June Doings

Wow, I have not written in such a long time, and I keep wondering, “What have I done that has taken up so much of my time? What have I actually ACCOMPLISHED?” Well, both Don and I have done a HUGE number of little things but nothing actually BIG up to this point.

I have been working on wool. I got some really pretty BLACK WOOL while I was at “Stitches In Time” last Saturday. I don’t know if I have elaborated over “Stitches” in my blog, but Stitches is an event held every 2nd Saturday of the month at the Senior Center in Storden, MN. It was the brainchild of Candy, and quickly passed on to my BFF & PIC Connie, and they were so thoughtful to invite me in on the venture! Thank you so much, guys! I will not let you down! The event is open to ANYONE in the community who: knits, crochets, weaves, rug-hooks, spins…or anyone who wants to LEARN how to do these things! So anyway, this particular wool that was given to me was from a black sheep, and the Shearers will not accept it because it cannot be dyed. BUT! Many spinners really like the black wool because it has such a variety of interesting shades in its locks. Here is the wool. It sort of resembles a Brillo Pad right at this stage!!!:

After washing and carding the wool, I started spinning it. This is only the 3rd project that I have started on Merlin, and I am so astonished at how far I have come in my spinning! Not only that, it is wonderful and so calming to spin the wool. Very satisfying too.

Meanwhile, I was messing around with Arthur’s wool. You remember Arthur, don’t you? Little Arthur Godfrey from last spring, whose mother broke his little leg and killed his brother and sister? Don helped me splint his leg and I bottle-fed him. And he grew. And grew, and grew. He had wool that was SO LONG and SO THICK that he has almost enough wool to have covered 1 ½ or 2 sheep! He lives at Connie and Norm’s Ash Lane Farm.

So I dyed Arthur’s wool. With…KOOL-AID!!! Isn't that awesome?! It was so much fun, and just look at the results:

LEMON-LIME

(OH, THIS COLOR IS JUST SO YUMMY THAT I WOULD LIKE TO ROLL IN IT!!!)

LEMONAID

CHERRY

(Looks like a 'Tropicana Dream', doesn't it?)

GRAPE

(The grape came out nicely mottled, just like I hoped that it would.)

I also made some Berry Blue, and some Pink Lemonaid. These colors are wonderful, and because you heat the Koolaid and the wool, and add vinegar to the mixture, it will make the stain stay, and not wash out. Look it up on Google: "Dying Wool With Kool-Aid."

After I do all of the carding, etc., I will finally spin it into a fine yarn. And after that is done, I will ply some of it with the black, and I think that I will have a really interesting blend. I have found a very interesting project that I would like to knit and felt, and I hope that it will be a money-maker for me. I will keep you posted!

AND, last but not least, I am now going to a Spinal Clinic in Sioux Falls, SD. I am undergoing a lot of therapy. More tests, and possibly some surgery. The head of the program, a Dr. Hanson whom I do not particularly CARE for, has told me that I am a FOOL to have my goats. That was the very first sentence out of the man’s mouth upon entering the room. And further, he asked: do I like beating myself up like this? Carrying water to them in 5-gallon buckets; moving them around to different locations in order to feed them; going out in the wintertime and freezing to death and hauling hay to them; making that hay in the heat of summer; then banging out the frozen water buckets and adding more freezing water in the winter… and just exactly who do I expect my back to heal when I am dong all of these things? Well, it pi**e* me off that he is absolutely right. So, I am forced to sell my goats. And I am NOT happy about it… Here they are. If you are interested, please email me.

The twins Willow and the un-named male, along with their mother, Miri. She is a marvelous milker.

My favorite doeling, Fern Gully. She makes me laugh so hard!!!

Big Daddy Nimrod. He is such a handsome man! I tell him that all the time. He is a very nice buck goat. Very gentle, for a male.

I am very proud of my herd of goats. I love them dearly. This is one of the things that I have to accept with my damaged back: no more lifting, raking, shoving, pulling, or carrying beyond my weight limit. I will miss them awfully.

Fiber

Don has gone up to the cities, so here I was all alone with ‘nothing’ (ha-ha) to do! I should have been cleaning the barn or doing something on my “To Do” list, but instead, I carded some yarn and sat down to my spinning wheel Merlin to do some spinning of the Miniature Llama fiber that Bill Fisher and his wife had given me to sample. “Merlin” and I have been having a wonderful time together. I LOVE spinning on Merlin! And tonight, while I was spinning and watching TV at the same time, I just sat in wonder and amazement. There I was, with the roving slipping through my fingers, turning into real yarn at the magic moment when the yarn twists and springs away from your fingers and fills the bobbin. And I was thinking: “Why did this ever seem so difficult? This is just as easy as breathing air or drinking a glass of water!!” I used to watch people and envy them that they were able to do this and I tried and tried and could not. But I really do believe that the magic is with Merlin… and that’s my story and I’m sticking to it!

Almost as soon as Don left I pulled out the fiber bags and boxes and went to work! That is (from left) a box of Yak and dog undercoat hair (Yes, I am going to 'spin my dogs'), Arthur the lamb, and Miniature Llama fiber. Hair, hair everywhere!

OH - MY - WORD!!! Either the cat had a massive hairball problem or I have a horrible mess on my hands! I have discovered that the Yak fiber, as well as the Miniature Llama fiber, will mat when washed, even without any sort of 'agitation' or mashing or whatever! It just gravitates towards itself and locks in a massive mess! I have read about folks using a lingerie bag. This is what I will probably end up trying in the future. But not to worry - it comes right out with the drum carder.

A -ha! Now THAT is more like it! This is sheep's (Arthur's) wool mixed with Yak. I have blended one batch with more sheep's wool than the other. It looks like an animal lying dead on the floor, don't you think?

Here is my Merlin, sitting with roving on his feet, keeping them warm. He is an Ashford Kiwi. Ashfords are made in New Zealand. He is very special to me. Sitting next to Merlin is a Picker. It has nails that sort of comb out the wool and help remove debris such as hay and seeds, as well as beginning to straighten it out so that it starts to face in the same direction. After picking the wool, it is on to the carder which super-brushes the wool and makes it ready for spinning! Meanwhile lying on top of the picker is some wool that Connie is letting me try out. It is all ready for spinning! WOW, is it ever soft! It is from a Shetland Sheep.

Here is the drum carder. It belongs to PIC (Partner In Crime) Connie, and she is generous enough to share this spendy little piece of machinery with me. Thank you so much, Connie. I don't know what I would do without you!

OK. PLEASE do not laugh. This is my very first EVER skein of home-spun yarn. It is lumpy, it is bumpy, but it is mine, and I am so proud of it that I just might decide to never make anything out of it and just hang it on the wall of my craft room in some special way to make it look artistic. Maybe Candy can help me with that?! It was spun from Arthur's wool and Heidi's (Don's German Shepherd Dog's) undercoat. I am very happy with my skein!!!

Mr. Blue, one of Don's male Beta's, looks on in approval. He thinks that as long as I am close by, he may just get an extra morsel of food! "Blue" is a very nice fish. He does what I want him to do, as I have trained him by fluttering my fingers and 'tinking' on the glass. He also allows me to 'pet' him, but I always, always wash my hands first. I do not want him to get any fungal diseases or anything like that. Betas are very beautiful and very easy to care for. When they are happy, they blow bubbles on the top of their water! Can you see Blue's bubbles? I just cleaned his 'cage' today, so he is very happy and blowing his bubbles on the top.

The Fox Are Back

Hello!

I know that it has been ages since I wrote my last blog. Wow. It was before Easter, during my brother's wedding! So, what have I been doing that is fun, and exciting, and taking up all of my time? Well, hmmm..I would LOVE to tell you that I have been on a cruise around the world. Or a visit to California. Or even a trip to nearby Mountain Lake...but, alas! I have only to report that I cleaned the house extensively while Don was gone to Colorado to visit #2 son Bob, who goes to college in Boulder... AND I have been working with fiber and spinning on my new wheel. More on that, later! ALSO, I got a new camera which is a state-of-the-art little machine smaller than a pack of Marlboro's. Which, by the way, I sincerely want to end up smoking every time I sit down and try to figure out how to operate it! This is not just a camera, folks, it is a device which I am even slightly afraid of. If I push the wrong button, I just might: order a pizza from Dominoes, purchase plane tickets to Jamaica, remotely start my car sitting out in the driveway, or detonate a weapon which will start WWIII. Well, not exactly, but I believe that it will take me most of the summer to learn how to operate the thing!

In the meantime, I put a new set of batteries in my cursed old Sony, and took some pictures of the newest family of fox in our neighborhood. They live just down the road from us, right on the side of the highway! Last year, momma fox had 5 babies, and eventually one or two were tragically killed by passing cars. This year, I have counted 4 new babies, but there might have been another hiding down in the hole. Fox are by nature extremely shy creatures, and so I was elated to find that they would allow me to take their pictures! Here they are: Enjoy!