Hobbies
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Hobbies. But first, I love the Moth Radio Hour on NPR. Don't catch it as often as I'd like, but thoroughly enjoy it when I do.
My hobbies fall into 2 categories: Fiber (especially wool) arts, and late nineteenth century mechanical homewares (sewing machine, music makers, etc.)
Two Saturdays ago, I took a day long workshop on great wheel spinning at the Newbury School of Weaving, 27 miles northwest of here, just across the VT border. Although I've made yarn at the great wheel before (learning from videos and books), taking the class was a real boost. It answered questions and filled in gaps. I want to take a week long weaving class there, but that will have to wait until Cielo is a less dependent on me.
I'm currently spending my evenings picking wool, a Wenslydale fleece I bought last year. Some is scoured and picked, ready for carding, some is not yet scoured, and some is scoured but not picked. I put something on YouTube and pick away. I will be spinning it on the great wheel. Left to right: picked, scoured and unpicked, raw (unscoured) in the plastic bag.
Other fiber related projects in the works are a hooked rug I'm completing, a wool applique quilt I made 2 years ago that needs quilting, some Shetland wool I'm spinning for a shawl.
At the moment, I'm rebuilding the bellows on the Roller Organ I bought last year. It's all on the dining room table!
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I rejoined the audio/stereo universe with gusto in 2017, and it hasn't stopped. Back then I had 1 vinyl LP which was Mike Oldfield's Airborne. Now I have well over 500 LPs and about 30 Reel to Reel tapes and even more cassette tapes that I never tossed.
My system is more than I ever imagined it would be including a pair of 650 watt SimAudio 400M Solid State mono block amplifiers, a pair of Decware 6 watt Tube Mono blocks for when I am feeling like some tube goodness, a matching SimAudio Pre-Amp, a couple of Reel to Reel decks, a Marantz 3 head, 2 speed Cassette Deck a Roon Streamer and separate PS Audio DAC, a super crazy German Turntable and PS Audio phono pre-amp, and some crazy sexy Sonus Faber Il Cremonese, Italian speakers. It sounds so good, I will never want for something "better".
Ugh, we desperately need new window treatments. And don't mind the messy listening space.
Very nice!
I remember when you were just getting in to audio, and predicted that you would end up with a fantastic system. Looks like you have!
Did you assemble the system all at once or were there steps along the way?
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@ShiroKuro, I have two quilts my grandmother made. They're too fragile to use now, but they meant a lot to my mother, because her mother died when she was two, and the quilts are almost the only memento of her that Mama had.
It's really extraordinary to hold something made by someone who's been gone so long and think of them cutting the fabric, stitching it together, and doing all the creative work it takes to complete a big project.
@ShiroKuro, I have two quilts my grandmother made. They're too fragile to use now, but they meant a lot to my mother, because her mother died when she was two, and the quilts are almost the only memento of her that Mama had.
It's really extraordinary to hold something made by someone who's been gone so long and think of them cutting the fabric, stitching it together, and doing all the creative work it takes to complete a big project.
I feel the same way working with my father’s tools.
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@ShiroKuro, I have two quilts my grandmother made. They're too fragile to use now, but they meant a lot to my mother, because her mother died when she was two, and the quilts are almost the only memento of her that Mama had.
It's really extraordinary to hold something made by someone who's been gone so long and think of them cutting the fabric, stitching it together, and doing all the creative work it takes to complete a big project.
It's really extraordinary to hold something made by someone who's been gone so long and think of them cutting the fabric, stitching it together, and doing all the creative work it takes to complete a big project.
Yes it certainly is!
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Mark, love it, a joyous photo revealing the essence of a true hobbyist, fabulous, slightly insane
I bet you have a spare 1m cable that cost more than all of my 150 juggling balls, and a wife that says the same things to you when you're searching through vinyl on the floor of a thrift store as mine does to me when I start throwing dog toys in a pet shop.
Mark, love it, a joyous photo revealing the essence of a true hobbyist, fabulous, slightly insane
I bet you have a spare 1m cable that cost more than all of my 150 juggling balls, and a wife that says the same things to you when you're searching through vinyl on the floor of a thrift store as mine does to me when I start throwing dog toys in a pet shop.
While I have no idea how much 150 juggling balls cost, you are probably very close to being, if not 100% correct.
What exactly does your wife do to you when you start throwing dog toys in a pet shop?
Mrs. Mark is actually responsible for one of, if not the most expensive single purchase of vinyl LPs. We found a "New In Box" with Factory Seal Tape on the outer box, "The Beatles Collection" which is every Beatles Studio album Original Master Recordings Box Set from Mobile Fidelity Labs. It was released in the 1980s. We bought it in January of 2019. It required a trip to the bank to get the cash for the deal.
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Very nice!
I remember when you were just getting in to audio, and predicted that you would end up with a fantastic system. Looks like you have!
Did you assemble the system all at once or were there steps along the way?
Very nice!
I remember when you were just getting in to audio, and predicted that you would end up with a fantastic system. Looks like you have!
Did you assemble the system all at once or were there steps along the way?
Yes, I tend to get very serious about things I like. Music is like breathing to me. Without it, I will surely die.
Totally steps along the way. Most of the system is pre-owned equipment. What we like to call "Audiophiliac Disease" results in people who have way more money than I, spending obscene amounts of money on things only to catch the related disease called, "Upgradeitis". This leads to a very healthy pre-owned market where you can find absolute gems for up to 80% or more off their original Retail price. Not unlike luxury automobiles.
The vintage pieces like the Cassette and Reel to Reel decks are from a customer of mine. They are the result of bartering.
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@Steve-Miller Our local Sheep & Wool Festivals, one in NH and one in VT, are a great place to buy fleeces because you can inspect them before buying. I've also bought a fleece online before from someone in NH.
Pics I took of the NH Sheep & Wool Festival last month here (at bottom of the post if you want to skip ahead). You can click on the pics to enlarge them:
https://twistandvibrations.blogspot.com/2026/05/sheep-and-wool-etc.html -
Mark, love it, a joyous photo revealing the essence of a true hobbyist, fabulous, slightly insane
I bet you have a spare 1m cable that cost more than all of my 150 juggling balls, and a wife that says the same things to you when you're searching through vinyl on the floor of a thrift store as mine does to me when I start throwing dog toys in a pet shop.
While I have no idea how much 150 juggling balls cost, you are probably very close to being, if not 100% correct.
What exactly does your wife do to you when you start throwing dog toys in a pet shop?
Mrs. Mark is actually responsible for one of, if not the most expensive single purchase of vinyl LPs. We found a "New In Box" with Factory Seal Tape on the outer box, "The Beatles Collection" which is every Beatles Studio album Original Master Recordings Box Set from Mobile Fidelity Labs. It was released in the 1980s. We bought it in January of 2019. It required a trip to the bank to get the cash for the deal.
Guessing you didn't find that mint Beatles Set on the floor of a thrift shop; and there'd be little change out of two grand.
I have a friend who has gone down the rabbit hole of very best hi-fi gear, but he has bought everthing pre-loved. Hence my reference to the price of cables, even used off evilbay.
But considering the pianos we have...
Thing with balls is they are cheap and readily available
A few, spot the cheap doggy bouncers, while the 9 purples are my practice set.
🤪Ventosa viri restabit
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Guessing you didn't find that mint Beatles Set on the floor of a thrift shop; and there'd be little change out of two grand.
I have a friend who has gone down the rabbit hole of very best hi-fi gear, but he has bought everthing pre-loved. Hence my reference to the price of cables, even used off evilbay.
But considering the pianos we have...
Thing with balls is they are cheap and readily available
A few, spot the cheap doggy bouncers, while the 9 purples are my practice set.
🤪@AndyD those are very pretty!
I once decided that I wanted to learn how to juggle, and Mr SK and I actually took a juggling class together. That was fun, but I never really got consistently good at juggling three, whereas for Mr SK is easy as pie. Ah well. Maybe I’ll pick it up and give it again some day.
Do you know what a Kendama is? We can both do that, although he’s better than I am.
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Guessing you didn't find that mint Beatles Set on the floor of a thrift shop; and there'd be little change out of two grand.
I have a friend who has gone down the rabbit hole of very best hi-fi gear, but he has bought everthing pre-loved. Hence my reference to the price of cables, even used off evilbay.
But considering the pianos we have...
Thing with balls is they are cheap and readily available
A few, spot the cheap doggy bouncers, while the 9 purples are my practice set.
🤪Guessing you didn't find that mint Beatles Set on the floor of a thrift shop; and there'd be little change out of two grand.
I have a friend who has gone down the rabbit hole of very best hi-fi gear, but he has bought everthing pre-loved. Hence my reference to the price of cables, even used off evilbay.
But considering the pianos we have...
Thing with balls is they are cheap and readily available
A few, spot the cheap doggy bouncers, while the 9 purples are my practice set.
🤪The Beatles boxset was actually quite a bit under two grand. It was $1,200 cash out the door at a local record shop. Which, for 14 pristine, incredible sounding LPs really isn't "that bad"
How many of those colored orbs can you keep in the air at once?
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@mark
All for about one second
Five for minutes
Seven for about 10 seconds (that's 5 or 6 times around).
Flashed 9.
But I tend to run 4 & 5 patterns. Any more takes hours of daily practice.@shirokuro
Had to search for Kendama; reminds me of a wooden ball in cup game we enjoyed as kids
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@mark
All for about one second
Five for minutes
Seven for about 10 seconds (that's 5 or 6 times around).
Flashed 9.
But I tend to run 4 & 5 patterns. Any more takes hours of daily practice.@shirokuro
Had to search for Kendama; reminds me of a wooden ball in cup game we enjoyed as kids@AndyD Interesting! That looks somewhat similar.
The cool thing about the kendama is that one goal is to rotate around the device, so that each time, you catch the ball with a different part of it (big cup, small cup, bottom cup, spike).
I'm really good a rotating between big cup and bottom cup, but less so at going back and forth between all four.
Here are some photos.
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