Remember Zaphod?

To refresh your memory, when last we saw my lovely new Hitchhiker wheel Zaphod, he looked like this: And now? Well, after a Saturday afternoon with Carrie and her new Hitchhiker Ford, Zaphod looks like this: And yes, the back of the wheel says "Don't Panic!" What else would you expect it to say? Be sure to check on Carrie today. Zaphod's semicousin (They share 3 of the same mothers, don't you know.) should also be making his debut today. And because Zaphod was being painted, I didn't get a chance to do any spinning on him just yet. So, I dug out some in-progress handspun from the stash for today's post. This is some Gypsy Girl silk roving that I picked up at MDS&W last year, being spun on a (*gasp*) drop spindle. I couldn't tell you the last time I spun any of it, though. And yes, Carrie, I DO still have "So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish" stuck in my head. And JavaJem - sorry that these are back on Photobucket. I'll make the switch to fulltime Flickr eventually, I swear. :) Stuff that is going in Ravelry may start getting doubled up to both of them until then.

Being Alive

So, to go along with the brand-new "WIP Wednesday" and the ongoing "Yarn Pr0n Friday", Carrie has suggested that Mondays become "Handspun Monday". So, here is my very first contribution: This is some Jacob Humbug (which I think means the mixed colors, but please correct me if I am wrong) that I picked up from Flying Fibers at Maryland Sheep and wool. I didn't get a picture of it before it was spun, because I started playing with it when we got back to the house Saturday night after day one of the festival, and it was completely spun up by Sunday night. This was the first time I have spun something and felt really good about how it was coming out. It's about a fingering weight, although I need to re-count my wraps to see how much yardage I have. It's not perfect, but it's overall the most balanced thing I've ever spun. I credit Cristi for helping me to figure out how to get my scotch tension set up a little better, which made my Ashford spin SO much easier! And you can all laugh at me for this one, but I've signed up for the 3rd Mystery Stole KAL, hosted (and designed) by Melanie over at Pink Lemon Twist. I've drooled at her "Leda's Dream" and "Scheherezade" patterns, and as they were the first and second Mystery Stole patterns, I can only imagine that this one will be equally as lovely. I'm still debating what yarn and beads I'm going to use, but I'm sure you'll see it here once I make that decision and as the stole progresses. And if you are wondering about the title for this post, I'm writing this as I watch the Tony Awards. I adore Broadway, and you'll frequently find me listening to some musical or another on my iPod. (I'm no mtwelovett, but I do have about 5 and a half days worth of showtunes on there...) There are a lot of shows that I can listen to anytime, that I can sing along with at the top of my lungs in the car, that I simply adore. The one song, though, that gives me chills every time I hear it, is "Being Alive" from Stephen Sondheim's Company. I love the performance of it by Patti LuPone from the Sondheim Celebration at Carnegie Hall back in, erm, 1990-ish. Tonight, Raul Esparza performed it, and it was amazing. It's such an incredible song, and he did just an incredible job with it - so much emotion and passion. CHILLS, I tell you. I hadn't ordered the cd of the cast album for this revival because I already have the ones from the original and the 1995 revival, but after that, I'm getting it.