Sorry for Leaving You in the Dark!

The Bad News: My camera is definitely broken - it has a malfunction that has affected several models of Canon digital cameras and is explained here on their website. I had to send it in for service and it will be gone for several weeks. I'm going to the Madrona fiber arts retreat in two days so I'm a little bummed I won't have my camera there with me.

The Good News: Canon supposedly is going to pay for the repair even though it's no longer under warranty, and they even gave me a UPS shipping label so I didn't have to pay for it to be sent in for service. Cool! My dad is letting me borrow his old Nikon Coolpix (thanks Dad!), which will do just fine in a pinch but since I'm still trying to figure out how to use it, the photos are not that great. So bear with me... I'm practicing.

Here is the moebius cowl/neck warmer. I've been wearing it with the celtic brooch I bought in Portland:I never realized how much I use the flip feature on my camera... You know, the one where you turn the screen around so you can see what you're taking a picture of while pointing it at yourself? Whoever invented that was a genius! (Not that I particularly enjoy taking pictures of myself... I don't want you to get the wrong idea here - it's just that if one is wearing a lovely handknit item, or there's no one else around to take a pic of you and your best friend, it can be very useful!)

Here are my felted clogs before adding the needle-felted design (Haven't done that yet): They probably could have been wet felted a bit more, but I like that I can wear my socks with them. These babies are pretty slippery on the wood floor, so I'm going to have to add some puffy paint or something on the bottom to make them grip a bit. I love how incredibly soft and squishy the bottoms are - they are so comfy!
And, here is my Rasta Hat:I used a 100% wool yarn called Armytage that I bought at Ben Franklin and check out how the color changes placed the lightest blue directly on the lace break point? Here's a pic of the top - it's so bulky (to hold the dreads, I guess) that I couldn't get it to lie flat. Maybe I should send it to my friend Tober to bestow on one of his drum teachers! (You've got to see his blog - Tober is a world traveler, and he has some great pics of people making and playing drums in Mali, not to mention the beautiful scenery and architecture. There's also a photo of someone using a loom that is operated using the toes to open the sheds. I can't wait to see where he goes next...)

I've also been spinning like crazy... I received some Icelandic wool from the Spunky Club titled "Snow Squall" dyed in similar colors to the Rasta Hat but with some turquoise and gray. I decided the snow needed some sparkle and added a bit of silvery metallic stuff and the effect is spectacular:Unfortunately that picture is not. I will try to get a better one when I ply it... It's gorgeous and fit for a snow queen!

Hmmm... anything else? Oh yeah, my first kit from the Twilight Sock Club arrived! The colourway is "Thirst" - doesn't that just send shivers down your spine? Eeeeee!