This morning I’m sitting beachside on the south shore of Oahu, writing to you in a word doc because I have no internet connection.

And I’m okay with that.

Of course, that means I probably won’t actually send this email until the afternoon!

But that’s okay, too.

I finished my secret squirrel yarn for the spinning magazine and we had a break in the rain, so I brought the finished hank to the beach for a little morning photoshoot.

The light wasn’t quite optimal, being low and kind of behind, but a little editing can work wonders sometimes.

I really really can’t wait for you to get to see this in color!!

I have a loose plan for what I’m going to crochet with it, but I’d like to do a little swatching with a similar weight yarn first and, of course, I didn’t know exactly what weight it would end up being until after it had been washed and dried, being handspun yarn and all.

Oh, I’m sure a more technically proficient spinner than myself could spin to certain specifications and know exactly what they’d end up with before they even started spinning.

But I’m more of a fly by the seat of my pants sort of gal.

I like to take my time considering the color and any preparations I want to make before I begin spinning (like do I want to spin straight from the braid or split it in half or break it up in chunks or what?) but once I begin the actual spinning, I let the fiber lead!

If the fiber is smooth and easy and nice and cooperative? It’ll probably be a thinner yarn.

If it’s cantankerous and I have to stop and start a bunch? Probably more variance with thick and thin spots and a heavier weight yarn.

Trying to fight with a grumpy batch of fiber would make ME grumpy! And so I just go with the flow and let it become whatever sort of yarn it wants to be.

THIS yarn was a delight to spin. Soft and mostly played nice for both spinning the singles and plying.

I’m working on a second write up for Patreon to talk more about this second part of making the yarn, but it’s not quite ready yet. So stay tuned for that next week maybe? Here's the first one in case you missed it.

Although next week I’ll be packing to leave for our trip to Hawaii Island to see my three tapestries in the Storied Ground Exhibit at Kahilu Theatre!

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Look, that's Molokai: Mountainside in the graphic they created, eep! 🤩

I’m really looking forward to the trip and seeing all the works selected for the show. (Will there be other fiber/textile pieces??) We’ll only be there a couple days, really just one full day, but it’s always a fun mini adventure when we do a little island hopping!

In other news, I had hoped to have my son’s rainbow yarn pillow cover finished by now to show you how that turned out, but I haven’t felt up to facing down the edging and seaming yet.

Maybe that’s why so many of my published patterns have ZERO finishing required! Edgings annoy me and seaming fills me with dread, lol. Even when it’s a crocheted seam!

So wish me luck getting that finished up. Maybe for next time.

Speaking of my son, though, we celebrated his tenth birthday this week! Double digits, y’all.

They grow so fast, don’t they?

No, seriously, he’s going to be as tall as I am any day now! Okay, not quite yet. But it seems like it sometimes.

My husband thinks by the time he’s 12, which gives him two years to catch up to my whole entire five feet of height. (Actually, last I checked I had shrank a bit and am definitely UNDER five feet tall now. When do I have to stop rounding up?)

I suspect it may take him a little longer than that to hit 60 inches, though. My husband is also not very tall, so the poor kid doesn’t have much hope of even reaching an “average” height.

We DO have a few tall folks in the family, though, so you never know!

All right, I better hush and pack up before I go and get myself sunburned. I picked a table in the sun because the seat wasn’t quite as wet, but it’s time to seek out some shade now.

Maybe I can even find some internet?

Wish me luck!

-Connie

P.S. I taught another beginner crochet class at my local library this weekend (gosh, I’m going to miss them!) and that reminded me that I should probably talk about my Intro to Crochet class on Skillshare more often. If you happen to know anyone who’s been wanting to learn to crochet, share this link [ https://skl.sh/4goqB4u ] with them and they can get their first month free! (Fair warning: there are TONS of great classes on Skillshare, so it’s easy to fall down a rabbit hole!)

And if you’re looking for an in person crochet class? Check your local library or community center! If they don’t have one, ask them to consider doing so. We were all surprised at how quickly my class signups filled when we started putting crochet on the calendar!

P.P.S. We're overdue for a chicken update, I know. But those baby chickens don't want to cooperate! I haven't taken a single picture of them that isn't blurry in the past two weeks, lol. Will you settle for one of this dude?

He's been walking around with that one tail feather dragging the ground for DAYS now and as nosy as he is (I was taking pictures of yarn on the front porch when I snapped this picture of him) he won't let me get close enough to snatch that feather out!

P.P.P.S. No, I didn't find any internet until after I got back home. I'm sending this off right before heading back out the door again for school pick up. Have a good night, y'all!