I got a fancypants printer/copier/scanner thingy today, and I’ve been having a great time scanning in old photos.  Here’s me, approximately 25 years ago:

I apparently began showing my fiber potential at an early age…

The Swirl scarf is finished and blocked:

Pattern: Swirl Scarf (adapted from Swirl Shawl)
Yarn: Jojoland Melody Superwash (2 balls – 440 yards)
Needles: US 6

I used every inch of yarn, and had to make the last swirl extra small because I ran out. The pattern calls for two balls of yarn, which would have worked out better if I had gone down a needle size or left smaller loose ends on each swirl.

Also in progress:

Fuzzy Feet – in the washer now, as I write this.

AND I figured out what kind of sheep my “random fleece” came from – his (her?) name is Spats, from Nistock Farms, and it is a Romney/Ramboulliet/CVM mix. The staple is about 5″, and I think I have about a pound of fleece. I got it from Mom back in ‘04 or ‘05, washed it (poorly), and gave up. While I was home in October I got a set of hand cards and started carding away, and I’m really enjoying it! The fleece is a little coarse and still has a lot of lanolin, but I’m really excited to see what it looks like once it’s spun and washed. The wool is dark brown, lighter at the tips, with some grey throughout.

I got my Plurk Swap package – thanks Sandy! Pagewood Farm Yukon sock yarn, prickly pear candy (can’t wait to try this!), traditional Navajo tea, and a local magnet and postcard! I love the local flavor (literally!), and the colors of the yarn are just perfect. Thank you!

OK, I seriously need to get back in the blogging groove.  The knitting and spinning has been sparse around here, but tonight I finished the Swirl Scarf and I’m hoping that gets me back in the groove.  Pictures tomorrow (or soon).  I also finished the body of the Apres Surf Hoodie and seamed the pieces together – just the hood left.  I’m missing my spinning wheel as well, so I want to spend this weekend (three days off, or maybe just two if I pick up a road shift) carding and spinning the brown fleece I brought back from NY.  (Mom – do you remember what kind of sheep it came from?)

In other news, this week we had Nursing school orientation.  I didn’t get my first (or second) choice placement, but that’s OK.  We got our book list and I ordered everything online (and saved almost $200).  There was a little (lot) of sticker shock buying all the books we need, but the plus side of it is that these are almost all the books we need for the entire program.  I’m getting really excited to get started with the program, but already worrying about sleep and finding enough time to get all my work done.  I plan on enjoying every minute I have off for the next month and a half, because I won’t have much free time for the next 16 months after that.

Not much to blog about, so no blogs.  I’m working a lot, not knitting much, and trying to catch up on sleep.  I’m healthy again, but still worn out from being sick.  Kind of down today, I went to the orthodontist for a checkup where I thought they would tell me that I would be done in a couple weeks – instead, it’s another three weeks of the same miserable elastics (which will actually be four weeks thanks to the office being closed for Thanksgiving) before I go back and *maybe* find out when they’re coming off.  Even if they tell me at my next appointment that they’re ready to come off, it will be at least 2-3 weeks in finishing elastics after that, which means they won’t come off until after New Year’s (because the office will be closed from Christmas through the New Year).  I’m really down about this – I REALLY wanted them off before my birthday.  He first told me in FEBRUARY that I was “almost done”, then in May told me that I should have them off by the end of the summer.  Then for the last three appointments he keeps saying “two more weeks than we’ll finish up”.  When I got them on (November 16th, 2006) they quoted me two years but told me even then that they would probably be off early.  I’m getting fed up with this, and I’m sick of it and just want to be done.  I’m not a very patient person, and this is NOT HELPING.

Not going to talk politics here, but I just want to say that I am VERY glad that it is finally election day, and I hope that whatever the results are tonight that we can all move on and work together to start fixing things.