Fingerless Gloves and Yoga Socks

After numerous requests I finally put yoga socks 

and fingerless gloves in the Etsy shop. 

Now if I could just take a moment to make some for myself!  :)  

Dye-In

Recently the spinning group I am part of had a Dye-in.  What a great time playing with color with such a fabulous group of people, a beautiful day, and the perfect setting. Here is a link to the group's blog - A Day of Dyeing and Spinning. 

There was a lot of fancy dying, and I was a bit embarrassed to bring my tiny attempt at color-making with Kool-Aid!  You might remember my first attempts:  Kool! and Valenine Hearts. I should have known that most of the ladies had done it before and would be completely supportive!  

Here is what I started out with.  Teddy's roving. 

This is the mess that came out!

This is after spinning!

Another friend decided to give her yarn a dunk.

Some of the pretty projects. 

Here are a couple of things I've made with Kool-Aid dyed yarn.

Yes, the color is permanent, and yes I need to try something 

other than Black Cherry! 

If you'd like to try it yourself, I used this tutorial:  

Dyed in the Wool at Knitty.com.

DIY Hackle and Diz

You know how I like to do most things for myself...by hand from top to bottom.  Maybe you are just like me!  I wanted a way to make my own roving since I am no closer to getting our fleece to a fiber mill.  I found this tutorial for making a hackle using a piece of lumber, hair picks or combs, and self-tapping screws.  You can do it, too.  It is really easy!  

Here are some pictures of Chris making mine: 

Use clamps to hold hackle steady on the edge of a table, counter, or TV tray.

Now you load on the fiber.  I used lightly carded fleece.  A hackle is really for blending fibers and colors, but it works for my need to have long strips of roving rather than smaller rolags. 

I just used a button for a diz and pulled the fiber through one of the holes while moving across the hackle from right to left.  

I eventually switched to a larger coconut button which I think works better due to it's larger shape and hole.

There are lots of youtube videos showing this process.  Here is one I really like: Blending Fibre with a Hackle I've been able to make beautiful roving.  It works in a pinch.

If you are looking for the real deal, here is a link to one sold by The Woolery and this is what a diz looks like. I am lucky enough to live near this shop and get to stare at all the neat yarn, spinning, weaving, and fiber goodness they stock!

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions!

Sweet Sweater Dress for Little Dogs

There is a local event next week to raise money for Holly's Place Animal Rescue.  I was asked if I would contribute a few items for the silent auction.  I love helping out in this way so I sent a set of felted bowls and 2 pet sweaters.  Here is one being modeled by my friend Beth's sweetie, Daisy! 

I used the Little Black Dress pattern by Kay Graves.

Some day I'll have a black alpaca so I can make it in that color just to use the name "Little Black Dress!"  So cute!  

If you are in the area, "Whiskers, Wags, and Wine" information can be found at Hollys.org .

P.S.  I have been informed this would look just as cute on a cat. :)

Shearing Day Pictures 2011

I grabbed one last picture of my FLUFFY alpacas.

We got an early start at 7 a.m. and it was boys first!  

Peruvian Mystery was a squealer!

He has the best fleece on the farm and will be 

standing stud this month for us.

Teddy has been through this before.  

He acted like it was a day at the spa! :)

Our llama, Ringo, is another story.  

Here are the guys remembering him from last year.

Yes, spit happens!

The neighbor's calves wondered WHAT all the fuss was about!

Humpf!  He was only mad for a minute.

The shearing team was absolutely excellent.  They took care of fighting teeth, 

toenails, and making sure everyone looked their best.  

In under an hour we had bags of fleece and bare naked alpacas in the pastures.

I love this picture of the boys checking out Missy.

My Lovebug (14) took the shearing photos.  I found this one mixed in.

Wordless Wednesday - A Soft Bangle Makes No Noise

Wearin' of the Green

These just make you smile!  I LOVE making these baby slippers. 

I made these based on a Mon Petit Violon pattern.  If you like to crochet, here is Vita's facebook page: Crochet Patterns by Mon Petit Violon 

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Spinning Friendships

A friend introduced me to a spinning group that meets once a month and I love it!  What a joy to share a common interest.  

The chairs are empty because we were off visiting other spinners across the room, oohing and ahhing over their fleece and fiber, colors and crafts, but don't the wheels even look like friends?  Wow, the stories they could tell!  I had to grab the picture.

Mine might be giving thanks that I finally learned how to keep the wheel going in the right direction.  She (I think she is a she) might have a favorite alpaca fleece that feels softest to her.  She might be telling on me for the choice words I've used when I've messed up! :P

I like really old spinning wheels, painted pretty ones, and small ones.  My spinning neighbor sitting to the right of me had this wheel:

Majacraft's Portable Little Gem

It is just the coolest little travel wheel!  I bet it still can tell big stories though because of all the places it can go.

You don't have to have a spinning wheel to spin.  You can use a drop spindle or even make one.  The Joy of Spinning website has lots of tutorials to explore.

Here is what a basic drop spindle looks like:

Ashford Drop Spindle

Drop spindles can be fancy-schmancy or made with items from a hardware store.

An online buddy from Canada tells of her new adventure with a drop spindle in her blog, JADA Farms.  She mentions her spinning workshop and the camaraderie of shared stories.

Somewhere in the recesses of my mind I am remembering an old tale about sitting on the porch looking out at the world with friends.  I'll close with the basic gist of the tale... the bond is stronger sitting side by side than facing one another as you experience the scene  playing out in front of you together.  

More Treasure!

Like much of the country, we've been inundated with snow.  The alpacas are quietly keeping warm in the run-ins.  Much of our days are spent inside so it has given me time to knit more pouches. Treasure pouches, rosary pouches, what-not holders, coins....  I'm writing out the pattern so I can list it in my shop.

First they look like this:

Then they becomes this:

As you know from my previous post, I've also been working on cross-promoting other talented people from all over the world.  I communicated with someone from Latvia yesterday!

Thursdays are when a new challenge is presented to create a treasury around a certain item.  Here is my entry this week.  There are lots of beautiful things to discover! 

We have our yearly meeting for the Kentucky Alpaca Association coming up this weekend. I'll get to mingle with fellow farmers, share ideas, and start preparing for the Kentucky Classic. Everyone is supposed to bring their best "winter woe" story. I don't have one! Which I guess is a good thing. I am truly blessed.  Oh, wait!  Does kids being home for a gazillion snow days count?  I am about to eat my young!

P.S. I haven't forgotten about the Cranberry Swirl Coffee Cake I promised to share. I have to make it to the store to get nuts and getting out of our long, hilly, icy driveway might take a few more days.

I have a pair...

Mumble, Grumble, Humble

Today I am mumbling inside about where I need improvement with my knitting and crocheting skills.  I came up with this adorable bootie, but trying to figure out the pattern in order to duplicate it has left me humbled...thus the mumbles.

So.  The left bootie came out smaller.  Now, do I make a third and keep fumbling through?  I might.  Do I (gasp) use a pattern? I think I need to be okay with the learning process and that I'm not going to be that good without investing time into the knowledge that is already out there waiting for me to use.  I am mumbling to myself that I don't have to reinvent the wheel.  Right?  I do raise the alpacas, hand card the fleece, spin it, and knit it!  It is okay to use a pattern.  It is okay to use a pattern.  It is okay to use a pattern. Mumble, Grumble, Humble.

P.S.  I should clarify that I mean it is okay to use existing patterns, not always my own.  I beat myself up when I can't come up with my own.

Thrummed Bunny Slippers

Thrummed.  I hadn't heard of that until I made an online friend, Deb.  She is a fellow alpaca farmer and we've become great pen pals...what DO you call pen pals these days when it is all via the internet?  She posted a really neat blog about thrummed slippers she made for her family.  They are much needed in Canada where they live!  Thrummed slippers have unspun, fluffy, fleece making the inside of your slippers all cushy and soft....and warm.

Just a few days ago I came across this incredibly sweet pattern for thrummed bunny slippers!  

Oh how CUTE! 

You are thinking "link, give me a link please!" right?  

Here it is: Bunny Hop Slippers

Here is a link to Deb's blog post, too, so you can see her slippers: 

 JADA Farms

These will be on my needles for sure.  Maybe in time for Easter?

"Kool" Valentine Hearts

I figured out what to do with that little bit of "Kool" dyed yarn....

I made "Kool" little Valentine hearts!

Kool!

I have been resisting dying my own fiber.  Fear of chemicals, the mess, and the fact that I just love the natural, pure colors alpacas come in has kept me in a brown and beige world.  Well...I took a tiny little plunge last night and tried the nifty trick of Kool-Aid dying.  I thought it was an easy place to start, simple, and I'm not afraid to do it in my kitchen.  Who knew Black Cherry would turn Sabrina's fleece into this lovely shade?

Here is where I learned how: knitty.com

Round 'em up!

A few days ago I took a short break from spinning and knitting in order to get my hands on the actual animals!  We needed to manage some herd health issues so it was time to round 'em up!  See what the drought has done to our once-lovely pastures?

Teddy enjoying a beautiful fall day.

Missy still isn't too sure about this.  See how she has her ears back?  She's a yearling now! She has gorgeous, dense fleece.  We'll be breeding her in the spring to our new junior herdsire Accoyo Mystery.

Here is our Mystery man now!  Stunning fleece!  Son of Accoyo America Sinbad, the high-selling alpaca of the prestigous 2006 Parade of Champions Auction. Sinbad sold for a well-deserved $205,000!!!  Here is a link to Seldom Scene Farm's Herdsire page with info on Mystery's sire and his incredible genetics.  Seldom Scene Farm  We are thrilled to have Mystery!  He recently settled his first two dams.  I need to spend some time updating our website to add him to the herd.

Ahhhh...and here is MY man.  Handsome Hubby helping 

Mataeus with his medicine.

What a difference a day makes. Today there is a downpour.  It is too late to help the grass grow but the fire ban has been lifted!  All our pastures have rivers running through them and the critters are a muddy mess.  Everyone is hunkered down so it is a good time for me to get back to playing with fleece!

Working on a bunch of these....

...and these!

Bangles and soaps seem to be my hot items this time of year.  I encourage you to support independent artists whether locally or globally.  You can find lots of neat things on Etsy! 

Tickled Pink

 I didn't have what I needed so I made a call to my "source".  

We met up at the designated spot...a side parking lot where we could make the exchange.  

She brought the goods and I had the coin. 

After a speedy transaction I was on my merry way.  

Another successful roving and yarn purchase! :-)

Yes, I have my own stash of natural fiber and yarn, but when I want color I make that call to Lindy.  She dyed this for me on special order for a project I am working on for another friend, who is giving something special to yet someone else!  How neat it is to see this travel through our hands.

Lindy, also, carries things on Etsy occasionally, so keep an eye out for her beautiful, and colorful creations.

http://www.alpacalindy.etsy.com

Tickled Pink