Our move begins today! Hubby is stating to take van loads up to the house, and I will stay here packing and having rummage sales to clear our junk out and offset our gas expenses. Keep your fingers crossed that it will not rain on good yard sale days for the next couple of weeks.

The packing process has done wonders for giving me ideas on what I want to make once we are settled in. I'm hoping it will be realistic for me to re-join the swap in June. May won't be possible, because we will need to get internet and unpack first. We can't pull the kids out of school until the middle of the month. I'll miss you guys and I look forward to being back as soon as I can.

Yeah, we do need to advertise the swap in some way. It's the best swap EVER! 

Good luck, TSM! That is exciting news! It will be fun to make new clothes for yourself, and you make such lovely clothes.

I'm hoping that after we are done with this move, I can try weight watchers or something. I need to lose at least 50 pounds. I think just getting out of here may help. I never really belonged in the Ozarks. It's pretty, but I've felt really isolated here.

I wish I could participate in this round more, but the packing has me overwhelmed. I didn't realize I was a bit of a hoarder until I had to start figuring out what to do with it all. 

Hi everyone! Making headway (sort of) on the giant amount of packing and sorting to be done here. While taking a coffee break just now I checked to see which of the 5 post offices in Champaign would be the closest and found one that is seven minutes away from our new house on foot according to Google maps. That will be reallyhandy for the swap!

No thread yet? I'll start us off. 

This one is called Early Seedlings, and it is made from  a 75% silk, 25% cotton sweater. I shredded the sweater, then dyed it.



 And this one, for lack of a better name, is called "When Two Ugly Sweater Vests Love Each Other Very Much, They Get Together and Make a Yarn!"  Both the vests are acrylic and cotton blends. I like the denim-y colors, and I was curious about what I would get spinning with them. Acrylic sweaters that have already been through the consumer stream go to the landfill and stay there forever. Might as well see if they can become fun novelty yarns.


I probably won't be able to spin much in the coming weeks. We are moving. Hubby has the job! I will be here as much as I can to cheer you on. Happy Easter and happy spinning! 

Hubby definitely has the job! Now to really start packing! It's scary how many craft supplies I have. 

Hubby has the formal offer now! We are on our way. It will be weird living in a city after 20 years in various parts of the Ozarks, but there are yarn shops (at least one that sells spinning supplies!!!) and a spinning and weaving guild I can join. Yay! Now, to get packing in earnest.

MLF, we'll be living in Champaign, if it all works out. 

Nikschaf, that is the coolest yarn ever. I am inspired. I want to try that!

Shannin and Bella, I love your yarns!

I haven't had much time to spin, and we traveled to Illinois again to house hunt. We have a place lined up, and hubby probably has a job offer (still waiting on formal offer). Not all the ducks are in a row yet but we are getting there. If it all works out, I'll have a room that can be used as a studio. 

LL the real question is how close is the craft/yarn store

2 within easy walking distance (less than a mile); several more I can reach by city bus.  

Ptarmic, I would love to use PODS, but they don't serve our town or even come near here. Otherwise, that would've been ideal for our situation.

Editing to add that hubby likely has the job. He just heard back from HR and the formal offer will be coming soon.

I have seven hanks of handspun in my shop. I haven't had the time to measure them out, but they are all just one point. 

The house that we are getting (provided we hear from hubby's job  very soon) will have more usable work space, even though it is not quite as big. I will have a studio room with a door I can shut to keep the cats out. Cats think loom = hammock. I can weave more often without that worry. 

The basement is not a finished one, but it is dry and in good shape for how old the house is. I could do all kinds of fibery and painty things down there. We may finish the basement someday, too. ::crosses fingers::

The trouble is getting our belongings there. I don't drive (have never driven), so that complicates things greatly. We can only take what we can get in one trip, with my oldest son driving the van, and hubby driving a u haul truck. I will have to distill down everything we own to the essentials. Then, after we get there, I will need the swap to decorate our new place. 

Once we are there, it is very pedestrian friendly, unlike where I am now.