The creative is the place where no one else has ever been. You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you'll discover will be wonderful. What you'll discover is yourself.

-- Alan Alda

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Next stained glass window progress. Hawk in front of the moon, with midnight blue sky. This hawk is a tracing of a drawing I did in highschool and thus, as my teacher says, is a cool melding of past and present. I was so happy to reinvent this drawing in another media.

All 100 of the pieces are cut out. This is after night two of copper foiling and fitting. Lots of small wing pieces yet to do, but I'm inordinantly pleased with how it's turning out so far.

This window is designed to go in the semi-circle window above our front door.

Other than that, I joined my first KAl this week ~ the new Hedgerow Mitts designed by Amy Ripton and featured in the current issue of the Knitter's Review Newsletter. Now to just decide on the yarn, finish one other knitting project I'm working on, and cast on!

It is never too late to be what you might have been.

-- George Eliot

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Today is my Blogiversary! 6 years. Wow. Time flies.

It's also, and way, way more importantly, my friend Clara's birthday. And a big one at that. Happy Bday, Clara!

I've spent more time this week than I care to admit reformatting all the Spirit Trail patterns into PDF files for downloadable purchase. Computer whiz I am not, though I do think they look nice. I had hoped to get them online today, but the site I plan to use to facilitate this is down for maintenance. Blast it. So, hopefully tomorrow.

Next up is a website update, mostly of yarns. I have alot that aren't on the site right now from my recent dyeing endeavors, new yarns of just about every yarn I sell. Lots to go through, but I am hoping to make quick work of it and get the update done by the end of this week. We shall see if I accomplish it that quickly, or if it runs into next week.

I also have a couple of new fibers to add ~ natural brown Hog Island, a green/gray/slate Shetland blend, a natural gray cross fleece that I need to go look up to remind me what it is (but it's nice), loads (and I mean loads) of new Jacob. This Jacob comes from a neighbor of mine, and this year's fiber was so nice, so soft, that I just hauled off and took it all. Really, a bit more than I need, but it's awesome stuff and so I couldn't help myself. His sheep are happy, stress-free, living in sheepy paradise, and it shows in the fleece.

It's all thrown in a huge pile in the corner of my dining room right now. I love that. Luckily, I seem to live in a house with other people who are eithe used to the fact that there is usually some sort of fiber or yarn thrown around (and sometimesa alot of it) and have made some sort of peace with that, or they don't care that there is alot of fiber and yarn thrown around. I try to keep it organized, and within reason, but sometimes it oversteps the bounds of reason.

I have at least stashed the bags and bags of raw fleece waiting to be washed and dyed out of sight (and smell range).

Which reminds me ~ Gulf Coast is now on its way to me. I'm very excited to see this fiber, since it's one of those really critically rare ones and hasn't been all that easy to get my hands on. So, the coming months will bring Gulf Coast (dyed and natural), Santa Cruz (dyed and natural), more Teeswater and Wensleydale locks, more Rambouillet, Romeldale and an interesting cross of CVM and Teeswater (the ram got loose and had his way with some of the *wrong* sheep ;-D ), more Falkland Islands Polwarth. And I forget what else. It's all hidden, and I've sort of lost track of what's come in lately.

My own fiber activities have centered mostly on spinning some white merino/silk into a singles of 28- 30 wpi. This is going to get plied with a 100% bombyx silk singles, once I get it all spun. And then a project will ensue, that I'll talk about later.

I'm also knitting on a Sontag, from the last issue of Piecework. I saw Shelia's Sontag photos and fell in love with this pattern, and the history of it. So, I'm knitting one in some handspun, dark brown Shetland right now. Will post photos once it's done.