Still Here

Yes indeed, although you wouldn't know it by my blogging. Let's just say that quitting caffeine almost cold turkey is a wearing experience. I knew about the headaches, I just didn't know about the general malaise and achiness. Odd, since I never felt caffeine really affected me that much but I do love the taste. Most evenings I would have my last cup of coffee just before bed, then went to sleep quickly and slept well. Ya live, ya learn.

This slothful week was bracketed by two good weekends. Last Saturday was Onion Fried Burger Day here.



35,000 (how DO they count?)people jammed the streets of our small downtown.
Car show. Lots of biker people. Various bands and vocalists. Crafty stuff. Vintage and classic cars. Ponies. Air brush tattoos. Lots of festival type food, and of course, onion-fried burgers. Our town is known for these and folks do make a special trip to eat them at other times of the year. Most times, at noon, it's about all you can smell downtown. Reportedly they began in the depression, when local burger cookers discovered that they could sell a hearty sandwich without so much meat. Making them more affordable. When I arrived her in the mid 50s they were 7 for $1.00! And I love 'em! The highlight of the day is when they cook this giant one that's got a diameter of 8 1/2 feet. I've never found a way to get a picture of it.



It gets bigger every year and I think that this one was way better than last year. The crafty stuff was more diverse and better although you can still purchase pretty pink fairy halo thingies.

My choice was this bowl. It's made of fir tree roots according to the man selling it. I had parked south of this area so walked through as I came, left to go find a friend, returned and left for good. Nice to wait till the last as I got a much better price on it.



After a day of festival, I then took part in a week of complete slothfulness both of body and brain. I managed to work but then crashed when I got home each night. Fortunately I already had scheduled Thursday and Friday off to get my vacation hours down so I managed to get the laundry done. Woohoo clean underwear. The house dusted and vacuumed and spent some money on fabric for new clothes. (no pic, I forgot)

Then yesterday was the Okie Fiber Rendevous. While I would love to go to one of those huge sheep and wool shows back east or in New Mexico, I look forward to this for months. The location was inside this year and I didn't get lost and look to bikers to be interested in wool LOL. A great site and loads of fun. I'd planned to take lots of pics, but kept forgetting as I'd get busy and talking or taking part in such things as kumihimo on a cardboard disc, or spindle spinning (still suck), visiting with people I don't get to see often enough and shopping of course. I got some felt..oops forgot to take a pic of that too. Some really fine white woolen cloth, a little rug hooking kit, and a gift that I can't show here. I totally missed out again on the henna work..someday that will happen.

I was trying to spin when the toe weaving started, but did get to watch for awhile. The little girl on the left of this picture was really really good.



And see the lady in green in this photo? She saw me taking the pic and started talking to me and invited me to sit down and visit while she spun. I'm sure I looked my very dumbest as I gazed in awe as she spun really fine lace weight yarn with what appeared to be little tufts of dandelion fuzz. Amazing!



While visiting with KatyaR, she showed me the kind of wheel she learned on. It's one of those PVC wheels, and she still has it. It's out on loan now, but when it comes back, she said she'd let me use it...and even show me how! How cool is that?? I googled and found Babe wheels online. Ya know, I could actually save up enough for one of those. More stuff to think about.

Met a new person and her hubster who were new to the whole fiber thing. They've been talking about geting some sheep (already have the farm) and saw a notice about the event in the paper. She is soooooooooo much fun! I watched her in the second spindle spinning group and man..she just took off and I'm thinking she went home with a really nice spindle. I found a little muslin sheep softie so got it and gave it to her so that she'd have a start on her herd (is that what you call a bunch of sheep?)

All and all a wonderful day. And, since gas prices went up again, I took some time to make a Petsmart run and a Michael's pit stop. My furbabies encourage me to get Cotton Ease (that maybe someday will become a sweater) for Mother's Day. Oh..and a quick stop by the a local LYS to pick up some needles that I need for the sweater. Why is it no matter how many needles I have, I never have the right ones :-) Or, is that an excuse?

And now special wishes for all the mothers. You know, it's not just ovaries that make a mother. And a special happy Mother's Day to all y'alls mothers. I'm sooo glad she had you!

Fiber Rendevous

Ohhhhh what a good time I had! It was a day full of nice shade in the sunshine, a gentle breeze and lots of fun people. I'd not been there long when I heard someone call my name. It was Katya in real life instead of in eMail, and she gave me this! A Peace Lily. And how appropriate since I'm told that my name, in Hebrew, means lily. Thanks you so much Katya! It was fun, too, meeting her friend and her adorable kids and getting to visit with folks I'd met at last fall's retreat. And meeting people that I only knew through the Yahoo list. Now I have faces to put with names. Not that I'll have the right faces with the right name, but hey it's a start. :-)

I only made one mistake getting there and it wasn't a disaster, I just got to drive through a town that I'd not been in for years. Whoa it's grown!

The Rendevous was held in the little town of Arcadia, which is northeast of Oklahoma City. It's most famous for this round barn and it's right on old 66. And the event was held at Fort Braxton. Not a for real fort but a great venue for such an event, or a family reunion...and in a way that's what this was. A family of fiber folks.

The directions stated it was right across from the barn, and I took that literally. So what did I find? A bunch of bikers! Wow who knew bikers knitted and spun??? They were all quite burly and tattooed but very nice and pointed me about a half block down the street. *G*

Right away I knew it was going to be a 'me' sort of day when I met this nice attendee. I'd never actually seen an alpaca before, but I'd love to have spent a lot of time with this one and it's friend/sister/whatever. I also didn't know they cried. The darker one was being quite pitiful. I was told it was because this babe was used to being around more. It's been weaned so it shouldn't have been missing it's mom, but that's surely what it sounded like. I'd wander around looking and visiting and then, every little bit I would go feed the alpacas a few more pellets that the owners had provided. This blonde one's hair or whatever you call it, feels a lot like my dog Zoey and they are about the same color. I was told that she was a standard poodle/??who knows what. Could she be an alpoodle? polacka? LOL

There were lots of spinners, a few knitters, a lot of dyers, and vendors galore. I got to watch someone use a drum carder; watch and visit with lots of spinners; hear about a lot of experiments in dyeing and such.I got a new spindle (since mine was at home on the dining room table..oops) and a 1:1 lesson with Kati. I was in her class last fall and it was a disaster for me. I couldn't do anything, I wanted to cry, I wanted a nap yadda yadda. But this time it made sense. I'm to spin for 15 minutes a day. She said that until I was a bit more comfortable that should assure that I didn't get frustrated and throw it across the room. LOL she must know me! The white part is some practice fiber that she brought me. The seafoam green is alllll mine! If I unwound the yarn on the spindle it would e an odd site. Some is soooooooooo tight and some is almost too loose to hold together. But I think when I actually get better..and I will..I hope... I'll put it in a little shadow box.

I stayed for about 4 hours and then headed off to part 2 of the days adventures. Which will be told after I see if this collage will actually upload.