A kitty named Bedelia.....

So....as I have somewhat previously alluded to, I have a bit of a "stash" problem.  Well, it's not really a problem so much as a "storage" problem.  Acquisition is the first step in the project process, followed by "What might this want to be?"  Sometimes, the yarn is rather stubborn and won't talk for some time despite your best efforts to introduce it to an appropriate pattern.

Enter the "stash-buster."  These handy little patterns are designed to make something useful (usually a last minute gift ) and use up some of the recalcitrant fibers that you can't seem to part with and thus, free up space in the stash for further acquisition.  It's a vicious cycle.

Most of these patterns use around a skein of yarn, take a short period of time to knit, and produce a pretty nifty finished object -- which makes them ideal for gifts. That is where this little gem came in.

Bedelia is a little gift for a new baby girl.  I think she turned out pretty well.   Her ears are a little sideways, sort of "Skippyjon Jones" style.  And she made use of a few bits and pieces of some great yarn that wasn't enough for a full project.

Waltzing Matilda...

This is Matilda. 

She is an Ashford Travller.  Ashford is a New Zealand company, but I don't think she takes offense at the association of her name.  I first met Matilda at a fiber festival in western NC.  After a short conversation, she agreed to come home with me.

Matilda, or "Tillie" as I have come to call her is a castle style wheel.  It's more compact than a traditional Saxony wheel that one usually sees in fairy tale productions where some poor maiden is being coerced to spin straw into gold.  Tillie is built for travel at a svelte seven pounds.  She is curvaceous and sturdy.

Tillie and I have spent a bit of time over the past few months getting to know one another.  She's a little wary of the dogs, who both seem to be regularly suspicious and negligent by turns despite the fact that she has resided in either the living room or the library for almost a year now.

We're also learning to work together.  So far, we've made this:

And this:

And also these:

We're still learning.  I look forward to the says we work well together.  Tillie hums as she works.  I find it soothing to listen to her songs as we create together.

Poor little neglected blog......

It's not as if I don't think about it. It's right there on my "Favorites" bar after all. So I see it every day that I am on the computer. Fortunately, I am spending less time at my home computer. And more time actually doing other things....like spinning and knitting and cooking and playing with the dogs and sometimes (though not as often as I probably should) cleaning house. Not really a determined act to simplify things, just sort of a choice to do the things that are more important right this minute.

More to come....eventually.