Latest Knitting Project

Here it is....finally. Pictures of my latest knitting project. This is the back piece of an aran sweater that I'm knitting for my miniature schnauzer. The pattern is from the book "Dogs in Knits". Wonderful book. Lots of very pretty sweaters in there for your favorite "fur-baby". It's also a wonderful way to try out a new technique on a smaller scale.....which I have discovered with this project.

Cables have always fascinated me. They are so pretty....and look so incredibly complex to do. My only knitting experience with cables was a big single cable down the front of a sweater done in bulky weight yarn. So this project has been an eye-opener. Yes, I can do cables. And, yes, I do enjoy knitting them quite a bit. I'm also getting very good at reading charts and using them exclusively instead of following a written pattern.....which excites me beyond belief. Especially since I have figured out how to use multiple charts in one pattern. All this has been learned by knitting up one rather small doggie sweater. :.)

A bit about the yarn being used. It's a mohair/jacob wool blend. It's about a dk weight yarn (or a light worsted weight). The dye job on it isn't the most even, but it does look rather pretty knitted up. The yarn was obviously some of my very first yarn since it is a mohair blend....and I haven't had angora goats in years. I'm also guessing it was processed at a mill since I've only had my drum carder for a couple of years and honestly can't see myself sitting there blending fiber on hand cards. Why has the yarn sat for so long?? I'm guessing because of the uneven dye job....for the most part. Honestly, it really didn't look all that pretty in a skein. And I probably never found the right project for it....until now. As for the spinning part of it.....well, it is pretty consistent, although the plying does leave a bit to be desired. For the most part it is plyed rather nicely. Every now and then I will run into a piece where there isn't enough twist in the ply. I know I could run it all through my wheel again and re-ply it all. I just don't have the motivation for that. I'm finding that with all of its faults the yarn is knitting up very nicely. Besides I honestly don't think my mini schnauzer is going to mind all that much if the plying is a bit uneven in the yarn used for his sweater. :.)

Quilting

It's been such a long time since I've posted. Life has just gotten so hectic lately that it's been hard focusing on one thing at a time....which is what I really have to do if I expect to get through it all with my sanity intact. So I've been quilting. Lots and lots of quilting. In fact, I've hit the point to where I'm now making quilts just to quilt.....as strange as that sounds. The one pictured above was made with leftover pieces and fabric from my "Winter Fun" quilt. I needed something to practice my machine quilting on and didn't want to pull out one of my "good" tops. :.) So the quilt pictured was born. Quilted it up and was rather pleased with the results.....then decided that I needed another quilt to practice on. So a second quilt was born from leftover pieces and scraps. In fact, I had so much leftover pieces and scrap fabric that not only did I end up with a small quilt top, but I also ended up with a pieced backing to go with. This one is still on the basting table waiting for me to baste it so it can be quilted. That's when life stepped in with all of it chaotic uncertainties.

So then I turned to spinning. It was something I could squeeze in between this and that. Currently I have a Shetland/Bamboo/Nylon blend on my Sonata. This is destined to be sock yarn and then.....eventually.....made into socks for my loving hubby. On my Country Spinner is the last of my second Karakul fleece. It was spun from the lock into a lovely bulky weight yarn. Just need to ply it and set the twist.....then it will be ready for use. I'm thinking a felted puppy will be the perfect project for this latest skein....especially as it has such lovely coloration to it. On two of the bobbins for the Sonata is a Shetland/Mohair/Soy Silk blend that is waiting to be wound into center pull balls and then plied into a lovely sock yarn. This will have to be done soon as I only have the one remaining bobbin for the Sonata and it is in the process of being filled with the Shetland/Bamboo/Nylon blend. The Prelude did have this wonderful roving from the Sheep Shed Studio on it. That spun up into a very lovely aran weight yarn which I will be using to knit up a cabled hat for my loving hubby. I still have about 8 ounces of the roving left. This will be spun into a little heavier yarn for matching mittens.....also for my loving hubby. And on the needles is the back part of an aran sweater for my miniature schnauzer. The yarn I'm using is a Jacob/Mohair blend that I spun up eons ago. I will have to post a picture of it. It is turning out rather nicely.....and this is my first attempt at tackling multiple cables in the same project. My previous attempt with cables was a bulky sweater with one single fat cable running up the center front. I gave that to a friend who simpy adores it.

For those wondering what has been going on that has made my life so crazy lately......well......my youngest was injured during a wrestling match. She (yes, she.....and this will be her fourth year of wrestling) has a rotator cuff injury (among other things). This means many runs to the doctor and physical therapist (twice a week) and it also means the end of her wrestling season.....which she has dealt with very nicely.

My father was due to have surgery earlier this week for a complication from his heart surgery a couple of months ago. The surgery didn't happen because it was deemed unsafe. It was discovered that the artery in his right leg has a blockage of some sort. So he is now scheduled to have a second surgery in a week to hopefully fix whatever is going on. His doctor says that he is far enough post heart surgery that this surgery won't be any problem for him....which is good news. It just means that he will have a bit of a stay in the hospital (about 3 days).....which means a lot of driving and some very long days for me. My mother doesn't drive in town.....and can be more than a person should have to handle when things like this happen. Just makes you want to pull your hair out and bang your head against a wall at times. Doesn't help any that my father, who is incredibly stubborn to begin with, will start getting even more stubborn when my mother is at her "best". So whoever is lucky enough to be with them has to be the "responsible adult" and pacifier.....which is not always the easiest thing in the world to do. The things we do for the people we love.......

Finally, my oldest called me yesterday to say that she has to go back in for more testing next week. Her pap came back and is showing signs of cervical cancer (and she isn't even twenty yet). I told her not to worry and that everything will be just fine. Things were caught early and chances are this will be taken care of very quickly. I also told her that we are there for her. When my loving hubby talked to her later he said that she sounded much better....which makes me very happy. It's so hard to be the strong one when all you want to do is cry because your child is sick. But you have to....especially for your child. They expect you to be. And that's a hard thing to do at times. So I tend to do most of my crying in the shower these days. It's the only place where I can give in to my emotions and be weak.

More spinning......and other things

What else do you do when you have a pretty good cold going that just won't go away? You do things that are quiet and will keep your hands busy. At least I do anyway. So this means spinning, knitting, and quilting.....and it also means going through stash to see exactly what you have. I discovered that I have quite a few small skeins of hand-spun yarn. Didn't quite know what to do with them. They were starting to out-number my larger skeins making it more of a chore than a pleasure to go through my yarn basket. And they really were too pretty to give away....even though most had been used in at least one project (if not two). The answer came in a most unexpected way. I was watching an episode of Knit and Crochet Today when I just happen to see a picture of this afghan done in many different colors. The picture was up only briefly.....just long enough to catch my eye really. I did pay attention, though, and at least got the name of the book the pattern was in (Knitalong). Here was the perfect solution to all those small skeins of yarn. I would make them into barn-raising blocks and eventually put them all together into a scrappy afghan. My first two blocks are pictured above. They finished out at about 9" and I was able to use a total of 4 small skeins of hand-spun yarn. I chose to use a smaller size needle than what the pattern calls for (I'm using size 4 dpns) and am doing a few more rounds to make the blocks just a bit larger. To make sure all of my blocks come out about the same size I'm only using yarn that measures between 12-14 wpi. Anything larger or smaller than this will be put aside for another project. While the blocks may not be all that fancy I really do love the pattern and the way the finished blocks look. They showcase my hand-dyed, hand-spun yarns beautifully. The pattern is easy to remember and there is no need to keep track of rows. Plus it travels very nicely. All you need is needles and yarn. :.) Of course who knows when I will actually have enough blocks made to put into an afghan. It really doesn't matter since I enjoy making the blocks so much and now have a wonderful way to use up all those smaller skeins of yarn. Plus it's a wonderful way to record some of the yarns I have spun over the years.

I've also been doing some quilting. Mostly hand applique since it allows me to quietly sit in my chair in front of the woodstove. It's also given me the chance to finally get caught up on the block of the month that I'm doing. Pictured is November's block (purple background) and December's block (pink background). I don't have October's block finished yet. What I'm discovering is that about the only fabric in each month's kit that I've been using is the background fabric and the scrappy squares. The rest has been set aside for one reason or another. I've been digging into my stash of batik charms for a good part of the applique. And have a nice selection of greens set aside as well. The "color" theme of the quilt is supposed to be brights....and not all of the fabric in the kits have been conducive to this theme. I will confess that I am not a "brights" person myself.....leaning more towards the folk art/primitive look and colors.....but I really liked the applique on this quilt. It had the "feel" that I'm drawn towards....although not really the colors. But I figured it would be good to venture outside of my comfort zone every now and then.....which it is. It's been a real challenge to keep the blocks within the "brights" color theme. It's also been amazing to see exactly how many brights I really do have in my stash....even though it may mostly be in the form of 6" charms. :.)

Spinning.....and other things

Here are pictures of my felted squirrel. I call it my "nighttime squirrel" because when you press its belly it plays Brahms Lullaby. :.) The body is made from grey Norwegian.....the tummy is Karakul.....and the tail from a strand of Suffolk and a strand of eyelash yarn held together. The Norwegian and Karakul felted beautifully!!!! Definitely a wonderful combination of fibers to use together in one project. The Suffolk....well, let's just say that it's now on my list of fibers not to buy.

The nose on my squirrel was needle-felted on using black llama (from my big guy) and then the facial features were also needle-felted. Turned out way cuter than I thought it would. :.)

Besides spinning (of which I've been doing quite a bit lately), I've also gotten back into my quilting. Below are pictures of a quilt that I finished recently. All done in "winter" fabrics (I refuse to call them Christmas fabrics simply because that means I can't keep the quilt out past the holidays) with a snowflake backing. The pattern is my own drawn up in my EQ6 program. The piecing is simple (which is something I really needed at this time) and the quilt can be made using half yard cuts (which is something I seem to have quite a few of). The quilting was kept simple as well. I did a 3" diagonal grid using variegated thread and a serpentine stitch. This is one of my favorite all-over quilting patterns to use. It's easy to mark the diagonal grid using my hera marker and the serpentine stitch gives it just enough motion to soften all those straight lines. I've currently got a small quilt on the machine that I'm practicing a new technique of machine quilting on. I used the left-over blocks from this quilt (I had a couple) to make this smaller quilt. I'm thinking I may use it as a table topper once it is all finished......or let my miniature schnauzer use it as a snuggle quilt. It all depends on how it turns out. :.) It's been such a long time since I've done any free motion machine quilting........so I'm trying to re-learn that while learning a new technique. Probably not one of the smartest things I've done. :.) But I am determined to do both tolerably well and have a nice pile of quilts that are just perfect for practicing on. So with any luck it will all work out and I will once again be comfortable doing free motion quilting.

Last Day of 2008.....

It's so hard to believe that it's the last day of 2008. The days have just flown by!! With one storm after another moving through the area, the past few days have just been a blur of clearing snow....again, and again, and again. The poor sheep!! The snow is so deep now that they simply cannot move through it. So it is very important to keep those paths open for them. Thankfully they all seem to have gotten used to the snowblower....and know enough now to keep out of the way. Of course we are due to have another large storm move through in the next 24 hours.....as if there isn't enough snow on the ground already. Hard to believe that winter has just started. Can't help but wonder what the new year will bring.

The new year will bring lots of resolutions and good intentions for lots of people. I have thought about resolutions and what I would like to accomplish in the new year. After all, it's hard not to think about it since it seems to be the main topic of discussion these days. I have come to the conclusion that I'm not going to make any resolutions this year. I simply do not want to be disappointed in myself because I couldn't keep them. Or set goals that I know I won't be able to meet. All I want to do is to continue enjoying my sheep, knitting, spinning, quilting, and family. Yes, it would be nice to slim down a bit, but I'm not holding my breath on it. Nor am I going to make it a resolution and turn it into something that I feel I have to do. I will do my best to include more exercise (as if I don't get enough taking care of the sheep and the house) into my daily routine. Just as I will do my best to finish a few projects before starting new ones.

Now to share pictures of the felted kitty I made for my oldest for Christmas this year. I used Suffolk and an eyelash yarn to knit it. The Suffolk didn't felt as well as I was hoping it would....at least not where it was paired with the eyelas yarn. The places where it was just plain Suffolk did just fine. It does have a musical button inside.....so when its tummy is pressed it will play "Over the Rainbow". And the nose is needle-felted using black llama. My daughter simply loves it and it now resides with her in her apartment. (The pattern is by Fiber Trends.)

Hope everyone has a wonderful start to their new year! May it be filled with lots of fibery fun!!

Winter Musings

Thought I would share a few pictures of how winter is going around here. Since my last post a few more winter storms have moved through the area leaving us with about 3 feet of snow. My poor sheep have to jump if they expect to get anywhere. So they stick to the paths that have been kept clear for them using the snow blower......or the paths that they have created from walking in the same tracks time and time again. Needless to say everyone is staying pretty close to the barns. With the exception of Levi, that is. For some reason he seems to think it's wonderful fun jumping through the snow. :.) I guess that's part of being a young, playful llama.

Today brought us rain instead of the usual snow. It was nice in that it helped clear many of the roads. Not so nice in that it now added weight to what was fluffy, light snow. So the morning was spent cleaning off shed roofs.....and around the skylights on the house. Both barns have metal roofs and the snow is slowly sliding off. The pumphouse has already lost its snowy covering. Of course we are due to have another storm move in tonight and leave behind another 5" of snow.

While it may not be the most fun always having to make sure paths and the driveway are clear, the snowy weather has made for some very good spinning. I have managed to spin up 3 more skeins of bulky weight karakul yarn and am just about finished with a bobbin of Shetland singles (which will eventually be sock yarn). I have also brought in the fleece from my older llama, Cavi. I am going to run it through the picker and then spin it from the fluff. I had a vision of spinning it into a nice bulky yarn and then knitting up a felted llama (or two) with it. He gets sheared again in the spring and I really don't want to have two of his fleeces to deal with.....espeically since Levi will be sheared the following spring. I think one llama fleece a year is more than enough to keep me busy. :.) I won't even mention the 21 Shetland fleeces that I get every spring.

I have been making quite the dent in my Shetland fleeces. I have gone through quite a bit of it and have about five or so fleeces left to play with. A couple of those are earmarked for my use only. No putting them up on my etsy site. If I don't do this then everything will end up on my etsy site and I won't have any for myself. I'm also working on my second (out of three) Karakul fleeces. Looks like I will be buying at least one more Karakul fleece in the new year. And a Scottish Blackface. Love the looks of the sheep, but really don't want to buy any. So the next best thing to buy a fleece to play with. :.)

Have been busy knitting. I knitted up felted kitty for my one daughter. Used Suffolk for that. It didn't felt real well in the places where it was done using an eyelash yarn. That is one breed that will go on my "doesn't felt well" list. I also did a felted sheep out of Karakul....and a felted puppy....also from Karakul. The puppy was for my other daughter. I knitted up a felted winter hat for my loving hubby out of camel. Learned a very valuable lesson there. Camel is hard to felt and becomes very fuzzy when it does felt. Another fiber to add to my "doesn't felt well" list. Finally I knitted up a felted quirrel. That was done using karakul, grey norwegian, and suffolk. Yup, you guessed it! The karakul and gray norwegian felted up beautifully! The suffolk....not so much. Pictures of the felted lamb and felted puppy are below. Not sure if I will post pictures of the felted kitty.....and definitely won't be putting up any pictures of the felted winter hat. The felted squirrel isn't quite done yet....so no pictures there.

I even managed to get some quilting in....believe it or not. A friend asked me for help with a pattern that she really liked. So I took some time one morning and played with it in EQ6. Loved the way it looked so much that I pulled out some Christmas fabric and started cutting. By the afternoon I had all of my blocks sewn together and my rows were partially put together. By the next afternoon I had the rows together and the top done. The quilt is now on the machine and in the process of being machine quilted. It's a wonderful pattern and I'm so happy that my friend brought it to my attention. It's been quite some time since a quilt pattern has caught my attention so much that I just had to make it. It also renewed my interest in quilting. I've been happily stitching away on December's block of the month. Does this mean that my knitting will come to an abrupt end? No. It just means that I will be spending some time working on my applique in between knitting projects. And I tend to spin just about every day. After all, there should be balance if one enjoys several hobbies. :.)

First Big Storm

Here are pictures of our first big snow storm of the winter season. Of course these were taken shortly after it began snowing. We've had quite a bit of snow accumulate since then. The weather forecasters are predicting somewhere between 8"-12" of snow by the time all is said and done. Of course the sheep don't mind at all. They know that there is a barnful of hay just for them. They don't worry about me trudging out there, breaking the ice on their water, and filling up their feeders. All they care about is the barnful of hay. :.) Wouldn't you know it, the snow started coming down right as the hay was delivered this afternoon. Just a little at first. By the time the last 10 bales were downloaded it was snowing like crazy! The hay did receive the "llama seal of approval" though. My oldest llama, Cavi, actually stretched his neck out over the fence to grab a mouthful of hay while it was still on the trailer. As if that weren't enough, he was even gracious enough to smell the hay that a stranger had offered up to him. He probably would have taken it right out of his hand if the hay guy had been patient enough. Understandably enough, he was trying to get the hay off the trailer before the snow really started coming down.

I love the snow! Doesn't always make doing outside chores the most pleasant, but it does make for excellent spinning, knitting, and quilting weather. I love sitting inside working on my latest project while watching the snow falling. Everything always looks so pretty all covered in white. Plus the sheep seem to really enjoy the snow as well. As long as it isn't too deep for them that is. Last year we had to keep a path shoveled so they could get from the buildings to their water. We'll do the same this year if need be.....only we'll use the new snowblower we bought last year and never got to use. It got held up on the other side of the pass when a huge storm came through closing the pass. By the time it finally made it to this side we didn't get anymore snow. And didn't have enough on the ground to be able to use it. So, needless to say, all this wonderful snow is getting my hubby very excited. He finally gets to play with his new toy.....the snowblower! :.)