I’ve finally gotten back into my fiber groove. However it’s a bit all over the place but who cares, it’s all fiber.
Last weekend the weather STUNK so I stayed inside. I’m actually thankful from the physical break of farm life and to sit on my couch and spin. I actually managed to spin up 4 skeinsin all. (1) Cat skein for my friend, (1) Golden Yellow and (2) natural beige. Sorry I don’t have photos of all of them.
If you’re curious about the Green Shawl…. It was on the hook ealier this week but recently I took it off and am working on blocking and fringe.
I hope to have the shawl finished in time for a little showing at Fiberarts International. Girls night out this Saturday! Yippy!
I’ve had a case of Fiber ADD again this week. I think heading up to Jay NY for the shearing seminar got me motivated to play with everything alpaca again.
If you frequent my Fiber Wordless Wednesday you’ve seen my shearing job so I won’t bore you with that again. If you haven’t seen it check it out or think about participating next week, share anything fiber animal related from sheep to rabbits and everything in between.
With my hands on all that alpaca fiber at shearing made me want to spin so I got to work on this bobbin. I haven’t spun in a while and I’m amazed how I’m doing so poorly and getting lumps when I’m trying not to get them. Ugh.
My green shawl has stalled. I got 2 more pattern rows done since you last seen it but at least that was enough to get me onto my last skein! I’m almost there.
Lastly… Here’s the start of the heather gray alpaca shawl using the same pattern as the green shawl. See why I decided to sell the green one and keep this one?
Don’t forget to check back for Fiber Market Monday’s! Got anything to do with fiber? Post it! Etsy, OpenHerd, AlpacaNation, personal websites etc are fair game. This is a shopping market for fiber lovers of all types!
This week I lost a good friend, neighbor and equine enthusiast, David Britt. Of all things David died encephalitis after getting the flu. I’m so thankful that my last memory of him (a day before he got sick) is when he saw me riding by on one of my horses. He couldn’t help throwing open a window, hanging half way out, screaming out my name and waving feverishly just to say hello and wish me a good day. David was that kind of guy and so full of love for life and everyone in it. I’m going to miss him and so will the horses, who drag me to a stop at his driveway because they know he’d always come out with some carrots.
David and Goliath
So, why this talk of death? Well it’s my only release really. Sorry to unload on you folks but just getting it out there really helps. Thank you for tolerating me.
Ironically Stephanie (Hog Island Sheep Rancher) sent me over a TIME article about woolen caskets on Monday. It just seemed to mesh into what I was going through this week so why not look into fiber funeral options?
There is a rather inventive wool mill in Britain called Hainsworth who has been in the mill business for 225 years and make everything from felt for billiard tables to the uniforms for the Queen’s guards. With economy tanking and the “green” initiative soaring the company figured out a way to tap into a traditionally wood and metal market with their felted wool caskets and cremation presenters.
I’m a bury me in the back yard in a pine box type of personality but I’m thinking oh wouldn’t an alpaca casket be even better?! Ok, can you tell I don’t handle death well? Seriously though wouldn’t it would be the perfect send off for a fiber artist. You could needle felt a flower to it instead of real flowers.
Ok that’s it I’m done, I can’t type any more but if you want to check out their wool caskets Click Here.
Ok, I must admit that I have not being getting much done fiber arts wise this week. The reason, we have a new baby!
I present to you DHA Reno’s Southern Belle
The only fiber stuff I’ve done this week was 1) buying new alpacas and 2) dying some alpaca yarn for a customer. I”ll have 3 new Accoyo Huacayas joining our herd in a few weeks. Yeah! My herd is growing, hello more fiber!
As for the dying, here she is cooking away in the crockpot. I’m not sure why it looks bloody in the photo but the end yarn is a dark cranberry. It’s currently hanging in the basement drying by our coal stove. The yarn’s new owner has just gotten into knitting and blogging and with any good luck she’ll join in on the fun.
This just in at 5:30am! The yarn is already dry! Isn’t it pretty? Yarn is off of 2 of our alpaca girls Bella and Vanilla and is OH so soft.
I will not be participating in next week’s FAF as I will be off taking a searing seminar. The farm will be in the trusted hands of the hubba and both our mom’s. Hope everyone stays in their pastures and doesn’t cause them any troubles!
Don’t worry Fiber Market Monday’s will still be on so come join in the fun and highlight some of your handmade goodies that are for sale!
This week will be a quick one. Usually I write up my posts days in advance but I’m late this week and scrambling to get one up.
Last weekend my mom, hubby and I packed into the car and took a trip down to Autumn Mist Fiber Mill to pick up my recently completed goodies. Last year I had sold my entire raw prime fleeces which left me with 3 years 3rds and some 2nds to play with. I decided on having it made into rug yarn which is thick spun roving looking material spun around a cotton core.
I’ve been waiting for this yarn for some time now to use on my homemade pegloom. Even though we didn’t get back from our trip until 7pm that didn’t stop me from warping up the loom and start weaving.
Just 1 hour after I started I had this beautiful rug!
Shameless Plug: I am going to start Fiber Market Monday’s back up next week. You’re welcome to post about fiber projects your making that will be for sale or highlight a fiber animal that is for sale/stud or maybe their fleece is for sale. Free advertising is always a good thing 🙂
Lastly I’m going to change how I share the link parties I participate in. Instead of spamming you with all the buttons that I usually put here I’m on a collecting mission and will be organizing them all here. Right now it is a work in progress but I have plenty of link parties to fillin all those blanks. Still want your site on the front page? I offer very affordable advertising rates for everthing on the right hand column.
