Shelob's lair & channeling Charlotte

Well, I'm glad to see that so many people got their giggles yesterday at the thought of me, with the sheeps, living in Brooklyn. Hello? I wasn't talking about sheep here, in the city. I meant, elsewhere. You know, where they let you live with sheep. My guess is that this means Massachusetts, where they also let you marry anyone you want, have more fiber shops per capita than anywhere else, and where most of the syndicate resides. Which syndicate? The fiber mafia. They know who they are. They're very dangerous.

I decided to devote my free time yesterday to spinning up the Countrywool bunnycrack that I've been working on. So, out onto the deck (love my deck) I go, with the wheel and the parakeet in the cage. Take a look at the plants out there and start watering. Suddenly, almost at face level

she who spins.

My mom's favorite story was Charlotte's Web. We watched the movie. We read the book numerous times. She named her poodle Charlotte, of course. I do not kill spiders. Note: in Texas where brown recluses are rampant, we killed some spiders.

Now, I have a pretty good relationship with spiders, but yesterday was notable for its succession of miserable encounters. First off, I took a shower and at about the point where the shower was off and I had grabbed a towel, I noticed a sodden spider in the tub. I was heartbroken. She was big and she was, as far as I could tell, quite dead. I scooped her up on a piece of paper and gently put her in the top of the garbage, in case she dried out and could manage to crawl away. I tried not to process the fact that she probably came off my towel, but I mourned her.

So after finding the beauty above, I went around the deck and looked for more spiders. There were at least three. I have a history of tending my spiders and naming them. They're all named Arachne, which just keeps things simple. This particular beauty had artfully arranged herself and her large web between the crossbars of my hammock-swing.

Let me tell you, its HARD to take a picture of a spider. She's actually in the web there, but I had to reach around with a pad of paper to create a backdrop or I couldn't get the camera to focus at all.

I tried to feed her an ant, and in a tragic act of charity gone bad, I flicked the leaf with the ant right into her web and destroyed it. Arachne, hon, I'm really sorry. Fools rush in and all that.

I tried to make some kind of spinner's restitution by doing some spinning - an offering to the spinning goddess, as it were. A sacrifice on the altar. So I finished spinning and plied the Countrywool bunny fluff in the company of Arachne I, II, and III.

Its not washed. I've heard things about washing and beating it up to raise the angora fluff. Beat the bunny? Awww......

At any rate being done with that roving, I can now spin the blue bunny balls. Shush.

Comments

[Laurie]

All spiders in my house are studiously avoided and allowed to do their deeds in anonymity. They take care of the wayward ant, and that's ALL I want to know.

Good yarn (including the spider one) and nice spinning.

[Beth]

I'm not fond of your buddies. I've got a cat that takes care of them for me. And living in a basement apartment, I'm really thankful for my cat.

[molly]

That is a beautiful spider shot. Whenever I see big ones I can only imagine them perched on my face in the middle of the night and, well, I just can't be as kind as you are. Maybe one day...

[margene]

All the spiders in my studio are named Herman. I'm sure Arachne forgave you after you spun with her.

[Kim]

Charlotte's Web was my favorite book as a child. I love spiders! They eat nasty old flies and for that one feat alone, they will forever be safe in my home.

Cool spider picture!

[Anne]

Are Arachne etc. available to give spinning pointers? It seems like everyone is getting in on the summer of lace thing, even them. Maybe you could sponsor a combo spinning/lace knitting class and love-a-spider day.

[Vicki]

Oh.My.God!

[adelaide]

YOU might have killed spiders in Texas. I'd never believe that Jon did. Feckless wench!

[Wendy]

It's nice that you have such a peaceful relationship with spiders. I wish I did, but after suffering a horrific spider-bite several years ago, I cannot forgive spiders for the misdeed of one.

I wouldn't deliberately kill one, though, unless it were her or me.

[Juno]

Beat the bunny? Child, hush your mouth.

I had children's book about a clumsy witch-in-training when I was little. She was so sad at her disgrace that the spiders brought her a web drenched in dew to use as a handkerchief and all the spiteful old cats were envious.

It is odd what one remembers.

[claudia]

Don't know nuthin' 'bout no syndicate.

[Liz]

I used to hate spiders, and would want to kill them, but James told me that any spider I killed I would have to eat. Ew. So that put an end to my spider-killing days.

We have gobs of them in the house (must be all these bugs in ME), which we tolerate until they get too big or look ready to make billions of babies. Then they're forced to live in the wild outdoors.

But I do think I may have been a spider in a previous life. Probably you, too.

[Jessica]

I'm okay with spiders but have a daughter who is absolutely terrified of them. We live in an old house so we often have to share our space with a few of your friends. My daughters fear of spiders is actually my husband's fault - I joke with him that he's scarred her for life sometimes. One hallowe'en he put a bunch of fake plastic spiders in her and her brother's bed and on the floor. She woke up and found them and didn't sleep for the rest of the night - he got to stay up with her. Serves him right. We often have to come and "remove" these little friends of ours from her room because like you I can't kill them - I "release" them to the wilds of the backyard. Your latest spinning efforts are lovely.

[mamacate]

Ooh, yummy bunny. I'm not taking the bait with the rest of it, but we have a similar attitude about spiders around here. They are carefully relocated if they invite themselves into the house.

[Lee Ann]

We relocate them too. And Twinkletoes has brought the No-Kill Rule to Boston, where she is staying with her father--she regularly gives me spider reports over the phone.

I wonder if the Montréal spiders write "RADIANT" or "RESPLENDISSANT"...

[cari]

I used to love spiders. Then I was mugged by a spider on the Appalachian Trail and my arm damn near rotted off. Prednisone and the corresponding prednisone psychosis followed. They kind of creep me out now. I hate it when my limbs start to rot.(photo in my archives if you're really curious, but I don't recommend looking)

[Beth S.]

Oh my GOD Cassie. Could you please post a warning the next time you decide to put a GIGANTIC FREAKING SPIDER on your blog? I'm having palpitations over here...

[stephanie]

I have such a strange relationship with spiders. On the one hand, I respect them for their spinning, the way they bring balance to the universe and am grateful for them keeping pests in my garden to a minimum.

On the other hand, they scare the bejeepers out of me and make me want to run screaming into the night.

[Cordelia]

She's such pretty colors; do you suppose she knew she'd match your shawls?
I love spider webs, too, and it's so much fun to watch the spiders build them

[Marcia]

Well, my spinning group was called "Sisters of Spiderwoman" at one point, but I'm still not overly fond of them. Spiders, I mean. As for the bunny beating thing, I did that with the yarn I made from one of my gift fleeces. It really does even the yarn out, but where fibers like angora, qiviuq and the like are concerned, it's supposed to be magic. Go for it!

[Kristen]

ooooohhh. I'm envious that you're moving onto bunny fur! (I love what you've spun up so far - I have a new appreciation for plying now that I've tried it...)I suppose I could spin up the green bunny fiber I got from Kim, but I just don't think I'm worthy yet. I'm still working on the sheep shed wool I got, and think it'd be best if I finished all of that first. (meaning it'll be awhile before I get to the bunny fuzz...)

[susan]

Personally, I'm totally freaked out by the nasty looking little creatures. No tears are shed at my house when the cat does her "thang" with them (which results in their rapid demise).

[Rebekah]

What a beautiful spider. That was one of my favorite stories of all time. I so wanted to be Wilbur.

[julia fc]

Wow, this is where the party is today hm?
I would love it if you moved to Massachusetts, even if it were out west, at least you'd be w/in driving distance.
Here's what we do with spider webs around here.
Find a retired web (most of them only are used for a day or two since spiders are extremely fastidious things and don't want to be seen in an untide web, that is one that has been mangled by wind and something that put up a good fight.
Spray the retired web lightly with white spray paint.
Carefully catch the web against a piece of black construction paper, making a spider web print. Let dry.

A fun craft for kids (and spinners) of all ages.

[sandy]

It looks like she's smiling!
:)