A Day in the Life of Sachi

After returning home from a birthday party late Saturday night, M and I decided that a day trip would be a lot of fun since… you know… I don’t have to go to work on Monday. We both woke up at a reasonable hour on Sunday and decided to hit the road to Solvang. It’s a gorgeous, little Danish town that I’ve always been fond of visiting. However, this time, I had another motive. I knew that I would be able to ditch M in the book store for a while so that I could hunt down Village Spinning and Weaving.

In my excitement, I’d left a print out of the address in the car (doh!) and it was so freakin’ hot that I wasn’t about to go back for a retrieval mission. I finally found the shop and there was much rejoicing. While checking out, I was discussing portable wheels with the shop owners (BTW, Louet is coming out with one that’s more tiny than Ashford’s Joy) and I was telling them about how Emily had just purchased a Joy. They asked if she was a new spinner. When I said that she was, the gent behind the counter was convinced he’d met her just a couple hours earlier. I thought for sure that he must be mistaken but he filled in the blanks… lawyer, getting ready to start a new job, Stick & Stone… I couldn’t believe it! As soon as I stepped out the door, I called Emily on her cell to she if she was still in the area. She wasn’t. She was almost home by then but how friggin’ funny! I’m still getting a chuckle out of the thought.

So after the fiber-gasm, M and I stopped in at Gaviota to take some pics. Since I’m the shutter-bug, we don’t have many pics of me lying around. I thought it might be nice to have a couple artsy shots for his wallet (to replace the god-awful one from 3 years ago) or for Mom to hang on the wall. He did a grand job, don’t you think?

I feel the need to mention that we didn’t put him there… He weasels his way under the covers all the time. He put himself in this painfully cute position.

On Monday, I decided to go down to Stick & Stone to spin in. I’d just said my hellos and plopped my wheel down when a gal walked through the door. Low and behold, it’s Emily.

When I first started going to the S&B, I sort of hit it off with Emily. She’s my kind of gal. She’s one of the ones who had me laughing my ass off and who helped me decide to keep coming back. I kept going back but she stopped showing up. I was bummed but I resolved to drop her an email to find out what was up.

Well, as you know, things at work got a little crazy and I sort of pushed this into the back of my priority list as my top priority had simply become surviving for the next two months. So imagine my surprise and happiness upon seeing her walk through the door. Come to find out she’d quit her job and was getting ready to start a new one. The business card I had for her wouldn’t have gotten me anywhere when I next tried to contact her so, thankfully, we were able to re-exchange information.

Emily had just purchased a drop spindle and taken a class like the day before (sound familiar?). She was smitten and just had to come check out wheels. She decided on the Joy for it’s portability. It’s a terribly cute wheel that I had looked at a bit before making my decision. It’s super high-techy with that groovy drive band and such. Not to mention that the thing has a messenger-style bag that you can sling over your shoulder and run off to the guild meetings. Ultimately, the affordability of the Kromski Minstrel won out for me. I was already having palpatations over the price tag of that one. I probably would have needed emergency medical attention had I purchased the Joy.

She spent about three hours at the store with me spinning. In that time, she’d managed to spin with some spectacular skill. Thin as can be. Totally makes me jealous.

I dragged her back to my house so that the spinning party didn’t have to end at closing time. We threw on a DVD and spun for another 2 hours. We promised to get together again soon and she promised to attend the next S&B, with her wheel in tow. Since I’ll be at Stick & Stone again tomorrow, I’ll have my wheel with me as well. I haven’t yet decided if I’m going to schlep it up the stairs to the S&B.

Today, there was a bit of opening in my day so I called and asked her to meet me at Stick & Stone again. I wanted her to bring what she’d spun for Janelle to see. We weren’t disappointed. She spun up some lovely goodies. I should have taken pictures. Janelle thinks Emily is a prodigy too. I agree.

I would say something like, “We’ve brought another one over to the dark side,” but I didn’t do anything. I just happened to be there at the right time to add another perspective, or spinning style as it were, to the equation when the time came for her to try out wheels. It’s been a happy few days.

Look at the smile on her face! Isn’t it contagious? Do you think maybe she’s having just a LITTLE bit of fun? Admittedly, you couldn’t have wiped the smile from my face after purchasing my wheel. The wheel plus leaving work has had me grinning from ear to ear pretty much constantly this last couple weeks.

Emily told me that she’d spun through all 8 ozs she’d taken home on Monday and went to A Mano on Tuesday to get more fiber. She couldn’t stand not spinning and Stick & Stone is closed on Tuesdays. I totally understand her reasoning. She thinks precisely the way I do. Fiber is like cigarettes… you always make sure you’ve got enough to hold you over before you leave the store. I’m trying to behave and not acquire too large of a stash. So far so good, I suppose. But I’m soooo screwed because Annika has suggested we attend the upcoming fiber festival and I have marked the day on my calendar… er… days. I’ll have to narrow that down with her. Hell…. she might even want to go all three days. In which case, I’m totally game!

So, the big news for me today? I mean besides spinning my ass off all day long… Today was the first day I started life as a…. erm…. purple-head… I’m finding it totally impossible to capture the proper color here as my camera is insisting on correcting the color for some strange reason. This is the most accurate color I could get tonight.

It’s really quite splotchy, with areas of navy blue, nearly magenta and some lilac. I totally dig it. I can do splotchy. It’s not like I’m trying to make things look natural or anything.

But look here! Janelle had fiber hanging out drying. We found one that I could use as a matching boa!

And for you animal lovers out there, Halley loves her canine brother, Camus. Here she’s using her tail to cover his eyes for him as he watches a scary movie.

The day after I bought the wheel, 7/13, I went back to the store to obtain more fiber. They were having their weekly “Spin-in” and I met a gal named Trish. Janelle, the store owner, was telling Trish about the wheel I bought and how I was moving soon. Trish asks where I’m moving and I told her. Plus there’s a huge fiber festival coming up at the end of September near M’s parents’ house so I told her I’d be going to that.

As it turns out, Trish has a home in Oregon, knows exactly where Port Orchard is and knows all the local spinners. There’s a huge guild about 20 minutes from PO that I already knew about and some fiber shops in small towns not too far away. She starts saying, “We’re going to be best friends when you move!” I’m a little… hesitant… at this point because I have no idea who she is but I realize that she’s a super nice lady and let it go at that. Enthusiasm is good, no matter what.

Trish tells me she’ll be teaching a class at the Flock and Fiber (the fest. In OR) and I think, “Cool! If I’m super nice, maybe she’ll let me sit in for free!” So I’m super nice… I watch the gals spin for a while and then take home fiber to play with. Trish gives me her business card.

On Saturday, I take in a bunch of my first yarns and Margarite (sp?), the other store owner, just goes gaga over what I’ve done. She tells me it’s wonderful and shows off my stuff to a customer, saying, “Can you believe this is her FIRST???” I’m figuring she’s just being nice to make me buy more fiber. At this time, Margarite tells me that Trish is a “production spinner” which means she SPINS YARN FOR A LIVING!!!! Holy hell, what a great gig! At this point, I decide I NEED to get in good with Trish, figuring she can teach me a lot.

A couple days later, I go back because I want to show Janelle. Janelle is super sweet and was uber-helpful when I was looking at the wheel and some fiber. Plus she asked me to come back for a show-and-tell. She’s thus far given me groovy, free fiber and a cool t-shirt, just because. Janelle flips out over my stuff as well. She gets all excited and look at me like I somehow know the significance of what she sees in my yarn. I’ve seen her spinning. I’m not even 1/2 way to her abilities but I don’t mind because I know I need practice.

I made some sort of comment that made her think I was thinking she was just being nice and she shows me something I didn’t know before. She shows me how my fibers run perfectly parallel to the yarn direction. She tells me that this is a perfectly balanced yarn. She calls me a prodigy. I blush. My head swells.

By Wednesday, I’m totally exauhsted from court and having to testify, etc. I decide that I can’t make it to the Stitch & Bitch. Driving to West Hollywood is just too much to think about after my hellish days in court. I decide, however, that driving two miles is no problem.

I go back on Thursday (2 weeks and 3 days after picking up my drop spindle, one week and one day after picking up my wheel) to “Spin-In” with the gals. Trish was there, which I was hoping for. Janelle asks me to show off my first yarns. I’d also brought in the finished product of some Merino/Soy Silk that Janelle gave me for free. Trish takes a look and is speechless. Literally. She looks at it and looks up at the sky/ceiling as if to say, “OMG!” She remembers that I’d only bought my wheel a week before. Margarite is also there and she starts raving right away, reminding them all that this is my first. Margarite says to Trish in a low voice that I don’t think she meant for me to hear, “I think she needs a job.” Trish stands there, still staring at the yarn in her hand with her mouth still agape. I’m blushing and my head is still swelling. I still think my spinning is just OK and nothing spectacular.

Trish asks me if I’ll spin for her. Silence… “For you? You mean like, to sell?” She’s beaming at me, face a little red and flushed. “I told you we were going to be best friends,” she grins. I start getting light-headed. OMG, she thinks my stuff is good enough to SELL!!!! I don’t agree right away but she tells me that she’ll give me all the fiber, different kinds of fiber, to try any time I want. I can spin ANYTHING I WANT for free…. but I have to give it back when I’m done LOL. I tell her that she’s taking a risk that I’ll ruin stuff. She holds up the merino/soy silk I’ve spun (and am very proud of) in front of my face and says, “Yeah. Whatever.” She tells me I must have been a spinner in a past life. More head-swelling.

I figure I’ll take her up on her offer soon. But only to try different fibers and such. I’ll take notes on stuff that turns out well and stuff I don’t like. Once I’ve spun everything I can get my hands on, if she asks me to spin more, if I’m still doing well, I’ll ask to be paid.

I rather think I make a good red-head. Gotta tone down those eyebrows, though. In all seriousness, it’s not as orange as it looks in the photo. The bottom is, in reality, much more like the crown looks and the crown in reality… well, it’s pushing strawberry blonde. But admitedly no where NEAR blonde LOL!

I’ll give it one more pass before I reach for the purple… make it nice and trashy bleach-blonde. My folks are going to have a heart attack. Especially my dad. I forgot to mention my plan. Mwahahahaha! My brother will find it rather interesting but I have a feeling that his wife will dig it.

I’m bleaching my hair. Like plantinum blonde, bleach…. which means it’ll be more of a dark, sandy blonde when I’m done. Bonus if it’s lighter than that.

Teehee!

What have I been doing today? Sitting and waiting for my cell phone to ring to tell me I’ve got to go back to court. While sitting, I was spinning, of course.

I swung by the office to turn in my keys and parking card. I picked up my last paycheck. As I was leaving, I pulled out my cellphone and called Laurie Ann because I just HAD to tell SOMEONE about my good fortune.

What will I be doing to celebrate? Dying my hair purple. That will happen as soon as I know for certain that this trial is wrapped up. Else I’d be dragged into court with funky hair, with my luck.

My BIL and SIL are in town at the moment. I think I might even go crazy and skip a day of blogging over the weekend. Although, knowing me, that’s unlikely.

Can I just point out that my “last day at work” counter has hit zero?

1. I don’t know if I can meet Annika for lunch on Saturday but I am pretty sure I can drive over and drop off goodies.
2. No, I cannot knit in court. I would get crucified… by my attorney, I’m sure.
3. Yes, there is air conditioning.
4. Yes, it’s 1o03749 degrees outside daily.
5. Yes, I have been getting knitting and spinning in daily.
6. I bought my drop spindle on 7/3 so I’ve been spinning for 2 weeks and 3 days.
7. A production spinner (that I’ll have to tell you about) has asked me if I’m interested in trying different fibers… i.e. spin stuff for free but I have to give it back to her to sell whenever I’m done. So, fantastic way to get my hands on different stuff and get a feel for what I might like to use for different types of yarn. But the fact that a PRODUCTION SPINNER thinks that MY yarn should be SOLD is just mind-boggling. I can’t help but be amazingly dumbfounded by this.
8. I’m currently using a drummer’s stool that I stole from my darling M.
9. M dropped a quick email to his friends at Music 123 telling them that I’m using drummer gear for spinning. He got a call back right away from Douglas in the shop. His wife is a spinner. She’ll be looking at drum stools.
10. No, I don’t think I’ll be making it to the guild gathering on Saturday. I will try but I’m not sure.
11. Camus the poodle can’t get enough of Alpaca. He’s, so far, leaving my merino tussah alone but there are other tempting things for him to try to eat. I need to make sure I hide stuff when I leave the house.