Things are busy and insane here. Can’t go into terribly much detail besides to say these things:

I’m nearing the light at the end of the tunnel
My boss is feeling the strain of impending tenure review
Finances are extraordinarily tight

So, Gnomespun will not be updated as often as I’d like. However, some things are getting done and are in the works. If I can manage to get home in the evenings, there will be some new roving, and I’m working on a new yarn.

This weekend, I got to hang out with Lynn and Marcy and spin a bit, and have some lovely beer. Mmm beer.

Lynn also gave me some lovely Romney which is spinning up really quickly. Yay. Maybe I’ll actually finish a yarn sometime.

The pink spinel has been a bust. I need to get some new fiber for it. Blegh. I’m not plying this fiber this way again. It’s too slick and so won’t stay in the ball. Plying from two ends of a ball… not good with this fiber. It results in tangles (note this tangle is less than half of the original tangle)

Also, I managed to get something small done. More stitch markers.

Yay. I’m pretty happy with them.

Labradourite – Lapis – Malachite – Labradourite, you can just see the gold flecks in the lapis.

And chalcedony (carnelian and sard are sub-genres of this stone) flower drops.

And now, back to my little yeast.

Oh right, and below, the list of square donors, had a few last minute stragglers come in over the weekend. Seaming is starting. Memorial is the 11th.

~The Gnome

USA Kentucky C-Ville
Canada Manitoba Woodlands
USA Utah Logan
USA Texas Katy
USA Arizona Glendale
New Zealand Unknown Wanaka
USA New York New York City
USA Wisconsin Madison
USA Oregon Gearhart
UK Unknown Unknown
USA Florida Crestview
Norway None Bergen
USA New York White Plains
USA New York Endicott
USA Minnesota Columbia Heights
USA Washington Lacey
USA Maryland Columbia
USA California Redlands
USA New York Binghamton
USA Illinois Chicago
USA North Carolina Hendersonville
USA Pennsylvania Conshohocken
USA Washington Tacoma
USA Oklahoma Broken Arrow
USA Alabama Huntsville
USA Maryland Huntingtown
USA Georgia Acworth
USA Idaho Moscow
USA California La Habra
Canada Ontario Oshawa
USA Oregon Portland
USA Massachusetts Somerville
USA Massachusetts Worcester
USA Wisconsin Madison
USA New York Babylon
USA California San Francisco
USA Washington Renton
Canada Ontario Stouffville
USA Nevada Boulder City
UK None Bedford
USA Ohio Northfield
USA California Oak Park
USA Minnesota Chanhassen
Denmark Unknown Kobenhavn
USA Ohio Cleveland
Denmark None Aarhus
USA New Hampshire Belmont
Canada Ontario Oshawa
USA Waretown New Jersey
USA Dallas Texas

Ok, mostly real. It’s not blocked yet. But still. It’s one thing basically off my list to do.

The lichen mistake rib scarf, finally finished, in need of a bit of blocking.

Made with Gnomespun, Lichen, 2-ply 80% Merino, 20% Alpaca yarn. It’s soft and squishy.

Commissioned, so it’s not for me. I’m overall happy with the way it came out, though I have to say… mistake rib gets remarkably boring remarkably fast. I do like the super-squishy/stretchy nature of the fabric though.

Designed long and thin enough to be doubled and looped if you’re really cold.

Coiled up. Trying to show the greenness.

And just the scarf.

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The easiest way to set up paypal buttons does not, apparently, handle inventory, so that’s out for a shop. I’ll have to do it less simply, which means more difficult. Which means I’ll be staying at Etsy for now. I’ll try to get some stuff up soon. Afghan and my upcoming thesis meeting are limiting my time.

-

So I tried to clean a little last night. Did fairly well, got a bunch of slow organizing stuff done. Still need more bins for the creeping fiber matrix of doom.

I thought having several cats with Maine Coon ancestry was bad for a vacuum. Apparently, belonging to a spinner and fiber artist… is worse

My carpet kinda looked like the Muppets had a kegger. My vacuum happily carded it all out of the carpet and wrapped it into a nice punis on the rollers… except the rollers are not open ended flat smooth dowels. Yeesh. That lump is about two fists, or bigger.

~The Gnome

Progress.

Square Count: 71
Squares Needed: 18-20 (Plus the corners, which should be arriving shortly)
Locations:
USA Kentucky C-Ville
Canada Manitoba Woodlands
USA Utah Logan
USA Texas Katy
USA Arizona Glendale
New Zealand Unknown Wanaka
USA New York New York City
USA Wisconsin Madison
USA Oregon Gearhart
UK Unknown Unknown
USA Florida Crestview
Norway Unknown Bergen
USA New York White Plains
USA New York Endicott
USA Minnesota Columbia Heights
USA Washington Lacey
USA Maryland Columbia
USA California Redlands
USA New York Binghamton
USA Illinois Chicago
USA North Carolina Hendersonville
USA Pennsylvania Conshohocken
USA Washington Tacoma
USA Oklahoma Broken Arrow
USA Alabama Huntsville
USA Maryland Huntingtown
USA Georgia Acworth
USA Idaho Moscow
USA California La Habra
Canada Ontario Oshawa
USA Oregon Portland
USA Massachusetts Somerville
USA Massachusetts Worcester
USA Wisconsin Madison
USA New York Babylon
USA California San Francisco
USA Washington Renton
Canada Ontario Stouffville
USA Nevada Boulder City

The current layout. Subject to some minimal changes as the final squares arrive. The corners will be double large white/offwhite squares, and the binding will be off white.

~The Gnome

It’s -17 degrees here (yes, celsius, no I’m not Canadian. I’m in all science all the time mode), I think it mght have affected my brain (and no, I don’t think it’s especially cold, I miss MN winter).

Many people have mentioned it, and the Yarn Harlot is currently demonstrating it with the Knitters Without Borders drive, but it still never ceases to amaze me how generous fiber artists can be, without a second’s hesitation.

Now of course, like any group of people, especially one as disparate and varied as “all crocheters and knitters” there are the bad apples, sour grapes, and rotten eggs. But seriously, wow, there are more precious stones in these fibrous sands than one could possibly rationally expect to find. Squares have arrived from literally all over the world along with well wishes, and apologies that they couldn’t do more/make more.

Trust me, this is enough. It’s almost overwhelming in it’s thought and generosity. Not to mention the individual beauty of the squares. You can feel that each stitch was made with love.

Square Count: 64
Plus: Some Xmas gelt , mate tea, thistle buttons, a magnet, and probably something else I’ve forgotten because my brain is melting.

From:

USA Kentucky C-Ville
Canada Manitoba Woodlands
USA Utah Logan
USA Texas Katy
USA Arizona Glendale
New Zealand Unknown Wanaka
USA New York New York City
USA Wisconsin Madison
USA Oregon Gearhart
UK Unknown Unknown
USA Florida Crestview
Norway Unknown Bergen
USA New York White Plains
USA New York Endicott
USA Minnesota Columbia Heights
USA Washington Lacey
USA Maryland Columbia
USA California Redlands
USA New York Binghamton
USA Illinois Chicago
USA North Carolina Hendersonville
USA Pennsylvania Conshohocken
USA Washington Tacoma
USA Oklahoma Broken Arrow
USA Alabama Huntsville
USA Maryland Huntingtown
USA Georgia Acworth
USA Indiana Moscow
USA California La Habra
Canada Ontario Oshawa
USA Portland Oregon
USA Massachusetts Somerville
USA Massachusetts Worcester
USA Wisconsin Madison

Ok, so I’m cracked, wacko, lost it. After having the afghan about 1/4 seamed… I’m taking everything I’ve done out, and redoing it.

Why?

Because it wasn’t right, and incorporating new squares as they came in was going to be a color matching nightmare. And maybe because I’ve been hanging around with too many bad influences who like to do things like this. This will be better and faster. But it means lunch will be spent undoing what was done, and Friday night and most of Sunday will be spent seaming again.

What am I doing with Saturday? Why, I’m driving north into the cold to visit the shop of the fabulous Boogie, owner of Spunky Eclectic to try out some wheels, and maybe pick up some more fiber (because clearly the pounds of it lying around isn’t enough, hush you). ‘Cause… yeah, I think I’m ready to upgrade my wheel.

Now, back to my western blots, protein gels, and lab presentation

~The Gnome

My good friend the Tsock Tsarina is fond of saying, “It’s the people, stupid” in reference to big events where things are acquired. Because, it is.

And that stretches beyond events, as I’m sure she’d tell you.

It wasn’t the gifts of the holidays that made them good for me, it was the family. It wasn’t the rest, or food, or drinking at New Years that helped, it was the friendship and easy companionship.

And now that I’m back, I come home every day and go to my front door to check for little packages. They’re coming in from all over the world, sometimes with extra notes, sometimes not. And they warm my heart and make it all easier, knowing that this many people all over the world really do care.

If you’ve sent a square, check the photos and location list to see if you’re included. If not, then I’ll add them as they come in and post an ongoing total.

The current square count is 40 Squares
Locations squares have been received from:
Kentucky C-Ville
Canada Manitoba Woodlands
Utah Logan
Texas Katy
Arizona Glendale
New Zealand Wanaka
New York New York City
Wisconsin Madison
Oregon Gearhart
UK Unknown
Florida Crestview
Norway Bergen
New York White Plains
New York Endicott
Minnesota Columbia Heights
Washington Lacey
Maryland Columbia
California Redlands
New York Binghamton
Illinois Chicago
North Carolina Hendersonville

And the squares themselves:

Squares are still coming in, so please feel free to send in the next week.

~The Gnome