sponsor giveaway ~

my first ever sponsor giveaway is from wild faerie caps! 

wild faerie caps is the shop of melissa, also known as eidolons. melissa is a multi talented spinner,

dyer, and knitter. this waldorf inspired, eco-minded mother of three has discovered her passion

(i remember when she bought her first wheel!) and is ready to share it. 

in melissa's own words :

 Spinning, to me, is like alchemy. Transforming clouds of fluff into

strong cords of texture and color. It is magical to watch another
person spin yarn. I cannot find the words to explain how it felt the
first time I was able to spin my own. It was like coming home after a
long journey and settling in with a cool drink. Even before I learned
to knit, I would admire the handspun yarn of others. Wishing,
dreaming, budgeting, scouring classified ads - these were a part of my
path to spinning. Having never used a wheel before - never having seen
one used in person - I chose my wheel carefully. Months of research
and penny counting led me to Dervish, my Ashford Kiwi. When I sit
before Dervish with a lap full of fiber I am transported to ancient
lands, to wooded hills and log cabins. My mind wanders as the fibers
slip through my fingers and the quiet whoosh of the wheel summons
windswept plains and waves breaking on a silent beach. Spinning is my
meditation, my calm, my freedom. I've learned so much in the short
time that I've been at it. It gladdens my heart that no matter how
much I spin, there will always be more to learn.
 

(all photos by melissa)

I prefer to spin wool above other fibers. I am especially drawn to
wool acquired as ethically and locally as possible. That said, I am
not above ordering fiber from elsewhere - Florida isn't exactly known
for it's roaming sheep. When I dye fibers I tend to do so before they
are spun. I enjoy using my Brother drum carder to blend the colors,
creating something reminiscent of the watercolors my mother painted
when I was little. If spinning is alchemy, then dyeing is like brewing
potions. I began dyeing with food coloring - drops, egg dyes, powdered
drink mixes, and cake gels. Using food safe dyes allowed me to involve
my younger children in the process. Long afternoons of mixing colors
and painting yarns and rovings are always loved by all. In the rare
moments that I have to myself with the dye pots I like to play with
natural dyes. I've had my share of flops and user error, but the
experimentation is part of the joy. My oldest son and I gather fallen
black walnuts from the parking lot of a local grocery store every
autumn. Some families have hay rides and bonfires, we stain our
fingers brown tearing open walnut hulls to make beautiful dyes.
 

Most of my yarns are named by myself though my husband and oldest son
often contribute suggestions. I am drawn to fae things - wilderness
and darkling woods, mermaids and kelp-filled lagoons, chilly caves
filled with squatting goblins. Often times the yarn names itself as I
spin it. On the other hand, my family is filled with avid gamers and I
am an avid reader. Some names are subtle (and not so subtle) nods to
characters in movies, games, and books.

 thank you so much melissa for sharing a bit about yourself, and how your yarn is 

made. and now dear readers, melissa has generously offered a skein of her

hand dyed, hand spun wool to one lucky winner!

from melissa:

One-of-a-kind hank of hand-dyed, handspun, 2-ply yarn. It is 100%
merino wool. It was spun, plied, and then dyed with yellow onion skins
(giving it a soft wheat, almost peach color). As with all of my
handspun, it has been washed in unscented Soak wool wash.
 
Weight: approximately 75 grams
Yardage: approximately 60 yards
Fiber: merino wool
Care: hand wash, dry flat
 

to win this hank of beautiful wool leave a comment below, i'd love to know if you spin and how you

 came to learn also (and would you come and teach me?!)  i'll choose a name this

sunday october 28th and announce it back in this post.

good luck!

the winner is:
 W~S Wanderings!
"What a wonderful interview! And I remember when the multi-talented Melissa first got her spinning wheel too :-)Sadly, I do not spin, but I sure do have spinning envy! Such a wonderful giveaway. The yarn looks gorgeous.Crossing my fingers...

Congratulations W~S W!! please email me at lorix5@hotmail.com

p.s. to visit wild faerie caps shop go here, blog here

california redwoods and a winner!

it was time for our trip to end. we had traveled up the interior of california, to the eastern sierras, to white mountain and the ancient bristlecone trees, staying overnight in big pine. then on through yosemite, back to the coast and san francisco, sleeping one night in the city before continuing up highway one, stopping at pt. reyes and nearly every small coastal village on the way to our destination, mendocino!

this is the last post of the trip, we're heading back down now, back home, along the way attempting to see some of what we didn't on our way up.... would you like to come along?!

 muir woods national monument. but first...

 leaving mendocino county we passed lighthouses, this is point arena

and sheep

we made a detour to pt. reyes national seashore again. this time to the western most end (near the pt. reyes lighthouse) to see...

 elephant seals!

we stayed in a charming hotel in stinson beach

the room was so cute and tiny, and tilting, we had to sleep with our heads at the foot of the bed  :)

the sand dollar restaurant next door was yum! and we did not miss the wine hour here  :)

everything was closed by the time we arrived, but it was fun to look around

the next morning, we were the first ones here...

muir woods national monument is a remnant of ancient coast redwood forests that blanketed many northern california coastal valleys before the 1800's.

local businessman william kent and his wife elizabeth thacher kent bought land in this valley in 1905 to protect one of the last stands of uncut redwoods

to ensure permanent protection, they donated 295 acres of redwoods to the federal government. in 1908 president theodore roosevelt proclaimed the area a national monument.

at william kent's request, it was named for the conservationist john muir.

thanks to the inspiration of john muir and the generous gift of the kent family, over 100 years later we are still able to experience this ancient old-growth forest.

we have been entrusted to carry on the legacy of kent and muir, protecting this awe-inspiring place for future
generations and working towards the preservation of wilderness, wildness, and natural wonder

a burl growing on this tree

quiet

can you hear?

the trees?

this is the best tree-lover's monument that could possibly be found in all the forests of the world. you have done me great honor, and i am proud of it ~ john muir to william kent

if you'd like more information on muir woods, go here. i wish that everyone could experience this ancient forest and the magnificent, hundreds year old, california redwoods in it. sights and sounds including water flowing through redwood creek, birds calling and wind blowing through trees, are some of the experiences to take with you, to keep in your heart, from this very special place.

thank you for such kind comments on the kantishna experience post! there is so much more
to share about alaska, i hope it will still be interesting! another post coming soon, and...

the winner for the alaskan wool, antler buttons, and quivit sample is:

kristen of cozy things

congratulations kristen!

please email me at lorix5@hotmail.com 

and i'll send your package right off to you kristen. if you didn't win this time (i wish wish wish
there was enough to send to all) a few more lovely giveaways are coming up soon!

xxx lori

the packard house ~ the blue door inn

back at home now from our trip to northern california (missing it already), mendocino is truly a stunning place. oh but we had a good time and a funny thing happened on this adventure,

as incredible as the scenery was there

and we love being out of doors...

the accommodations we had were nearly as beautiful as the nature, and made it hard to leave the comfort of the three different bed & breakfasts we stayed at. pictured above is the packard house, in mendocino village

our room was gorgeous, there was a fireplace, a flat screen television, spa bathtub and luxurious toiletries (kiehl's)

a sitting room right outside our door, with another fireplace!

here is the main room. in the early evening wine was served (we missed that while chuck surfed). i did sit in one of the cozy brown chairs to knit awhile and soon i had company. another knitter! she and i had so much fun talking (knitting) while knitting, her husband left and so did mine (that's when i found him watching a  game on our tv). hee hee.

another view of the living room, and another fireplace

the dining room, where we were served a fantastic breakfast by our lovely hostess

can you see the sign? it says full. i imagine it is this way a lot. thank you packard house, for the wonderful, incredible experience. we will be back!

the town was so pretty, with so much to look at, my camera didn't come out much. there are many historic buildings in mendocino, someday it would be nice to take a walking tour and learn more. i did see this quilt shop and took a photo for helen and teje!

mendo mushrooms!

and a fantastic organic food shop in an old converted church (is this the one gitte and ida?)

our next (and last) place to stay was the blue door inn, the sister b & b to the packard house

we checked in, met our kind host and ran out to make the most of daylight, but first i swooned at this impeccable room. just like the packard house, there is a spa bathtub, flat screen, fireplace, beautiful toiletries (that excited me much more than chuck) hee hee.

chuck and our friend craig, surfed at a spot above fort bragg

i watched them each catch one wave and then the thickest fog i've ever seen rolled in, weather is much more dramatic up here

after a delicious dinner of thai food with friends we made our way back to the blue door inn

full again

there's our room!

the living room

we missed the wine hour here too  :(

dining room

comfy sitting areas, that we did not have time to sit in. next time! thank you blue door inn, we had a fantastic time in your gorgeous elegant home. thank you both packard house and blue door for your warmth and hospitality. we will be back!

time to leave this magical place

would you like to see a few things that came home with me?...a nikki mcclure paper cut card of mendocino, a new favorite c.d., the book arcadia (can't put down) and knitting everyday finery by mel clark, loving this book, for the patterns and the photography. muir woods, oops, i haven't written about that yet, it's coming up in another post soon, and then i promise i'll be done posting so frequently lately! i really apologize for that!
to learn more about the lovely places we stayed while in mendocino go here and for the alegria b & b  written about a few posts back, go here.
if you haven't yet entered a giveaway i am having, there is still time! a name will be drawn this sunday around six pm, pacific standard time, go here.
thank you for coming along on this adventure, i hope to finish with alaska soon too, before we go camping next week!
xxx lori