I realize that taking this photo and posting it online is supremely geeky of me, but look at that bottle! It’s just so cute! And it was delivered to my door by a bonafide milk-man! Glass bottle, non-homogenized, organic… sure I’ll own my geekiness.
(See my posts at MWV Local about dairy delivery from Noris Dairy in Crabtree.)
I’m participating in a swap on Ravelry, where I send a package of yarny stuff off to one person, and someone else sends me something. I think there are almost 150 people participating… I’m glad I didn’t have the idea and then have to organize it! Our theme is “shop local”. SO EASY to do here… I already purchased a few things at BSG and am going to finish up this weekend.
I received my package on Saturday, all the way from London! One of the gifts inside was 2 oz. of fiber made of a blend of recycled plastic bottle caps & rouge de l’ouest from Moonspinning. I’ve never spun with anything like it. I decided I needed to make a deliberate art yarn.
Here is my end result. About 82 yards:
The fiber itself was very lumpy and full of little bits of fluff. I kind of let it do its own thing while spinning, then I plied it with a heavy blue thread and a metallic white thread. The image above can be clicked to see a larger photo with more detail.
Now what to do with it? Thinking of making a small pillow with this as the front and a solid knit back… maybe in red?
So, you know all the reasons people say to buy produce locally if you can… it’s fresher, it tastes better, it’s more nutritious. Yes, yes, all true. But you know what else I like? I like that it hasn’t been sitting in an inch of water for who knows how long. Gross! Many of the grocery stores around here mist the hell of of their produce and I don’t get it. Brown, slimy lettuce? PASS.
I recently decided to dust off the “Mid-Willamette Valley Eat Local Challenge” blog and reinvent it. No longer a challenge, it’s now MWV Local: food, farming and flair in the Mid-Willamette Valley. I’ll be spending some time updating the existing information contained on the site, and then adding new content going forward.
Please check it out! And if you have any suggestions for the site, be sure to get in touch.
I found out on Sunday that my favorite antique store in Albany is closing. Pastime Antique Mall on 1st Ave. is closing on December 31st. I didn’t hear why, but when we went by on Sunday, several of the dealers were clearing out their spaces.
I really hope I can find several of them again, once they move to new places. I could go to that shop (and they were open 7 days a week, which is practically unheard of) and find something I wanted, every time. Couldn’t always afford what I wanted, but there was always something! I could always, always get a Pyrex fix there, and there was a whole space dedicated to Fiestaware. I’ve never seen so much Fiestaware in one place before… too bad I don’t know anything about it. I have a couple of pieces my grandmother gave me, and I love them.
Anyway, this is sad. Downtown Albany’s been looking so good lately, with Clemenza’s opening up, and the boutique stores, and a few photographers getting studio space along 1st Ave. The coffee shop closed, but it’s a lovely space, so I’m hoping someone’s moving in soon, and I hope it’s another coffee shop. (I think we should appeal to Red Horse to open a second location!)Â There is a lot of potential over there… I hope they can pull through the rough times.
There’s a gorgeous storefront location right next to Clemenza’s, with a brick wall and wood floors. I wish I had a reason to rent it. I would absolutely love to open a yarn and fiber store that carries mainly locally produced yarns and fibers. Anyone want to give me the startup cash for that? Ha.
I think, with my day off today, I shall make one more trip over to the antique mall. I had my eye on a Pyrex cake pan last time.
I snagged an Etsy Treasury tonight, so I built the whole thing around Corvallis artists:
Several weeks ago, I was browsing through the ’shop local’ section of Etsy and came across the work of Corvallis artist Jennifer Lommers. I was immediately drawn in by the rich, vibrant colors of her paintings and couldn’t resist purchasing a print. I was in such a rush to get my hands on it, I used the wrong Paypal account — oops! But, Jennifer is, in Etsy terms, “convo friendly” (some sellers are not, you’d be surprised…), so I dashed off a note explaining my mistake and she was very friendly and patient about the error, which delayed payment to her. 
Finally, a week or so later, I had my gorgeous print of two little birds “under the canopy of a thousand lights”. I’m now eyeing the print shown above, “Anita’s Poppies”.
Hmm, I think I will send a link to Mr. Wolf as a Christmas hint…
At Jennifer’s Etsy shop, she has a really nice range of items and prices. From original work to individual art cards, it’s a good possibility everyone will find something within their budget. I’m always so disappointed to find an artist whose work I love, only to discover I can’t afford a single thing they produce. Happily, that was not the case here!
I also found 2009 calendars at Jennifer’s blog — three styles, either birds, flowers, or landscapes. All lovely… how to choose?
