Once upon a time, there was a princess named Etherknitter. She was not like most princesses. Peas under mattresses bothered her not a whit. Her sensititivies were different. Other lumps kept her up at night, and these were called nepps.
During one Rhinebeck several years past, she purchased soft Jacob that was not soft. It was dyed with indigo and osage. The blue bump was beautiful until drafting began, and nepps were revealed.
Fate also decreed that this fiber would be spun on a new wheel. Nepps plus new wheel made overspun, neppy yarn. The princess cried. New knowledge is often painful. She understood that, but cried still. And she stopped spinning the fiber.
Then the Tour de Fleece happened in 2010. (It actually happens every year, but in our kingdom, this is the year that was important to our tale.)
Part of the princess' Tour de Fleece vow was to finish unfinished SIPs. The Jacob, long abandoned, was one SIP that was finished. Her intention was a 2-ply.
She looked at the fiber. She examined the deadlines for the Tour. Finishing the single is ENOUGH, she decreed. The blog documented this.
Fairy Godmothers happen to read blogs. They heed cries of princesses in spinning pain. Princess Etherknitter's fairy godmother happened to live across the pond in the UK. She understood in her wise heart, that those singles would be good for weaving. Fairy godmothers communicate in modern ways in modern times. Soon, emails initiated a mailing of singles to the fairy godmother (hereafter known as CarolineM).
She waved her magic wand over the fiber. It became a plyed yarn, then a weaving project, and then a sewing project. A package hurtled back across the pond to the USA. And Princess Etherknitter smiled.
It was more than a smile. It was joy. Disbelief. Wonder. Gratitude. The transformation of ugly single to beautiful FO was beyond anything she had been able to visualize, or anticipate. The yarn sent is the dark blue. CarolineM conjured the rest with her wand, and put it all together.
The wise ones say a picture is worth a thousand words. Let us end our fairy tale with that.
Hooray for happy endings!
Posted by: PumpkinMama | Wednesday, April 13, 2011 at 11:23 AM
What a lovely story, and a lovelier bag!
Posted by: Amy | Wednesday, April 13, 2011 at 11:59 AM
Every princess story should have an ending that wonderful. The bag is so beauitful it makes me want to cry, as did hearing from you!
Posted by: margene | Wednesday, April 13, 2011 at 12:26 PM
Good story! If you had kids they would be wanting to hear it again, and again, and again...Oh wait, maybe that's just me.
Awesome bag, and I love that lining. Hip, hip for Caroline M!
Posted by: Paula | Wednesday, April 13, 2011 at 12:27 PM
Wow, that is so great!
Posted by: Melissa G | Wednesday, April 13, 2011 at 12:41 PM
Oh, that is all so wonderful!!!
(If it helps, I'm finding a lot of neps in the Rovings Polwarth I'm spinning.)
Posted by: Lynn | Wednesday, April 13, 2011 at 12:56 PM
All things work out in time. Great story (and even better bag!).
Posted by: Ruth | Wednesday, April 13, 2011 at 01:13 PM
Great story! You have a kind and wonderful Fairy Godmother. :-) Love the bag!
Posted by: Manise | Wednesday, April 13, 2011 at 01:39 PM
Oh BOY! Oh BOY-O-BOY! I love that. How fantastic.
I need one of them-thar Fairy Godmothers I think.
Posted by: Anne | Wednesday, April 13, 2011 at 01:44 PM
How wonderful - a great story AND a beautiful bag to show for it!
Posted by: Laurie | Wednesday, April 13, 2011 at 02:08 PM
What a beautiful bag. The button flap is particularly well done. And your story is a gracious tribute to your friend.
Posted by: Angie | Wednesday, April 13, 2011 at 05:35 PM
That is fantastic! I love a fairy tale with a happy ending!
Posted by: Carole | Wednesday, April 13, 2011 at 05:35 PM
Beautiful, just beautiful!
Posted by: --Deb | Wednesday, April 13, 2011 at 05:50 PM
And they all lived happily ever after! Great story.
Posted by: Cheryl S. | Wednesday, April 13, 2011 at 06:24 PM
Gorgeous!
Posted by: Martha | Wednesday, April 13, 2011 at 08:36 PM
It's a bit odd seeing the bag over there in that fairyland that lives inside my computer. It's a real object in a virtual place and it's setting off all sorts of deep thoughts that have nothing to do with wool.
I'll go polish my wand and see if I can make my son appear in his uniform ready for school. I suspect that the wand only works on wool though.
Posted by: Caroline M | Thursday, April 14, 2011 at 03:20 AM
Lovely!
Posted by: Sylvia | Thursday, April 14, 2011 at 01:39 PM
What a lucky princess!
Posted by: mary lou | Thursday, April 14, 2011 at 03:03 PM
So. The moral of the story is....what? That Princess Etherknitter is buying a loom?! (You should, you know. What doesn't work as a knitting yarn is usually PERFECT for weaving. Just saying.) I'd be more than happy to enable you in yet one more hobby....
And it is a gorgeous bag. Damn. Now I want to go warp the loom for a bag.
Posted by: Marcia | Thursday, April 14, 2011 at 06:48 PM
And you didn't even have to kiss a sheep.
Lovely bag, lovely story!
Posted by: gayle | Friday, April 15, 2011 at 07:16 AM
That is really amazing.
Posted by: claudia | Friday, April 15, 2011 at 02:12 PM
The "kiss the sheep" comment made me laugh! Great bag!
Posted by: Lorette | Friday, April 15, 2011 at 06:24 PM
And Princess Etherknitter lived happily (and wisely) ever after.
Wonderful story, FABulous bag.
Posted by: Marcy/Habetrot | Saturday, April 16, 2011 at 07:07 AM
Wow.....excellent!! What a wonderful Fairy Godmother have you!
Posted by: Kim | Monday, April 18, 2011 at 05:33 PM
Holy cow! That's amazing!
Posted by: elizabeth | Tuesday, April 19, 2011 at 11:23 AM
Holy cow! That is gorgeous. Lucky princess!
Posted by: Chris | Saturday, May 07, 2011 at 08:58 AM