune up so I may just disappear to Estes.  There is a natural dyer who will be presenting her goods there and I am curious.  The question is can I put enough of a kit together to do it.  I read and watch too much British drama and mysteries.

May you live in interesting times

I am back from the mountain.  Have a Koda Bear.  It was interesting.

I took pictures of the travels to the mountain of mountains.  But there was so much rain and wind and clouds that most of the pictures look the same even though they are from all over the United States.  I miss all the mountains already though.

The were Great Grandparents on each end of our mountain per request of Koda Bear.  I found a place to by second hand fabric and yarn by the pound.  I found places to take interesting classes.  New quilt shops with very interesting ideas on the walls.  Only problem, not where I live most of the time.  This may require more traveling.  Such a hardship.

And the interesting.  A major automobile breakdown.  I got us to a rest area where there was a phone, bathroom, and a place for a small Mister to play.  But, because it was Memorial Day weekend, the diagnosis was not delivered until Tuesday afternoon.  The next day was spent on a bus, a train, a streetcar, and a plane.  The car is still in Utah.

Also, all the stuff is in the car in Utah.  Which means I do not have my normal camera for this blog.  I may be thin on the ground for the next couple weeks.  Also, I was planning to go to the Estes Park WoolMarket.  It does not look like I am going to make it.

I had a conversation with a lovely lady at the Museum of Natural Curiosity.  She asked what I was doing in Utah and I told her.  She was surprised that I could smile and laugh.  But you know, everyone was safe.  We had food and roof.  I could figure it out from there.

So.   I am just figuring things out if I am not here.  It is going to be that way for a couple of weeks.