What are you doing today?

[Larissa]

Congrats to all of you!  Awesome on the moves, sales, visibility, everything!

Eric and I voted on Tuesday in our gubernatorial primary, and were very disturbed on Wednesday to learn that only 12.7% of registered voters in NJ voted.  I'm sorry, but that's just appalling, especially in light of how many people are b**tching about how the presidential primaries and general election went.  THEN GO OUT AND VOTE.  I mean, is it me?

Anyway, been working days, doing housework type stuff nights.  Tomorrow morning I leave bright & early for my 25 year college reunion all weekend in Massachusetts, so tonight I've got to get a bunch of stuff together and pack. 

[iKnitQuiltSew]

No...  it's not just you, Larissa.  My husband recently introduced me to a completely new-to-me idea...  He refused to register to vote, since he feels that until the Electoral College disappears, his vote doesn't count anyway so what's the point?  I would bet that he's not the only one that feels that way.

I did discuss it with him...   that's just the presidential election - what about all the local and state ballot issues/measures/candidates?  But he's not budging.

[Larissa]

That's terrible.  And the electoral college has been around since the beginning.  Not voting isn't going to do anything about it.  He needs to be out there campaigning to do away with it if it's that much of an issue for him.

This was my post on FB yesterday (and I'm trusting this site to remove the curse):

I am disgusted.

Yesterday were the NJ gubernatorial primaries. There are 5,808,260 registered voters in this state. Yet, 495,178 Democrats and 241,250 Republicans voted. 12.7% of registered voters. TWELVE POINT SEVEN PERCENT.

The freakin' Revolutionary War was fought - and won - and many died - because our founding fathers wanted adequate representation of their interests in government.

Native Americans' voting rights were restricted even after they all became citizens in 1924, through property requirements, economic pressures, hiding the polls, and condoning of physical violence against those who voted. It's only since the late 20th century they've been protected.

Jews, Quakers and/or Catholics were excluded from running for elections until 1787, but, in Maryland, Jewish Americans were excluded from State office until the law requiring candidates to affirm a belief in an afterlife was repealed in 1828.
Property ownership requirements restricted poor (even white) men from voting.

African American and Mexican-American men weren't allowed to vote until the 15th Amendment was ratified in 1869. The white resistance to black suffrage regularly erupted into violence and intimidation to keep freedmen in a controlled role and reestablish white supremacy. White League. Red Shirts. KKK. 150 black people were killed in North Carolina before the 1876 elections. Eviction from rental housing or termination of employment. Poll taxes, complicated record keeping, complicated timing of registration and length of residency in relation to elections, literacy tests.

Women: Does the suffrage movement of Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Alice Paul, and countless others mean anything at all to you? Anything?

Yesterday's numbers are terrible. This is IMPORTANT.

First, if you're registered Independent, fix it. Be registered Democrat, Republican, or UNAFFILIATED.

Second, SHOW THE fudge UP TO THE POLLS. People fought for you. People died for you. Stop spitting in their faces.

[Larissa]

(NJ is a closed primary state, which is why you can't be registered Independent and vote in the primaries.)

[iKnitQuiltSew]

I agree with you completely, Larissa.  The "I can't be bothered and my vote doesn't count anyway" stance is like a disease.

Finally got the layout done on my fish quilt.  On to embroidery details and appliqué.

[MulchandMore]

Nice lay-out of your fish but boy you still have a lot left to do! Looking forward to seeing the finished piece. After all the moving I bet you are happy to get back to crafting/art work! Spur or the moment son and I decided to join a couple of other fiber artists at the local farm market! It was a beautiful day, allow a little windy, but it warmed up to about 85 when we were breaking down, whew I think it's going to be a warm summer.

[Larissa]

Beautiful, Sandi! 

I'm at work today and would so much rather be home.  Reunion over the weekend was awesome, but holy crow, I now remember why I was 105-110 lbs through college and not anymore.  The campus is ALL hills and stairs.  My legs are so sore!  LOL  Which really just means I need to walk a lot more in my life.

It's going to be an interesting day at work; we have clients here from Canada, who we've been working with remotely for months now.

Tonight, I get to pull out my DRUM CARDER that was delivered on Saturday!  I'm so excited, but I was so tired when I got home at 10 last night after 3 days of activity and driving 4 hours that I didn't even take it out of the box.  Eric had opened it to make sure everything was in there, but that's it.  Yay for faster fleece prep and batts!  Woo and hoo!

Which all adds up to I'd really rather be home, playing with my carder and some 'paca. 

[Larissa]

So yesterday, after getting in an hour early to work per the boss' request, he kept me 2 hours late finishing something.  Yay 3 hours of OT, I guess?

But then I *finally* got home and ate dinner, and then *finally* pulled out my new old drum carder... which had no handle.  She had taken it off to get it to fit in the box, and then packed the carder with NO packing materials, and the carder tore a big hole in the box, from which the handle must have fallen.

The black handle is the original - those are the photos from her listing.  Today, E turned me a new handle, the tan one in the last photo.

So TONIGHT after work, I get to try it out!  Finally.

[iKnitQuiltSew]

It's always something, isn't it!

[MulchandMore]

The new handle looks like it will be more comfortable to use than the black one, so you may have won on that score . Enjoy 

[Larissa]

The new handle looks like it will be more comfortable to use than the black one, so you may have won on that score . Enjoy 

Actually, I think so too!  LOL

Hey, since you're theoretically around... so last night E wanted to see the carder in action so I did up a batt of 'paca... obviously still not moving like lightening, but man is it faster and less grueling than the hand carders!  But I definitely need to adjust the drums.  A lot of fiber (and not short, useless fiber, long fiber) was being left on the likker.  I've tried to look up troubleshooting, but can't find any guidance... do I want the drums closer together or farther apart, do you think?

Gonna do a bunch more tonight - Eric is going to a Red Bulls (major league soccer) with a friend, so I'm on my own for the night.  Plan to card up a bunch of my rose grey alpaca, and maybe the last of the chocolate brown I have too.  The rest of the brown is already in rolags, but no reason I can't batt what's left and make it a separate skein when I spin it.

[MulchandMore]

The new handle looks like it will be more comfortable to use than the black one, so you may have won on that score . Enjoy 

Actually, I think so too!  LOL

Hey, since you're theoretically around... so last night E wanted to see the carder in action so I did up a batt of 'paca... obviously still not moving like lightening, but man is it faster and less grueling than the hand carders!  But I definitely need to adjust the drums.  A lot of fiber (and not short, useless fiber, long fiber) was being left on the likker.  I've tried to look up troubleshooting, but can't find any guidance... do I want the drums closer together or farther apart, do you think?

Gonna do a bunch more tonight - Eric is going to a Red Bulls (major league soccer) with a friend, so I'm on my own for the night.  Plan to card up a bunch of my rose grey alpaca, and maybe the last of the chocolate brown I have too.  The rest of the brown is already in rolags, but no reason I can't batt what's left and make it a separate skein when I spin it.

I'm not an expert on drum carders but will try to see what I can remember (I haven't taken the time to use mine in a while) I think you don't want them too close together(too much wear on the carding cloth if they are) and you only want to feed a little into the licker at a time, too much and it will build up instead of feeding off. If it starts building up I think I took a knitting needle and raised it from the licker so it would catch onto the carding cloth. My best advise would be: be patient (hard for you , experiment, and practice! If that fails try looking up set-up instructions for some of the brand names of drum carders. Have fun!

[Larissa]

My best advise would be: be patient (hard for you , experiment, and practice! If that fails try looking up set-up instructions for some of the brand names of drum carders. Have fun!

Haha, you know me too well!

She actually found the original paperwork from the carder and is mailing it to me.  Fricke seems to be a pretty small/old company, though, so there's not much online.  I'll keep hunting.

Just so happy to have this and not have to rely on the hand carders anymore, you have no idea.

[MulchandMore]

 

[Larissa]

OMG, I'm like a crazy person.  I was introduced to a "Dirty Fleece, Done Dirt Cheap" group on FB, and I'm like a kid in a candy store.  I have to seriously restrain myself from buying EVERYTHING. 

As it is, I got an awesome lb of mohair locks (for $32 + shipping), which I'm going to lock spin after I wash it.  SO EXCITED.  And I've just arranged to buy over 3 lbs of raw Shetland fleece (for FIFTEEN DOLLARS!!! plus shipping).  Now a friend is telling me that she's harvesting a slew of nettles at her friend's farm in the fall.  And I'm in the middle of shearing the buns again, my second time doing it.  This angora skein, I think I'm gonna list for sale.

All I want to do is leave the office, go home, shear buns, and card alpaca to make room for the rest!