Pack It On Challenge - Plying - March 2014

I finally finished spinning the single... can't feel my shoulder... but I feel accomplished, lol :)

I decided last night that I would Andean Ply the yarn... so I started un-winding the spindle onto my hand... and then promptly started plying...

Of course, I think that I can get the whole skein plied while watching a one hour program... man was I wrong... I woke up at 3am with my hand covered in the plying ball... and really didn't get much done.

I decided to take the plying ball off... place it onto a stick so that I could go to work... and I will start plying again when I get home from work... Should be an interesting experience, lol.

Here is what I have so far :)

Done!!! 2 ounces of "Marbled Night" Rolags

Plying Bracelet... I didn't realize how large it was going to be, lol.

Plying on a Louet s-20

Close up of the yarn... so far anyways

I can not wait to finish plying and see what the yardage is... Be on the look out for an update on Monday :)

Pack It On Challenge... Update 3 - March 2014

Since I only have one week left to finish the challenge... I figured that I really needed to start spinning and get finished... This past Saturday I sort of got the day off (from the kids that is), and went up to Four Purls Yarn Shop (http://www.fourpurls.com/) in Winter Haven... I got to just sit and spin, man was it nice :)

I am just about finished with spinning the single... only have one more rolag to go!!! This spindle is getting super heavy though... my shoulder is actually hurting from spinning, lol... I have never had that happen before... but I am loving the yarn so far.

Here are the update pictures... and hopefully I will get it plied this week:

The spindle and fiber 

Close Up of the Yarn :)

And my favorite... I just love seeing the yarn through the cutouts

Wish me luck in finishing the yarn :)

Pack It On Challenge - Part 2 - March 2014

Update on the Pack It On Challenge... I couldn't get the kids to go down for their naps yesterday... so I sat in the rocking chair and spun... Only took an hour and a half to get them down, lol.

Here is what has been spun so far :)

I am definitely loving how its going :)

And I love that you can see the yarn starting to get wider through the "spokes"

I can not even wait to get the single spun... Still debating on 2-ply or Navajo ply... but I'm sure the yarn will "tell" me :)

NOT Fiber Related... but Important to me...

Most people don't know all that much about me... although when I meet you, I tend to tell my whole life's story, lol. 

In about 2003, my stepfather, Scot, started G&G Electric Service, Inc... We only work on cell phone towers around the state of Florida, and sometimes into Georgia... that being said, when he passed away in 2009, my mom ended up taking over the company and I moved back home to help her.

Mom and Scot introduced me to Aaron, who had been one of their employees since 2005, in October of 2008... He does not climb the towers... none of our guys do... but a lot of the guys who work with them on cell sites are climbers.

Last year, the industry (cell phones) lost 13 people to falls... Safety is becoming more of a concern, as it should be... No only is there danger in climbing though... when the guys are working on the towers, sometimes things fall... tools, propane tanks, etc. 

Most people do not understand the risk that is involved so that we all have our precious cell phones... Tomorrow night, Friday, March 14th at 11pm, Discovery Channel is premiering a show called "Hang Men"... They filmed a tower crew as they did their daily jobs... 

My hope is that they have accurately portrayed this industry and not made a joke out of it like NBC did a few years back...

Here is a description of the show... I am planning on watching, just because it effects me on a day to day basis... I trust that Aaron and the guys (including both of my brothers) are safe on the job sites... but there is never a guarantee...

Hang Men docudrama will put tower work’s dangers back in the spotlight on FridayMarch 12, 2014 – NBC’s Tower Dogs, Frontline’s Cell Tower Deaths and Mike Rowe’s Dirty Jobs took the tower construction industry out of the shadows, but the profession will be cast in a brighter spotlight on Friday, March 14, 2014 at 11:00 p.m. eastern when Hang Men, an original presentation on the Discovery Channel, showcases the heroic work of the industry's men and women who build and maintain America's communications networks.
Whereas many programs are discussed in social and other media months before their air date, Hang Men took the industry by surprise when the Discovery Channel announced the one-hour program yesterday afternoon with its promotional tag: “On Hang Men, tensions run high for John Paleski and his crew. Fighting tight deadlines and a slew of setbacks, it’s a battle with gravity to complete two risky antenna installations.”

The program will be repeated again on Saturday at 2:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. eastern.

A casual look at the promotional trailer suggests that the five-man Tower & Wireless Construction Co. crew, a subsidiary of Old Bridge, N.J.-based SubCarrier Communications, was struggling with two near accidents while they were installing an antenna.

"But this needs to be viewed within the context of the full pilot," said John Paleski, President of SubCarrier.

“In one scene of the trailer, a pipe mount fell off of a tower while my men were rigging it. What my crew couldn’t have known is that a crew from another company was going to remove the antenna mount and just left it hanging loose in its U-bolts and it fell, almost hitting a ground man as it smashed into a transmitter cabinet,” said Paleski, who is oftentimes frustrated when an incompetent crew is hired by a tenant to work on any of the 320 towers he owns.

“The fact is that we're working in one of the deadliest professions in the world, and it's important that even laypeople, who may tune in for the entertainment value of the program, will recognize that the men and women involved are highly trained professionals who value safety above all else in this mentally and physically demanding field," said Paleski.

Paleski, who hasn’t seen the program produced by Electus, said he believes that it will be a positive piece for the industry without any contrived footage.

“All wireless workers should be appreciated for the work they do. Not enough people know about the dedicated men and women whose daily efforts allow them to talk and stream on their 4G phones. They have no idea how it works. And without tower workers installing and maintaining these sites, the thing they carry around in their pocket would be nothing more than an expensive paperweight with a two-year contract,” Paleski said.

The title, Hang Men, was selected by the Discovery Channel, according to Paleski.

Paleski graduated from Rutgers University with a degree in economics. He began climbing in 1986 and appears in Hang Men. But it’s not a cameo appearance.

“I often climb with my men because I don’t ever want them to do a job that I couldn’t safely do myself.”

Paleski readily admits that when he first started climbing he only used a lanyard and a lineman’s belt. “For many years, before it became a popular industry catch-phrase, we’ve been committed to 100% tie-off at all times.”

The program was filmed in Linden, N.J. and Harrisburg, Pa.

Paleski is excited to have the public enjoy additional episodes of Hang Men in the near future.

Pack It On Challenge - March 2014

So... I signed up for the Pack In On Challenge, March 2014... Its part of the Spindle Candy Forum on Ravelry... Basically you get as much fiber as you can on your spindle, ply it, and show your finished skein of yarn by the end of March :)

I was pretty late to the game, but figured what the heck... so I went ahead and started spinning, lol.

I had made some rolags a while ago and they were not selling... Figured I should go ahead and spin 'em... 

"Marbled Night" Rolags and a Snyder Steampunk Spindle

Here is the top of the spindle... you can fit a ton on it...

Close up of the rolags... they are a mix of:

*Border Leicester

*Corriedale

*Rambouillet

*Columbia

*Mohair

*Angelina

*Firestar

*Silk

So far, they have been a joy to spin... and I just love all the different colors... most of them I completely forgot were added, lol... There are little bits of yellow every now and then... 

With the challenge, you have to show your weekly progress... I only have two weeks so far... but more will follow :)

Week 1

Week 2

I am going to finish this challenge if it kills me... I always feel like I never get anything done... but I am definitely determined to get it done :)

Planes... but Trains first, lol.

We bought the boys a membership to the airplane museum here... since Aaron is working tomorrow, I decided that I would take the boys over and see what its all about...

Well, that got me thinking... I remember taking pictures of a model train exhibit at the Eagle Lake Mistletoe Marketplace... the kids absolutely loved it :)

Every year at the Marketplace, there is a room upstairs full of a model train exhibit... the first time I saw it, I recognized one of the guys... it was Bob... he was my neighbor when I was a kid (still lives next to mom)... I remember him catching my rabbit and bringing him home when he would get out.

I just thought it would be a pleasant change from all the fiber I post... plus, I have two little kids... they love planes and trains, lol.

The Ridge Model Railroad Club, Inc. of Winter Haven, FL is who puts on the display... they also meet once a month in Eagle Lake, FL if anyone is interested in attending :)

http://ridgemoderailroadclub.webs.com/

Wish me luck with the boys tomorrow :)

Dyeing Lincoln Locks

I'm getting ready to take one of the twins to the doctor... but thought you might want to see some bright colors :)

Its raining here... and this is what I have been doing with my nights, lol.

The green is actually more of a lime green and the orange is lighter in real life

Teal, Purples, and a Blue/Purple color

Chartreuse

Apricot

Purples and Pinks

Blue/Purple

And this gorgeous Teal

I just love how they are turning out :)

Hearthwise Spindles... sort of a review :)

Last March (2013), I saw an ad for this really unique looking spindle... it was used, so I knew there might be some "damage" or that the ad was not completely accurate... I figured what the heck, I do love spindles, so I bought it...

When the spindle arrived, it was a lot bigger than I had expected... and it is a fairly heavy spindle... but let me tell you, this thing is a champ... definitely a "multi-tool" of spindles... and can do just about anything.

At first I could only get sport weight singles... so it made a thick worsted or bulky yarn when plied... Now, I can get between lace and fingering... so when I ply it, its DK to Sport weight.

I really don't think that with the weight of the spindle, you could spin a super thin single and ply to create a lace weight... but it is awesome for plying!

For me, I am partial to Andean Plying... I spin and spin my single, take it off... and then ply it back on itself... this spindle, like I said is definitely a multi-tool. I don't even need to worry about having another spindle with me... and plying is super fast.

Take a look for yourself... the shape is just so unique... and it is sturdy... I am not at all worried about dropping and breaking this spindle... 

Here is the top... I think its called an "Dragonfly" spindle

This is the end - the damage on the bottom was there when I purchased it Used

Here it is with 56 yards on it... can absolutely hold a ton more

Small sample from a rolag

And a close up of the plied yarn :)

Coming Up are my absolute favorite pictures of this spindle... I honestly did not realize how gorgeous they were until just now... I think that they may actually get framed and hang over my spindle collection... No Lie :)

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE

Aren't they freaking cool???

And this is not the only shape... the one I really want is called a Shroom Spindle... and it looks just like a mushroom... His prices are reasonable as well... I think from $45 up to $65... or something like that... now I know my husbands drill cost more than that... and I definitely use my spindle more, lol :)

If you want to get in touch with Charles of Hearthwise Spindles, he is on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Hearthwise/113637388752526

On Yelp:

http://www.yelp.com/biz/hearthwise-spindles-morrisville

And on Etsy:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/Hearthwise

If you have any questions, Charles is pretty quick with getting back to you... and the quality of his products is wonderful... Check him out :)