The week in review

This week has been full of work (fun). I've been spinning, during the GLASG Guild meeting and at Knitters Studio. I've done some plying as well. Our new yarn "Ice" has been a success and will be widely available soon, in fact if your coming to the Trunk Show at Knit Affair in Corona CA. you'll be able to see (buy) a skein of this.

Here is the Pink Jasmine in full bloom behind it the Star Jasmine is beginning as well, this means that it really, really smells heavenly in the back yard


Along with the Jasmines blooming is the lemon tree, there are a lot of fruit hanging and I'm sending some to Becky so that she can make us more Lemon Curd. I took the bottle that she gave me for Easter to Loop and Leaf to have along with those wonderful Strawberries. It was ummm good and both Steven and I are looking forward to more Lemon Curd!



Is this your yarn? If you are waiting for some of the special yarn that is on the cover of Faith Love Hope and Knitting, the grey skein is yours, actually there are two skeins there, one is going along with me for the book signing (Lorna Miser will be signing her books at Knit Affair on May 1st and doing a class on May 2nd, I'll be attending both, and leaving the yarn until May 9th when it will be a Tanglewood Fiber Creations Trunk Show) on Saturday.
If you are the test knitter then the beaded Camel/Silk is coming to you on Friday, or when it is dry (which is what these skeins are doing outside in the Aprium Tree.) If you are waiting for "Ice" in Cashmere and Cashmere/Silk (The Cashmere/Silk is going to Loop and Leaf ) these skeins are yours......Here are several long days of work, beaded yarn takes a lot of time



Cheri and her friends are fondling some of our yarn while they are at Knitter's Studio in West Los Angeles


My good friend Erica fondling the new yarn "Ice", everyone loved this skein, really loved it, Erica couldn't put it down!


Cheri on the left, her friend Jane in the middle and Melissa on the right. Melissa lives 4 blocks away from Knitters Studio, Jane lives in Wisconsin and Cheri lives in Idaho! They happened to be down (vacationing together) in California and drove hours to come and see me!!! Thanks Cheri and Jane, and Melissa


Here is the Trunk Show at Knitter's Studio, now missing some yarn, I got a lot of spinning done at first, but then "they" came and even though the shop was suppose to close at 4:00 we weren't done with the fun until 6:00.


My Wild Woman Socks! I'm writing this pattern for sale at the Sock Summit. This is only two yarns, two little skeins of Newport Rocks and two little skeins of Northwest Autumn, both are Super-Wash yarn, look how much was left. I still have to finish the toes but plying and beading has taken over......


While I have been plying Ozzy and Cleo are my consent companions, you can see how worried they are about the flying beads...


Today Mike is off work due to a slow down in the harbor. We went to the Apple store for my computer lesson and now we are home and I'm practicing all the skills I learned. They are very nice at the Apple store, and I'm really happy I'm doing this, another way to reduce my stress level, "stress kills" is Mike's favorite mantra just now. I'm really trying to stay stress free and to make yarn.
As Mother's Day approaches I'm of course missing Mom, but good news! We have paid for her Memorial Bench and it is ordered and will be placed here



This over looks the Rose Garden and has shade for most of the day, Mom would have loved this. When it is in place we will have a bench warming party at the South Coast Botanical Gardens, look for information about this event.
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That's Andersen, SEN

After a nice day we head for the beach and to eat. Steve is looking for the seafood restaurant that had been recommended.... and found the Pacific Ocean instead

This is my kind of bird. He was waiting on the fishing boat for any handouts that might come his way

These nets are unloading Sea Urchins destine for the Japanese market


I forget why I took this picture but isn't this a sweet little boat.... I love boats


After not quite a peaceful sleep Steven and I headed to Solvang CA. It's all about the Danish here in this village. Mike's family is from Denmark that's why our last name is ANDERSEN, which is almost impossible to convey to anyone that needs this information. In fact Steven's new drivers licence is Stephen Anderson, which is completely wrong.... We are heading for breakfast! Not only is his family from Denmark but they settled in the Solvang Area and lived here for many years until the family moved into Santa Barbara. This was Steven's first visit to his "roots"


Wow this is the biggest Blue Agave plant I have ever seen, they make Tequila out of type of plant. The temps rose and Steven kept handing me water bottles and I kept finishing them. I thought since I had my thick Oregon blood, I was just being over sensitive to the weather but when we got into the car we found that it was 92, now that's hot


That's right Andersen, SEN!

Loop and Leaf

Steven had the camera at Loop and Leaf!
I got it back and took some pictures, but the day was so wonderful we both just sort of forgot to take many, forgetting that you might like to see the fun. The weather in Santa Barbara was, again, perfect. Loop and Leaf is a delightful store with Celeste at the helm and Liz and Michael (Celeste's parents) helping out and hostessing Steven and I, making the day beyond perfect. Lots of new friends came to see us (and buy yarn) several projects were completed and shared, just an all around wonderful day, yet in a quiet, calm way.

Michael and Celeste talking about "good yarn" notice the Neck Candy around Celeste's shoulders, Yak/Merino in Marble


One of the "fellows" that enjoys a good yarn shop from the floor up.....along with his Mom that is going to make a vest for her Mom


If you've been to a Trunk Show you have seen this before, Me! talking about the spinning wheel and yarn....


Michael, choosing wisely,(" umm Cashmere I love Cashmere!")


Michael (Celeste's Father) untangling, carefully, a skein of beaded Hot Sugar... very carefully


The happy scene outside! I spun outside for a while (yes in the shade) and Liz brought be tea, and water and served me an excellent lunch.......


Steven and Celeste taking care of the paper work.


Even though Steven's calming influence and the relaxed attitude of the day, and the peacefully spinning kept me calm and fairly quiet I was tired. I had to have emergency surgery on the Wed. before I flew down, the dry socket was totally infected and had to be "reworked".
I'm on antibiotic's and I was told to take it easy. The Family was not thrilled that I still wanted to go to Santa Barbara, but after long negotiations Steven was assigned to be my "Trish Minder", and he did a great job. I was really tired after all the fun so Steven and I had a nice meal then got a "modest" motel room in Solvang so that he could see his roots.....

Arriving in LA

After a chilly week in St. Helens I arrived in perfect weather in Southern California, it was one of those rare days in Spring that makes living here worth it. On Friday April 17th Mike and I celebrated our 28th Wedding Anniversary and went out to breakfast, a man came by selling these unbelievable fresh picked Strawberries... they were every bit as good as they look



After breakfast we went to our favorite nursery and bought three new rose bushes then went home to plant them. These are pictures of the back yard....

My Cacti garden


The best rose ever, it just blooms and blooms and blooms

This is one of the roses we planted last year, it has finally decided to grow and bloom! Well worth the wait don't you think?

The Jasmine arbor, which is almost three weeks late in blooming SC has had a delayed spring as well


The Aprium Tree


See the fruit? A lot less than last year but much easier to get to!


Finally Cleo and Ozzy reunited!

The Home that I love

Here is what TFC Headquarters looked like the day I left

I love you Beth

My friend Beth (soul sister) and I at TNNA. I was surfing the web I came upon this picture! Look at the outrageously wonderful shawl that Beth is wearing, a patron at Knitting Central wove it out of Cashmere/Silk beaded Newport Rocks. Beth wore it most of the weekend! I still want a night gown of Cashmere/Silk.......

I here and I'm fine

Finally on high speed and recovering from yet another tooth saga, I'm in Los Angeles. I've been to Loop and Leaf in Santa Barbara and had a fantasic time there. Steven came with me and took lots of pictures. The weather was (WAS) idealic however a heat wave has changed all that and the temp's soared to over 100 yesterday and was right at 100 today. My brain is now fried. I've got lots of pictures and stories, but it has been all work and no blog. So keep tuned and I'll post tomorrow! Just wanted to let you know that I'm here and fine.

Loop and Leaf was handed a large order on Saturday. Knitting Central reports that they have recieved a modest order. Yarns Unlimited got most of what they have ordered, and Knit Stop will be getting yarn very soon, Knitters Studio will get yarn this week along with the Trunk Show (ahead of Sunday's offical Trunk Show), so that people that couldn't come on Sunday would be able to have a chance at special yarn.

May 1 I'll be at Knit Affair in Corona CA. along with Lorna Miser, whom will be signing books, all I will be doing is spinning and watching Lorna.

May 9th we will be having a Tea Party at Knit Affair, so if you want to have some Tiara Tea Party fun, call Knit Affair.

Again I have lots of pictures. Cleo doesn't enjoy taking off in the airplane, voicing her opinion rather loudly but not as loud as the three toddlers behind us.

Happy Birthday Robert Ryan!!

Mom would have loved him

If Mom had ever met this lovely fellow she would have flipped. I tried to show her pictures but, well you know how it goes, one foot here one foot there....

I love this child! Mark, the rockn'est toddler ever born. He is so special to me and I feel so blessed to have him and his whole family in my life. These are the moments that will always stay with me and keep me from being too sad.



Cleo passed her Vet check for flying, she is a whopping 12 pounds and didn't even flinch when she had her rabies vaccination. The vet said only 10% of the cats he's seen are this mellow. Cleo returned to her carrier smartly after the ordeal was over, happy to return to the car. She is sleeping on the dash of the car waiting for me to return home while I'm writing this.

I've just signed the contract, so (da, da ta da) Tanglewood Fiber Creations will be available at the Sock Summit here in Portland in August. I'm writing several sock patterns using our new sock weight SW Merino, Silk/Cashmere and Cashmere yarns. I will have small skeins of high yardage! Sheila Ernst (with her breathtaking needles and buttons) will also be there along with Shelli from Knitterly. We will have a together booth ready to meet your every sock need, and WAY more!!! Some surprises to be announced!! Check out the Sock Summit web-site to check out this amazing event! Off to ply more yarn!!!!

I love Oregon

While Diane and I were working in the production room last week, I was talking and listening but I was watching the pheasant walking around in the back pasture. All the Cock Pheasants are resplendent as courting season is in full swing. When low and behold the Elk herd wandered in to my view, all worked stopped. Diane and I were entranced and watched for a long time, here are two pictures that I was able to catch. As soon as the first one was snapped a car drove up and the herd was off, in a blink of an eye all 35 Elk had disappeared.....




Hoards of geese are milling around in large fields and long V's are beginning to make their way up north. Our trees are finally starting to get leaves and the bulbs are really going crazy. The grass needs to be cut, for the first time since the fall, much delayed due to our weather

Cleo has been "helping" in the production room and is ejected firmly when her helping gets to enthusiastic, like shortly after this picture was snapped...



We made about 40 skeins last week. My fingers were bleeding from the amount of silk that had run across them, none of which got on the yarn. We are shipping lots of yarn out at the end of this week, a huge order is going to Yarns Unlimited along with one to Knitting Central. I'm hand carrying some for Loop and Leaf and Knitter's Studio and will deliver it at their Trunk Shows.

I took some Daff's from the garden for Becky's table this weekend. They are so wonderful and even though the heater was on all weekend it felt warm because of them.


Another cheerful item is the Stars we installed in Becky's back porch. She has picked the color (not the one behind the stars) and will be working on this DIY project soon. She has done so much to her new house, transforming it from a dirty wreak to a small cozy palace.


Remember Erica? Here is a picture of some of her Fashion Show, her final school project. Look at the model on the left, the crocheted shrug is made out of Cashmere/Silk in Erica's Sunstone! Good Luck Erica


Just as I'm into a routine here in Saint Helens, I'm flying back to LA on Thursday along with Ms. Cleo.
She is a great car rider often in the car before I'm ready, but the plane.... I'm not sure how this is going to work.
I'm going to be at Loop and Leaf on April 18th and then the big Tea Party at Knitters Studio on April 26th. I hope you can join me there.

keeping it together

I'm doing much better this week. I begun to notice what's going in the office, and think about yarn almost full time. Friday, David came to work (muck out) on some of the more tangly parts of Tanglewood Fiber Creation's headquarters.

This is a problem area that just hasn't been sorted since we bought this house back in 1993....

This tree had "troubles" it had lost several limbs in the many snow storms this winter and had lost it's vim it also had some tree disease, it had to go.....David was that upset about taking it out, I have promised to plant a new native tree in it's place.


The winter of 2004 took out the Dogwood tree that these Daff's ringed. I have dug them out every year since, planting them in better places than in the middle of the lawn, guess what, I'm going to be digging some more!


Ms. Audrey gave me a tub of these years ago and it has taken years to plant them all, these were planted last year, and so was the Hyacinth


Narcissi, trying to come out, Friday it was just above freezing spitting snow


I left the house after having gone to PT training at 6:00am then put a half a day in at the office. I drove to meet Jan for lunch in the afternoon, went to the bead shop (beads I love to buy beads) and then to the Cat House to view cats, we both think that Becky needs to adopt a cat. Jan has an Element as well, so we were a caravan of Elements, here is her licence plate. We had so much fun, so good to be with dear friends.



We decided that Becky and Neil should go to the GardenPalooza on Saturday. After having risen at 5:00 am and participated in an exciting day out I was so tired that by the time I got to Becky's house I crashed (into bed not on the road). Saturday we had a glorious dawn that was cold, 28, but as the day progressed the temps got to be quite pleasant. We went out to lunch and then Becky and I went home to her house and began to ply.
We plied until we couldn't stay awake. Sunday dawned bright and warm. Even though we were determined to work, the magic of the first truly warm sunny day since forever, crept in and we went driven outside to visit with Becky's chickens, we did some house cleaning and planning of DIY projects then back to the wheels and more plying. This is a partial show of what Becky plied


Here are most of the skeins I was able to do, notice it's beaded yarn!


Monday dawned breathtakingly. I made my way back home to find David's work completed, this is what was under all the berry brambles on the first picture, the old pump house, that has a hand dug well and no pump, so we left this to "protect" the hole


Look no diseased tree, you can now see the new trees that have been growing, and now will have the space to really grow.


These bushes were completely covered in berries, no longer!


So inspired I began to do some gardening, the first since September. It was about 80 degrees, heaven, puttering in the garden, while all 35 skeins dried. I got a lot of "clearing of old dead stuff" done to make way for all the lily bulbs I bought, but by the time I was done but before anything got planted, the sun began to go down however before it did look at what bloomed!



Have you seen this book? I created this yarn, I spun this yarn, I made this YARN! You have to see what's inside this book. If you need this yarn please e-mail me to special order it


Erica's Sunstone in Super-wash Merino


Today was another early day, PT training at 6:00 am- again. Afterward I went home and spun a couple of bobbins and then went out with Emma and Mark. We had a lovely warm day spring in SW Portland, every tree in blossom, every bulb 'a bloom. I'm back at Safeway tonight but tomorrow (it's suppose to rain again) it's more beaded yarn.