Fiber Junky

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-09T13:27:00.001-05:00

Passing It On

2011-11-03T14:01:00.001-04:00

While this might not be the world's best picture, it is still representative of something vitally important to me, namely, the passing on of the major love of my life (behind my family, of course) . Knitting is a major player for me. It keeps me sane, happy, and occupied in a productive manner.

Abby is eight now, and we have tried teaching her to knit and crochet several times, with no success. Today she was home sick and came with my sister to do laundry, and out of the blue, asked to try again, and this time it worked. Aside from some tension issues, she is doing great. I couldn't be prouder! Even my four year old nephew knit a row with assistance.

This is just one of those great days that will stick with you forever.

Ewe Want Luxury

2011-11-02T17:04:00.000-04:00

I had the good fortune to purchase a skein of At Knit's End 100% cashmere yarn some time ago, and, not wanting to let any of this yarn go unused, decided to design a scarf pattern to use up every precious inch. The yarn I used is lace weight, but the scarf can be adapted to any size. It is a lovely little lacy knit, perfect for holiday gift giving, or for your own personal use (my favorite option).

The pattern linked here doesn't have a finished object picture yet, but one will be coming in the near future. Enjoy!download now

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-02T12:56:00.001-04:00

Fountain of Love Cowl

2011-07-27T14:23:00.001-04:00

I am happy to announce that I have a cowl pattern on Ravelry, the Fountain of Love Cowl. You can get the chart by downloading the pdf. Enjoy!

Fountain of Love Cowl
by Kim Degener

This is a simple but elegant cowl, designed with alot of texture. The lace pattern is easily memorized, and provides a quick and enjoyable knit.
Photo credit [model-Abby Rose Degener/photographer-Sandra Degener]

SIZE
This is a standard one size fits all
MATERIALS
Knit Picks Stroll [75%superwash Merino Wool, 25% Nylon; 231yd/m per 50g skein]; color: Majestic; 1 skein
or fingering weight yarn of your choice

1 set(s) US #4 24" in circular needles

notions required
Crochet hook for picking up stitches
1 stitch marker for marking beginning of round, 3 stitch markers if you want to mark the end of the repeat

GAUGE
The gauge for this isn't very important. As long as you use a stretchy cast on and bind off, this will fit most people.

PATTERN NOTES

PATTERN
CO 128 stitches using stretchy cast on of your choice (simple cast on shown here).
Knit in stockinette for 3 rows
Begin chart. Each line will be knitted four times in the course of a round.
Repeat chart four times or until you reach your desired length. Knit 2 more rounds and bind off using a stretchy bind off of your choice. The bind off here consists of: knit 2 stitches, pass both stitches back to the left needle, and knit together through the back loop. Knit 1 stitch, pass this stitch and the previous stitch back to the left needle, and knit through the back loop. Continue in this manner until all stitches are bound off.

Chart: Fountain of Love lace
Round 1: k2, yo, k3, yo, ssk, k3, ssk, yo, k2tog, yo, sk2p, yo, k1, ssk, yo, k2tog, k3, k2tog, yo, k3, yo, k2
Round 2: k all stitches
Round 3: k3, yo, k2, yo, ssk, k4, ssk, yo, k2tog, k2, ssk, yo, k2tog, k4, k2tog, yo, k2, yo, k3
Round 4: k all stitches
Round 5: k4, yo, ssk, yo, k6, ssk, yo, k2tog, ssk, yo, k2tog, k6, yo, k2tog, yo, k4
Round 6: k all stitches
Round 7: k1, yo, k2, ssk, yo, ssk, yo, k6, ssk, k2, k2tog, k6, yo, k2tog, yo, k2tog, k2, yo, k1
Round 8: k all stitches
Round 9: k2, yo, k3, yo, ssk, k3, ssk, yo, k2tog, yo, sk2p, yo, k1, ssk, yo, k2tog, k3, k2tog, yo, k3, yo, k2
Round 10: k all stitches
Round 11: k3, yo, k2, yo, ssk, k4, ssk, yo, k2tog, k2, ssk, yo, k2tog, k4, k2tog, yo, k2, yo, k3
Round 12: k all stitches
Round 13: k4, yo, ssk, yo, k6, ssk, yo, k2tog, ssk, yo, k2tog, k6, yo, k2tog, yo, k4
Round 14: k all stitches
Round 15: k1, yo, k2, ssk, yo, ssk, yo, k6, ssk, k2, k2tog, k6, yo, k2tog, yo, k2tog, k2, yo, k1
Round 16: k all stitches

FINISHING
After binding off, weave in all loose ends. Soak cowl in cool water for 20 minutes, and roll in towel to remove excess water. Lay flat to dry, stretching cowl length wise, versus side to side, to preserve texture.

You can buy this pattern in PDF format, with the accompanying chart, from my Ravelry Store, for $3.

Socks, or, I've Done it to Myself

2011-06-25T07:29:00.001-04:00

I am sitting here at 7am fighting with my sock that I've designed. Why are you fighting with it, you ask? Because I have foolishly designed a sock that only wants to be knitted in magic loop or two circular needles, and since I couldn't find another size 2 circ, I had to use magic loop.

At the risk of becoming the newest knitting pariah, I will admit that I have no love for two at a time magic loop socks. I hate the first few rounds starting them, I hate untangling the yarn, I feel like I just spend the whole time rearranging stitches. Magic loop is not my friend. Give me old school top down dpn socks any day and I am a happy camper.

These socks just want to be knitted in magic loop, there's no way around it. The stitch pattern I came up with likes to jog stitches around right where the dpns meet, and in spite of me changing the arrangement around, it was just to much of a hassle. Anyway, let's face it. Magic loop is in. If they were just toe up I'd be all set. At least I have a furry knitting buddy for moral support.

By the way, the pattern is called Fountain of Love. Ironic, huh?

A Day of Fibery Goodness

2011-06-21T16:17:00.001-04:00

As you can see from my picture, I had a lovely day dyeing up some of Izzy's fleece we took off last week. I used Jacquard Acid Dye, and love the pink and green, but find the yellow to be a bit much. Fortunately, I think carding in a bit of undyed fiber will tone it down.

My plan is to spin it up and make a shawl to donate to make money for the Tim Gifford Memorial Scholarship. Tim was a neighbor of ours and the boy we got Izzy from. He was killed at the age of 20 in a car accident right down the street. He was one of several kids killed in our neighborhood over the last several years due to accidents, and it totally breaks my heart to think about it. I hope I can come up with a worthy design.

On top of my dyeing adventures, I also managed to fit some spinning in, and even cleaned the cat boxes, so it was a good day all around.

A Day on the Farm

2011-06-07T19:56:00.000-04:00

Chris and I participed today in a local Agriculture Day to schools sponsored by our county Cooperative Extension Office. I have to give kudos to our county agent, Bernadine, for doing such a great job organizing this. It came off without. A hitch.

Originally,I was supposed to do my usual handspinning gig, but when they managed to get a shearer in, I got to shepherd groups of kids from station to station. Aside from the heat, it was great. Let me tell you, we had several 4H kids volunteering today, and they were great. Kids tend to respond well to other kids in teaching situations.

Mystery Medallion Shawl Complete!

2011-06-01T08:47:00.002-04:00

I finished my Mystery Medallion shawl last night, and aside from a few messed up yarn overs it turned out great.

I really enjoyed this knit. It was quick and relaxing, with some unexpected elements, such as the garter stitch mystery hearts band that gave it some texture and added interest. I would definitely join another of Jen's knitalongs after having such a great experience.

The Grass is Always Greener

2011-05-26T16:26:00.001-04:00

In honor of the beautiful weather this morning,Chris and I let the dairy goats and Izzy out in the back yard for a little lawn mowing time, which they have been begging for, and I must admit, they enjoyed it immensely. Of course, Heidi had to make us chase her, but that's nothing new.

On the knitting front, I am eagerly awaiting the release of Clue #4 of my Mystery Medallion Shawl, not to mention looking forward to the Massachusetts Sheep and Wool Festival this weekend.

Bella

2011-05-23T10:14:00.001-04:00

Bella
Originally uploaded by SpinningMommy

Yesterday our 4H group did agility demos at a pet festival. This is my Cairn Terrier Bella. She had a great time, as did we all, in spite of the relatively poor turn out. I did manage to acquire plenty of dog treats at this affair, and stirred up some interest in our training class.

Mr. Cupcake takes a nap

2011-05-20T13:35:00.001-04:00

Mr. Cupcake takes a nap
Originally uploaded by SpinningMommy

Well, Patches and Mr. Cupcake are both feeling better after a few days of antibiotics. Cupcake is an extremely active little guy. I caught him here waking up from a nap on the back of my chair. This was after a full hour of chasing the other cats, and beating up a handful of wool balls. He seems fully recovered, and Patches just gives the occassional sneeze. Punky, on the other hand, now seems to be coming down with it.

A Trip to the Vet

2011-05-16T18:05:00.001-04:00

0516011102.jpg
Originally uploaded by SpinningMommy

So. After waking up to a miserable rainy day, I decided that it was time to take Patches, and the newest addition to the family, Mr. Cupcake, to the vet. Both of them had been coughing and sneezing for a few days, and I was worried about it turning to a bacterial infection. $250 later, both of them are home on antibiotics, and I have Advantage Multi for all five cats.

Pictured is my old man, Patches, who at 13, the vet says is in excellent shape and has the teeth of a cat half his age. Definitely good news. Mr. Cupcake is thought to be 14-16 weeks, looks great, and is going back in two months for a neuter.

No knitting yet, but still hoping to get there!

Mystery Medallion Shawl Knitalong

2011-05-09T17:09:00.002-04:00

0509011607.jpg
Originally uploaded by SpinningMommy

Working on my Mystery Medallion shawl on the Knitting Like Crazy group on Ravelry. This is clue #1.
My Mystery Medallion Shawl

Toxic Socks

2010-11-10T11:30:00.002-05:00

1110001029.jpg
Originally uploaded by SpinningMommy

I know I've been a slacker about posting, but I will try to make up for it a bit here. I've been working on all types of knitting projects, and will try to catch up a bit. Of course, now the Christmas crunch is on.

These are one of my main projects that I am working on. The pattern is Toxic Socks from Knitpicks.
Here is a link to my project page.

A Busy and Eventful Month

2010-07-07T09:59:00.000-04:00

I have to say, the last month or so has been memorable, to say the least. Between, my mom and her knee replacement, a joint flare up that parked me in bed for almost a week, I have been quite overloaded.

I ended up staying the night at Mom's a lot when she first got home, because at that point, she was so off-balance and sore that we were afraid to leave her alone. She is doing much better now, praise God.

The joint flare up started when she was in the hospital and continued for nearly a month. Bad pain the first week, then I progressed to functional but sore. Bad news: my hands and wrists hurt too bad to knit for a few weeks. Good news: read a lot of books.

I got my Citron shawl done near the end of last month, and it turned out very cute. Since I can use it as a scarf as well as a shawl, I am sure it will get a lot of use.

I am almost finished with my Swallowtail, which will be shawl #4, and have started on Ella, which is a Knitty.com shawl.

On a sad note, our ram has passed away, which makes me sad that he died, but happy that I will no longer have to fear being smashed to death by him. His progeny live on though.

Crisis Knitting

2010-06-02T15:07:00.000-04:00

I think that all crafters, and knitters, in particular, revert to form when stressed, and dive in to their chosen form of artistic expression. To me, nothing relieves tension like spindles or pointy needles.

When choosing a knitting project to get you through a crisis, there are a few things you may want to consider

1. Choose something that you can put down if interrupted. I am working on the 10 Shawls in 2010 challange on Ravelry, and cast on a shawl just to work on when taking my Mom to doctor's offices and sitting in the hospital. It is something that I can set aside if needed

2. Choose a project that requires little counting and brain power. I opted for stockinette, and soothing. My project only requires counting on two out of every twenty rows.

3. Pick something that you can wash. My project can take a gentle soak in warm water and soap. Cotton may have been a better choice, or even superwash wool.

Basically, when I am looking for a project to get me for a crisis, I go for easy, soothing and portable.

This is the shawl that I have been dragging back and forth to the hospital. I decided to go with the Citron form Knitty.com's Winter 2009 issue because it met all of my prerequisites for portability. A very soothing knit without being boring.

Shawlette

2010-05-14T12:05:00.001-04:00

Shawlette
Originally uploaded by SpinningMommy

Since I last posted, I have finished two shawls, the first being the pink Chinook, which has gone to a new home, and this lovely little number, the 10 in 2010 Shawlette.
http://ravel.me/SpinningMommy/11eu9
This took me twelve days to knit from Knit Picks Stroll Hand-Painted in the Lullaby colorway. It is also my second shawl for the 10 Shawls in 2010 challenge on Ravelry.com. The next shawl up is Swallowtail.

Handspun Yarn

2010-04-20T08:50:00.001-04:00

Handspun Yarn
Originally uploaded by SpinningMommy

As you can see, I've been at the spinning wheel lately, which has gotten me a few more skeins to play with, but not much further on my Chinook Shawl. Deb informed me yesterday that she hit Row 150, while I am still languishing somewhere in the 120's.

The skein on the far left is wool from PA that was locally dyed down there. Deb brought it back for me from her trip to Lancaster. The middle skein was from fiber I get at Rhinebeck last year. It is BFL in a Peacock Colorway, that I spun fairly fine and Navajo plied. As I am new to this plying method, it started out a bit tedious, but slowly got better. The skein on the right is wool/mohair plied with a single of silk, which turned out better than I thought.

Yesterday was a bad knitting day. I was working on a shawl for my neice's first communion, and somehow managed to go from 55 stitches all the way up to 64. I think it had something to do with the fact that I was trying to knit with the wrong hand. Even though I'm a righty, I carry my yarn in the left hand and pick it. I tried carrying it in my right and throwing, but it obviously didn't work out so well. Aside from ending up with too many stitches, I think they were also backwards, which I can't quite figure out. Definitely weird. So I ended up at a coffee shop in Clifton Park waiting for Chris while he was in his class, and the bad mojo even extended to my sock. I haven't been plagued by bad stitch counts in years, and I started coming up with bad numbers on my socks, as well. I took the hint, put the knitting away, and read my book.

Speaking of books, I just finished Adrienne Martini's book "Sweater Quest", and enjoyed it very much. It did, however, give me terrible nightmares about doing a huge afghan in Fair Isle, knitting flat with size one needles and laceweight yarn. I can't think of any knitterly thing more terrifying than that! She is supposed to be at Stuyvesant Plaza at the bookstore signing books and hosting a knitting get together tonight (good timing) and I am contemplating whether it is worth the trip down the Northway during rush hour.

Athena's New Ram Lamb

2010-04-07T09:01:00.001-04:00

Athena's New Ram Lamb
Originally uploaded by SpinningMommy

Well, Athena surprised us yesterday with a lamb, sooner than I expected, and wonder of wonders, she is actually taking care of him. She is one of those sheep that is just dumber than the average sheep, and that says something, since sheep aren't exactly known for their brilliance. It looks like she will be a good mom. We are going to call the little guy Bilbo, which for some reason seems to suit him.

Gracie's lambs are growing like weeds. We are going to call them Bam-Bam and Bri-ella. We are hoping to get them out and about soon, weather permitting, of course.

Grace, Izzy, and the Twins

2010-04-03T12:00:00.001-04:00

Grace, Izzy, and the Twins
Originally uploaded by SpinningMommy

Well, she finally had them on Friday, April 2. I went out in the morning to check her as usual, towing Bella along for the ride. I heard their little "maaas" before I even saw them.

I got Chris and Mark up to come out and help dip navels and get them nursing, and much to my disgust, nobody wanted to cooperate (I'm talking sheep, not family). Those lambs wanted to nurse, but every time they tried to latch on, Grace would walk away and knock them over.

After an hour of trying to get the nursing going, the lambs were wearing out and getting cold, and Grace still wasn't cooperating, so we hit the road for some colostrum and Save a Lamb. $40 later, we get home to find them happily nursing. I'm thinking that it is a small price to pay for not having to bottle feed.

So now we have ram and ewe babies, and are looking for "B" names!

Chinook Shawl

2010-03-26T08:42:00.002-04:00

Chinook Shawl
Originally uploaded by SpinningMommy

I don't have a whole lot of lace knitting experience, but this is one knit that I am really enjoying. This is my version, in progress, of the Chinook Shawl knitted on a KnitPicks lace sampler.

The charts are a bit messed up in their numbering, but other than that, it is a good knit. Enough of a pattern to keep your attention, but not so complicated that you need to stress over it. I can't wait to see it blocked.

I am in the midst of a bit of a "shawl down" with my friend Debbie B., who got the same kit I did. I was well ahead in my knitting, and then we had the great sheep tragedy, and she's now catching up. Gotta push myself or she will buzz right on by me.

My Poor Isabella

2010-03-24T07:42:00.003-04:00

I have decided that breeding sheep isn't for us. If we had a nice big farm and lots of money, and now personal attachment to the critters, then maybe I would reconsider.

In my last post, I talked about waiting for Gracie, maybe Izzy is bred, yadda yadda. I will admit, I got fooled. I got home last night, and Izzy, who was still out with everyone else, was out in the shed in active labor. Mark and I got her up and into the stall with Gracie, and then the real excitement began.

At first, everything seemed OK. She was doing a lot of pushing, pacing, and grunting, but then again, so did I when I was in labor. After about 45 minutes I got concerned and called Chris, who is not home at the moment, of course, to see what he said. Of course, he hasn't delivered any more lambs than I have, so I moved on to calling Bernadine, our sheep mentor. Get worried, she said. Lube up and check her. So in I reach and find a head and legs. It was right there and just not coming out.

At this point, she and Olivia headed over, and Bernie checked her herself. We tried getting hold of feet, encouraging, etc, with no success. So we start calling vets. Calling a vet that isn't your own, after hours, is not a cheap proposition. After a few calls and consultations, we got Dr. Roher in (thank you Debbie B and Deborahlee for making this happen in the midst of my crisis).

Dr. Dan's first comment on examination was, "Did you breed her to a Hostein or something?"

"Why?" says I. "Does the lamb have a big head?"

"This lamb has a big everything," he replied.

To make a long story short, the vet spent hours here trying to get this lamb out, but it wouldn't come out. After facilitating removal, we gave her tons of drugs and antibiotics, and the poor man never left here until after 1 am. By the time we got Izzy all situated, it was 2 am. She did sit up and drink some water, which is a hopeful sign, but she's still not out of the woods.

So the sum total of this affair was, we still have is, and hopefully we will be able to keep her going, and we have no lamb to show for her suffering.

Next at bat, Miss Gracie, who hopefully will avoid having another freakishly large lamb.

Waiting on the Lamb

2010-03-22T16:44:00.002-04:00

0322001624.jpg
Originally uploaded by SpinningMommy

Well, our Cotswold ewe, Gracie, should be ready to deliver any day, but as of yet, no lambs. And let me tell you, she would rather be out running around with the rest of the geepers than sheltering inside and staying dry.

My guess is that she is the only one that is bred, although Izzy might be. I'm really not sure. Time will tell, however.

As to what I'm knitting, the question is: What am I not knitting. I'm working on my Chinook shawl from KnitPicks. In pink, of course ( it was on sale ), I'm working on an Easter Egg Love dishcloth, and an accordian scarf. I just rotate through. Aren't my powers of concentration mindboggling?

Free Pattern - Pucker Up Cloth

2010-03-16T08:43:00.004-04:00

Pucker Up Cloth

Materials Needed:

Size 6 knitting needles

Craft cotton, such as Peaches and Creme (Lilac Ombre shown here) or Sugar and Cream

Abbreviations used:

K= knit

P = purl

Yo = yarn over

K2 tog = knit two together

Cast on 31 stitches using long tail method, or method of choice.

Pattern is a multiple of 11 sts + 1

Rows 1-4: Knit

Row 5:K4, k1,*yo, k3, [k2 tog] x 2, k3, yo,k1. Repeat from * to last 4 stitches. k4

Row 6: k4, p23, k4

Row 7:knit

Row 8: k4, p23, k4

Repeat Rows 5-8 eight more times for a total of nine repeats.

Repeat Row 5

Knit 4 rows.

Bind off loosely

Weave in ends.

This is a smaller, easy to handle cloth that makes for a quick knit.

Breast Cancer Awareness Pin Knitting Pattern

2010-03-14T16:29:00.005-04:00

In honor of my friends Carrie and Raema, and all women facing breast cancer, I worked up a quick and simple pattern for a knitted breast cancer awareness pin. Feel free to share it with a link to this page.

Pink fingering weight yarn (I used Knit Picks Stroll), although any fingering weight will do

Size 0 or 1 knitting needles

Safety pin

Cast on 40 stitches using your favorite cast on method. I used long tail.

Knit 3 rows.

Bind off.

Weave in ends.

Cross your ribbon over to form a loop, and use a scrap of your yarn to secure it. I just used a sharp yarn needle to tack it down. Attach to your pin, and you are done.

It actually took me longer to bind this off than it did to knit it! Very quick and easy. You could do other memorial ribbons as well, just by changing the color.

Yearning for Spring

2010-02-10T13:18:00.004-05:00

Once again, it is snowing here in the great Northeast. While it looks beautiful coming down, I can only wish that spring would come soon. Over on A Virtuous Woman website, they are gearing up for their second annual Proverbs 31 Spring Clean Challenge, and I'm more than looking forward to it. If there are any Christian women out there interested, go to and check it out. It starts March 1, and goes through the month of March. It's sort of a combination of house cleaning and heart cleaning.

In the meantime, I guess I will continue my usual winter routine of knitting, spinning and reading. Knitting at the moment is socks that were supposed to be done for Christmas, and some scarves. I'm spinning silk yarn, and reading "The Time Traveler's Wife" by Audrey Niffeneger, and "Animals Make Us Human" by Temple Grandin. I highly recommend the Grandin book if you have any animals, and the Niffeneger book if you want a great read that leaves you sobbing through the final third of it.

As much as I wish for great weather, though, I think that winter will be here for a bit, so I will leave you with the following blessing, which I LOVE!

May you have-
Walls for the wind,
and a roof for the rain,
and drinks beside the fire,
Laughter to cheer you, and all that your heart may desire.

Putting the Dyepot to Use

2009-05-13T15:26:00.002-04:00

I had a lot of things planned for today, and dying wasn't one of them, but I just couldn't resist, in the end. I mixed up some peacock blue cushings dye, and threw in a bunch of Izzy's wool. I actually pulled it out a bit early to give it a bit of personality ( you know, dark here, light there). Then I threw in some of Sweet Pea's mohair that Deb W. gave me, right in to the partially exhausted pot, and tossed in some blue food coloring to fill it out a bit, and ended up getting a watercolor effect with blues and greens. I really like it.

Dog class starts tonight, so that will round out a full day. Then the final show of American Idol. I'm routing for Lambert, and Mark and Chris are for Gokey.

Out and About Today

2009-05-12T17:30:00.004-04:00

I'm finally getting onto the swing of things, creating some new stuff. I've been working on not only my knitting and spinning, but have expanded into drawing and playing with watercolors. Sorry, still to embarrassed to post any pics yet. My main goal is to get more into mixed media. Don't five me wrong, I'll never give up my main stream stuff, but I'm trying to expand.

I ended up doing a fiber arts school program at the last minute today, which went very well, and me and the girls were talking about forming a local fiber arts co-op to sell some of our stuff, and go in together in advertising. Personally, I think this is great. We're all stay at home moms, and really trying hard to do what we love, but you can see from the frequency of my blogs, there is just not enough time in the day or energy in the body to do it all. We thought if we could join forces, we might stand a better shot at maintaining a good inventory. I guess we'll have to see where this goes.

One technique I really can't wait to try out is making cloth paper. The possibilities are endless. It looks like the basic recipe is to lay a piece of cloth on some wax paper ( shiny side up) and start putting on layers of tissue paper, ephemera, and whatever else, keeping it all together with diluted white glue. I am envisioning book covers, pillows, wall hangings, and wearable art. You can sew this stuff, paint it, stamp it, the full deal. If I can stop at the store for the glue and extra tissue paper, this will be tomorrow's art project.

Also, the real meat of summer begins for me tomorrow - the start of my dog training classes. Hopefully, we'll have another great group.

What I've Been Up To

2009-02-02T12:29:00.004-05:00

Obviously I've not been blogging much in the last few months. Lots of fibro flare ups, sick relatives to help, and just the hassles of dealing with dial up since my laptop went down.

I've been doing quite a bit of spinning and knitting recently. One of my projects is a hat for my mom that I spun with merino and mohair that I got at Rhinebeck. I also spun and wove some merino/tencel for a scarf for my aunt. Most recently I've been studying Scandinavian designs and designing socks. I'm waiting for some Knitpicks sock yarn, and hopefully I'll have a pattern to share soon.

I've also done several school programs, including my first one with highschoolers, which scared the heck out of me. The kids were very good, though. Polite and genuinely interested. You could go into a lot more detail than with the littles, that's for sure.

Back From My Ag Day Demo

2008-09-22T14:37:00.002-04:00

I went to Liberty Ridge Farm this morning for their Ag Day, where they bring schools through for different agriculture related stations, along with visiting the farm and going through the corn maze. I have to say, it went pretty well. Cooperative Extension sponsors it, and along with my fiber station, they also had one on grain, one on pumpkins, and one with the Dairy Princess. The kids were really good. I talked about different fiber sources, spun on a spindle and wheel, talked about the history of fiber processing, and showed off some finished products. Not bad for 15 minutes with the kids.

I did get a surprise, though. When I checked in, I was told to set up in front of the llamas, so down into the barnyard I go, and don't I recognize those critters as Paul Wiley's; the same Paul Wiley that gave me the llama fiber from my last spinning demo. Turns out, he lent them to the farm for the fall, along with geese, ducks, goats, sheep, and water buffalo. My favorite llama came right over and gave me a kiss. Boy, I'd really like to buy him and put him out with the girls.

My next spinning demo is for another Ag Day at a different farm on Thursday, and the sheep may be going with us. I'll find out more as we get closer, but Bernadine, our 4-H agent, may swing by with the trailer and take them along, as well as one of their Tunis sheep.

Felted Mittens: Take Three

2008-09-17T10:59:00.000-04:00

I'm always looking for a new fiber project, so when my friend Deb showed me her mitten felting form, I decided to give it a try. I've had a lot of interest from people wanting to purchase mittens, and felting sounded quicker than knitting.

I checked around, and wasn't able to find the felting tool I wanted so I bought the whole kit from http://www.hookedonfelt.com which came in a very timely manner, so I jumped right in with a very fine tunis lamb fleece from my friend. It was just a fast slick shear at the fair, and it had a lot of second cuts, making it unsuitable for spinning. It didn't take long for me to rip the fiber on the form, and I had the same results when I tried with some merino. At least I was able to salvage the merino fiber.

Last night I spent the time to try again with some alpaca that wasn't spinning up so well, and I embellished it with some wool roving I had left over from some yarn I spun last year ( I still have that yarn, and may make a hat to match). This morning I once again attempted to felt some mittens.

This time I was much more successful. I think the key is to use tons of dish soap and keep it good and slippery. I finished the felting off in the washer. I left the mittens big, because I found when you put your hand in, they just sort of conform to your hand, plus I have tiny hands, so I didn't want to go too small. They are outside drying now, and will need to have some fuzzies clipped off and the thumb needs the wool tightened up just a bit with the felting needle, but I think for my first pair, they are very good, and maybe even sellable in my Etsy shop, especially if they have a matching hat.

The Great Schaghticoke Fair

2008-09-04T13:51:00.003-04:00

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Fair is done for the year, but I'll give you all a brief recap.
Chris did great with the sheep. Here is a picture of him with Gracie up on the stand. She was much improved with a bit of a rinse off.
For those of you who have seen pics of Athena, we have discovered that there is actually a sheep under the big mop of wool, and a pretty decent one at that. I had no idea how to fit her out, because she was just a big, matted, cottony mess. I ended up just dampening her wool and giving it a bit of a scrunching, cleaned her butt up, and trimmed her belly. As soon as the show was over, she got sheared, and under that big mess, she looked a lot like her mom. Before and after pics will be coming soon.
My dog kids did super, and I'm proud as heck of them all. They grew by leaps and bounds this year with their training ability, and I'm looking forward to what they have in store for me next year.
I talked to tons of people and did many spinning demos, in spite of my wretched bronchitis. I'm still recouperating, and planning fun, new fiber projects. First on the list will be felted mittens.

Current Pics of our Girls

2008-07-15T10:11:00.003-04:00

Athena, our Easter Eve baby, hiding behind Gracie, her mom. Both are Cotswolds.

Gracie herself. She's a bit more friendly than her daughter.

Our love bug, Isabella. Izzy is a Romney/Hampshire cross. This girl would rather be with people than other sheep. She also has wonderful springy soft fiber.

LLamas- And Spinning Them UP

2008-07-14T14:54:00.004-04:00

Just this past week I stopped to visit some friends of mine who do promotional work for Heifer International, got a tour of the farm, committed to a spinning demo for a tour group, and left with three whole bags of raw llama.
It's beautiful stuff, very soft, but also full of guard hair. I've been sitting around de-hairing it so I can use it in my spinning demo, but, wow, slow going.
It was a great visit, and they have A LOT of critters: Chickens, ducks, geese, sheep, goats, llamas, pigs, and water buffalo. I've included a few for your viewing pleasure.
I was told that this breed of goose, sorry, can't remember the name, was used for pate in France. The llama was one of several, but all were very friendly.

Wool Washing Pics

2008-02-19T12:05:00.003-05:00

I Here are some of my wash day pics. If you had any doubt about how dirty raw wool can be, look at the wash water. The result of all my hard work is shown here in this huge pile of clean Shetland wool. I've started running it through the drum carder, so I'll try to snag the camera again for more pics. Obviously, getting a camera of my own is high on my priority list. I have it picked out already, just need to find $150 to buy it.

For the rest of the wash day pics, see the slideshow at right. The little girl is my niece, helping me pick over and fluff the clean wool, and the cat is my buddy Patches. He likes to help me knit and spin and makes an excellent lap warmer.

Sock Disaster

2008-02-17T08:32:00.002-05:00

I'm obviously an idiot. I've been working on those toe-up socks for some time, and knew they were too big, but kept going, apparently on the assumption that I was going to turn into a Hobbit and grow giant feet to fit these socks. The fantastically high stitch count should have been a tip off, but I just kept knitting on. Now I have to rip them out. I think I'm going to cry. They were really looking good.

I Have a Clean Fleece

2008-02-14T14:15:00.002-05:00

I got that fleece washed today, little by little, and it looks pretty good, nice and soft, and definitely cool with the variagated black and white. It didn't have a lot of lanolin in it, so it went fast. I'm NOT looking forward to carding it, though. It always makes me feel like an organ grinder.

I took pictures, which I'm hoping my sister can upload today. If not, I'll get them up tomorrow.

I'm Washing Fleece

2008-02-12T06:53:00.000-05:00

It's time to start preparing for my next spinning project, which will be a Shetland fleece I bought ar Rhinebeck. It's actually pretty cool looking, variagated black and white. I'm debating separating the two colors out, or carding it all in together for a heathered look. It does come from an older ewe, but is still pretty nice.

My usual approach to fiber prep is as follows:

I skirt the fleece and pick it over as best I can for VM or whatever other nasties are in there
I handwash in small batches in the kitchen sink with water as hot as I can stand in Dawn dish detergent. It really does cut grease. I use an old dishpan or a bucket and throw the first wash outside, because it has the most lanolin, and I don't want to clog my sink.
I alternate washing and rinsing until most of the lanolin is gone and the fleece is clean. I try to keep the water temp consistent and avoid agitation to keep from felting, but even if you do felt it, just pull it apart.
When the fiber is clean, I spin it out in the washer, fluff it on the kitchen counter under the fan, and let it dry, turning occasionally.
When the fleece is dry, I then run it through the drum carder, or comb it, depending on my needs.

If anyone out there has never made their own yarn, it is a time consuming, but rewarding process, which I do enjoy. I was tempted to send this fleece out, but it takes awhile, so I'll just do it myself.

Pictures...Finally!

2008-02-07T18:16:00.000-05:00

At long last, here are some pictures, and let me tell you, getting them up and running was a real challenge. I tried Flickr first, and couldn't get them to load up, so I switched to Picasa, which turned out to be ridiculously simple. Just sign in and load up.

All these pics were taken this morning, and when you see the pics of the goats and sheep (collectively known as geeps at our house), you'll see that we had some snow last night, as well as enough ice to lock me out of my car this morning. I ended up attacking it with the hair dryer. Not fun. I thought I was going to end up with frostbite.

Aside from the beloved geepers, which consist of two pygmy goats, Wayne and Garth, as well as the Romney/ Hamp Isabella, or Izzy, and the Cotswold, Gracie, I took several pics of my wheels and different projects. I hope you like them.

On the Ashford Joy, I'm spinning 70/30 Merino/Silk, in Gem colorway, and on the Schacht Matchless, I have 50/50 Merino/Silk in Cranberry Bog.

The socks are my toe-ups on two circs at different stages knitted in Knitpicks Essentials. You can find the yarn and pattern at Knitpicks.com. The pattern is a free download, by the way. If you've always wanted to try socks, this is the pattern to go for. Two at once, so no second sock syndrome, which I suffer from terribly, and there is no set, detailed pattern to follow. Just increases, decreases, and lots of round and round.

The yarn that you see is all my handspun. The bright multi-colored stuff is Izzy's fleece dyed with Kool-Aid and food coloring. I'm a 4-H leader, as well as a homeschool co-op teacher, and I was experimenting with kid friendly, non-toxic dyes. The rest of the yarn is this and that that I've spun over the last few years.

The purse is Amanda's Squatty Sidekick pattern. Give it a Google. I knitted it out of my handspun, then felted it.

Hopefully now that I know how to post pics, it will go easier next time.

Pictures Up Soon And Lamb Prep

2008-02-05T08:59:00.000-05:00

Well, pics should be along soon. I gave up on my digital camera and borrowed my sister's, so I WILL have pics up this week, hopefully a Flickr slide show, little snapshots of my life and work.

Aside from scrambling around for all of our usual craziness and activities, we are starting to get ready for our first lambing. We have two ewes, a Cotswold, and a Romney/Hampshire cross, which we sent to a Cotswold breeder. Hopefully, one of them will have a lamb or lambs, if not both. They are due the beginning of December, so that will mean big excitement!

Green Knitting?

2008-02-03T08:40:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, My sister and I went out shopping together. Our plan had been to go out, Barnes and Noble, browse around the store for an extended period of time (think hours, not minutes) I would hang out in the craft section and drool over the half dozen or so knitting books I've been coveting, and she would wander around and look at everything. We would drink cappaccianos and leisurely spend the day in a non-child, non-stress environment. Unfortunately, this dream was derailed.

We both ended up taking our dear sons, hers age 11, mine age 13, because they both needed clothes. Hence the dash from store to store, and a very short (only an hour, and no cappacciano) visit to the book store. Not so fun, and I didn't even buy a knit mag.

We did, however, get to a Chinese buffet for lunch, a family favorite. That's where my green knitting fantasy began. They pop up now and then, whenever I get my hands on something that can be used as knitting tools or knitting yarn. Chopsticks look very much like knitting needles, and I started thinking about recycled knitting projects that people could use them for.

I know at some point I saw an episode of Knitty Gritty, where they used old plastic shopping bags, cut them into strips, and knitted them into a tote bag, or something like that. You can look it up. Anyway, I had visions of people all over America recycling their chop sticks to recycle their old bags. Maybe I should start a Green Knitalong if I don't get laughed off the internet for my daydreaming.

Spin Cental

2008-02-01T08:46:00.000-05:00

You all have an idea of what it is that I'm knitting at the moment, but not what I'm spinning. I've got two wheels, a Schacht Matchless and an Ashford Joy, both of which get regular use. Both of them are great to work with.

I'm something of a silk addict. I love to spindle straight silk, and right now I'm working on a couple of silk caps on my Bosworth featherweight. For those of you who haven't worked with silk in this form, I highly recommend it for building up the old arm muscles. Yowza, you draft for miles and you really work at it. It's worth it, though, because you can literally draft it our to frog's hair.

On my wheels, I currently have two silk blends going. On the Matchless, I'm doing 50/50 merino and silk in a cranberry bog colorway. It goes from a pale pink, up through a smoky reddish purple. Really spectacular. That's destined to be a scarf for my mom. On the Joy, I have a 70/30 merino and silk blend in a gem colorway that will hopefully be a pair of socks if I've managed to draft it out far enough. Otherwise, I'm thinking about a pair of mitts.

On the picture front, I did get some pictures of my socks yesterday on my sister's digital, and the batteries died, so it had to recharge. I promise, I will get pictures to you within the next few days, hopefully not just of my socks, but my wheels and maybe even my geeps (goats and sheep).

Blogging Ain't Easy

2008-01-31T11:34:00.000-05:00

I spent significant amounts of time yesterday trying to figure out how to get this blog off the ground, and hopefully I'll be able to get it in shape sooner rather than later. If anybody who reads this is a talented blogger, PLEASE tip me off as to where to find all of the great little gadgets and such that everyone else seems to find, because I'm afraid I'm hopeless.

On a brighter note, I got some work done on my Montego Bay scarf and my toe up socks while I watched Idol and Law and Order last night, so the day wasn't totally lost in chasing kids and surfing the net.

I'm at my sister's house right now working on her high-speed connection, and am hoping to take a pic of the socks I'm working on and the yarn I'm using, so we'll see how that goes.

Busy Week for Me

2008-01-30T08:58:00.000-05:00

This past week has been very exciting for me. I taught my first handspinning class. I taught it over two nights, which worked out pretty well. Night one consisted of a brief history of spinning, fibers, fiber processing, anwd demonstrations both on the wheel and on the dropspindle. We then made dropspindles out of two inch wooden model car tires, dowels, and cup hooks. Night two consisted of demonstrations of different drop spindles and spinning practice. All of this took place at the local library.

I also got an order of yarn from http://www.Knitpicks.com and am learning to do two socks at the same time from the toe up on two circular needles. It's a bit rough for the first two rounds, but after that, it beats out dpns hands down. I love it. You can find the free pattern here.
http://www.knitpicks.com/Two%20At%20Once,%20Toe-Up%20Sock%20Pattern_PD50417220.html#

I also signed up for Lime and Violet's Knitwars. You can find them here. They just overflow with knitting naughtiness. http://limenviolet.blogspot.com/

I'm hoping to actually get some picks on this sight soon, so stay tuned. I'm babysitting for my sister now (infant and preschooler) so things are a bit crazy. I love to blog, but I just have a hard time finding time. I'll try to do better.

A Bit of an Introduction

2007-11-13T16:16:00.000-05:00

Welcome to my blog. I'm a homeschooling mom and busy wife who has a serious fiber habit. I love to spin and knit, and always have something going on the wheels, drop spindles, and knitting needles. Actually, I always have many somethings going, so no matter what my mood or circumstance, I'm prepared. I'm also addicted to books as well as fiber, and if anyone out there can tell me how to knit and read at the same time, I'd like to hear about it.

Writing is also another interest of mine. I've blogged in the past, but find that since I live in the boonies and have dial-up, it's challenging just to get through all of my e-mail, let alone keeping a blog updated and getting pictures on it. The good news is, my sister actually lives in a town, and I can load pictures from her high speed computer, so I'm hoping to be a bit more successful. I've also started writing at www.helium.com and will hopefully be able to figure out how to link to my articles.

I got my Ravelry invite in the mail the other day, and am working on getting that set up. For those of you not familiar with it (it's still in beta phase), www.ravelry.com is a community for knitters and crocheters. From what I've seen so far it looks great, so get your name in now for an invite, because there's quite a waiting list.