Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Where has the time gone??



Although I have lost track of time I have been getting a few things completed. The socks are knit and mailed away. I had knit a little hat with the sheep on it and had it at the guild sale and someone wanted one just a bit smaller for a baby. So I knit one hat with sheep and made one with llamas on it, I think the llama one would have worked out better if I had used a different colored background....I don't know...will have to think about that one. So that is finished. I still had some dye solution mixed up so dyed up some of the mohair/merino roving I had processed up at the mill, I think it felted a bit in the dye pot so will have to see how it works out for spinning, I think if I split the roving it will work...or I will felt some hats with it. Want to dye some mohair locks and then will put all the dye pots away until the new year.
Finally had to get the sewing machine working this morning, RH had broken the zipper on his favorite jacket and it is getting too cold to walk around outside with his coat open so finally got all the stitching picked out (black on black) and then replaced the zipper, thinking to myself how did I do this for a living at one time, I haven't replaced one for years, then his down vest was leaving a trail of feathers as he walked by so mended the vest too and then washed jacket and vest, I am always so nervous about washing and drying down things in the machine...always have to keep checking as I am sure I am going to find the machine full of feathers. Then while I was on a roll I mended a couple pair of his jeans and a shirt so he is good for a while.
Then our llama herd grew again last week by nineteen, friends of ours that bought their first llamas from us years ago had to disperse as she has had cancer the last few years and it is not getting better and he just can not manage to take care of her and the llamas, his health has not been great the last few years either, they did not know what to do so we went and got the llamas and have been trying to fit them in our herd. I had said we would take a gelding llama for another lady as she has to move....and then there is going to be a sign on our gate...."no room in the Inn" we have been trying to cut the herd down for years but it keeps growing.
Our weather has been nice for November which is great, hope it lasts until after Christmas although it looks so brown and dull outside but we are getting outside things done up. Am off to knit a little doll for my youngest niece for Christmas, she was born the 26th. of December last year, she will have Christmas one day and then birthday party the next day!!

Friday, November 14, 2008

I am still here...in body if nothing else.


Well fall markets are finished and I am trying to get the special orders finished and delivered...almost done...almost done. The two pair of child's wool socks are knit and ready to pop in the mail, I am just finishing putting the suede on the heels of three pair of men's slipper socks and then they are in the mail, so now just have a pair of thrum slippers and a little sheep or llama hat ordered for a baby. Then I can think about Christmas but before that I better think about some house cleaning, I am seriously thinking about giving two cats and one dog a crew cut.Want to dye some mohair roving before I put all the dye stuff away until the new year, did two pots of wool skeins just before the last market so have enough of that left until the new year. My poor carder is being neglected lately, is just sitting there with bags of fibre around it.
While it has been cold out we have only gotten a skiff of snow thank-goodness so outside work continues when we can, sun was shining today but when I went out it was not warm but supposed to be warmer tomorrow. Charlotte has not returned...do I resort to going around to the neighboring ranches and ask if I can check out their pigeons??? They already think I am the crazy lady on the hill so I do not think they would be surprised. My sister Jeannie says there is something to be said for arranged marriages, we should have found a guy pigeon for her before she had to go looking for one herself. Well am off to finish sewing suede onto bottoms of slipper socks, not my favorite thing to do, I think I have run out of gas lately. Should also put a pot of soup on the stove, made a pot of chicken with rice soup a few days ago and we inhaled it....it was so good. Nothing like a bowl of homemade soup!!

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Attention to all blog friends!!

Valwho lives in southern Australia with her pug friends Abraham and Happy has given me "Blogging Friends Forever Award" What a nice thing to do!! Thank-you Val!!

Now to keep the ball rolling I now pass the award to five other bloggers.

Maple I love the pictures of her Alpacas and what she creates with their fibre. I also admire her strength at this time in her life.

Val Love the pictures of her sheep....they are very photogenic and what she creates with their fibre. Val just had an accident which has slowed her down at the moment so we should see a lot of knitting etc. going on. Speedy recovery Val!!

M.J. my creative daughter, check out her beautiful needle felting creations, they are fantastic!!

Shelley enjoy reading about her adventures in sewing for herself and her daughter (the worlds cutest little girl) because I was a sewing maniac before I was a fibre maniac.

Eileen I recently came across Eileens blog and loved the pictures of her dyed yarn....thinking it looked just like some of my yarn I had just dyed and spun up!

Now pass the award on!!

(1) Only five people are allowed
(2) Four have to be followers of your blog
(3) One has to be someone new to your blog or live in another part of the world
(4) You must link back to whoever gave you the award.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Getting There Slowly



Week is going too fast!! Have been trying to get some things made up for the Christmas Market this coming weekend. Got five wool hats knit up and felted, I always have to hold my breath when I put the knit hats into the mesh bags and toss them in the washer, I stand there trying not to panic and take them back out...are going to felt...are they going to turn into a ball of yuk...but they came out great, it always amazes me how much they do felt as they are so big before I felt them, actually I should have made a few of them larger. But they turned out great!! They are much warmer when they are felted....and I think they are cute. Then I had a pattern for a headband I have wanted to knit, the face of it was knit in cable and although I thought it was going to be too large I thought I would follow the pattern to the letter and was glad I did. After the face of it was finished and sewn together you picked up a stitch every other row with a round needle and knitting a lining as wide as the face then knitting a stitch from the other side as you cast off finished it off. Made a nice warm headband. Will have to make some more of them for Christmas presents. Yesterday and today I managed to have the dyepots on the go so have sixteen skeins dyed and hanging to dry. Tonight I just finished a knit boucle scarf in bright Christmas red and put a fringe on it and the biggest job.....putting a knot in the end of every piece of fringe so it will not fray when washed . Should really cast on for a pair of socks before I go to bed, still have some slipper socks but am sold out of regular socks...have two more days....have two more days..
Now about Charlotte....she has not been around the last couple of days....I knew that Sirus was up to no good!! He has taken Charlotte away to who knows where, he was so sneaky coming around at dusk every night, he has probably taken her to a terrible old dirty cow barn somewhere...then he will cast her off and send her home with fertilized eggs to hatch and raise all by herself in the cold winter weather. We are missing her, specially Maxx (the Jack Russel) I say to him in the morning...do you think Charlotte came back...he runs to the window and looks out then goes to the door and when I let him out he runs to the garage to check...and no Charlotte. And it has snowed tonight...hope she is warm....I know...I know...I should get a life...worrying about a pigeon. But you have to admit...she was a special pigeon. Well am off to cast on a sock and then am off to bed.