I follow a number of different blogs, and not just fiber blogs either. Some are food blogs, some are Pagan blogs and some are just blogs that don’t fall into any category in the scheme of things, but have interesting things to say. One of the aforementioned blogs is having a product give-a-way! A wonderful, handmade of all natural materials Winter Solstice Swag over at Magickal Enhancements! This would be a lovely addition to holiday decorations whether you celebrate Yule, or another holiday tradition and I can only imagine how wonderful it must smell!! But I must warn you, if you want to enter this, you will have competition, namely me!!! Good luck!! (And for those who don’t want to enter but still want one, she has a shop on Etsy where she has one for sale!)

Remember this?

A few days ago this arrived!!!

Now I just got to finish spinning up some of this…

and then I can finish the final rows of my sampler scarf!!! Thank you Miss Melanie!!

Sorry, no knitting, spinning, weaving or other crafty content today! But this information is to valuable not to pass on for those who might be interested!

This morning I attended a free “Webinar” with Dr. Peter Gerhardt via the internet. I had read in the San Francisco Chronicle about the free Webinar and was excited to learn that Dr. Gerhardt specializes in teens and adults on the Autism Spectrum. Nick is going to be twenty next month, and even with all the years that I have been working with him, I always felt that I was missing something in helping him. I have to say that the information that I was presented today really opened my eyes more to some of the things I should be helping Nick with and where the school programs are failing him.

Today’s session (there was one last night as well) was recorded and should be available to everyone who is interested for free, sometime next week on the Rethink Autism site. If you are raising a child, or have a family member or friend on the Autism Spectrum, I do highly recommend that you take a look at the following links and the information provided. I am also providing a brief over view on the different sites for those of you who are interested. (Click the bold titles to go to the various sites.)

Rethink Autism

This is the site that the recorded webinar will be made available. As I said, it will be for free, and there are sections of the site that are completely free for everyone to access. You do not need to sign up for the one week trial, nor for any services through the site. You can also sign up (scroll down the web page to find it) a free email newsletter with autism tips (practical daily living advice, autism tip videos and live webinar events with autism experts). This alone would be a valuable resource for any parent with a child on the Autism Spectrum.

Organization for Autism Research

another Dr. Gerhardt’s site with research information and resources to help families today..

Autism Today

Here is another of Dr. Gerhardt’s websites.. filled with resources and you can email him from this site and ask him questions (he will answer according to the webinar) He volunteer’s his time and the site is purely run on donations.

Division TEACCH

This is a division of the UNC Department of Psychiatry that focuses on the treatment and education of Autistic and related communication handicapped Children.. also recommended by Dr. Gerhardt..

Mission For Education Children With Autism

Mission for Educating Children with Autism.. this site was recommended through the webinar, and has information on recycled modern technology (blue tooth) to help those with Autism function in our world and be more independent.

Advancing Futures For Adults With Autism

Another site recommended through the webinar.. promoting helping those with Autism become not just functioning adults in our society, but to help them advance in the necessary social/community skills needed in order to become more independent in daily living and in a competitive workplace environment.

Dear Miss Melanie,

Sometime ago, you sent me four ounces of beautiful Polwarth fiber to try on my spinning wheel. I have to admit, it did sit in my stash for quite some time, alone, neglected and nearly forgotten for over a year. Last month I dusted off my spinning wheel, which was just as equally neglected with all the insanity that fills our daily lives in my household. I decided to look through the various fibers I have accumulated through my years as a spinner, feeling each one and waiting for something to speak to me.

There sat the lonely and unloved Polwarth, looking quite like the plain Jane in it’s un-dyed state. Quietly we looked at one another, appraising each other for the moment to see if we could speak to one another. I touched various wools and silks while the Polwarth continued to look at me, imploring me to pick it up just for a moment to see what wonders it could offer to me.

It took me a few moments to give in to its silent pleading, as it peeked out at me from the white tissue paper that you so carefully wrapped it in before sending it my way. Gently I pulled the thin paper away, letting the light touch the fibers that hid beneath, and then I reached in to take hold of the fiber as the paper fell to the floor without another thought.

I carried that fiber, that Polwarth, over to the spinning wheel and sat down in my chair with it. I touched it and caressed it, marveling at its fluffy softness. I laid it in my lap as I prepared my leader yarn on the bobbin, then attached the fiber to the leader as I began to spin.

It flowed through my finger tips smoothly, softly and effortlessly. I watched as it twisted gracefully, enjoying the way it just seemed to spin itself. It wasn’t long before the four ounces ended up on two bobbins, thinly spun and promising me something lace in its final state.

Slowly I plied it back unto itself, planning on creating a two ply yarn out of this heavenly fiber. I ended up with a very thin fingering weight at twenty two wraps per inch and a glorious 692 yards.

I wound it into skeins and left it sitting at my desk to enjoy. Each time I sat down at the computer, I would touch it, pet it and relish it’s softness. In my eyes, it was the perfect yarn. Now it was time to search for the perfect pattern for such a soft and luscious yarn. Out came the stacks of books with their collections of patterns. I hadn’t any idea of what I would make, but not one of my books contained a single pattern that gave me that singular and wonderful “Aha!” moment. My search progressed to blogs, pattern sites and Ravelry. Finally on Knitty, I found Franklin’s “Miss Lambert’s Lace Sampler” and knew that this would be perfect for a soft, smooshy scarf.

Carefully, I poured through Franklin’s instructions. I calculated exactly how many stitches I would have to cast on to make a nice, wide, soft, smooshy scarf. I wanted something wide, long and completely unlike anything that anyone else had. Each stitch smoothly made it’s way to the needle, the yarn feeling like a caress across my fingers. Day after day, I knit, loving the tactile pleasures going from the ball of yarn into the knitted stitches. Slowly, stitch by stitch it grew. Perfect yarn, perfect pattern, perfect width, and nearing the perfect length. There wasn’t a single thing to hate about any of it. Silently I vowed that one day I would order more Polwarth, knowing that it’s not a common wool here in America and that I will have to search far and wide for a suitable supplier where I don’t have to order in large quantities or pay extortion for shipping. But I planned to save that search for another day.

I began the final lace panel. My excitement grew as I realized that within the day, I would be weaving in the ends, washing the garment and blocking it to reveal all of it’s intricate lace work. Half way through the German Lace pattern of which I chose to repeat six times, I calculated that I only had 42 rows left. Then I glanced at the ball of yarn that I was working from…

There is no way that I will be able to squeeze 42 more rows out of the last bit of the yarn. I am short by 1/8 to 1/4 of an ounce…

I hate frogging… sigh.

Hugs,

Christine

As many of you know, our lives here are never boring. There is always something going on, whether we like it or not.

At 9:30 this morning, a suspicious device was found on the playground of Sydney’s school. Forty-five minutes later I received an automated call to notify me that the school had been evacuated as a precaution. The children and staff evacuated to the high school to the baseball field. The evacuation was anticipated to last for just an hour.

No details are out, but the evacuation is lasting longer. It is just eleven a.m. here and they anticipate the students will be eating at the high school. They have been moved to the boy’s gym and will eat in the cafeteria. There is no estimate of what time they will be released to their own school. The summer school program at the high school has been placed on lock down by the local police department, just as a precaution. Sydney’s school is only a mile from the house, and I didn’t hear a single emergency vehicle siren today, which I should have if they had them on.

I am sure that Sydney is okay, but I wonder if she managed to take her lunch with her. I hope so. She had some dental work done the other day and is still on semi soft foods. I don’t know what they are planning to feed the children if they didn’t bring their lunches and she can be such a picky eater. I  know that seems trivial to worry about given the situation, but in situations like this, you will be amazed what pops in your head.

I know that she will have quite a story to share when she comes home and I just hope that she isn’t too frightened about this. She and I have spoken about something like this before when a pipe bomb was found on the campus of one of the schools in our county. I made sure to let her know to never touch something that didn’t belong on the playground or school campus. It’s a sad commentary of our times when you have to teach your child things like that.

Now I need to find a way to distract myself so I don’t worry too much. She has a great teacher, and the staff at the school are fantastic, so  I do know that she is in very capable and safe hands. Still, I wish the day was over so she could come home and I could just give her a really big hug!

UPDATE: As of noon, Sydney’s school was allowed to return to campus. The package was filled with trash and the  threatening phone call some sick joke. The county Sheriff’s Bomb Squad did two sweeps of the campus and finally gave it the all clear. The school district has decided to resume the rest of the regular school day and she will be let out at the regular time. Thank goodness that she is safe and I can’t wait to see her, and wish I could get her early, but then that just might make her more afraid if she sees me not feeling comfortable with her being at school for the rest of the day. I do feel comfortable, but at the same time, I just need to throw my arms around her for my own reassurance!

What a day!

I am still here. Right now I am very angry over some things that are going on in my home state of California and how they will affect Nick and my job as a care giver for him. If I blog about it, I know that I will go into a major rant, and that’s something I would rather not do right now.

I have uploaded a new version of Maelstrom as well as a new errata file. There was an error in rows 44-54 (even rows only) that was caught the other day in the written section of the pattern on Chart B.

Hopefully, I will be blogging again soon. I just need to take a few deep breaths for a few days.

Yesterday I decided to try and find out more about the writing slope I received for my Mother’s day present, using nothing more than the computer that sits in front of me. The first clue I stumbled upon was the lock, which is half mortised (it is not completely set into the wood, the back panel of the lock is visible from the inside of the box, which is characteristic of boxes with locks made in both England and America during the 19th century.) I also found out that the key is a barrel type key which I suspect was brass plated at one time and the plating has been worn off through the years. The wear is appropriate for a key dating to the 19th century which leads me to believe that the seller was honest about this being the original key.

Next, I found an article about the wooden writing surface and that if they are original, they will be made up of three sections of wood for each side, which mine are.

Then I decided to challenge my eyesight and with my glasses and a small flashlight, I tried to make out the label from the original stationers that sold it so long ago.

G H something like an L Silsby and son?

Quickly I began to search on Google and I found him. G.H.H. Silsby and Son from Concord, New Hampshire. Actually I found quite a bit. Mr. George Henry Hough Silsby was born on February 2, 1817 in Hillsboro, New Hampshire. At the age of 15 (in 1832) he moved to Concord, New Hampshire. At the age of 23 (in 1840) he is mentioned as being part of the firm of Morrill and Silsby, book printers, book binders and stationers. He was part of the fire department as one of the officers in 1843, held office in the town council in 1845, one year after he married Sarah Frances Chickering. They had two sons together; Arther Wilson Silsbury who became an attorney and later a judge, and George Hough Silsbury who I am assuming was the son mentioned on the label. I have yet to find documentation of when G.H.H.Silsby and Son was in business, but I’m thinking of writing the Concord Historical Society to see if they have any records. I don’t think it would be unrealistic to date the writing slope to somewhere around 1850, making it approximately 150- 160 years old.

There is, however, one thing really throwing me off. The decoration on the box is much more suggestive of late 18th to early 19th century, no later than the third decade. Obviously I have a bit more hunting to do, and I am thinking of contacting someone who specializes in writing slopes to get their take on the age of the box.

This is probably boring to most of you. And yes. I know my inner geek is showing.