Another Year Coming To An End

“Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning, but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us.” ~ Hal Borland

That quote made me laugh because a friend and I were just discussing going back to age 20.  I said never and she said with everything she knows now.  You don't need to be 20 to go back and turn things around you can do it whenever.  Now, my wisdom/ experience tells me I am no good at keeping resolutions.  The last one that I can honestly say I stuck to was when I quit smoking ten years ago.  So I just hope to do things differently in the new year but without the angst and guilt of a formal declaration.

And as a smooth transition....here is something I do feel guilty about....I bought a fleece at Rhinebeck.  I was walking thru a building when an open bag with a fleece in it  landed on a table to my left at the Wild Apple Hill Farm Ltd (no website but they are from Hudson, NY) site.  I turned and looked to see what they were putting out and the clouds parted, the sun shone down and the angels sang. (I can't understand how nobody else saw this)  However, I came to a halt, which if you have been to Rhinebeck you know caused a ten person pile up behind me.  But I didn't hear the cursing and swearing, although I do remember an elbow to my back, I was admiring this Shetland fleece.  Now I love LOVE a gray, grey, light gray, medium gray, dark gray, or in Shetland terms Emsket or Shaela fleeece and there it sat.  Without really looking at it other than color, I bought it.  I came home and comandeered the mans attention to see what his hard earned money bought.  As a fine specimen of an enabler he was dually pleased with the fleece and my reaction to it.  Then I stuck it in a tote with some lavender and walked away. WALKED AWAY! WTF was I thinking.

I returned to that tote the other day, months after I should have shown it some appreciation.  I pulled it out and started seperating locks so I could wash them. Look at all the loveliness.

 And all I can say is I have never, never, never (x10)  had a fleece so incredibly free of VM. It is almost non-existent to the point that they must have raised them on air and swinging from harneses. There were a couple of tiny pieces of secondcut which caused a nub when spinning but was easily pulled out.  I washed/dried some and ran it threw the carder.  Shetlands can be double coated and this one is.  I had decided to keep the two coats together because I like the color/tweediness of it.  The longer fibers wrapped around the softer shorter fibers, making it less elastic and not as soft.  More experienced spinners would know that, I didn't think it would be as noticeable as it is.   

I have seperated some and what an incredible difference between the two even before washing.

I am was thinking the kids would love nothing better than to sit and seperate but I was offered the use of combs which I am going to take advantage of and let the kids off the hook!  So the rest of the fleece will be lighter but oh so much softer.  Right now I am just enjoying being back behind the wheel.

And now that I have confessed and have made amends to the fleece, I have to go clean my house.  My daughter just reminded me of the old superstition that "if the house isn't spotless by midnight, it'll be dirty all next year" and I don't need that.

But then again maybe I can use that....the man comes home from work and the house is a mess, I tell him I tried to clean it but it wouldn't come clean because I didn't have it clean on New Year's Eve and he will have to wait a year for it to be absolutely clean again.    Now I confess I get away with alot but I don't think even he has that much patience!

HAPPY NEW YEAR ~Now go clean your house!