Wool Gathering

So last week I mentioned that I'm working on a new project - Yeah, I know it's not Thursday. I'm a bit late.  Anyway...It started with this...

Freshly sheared wool...then it got a bath...

A bubble bath no less....cause I'm all about the pampering.

That was some seriously dirty wool.....Ewww.....

 

So then my tub became equally dirty......

That is seriously gross.

But the wool looks pretty good. 

Soft, fluffy wool....pretty.

So here's the fun part...My bathroom seriously smelled like a zoo during this process...like the stuff they shovel up.  Evidently this little lamb named Cadbury decided to roll in some stinky mess. And I think I'm going to wash the wool again cause there is a lingering...um....stench?  There is just no polite way around it.  That wool smelled like poo and a little time in the sun did NOT help. So I'm back to square one of washing wool.  For those of you a bit more experienced than I.....how many times have you washed your wool? Inquiring minds...as in mine...would like to know.  Does that smell get washed away? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Three Bags Full?

WARNING....Picture rich post with a lot of cuteness!

Actually, it's only one bag of wool. 

But its 4.4 lbs of lovely Corriedale wool to be exact. 

Doesn't he look like he's smiling at us?  And saying hi?

This little guy was shaking off, kind of like a dog does.  It was so cute!

Almost got this little guys wool too, but I couldn't find anyone to split it with me.
I had to stick to a budget...dang it.

There was so much beautiful wool, but I behaved because now I have to wash it, card it and then spin it.

This is the wool Cadbury was kind enough the share with me.

Since Car Guy is going to be gone for two weeks straight in March, guess what I'll be doing? 

We actually missed seeing the most of the shearing.  We woke up to...snow!!! Yea!  So we decided to go grab some breakfast, see how the roads were and go from there. The roads were fine and everything was very picturesque. When we got to the farm, they were shearing the last two sheep.  The others were waiting patiently in the pins, bleating every so often and coming close to the side to get the occasional ear scratch.  We were happy to oblige. Once they were release from the pin, they ran around the pasture, shaking off and frolicking about for their audience.

Even though we weren't there for very long, it was a wonderful experience and reminded me of how much I want to find my own little farm somewhere.  I am waiting for my boys to finish school and then "maybe" might become "someday."

Here's a link to the farm we went to - Rising Meadow Farm

Happy Valentine's Day...and Yarn Stuff

First of all - Happy Valentine's Day everyone!  I hope your hearts are full of love and joy today! And every day, for that matter.


As promised...here are the pictures of the other items on my needles.  This is the Summer Flies shawl.  I'm actually almost done with it.  I'm on the last section of ruffle.  I tried taking several pictures of it, but because the yarn is dark, it's not really photographing well.  Maybe after it's blocked, it will show up better. The yarn is a mixture of blue, green and a brownish copper.

I wish my photography skills were a little better because this does not show off the gorgeous stitches. Ugh.  This is a bit disappointing.  Anyway, I'll probably finish it this weekend.  I have it on temporary hold so that I can do some knitting for a friend.

Fellow Biscuit Nicole has a friend with a grandmother that just found out she's has leukemia.  She has to start chemo immediately and was told she'd lose her hair rapidly, so we are quickly making happy, colorful hats to keep her head warm.  This is some stash yarn I had leftover from Christmas elving.  It's from Hobby Lobby and is a soft chenille.  I thought it's be nice and soft on her head.  I know from my sainted mother's experiences with chemo that your head can actually hurt terribly when your hair starts falling out, so the softer, the better.

I've been doing a little shopping and purchased this book.  I have to say that I think I actually love every single pattern in it.  Seriously, every last one.  Here are a few...

This one...oh my goodness.  This makes me want to spin a lot of gorgeous wool because I think it would be so beautiful in some natural handspun...I have to have goals, right?

So, I've found that traditional winter hats (called toboggans here in the South) don't look so great on me, but for this hat, I'd give it another shot. Aren't those leaves amazing?

And I think I might be in love with this one.  That motif in the center is just wow. 

These are just three of the patterns. Click the link and you can see the others on Ravelry. There are 25 in all and there seriously isn't a bad one in the bunch.

Of course, you were all right.  The picture yesterday is of hand carders. I bought some wool at SAFF this past October and hadn't done anything with it because it seriously needed some carding. Also, I'm going to my first shearing this weekend, so I think they will come in handy.  I'm looking for some wool for that first sweater up there...now if I could just get better at plying.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Valentine's!

And Then Some

First off - I can't begin to tell you how much you all have touched me.  I knew you were a generous group, but seriously, I'm overwhelmed.  The emails, Rav messages - You've made my day....and then some. I hate to rush time, but I cannot wait to present these promised hats to Fru.  I feel like the Grinch....my heart grew three sizes today!  I humbly thank you.

Now onto our regularly scheduled programming.....

Things have been pretty busy. Car Guy as been in Vegas all week for work.  At least he says it's work....

What do you think?

It's a good thing I'm not a jealous woman.

I have a couple of things on needles.  Only I haven't taken pictures of them yet, so I'll just tell you about them.

The first item is Tudor Grace.  I'm doing it in a the lace weight Miss Babs Yet and in the Primrose colorway...Love this stuff! It's a dream to work with. Since I'm using a lighter yarn, I've increased the number of repeats from four across to ten.  I think this is going to be a WIP for a while. It's an easy lace, but I'm moving really slow.  Oh wait.  I lied.  I found a picture on my phone...tada...

The other item I'm working on is the Summer Flies Shawl. For this one I'm using Interlacements Seeds in the Chairman of the Board colorway.  I really don't have pictures of this one....I just checked.  I got this yarn at my LYS.  I went in there for a set of needles and came out with this as well...she says while hanging her head in shame for lack of will power.  You'll understand when you see it. Gorgeous blues and greens and coppers. I will warn that this is an interesting, loose spun yarn and splits rather easily.  That can be frustrating at times.

Of course I don't have pictures of any of this on Ravelry because I'm a slacker.  I know.  My sister has already fussed at me about this.  I'll get better.  One day.  Maybe....Nah.

Oh!  I've been spinning as well.  Nothing terribly exciting, just some undyed wool. Once it's done and plied, I thought I might try a little Kool Aide experimentation.  We'll cross that bridge when we get to it.

Any who....I'm off tomorrow to get Number One Son and bring him home to get a new retainer. Ugh.  A six hour trip there and back for a retainer he lost after only having it for 3 months!  I told him if he lost this one I was taking it out of his hide....and his bank account.  Yikes! He'll be with us until Sunday when I get to do the drive again....Oh Anne...are you around on Sunday?  Wanna do lunch?  Ha!

I'll try to do the "This Moment" tour, but it might not be until Saturday.  Hope you all have a wonderful weekend and again, I give you my heartfelt thanks!

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Happy Friday!

Inspired by Amanda Soule - Feel free to join in and share a link to your moment.

Thursday....

I can't believe it's already Thursday.  This week has flown by.  I am starting to feel much more like my old self.  THANK YOU so much for all your well wishes.  You are such a sweet group!!  I'm sure the kindness you all sent my way has definitely improved my health!

This year, SAFF was so wonderful.  Tons of laughter and friendship.  I always look forward to this trip and I'm glad to say it doesn't let me down. I mean seriously, how can you go wrong with Cosmos, Mudslides, yarn and wonderful friends?

Last year, my focus was on all the yarn....so much yarn!! Malabrigo, Miss Babs...these favorites were there this year and of course were purchased.

This is the Malabrigo.  If you have never splurged on this stuff....do so.  It is heaven. So wonderful to work with and the colors are AMAZING! I haven't decided what this will be when it grows up, but I know that it will be gorgeous.

This is Miss Babs Yowza...phenomenal Merino.  I do have plans for this. I want to make the Hourglass Sweater from Last Minute Knitted Gifts and selfishly, I am making it for me...but not until after the holidays. I guess you could say it's my gift to me.

This year, while the yarn was gorgeous, I kept gravitating to the fiber...tons and tons of glorious fiber of all types and colors.  I thought I went on overload last year...Ha!  A whole new door opened for me and I dove in.

I bought a pound of undyed wool to spin and practice dyeing techniques with it.  I've decided that I will dye it after I spin it as I don't know enough to dye the fiber before hand.  I did buy some already dyed wool.  There was so much of it and if I were a rich woman, I would have brought home a lot more. Here's what I did buy..

I almost don't want to spin this because it is so glorious as it is.  Rachel, one of the girls in the group came back to the house with this and I knew I had to have it.  Pictures do not do it justice.  I managed to get the last one.  See, it was meant to be...even if I just stare at it for a while.

These two are from the same vendor.  He had the most vibrant colors.  I will admit that I can't wait to spin this up because of the variegations it will create.

I'm still learning about plying, so I'm not sure what I will do there, but oh the possibilities!

I might have to see if Rachel and Fru want to come visit for a bit of spinning time to help a girl learn. Rachel was able to finally teach me how to use a spindle successfully.  She makes it look so easy!

So there you have it.  My SAFF purchases. I was very pleased with them....Oh wait!  Forgot something :)

Sock Monkey tape measure! Cause everybody needs a little something silly to make them smile.

Hope you enjoyed your glimpse into my trip to the mountains.  This is just a tiny bit of it and while it's wonderful, it doesn't compare to the ladies I spent the weekend with....the ones I've known for a while and the new ones added to the fold.  They make the whole trip worth while.

The Grind

So, have you ever noticed how difficult it is to get back to the old "grind" after time away?  Yeah, that's where I am at the moment.  Trying to get back into the rhythm of everyday when I want to go back to where I was over the weekend.  Was the weekend perfect?  No, of course not.  Was it one of the best weekends I've had in a while? Absolutely.

 

But let's face it.  When you can sit on that porch up there and see this view...

  

Life is pretty good.  Add to that, the amazing company and fiber and life is good.

I have to give major kudos to Annie...Girl, you ROCK!  Your planning found us the best house and the food was phenomenal.  I think I gained every bit of weight that I've lost back....it was so worth it!

And the ladies I got to spend the weekend with are so amazing....we even added a new knitter to the ranks!  Chelsey bought her first yarn and on Saturday night, with a big vodka tonic at her side and more teachers than she knew what to do with, she cast on her first scarf!

And thanks to Rachel , I can sort of spin with a spindle...yeah, I'm still working on that, but I'm much better than I was. And now I have PLENTY of wool to practice with....

Here's just a little sample.  It's got sparkles in it...I know, I'm such a girl sometimes. Once I get the pictures downloaded, I'll share all the gorgeousness.  Let me just say that my little plastic card had some serious smoke coming off of it.

On a more serious note, we are all fine here.  We have some extra company since Karen and Deb can't get  home to New York, but I'm so thankful they are here. Sandy is still sending some serious winds and a bit of rain our way, but we are safe and sound.  We are so much better off than so many of our neighbors to the north and on the coast.  My thoughts and prayers are with them all. 

About That Time

Oh look!! The countdown is almost over!!

 

This time tomorrow, I will be stacking all the stuff I'm taking with me by the door....my suitcase, the food (Oh Lord, the food!), the wine and the projects (way too many)...both a must...and my fat pants.  It's all about the priorities, ladies.  Today is the planning...do we need to bring linens...who has a large cooler....Is it 5:00 yet?  You know this is going to be the LONGEST day ever!

We'll be meeting Fru there. Suz is winging her way from down further south and should get here some time tonight. And "Mom & Aunt Karen" are on their way from Yankee land.  Jen already warned us that Mom and Aunt Karen have appetizers and cocktails planed (YEA!) and, as she put it "are probably going to go overboard because they are moms and they need to feed everyone."  Works for me!

Annie spoke to the person who owns the house we are renting and he warned us that the bears are "active."  Yikes!!  He said to just keep the trash inside for as long as we can....Hey! That's no way to talk about us?!?! JUST KIDDING!  I've decided if they come, we'll just let Nicole have a go at them.  She's Sicilian, originally from Lawng Iland (Long Island for those who need an interpreter) AND she's pregnant. The bears don't stand a chance...just saying.

From last year at SAFF.  Left to right - Suz, Annie, Me, Dawn and Mel

Can you feel the excitement? And do you know what the most wonderful part about all this is?  It's not the yarn/fiber, although that is wonderful.  It's not just the long weekend away, even though I need it desperately.  It's these women - these funny, brash, strong, incredibly intelligent, amazingly gorgeous, outspoken, unbelievable women...and that's the short list of their attributes. I'm sorry if you get tired of hearing about how wonderful they are, but friend like this, well they are worth more than any amount of gold in the world.  They are a part of my treasure.

So for the next four days, I might appear to be quiet....trust me, I'm not.  I will be having the best time. If there is down time, I will try to check in and see how you are doing but please know that I am thinking of you and wishing you could all join us on this adventure we love so much.  Take Care!!

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Happy Friday!!

Finally!

Inspired by Amanda Soule - Feel free to join in and share a link to your moment.

PLEASE NOTE:  Blogger is having issues with posting comments. I apologize for any problems and greatly appreciate your visit! The problem appears to be fixed! Have a great weekend!

Ta Da.....

How is everyone?  I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and aren't having any trouble of getting into the groove of the week.  I've been practicing my spinning and there are good moments and not so good moments...just like with any new endeavor.  I have realized that if I'm particularly tired or irritated, I need to stay away because all I end up doing is further frustrating myself.

Because I can't keep Natalie's wheel that she so generously loaned me forever, Car Guy and I have been combing through Craig's List and EBay to see what we could find.  We actually found a wheel fairly close by and after a lengthy email conversation with the seller, we went an hour and a half away to look at it.  Success!  Here it is....

Isn't she pretty?  I'm such a dork, that I've already named her...Esmeralda.  It suits her, don't you think?  By the way, I have a long history of naming things, cars, machines, whatever.  She needs a little work, but for the cost, she's well worth it.  However, there are some members of the household that aren't too sure about her.

Oreo had to check her out...give her a good sniff and look over.

 He thought it might be a cool place to sit....until she moved on him.  I wish I had gotten a few more pictures, but once the treadle moved, he was out of there. I guess he's not destined to be a spinner.

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Happy Friday!!

Inspired by Amanda Soule - Feel free to join in and share a link to your moment.

look. Look! LOOK!

OK.  Sorry about that.  I'm just a little bit excited.  I hope everyone is doing well and having a wonderful week.  Mine has been FAB!!  This fabulousness started last week.  I know some of you know that I've been wanting to learn how to spin for a while, but classes are usually while I'm at work or during times when I have prior family obligations...and then there is the cost of the wheels - Yikes!  A dear sweet lady (Hello Alice! *Waving *) suggested that I contact my local spinning guild and I'm so glad I listened to her!

I started snooping around on the internet last week and found the contact for my local spinning guild. Lo and behold, she lives in my little town!!  Kismet! I say this, because my town is this little dot between two much larger cities and most people involved in this type of thing live in the cities.  Anyway, I picked up the phone and gave her a call.  I spoke to her very nice husband who was kind enough to relay a message and I spoke to her last Thursday.

Everything has been moving very quickly since then.  Natalie invited me to the Guild meeting on Sunday where I met some very talented ladies. They all made spinning look so incredibly easy as they sat there chatting, drinking their tea and spinning away on their wheels.  I also watched a woman use a spindle and it was so very mesmerizing.

After attending this meeting, I was more enthusiastic than ever. Natalie invited me over to her house last night, sat me down at a wheel and the lessons began. I have to tell you, when you are doing this for the first time, it's a bit tricky.  If you hold on to the fibers too long, it will twist too much and break.  If you don't hold onto it long enough, it's really lumpy and uneven.  I like to call this mess "artisan yarn." Also, when you are sitting in someone's studio (more on that in a minute) that you've just met, you have a tendency to be on your best behavior.  Ask anyone who knows me and they'll be the first to tell you, when I get frustrated, I have quite the potty mouth.  Some people call it "colorful" language.  It doesn't matter what you call it, it's not something that makes a very good impression.  On top of that, it's a little nerve racking to try something new with an audience right there.  Natalie generously let me borrow the wheel in the picture, just to see if I want to pursue this any further. She also gave me some lovely green and blue roving to practice with.  She sent me home with both and I produced.....

Ta Da!! It is far from perfect.  It's too twisted in some areas and not twisted enough in others.  This artisan yarn of mine is actually a mess, but I did it and I can't tell you how pleased I am!  Given time, I think I might actually get the hang of this! There is something very soothing and meditative about the process and I can see why so many people enjoy doing it...not to mention the satisfaction.

Now, about Natalie's studio....OH EM GEE!  I think I'm in love!  It's this lovely, large room with plenty of widows.  The walls, floors and cabinets are all white, but there is plenty of color.  She has three or four looms, several spinning wheels and a wall FULL of yarn and roving. It was like she had her on personal little yarn store right there at the end of the hallway.  I hope I didn't gawk too much.  She had these lovely little blue and white rugs on the floor that she wove from old blue jeans. And then there was Rosco.  I will admit that I am the worst with dog breeds, so I won't even try, but I have to say he had the sweetest temperament and biggest brown eyes ever - Just a love.

All in all, it has been a really successful week. Hope your week is as well!