Yarns

This is one of two skeins that I just spun. They are singles that are pretty close to lace weight. I made them to go with the green crochet pattern that I wrote last summer.
This is the batt for the yarn above.

This is a close up of the two yarns wrapped around each other. The color looks really subdued on my screen, but they are muc more vivid in life. I would crochet them up myself, but I have a few other designs in my head that need to get in yarn, so I will put these in the shop. Kid mohair and Shetland lamb. My favorite combination.

Fleeces and more animals

This is a close up of the fleece of the 3/4 Shetland in the last picture of the last post. Can't seem to get more than 5 photos to post at a time. 3 inches of his wool are brown and the inch and a half closest to his body has turned grey. Lovely coloring. Dove (white) and Reeses were the two wethers in that photo.
This is Mole'. His wool is growing slower than the others, but it is lovely. There are spots of grey with touches of black and a shade of brown in areas. I have loved looking at the fleeces this year. Lots more colors than I thought. All of the parents are cream or white with touches of grey. Funny how different they all turn out. Have I mentioned that all but two were born pure black? They have all changed in some way.
These are more of the wethers.
The does on the left is Saffron's kid doe that I kept. She has the loveliest hair. This is Peaches' kid doe in with her.
These two wethers are brothers. I was amazed when the one in the back was sheared in October. I was sure he was going to be pure black. Turns out that only the outer inch and a half was. His fleece is spun or sold. I am thinking that his brother has black all of the way through, since it was when I looked not too long ago, but I could be wrong.

I am not sure that all of the does and ewes got pregnant this year. It has been really warm this winter. I am fairly certain that the ewes that were in with the Cormo did not get pregnant. They seem to fuss periodically. I would put them with a Shetland ram, but it is kind of late in the season and I am limited on animals that I can keep anyhow.

Watching the animals

As I walked out to feed this evening, I found all of the llamas and alpacas waiting for me.
Can you tell which is the llama and which is the alpaca?
Jennifer has settled in and does not mind the sheep at all. Geoffrey still keeps his distance, but knows that he better get in the gate when the others do or he will have to wait till I am done feeding.
These are Mounds and Musketeer. They are Rambouillet/Columbia crosses and they sound the alarm when they see me coming. They have bottomless pits for stomachs.
These two wethers are from the Black Border Leicester/Shetland cross ewe. The are 3/4 Shetland and have the best wool of the bunch. They are really friendly when it is dinnertime. They know that I only feed the pellets to the animals in pens for breeding, so they grab what they can. They let me check out their wool and I can play with their noses. Some of the others do also, but these are the most persistent. They would make great pets. They are for sale - I can't send them to auction.

Photogenic cat?

Charcoal, the studio cat, found a new spot to hang out. I bought a tabletop photo studio, so I could get better pictures for my yarns. The lights are not as good as the flash on my camera, but it does cut off the mess in the rest of the studio. Of course, a box would have worked just as well!
This is the yarn that I spun today from a batt, that I carded last night.The colors really appealed to me: a touch of yellow and red among the blue and purple.It is a mix of kid mohair and wool, coiled over cotton. It is currently in the wash. I am going to list it on my etsy shop.

I have started spinning a green, blue and orange mohair blend with a dirty grey looking Shetland. It is going to wash up a lot nicer, since this was a fleece that I did not clean as thoroughly as I have others. That is why I am spinning it and not selling it as a batt. It looks interesting. I am not sure that I will ply it. Depends on what I feel like after I get it all spun.I must have been happy carding because it is over 11 ounces. I am spinning it laceweight.

New theme, same as the old theme

After looking at art books and considering several ideas, I have come to the conclusion that I have not finished exploring the idea of freeform. I am in the process of designing something (can't tell you what it is) for which I will post the pattern as I design/write the pattern. I am going to post the pattern as I write it and photos the following day (so you have a chance to try it out and see if it works). I am going to call this the "mystery thing." It is going to be all about texture.

Choose a yarn that is suitable for both male and female. It should be about worsted weight. You should have about 500 yards. It can be one color or at least 7 colors. It should also be something that could felt, if I decide to felt the end product.

This is the yarn and needles that I have chosen: Needles US 13, Yarn Alpaca/Targhee worsted weight. 500 yards

Notes: The first and last stitch of every row should be knit for best results.
Always cast of/bind off stitches with the right side facing you.
Pick one way to pick up stitches and then be consistent throughout!
You can do the whole thing in one color or change color ever time you pick up stitches.
Always turn your work 90 degrees to the right.

Cast on 9 stitches. Knit 8 rows. Mark the front side.

Bind off 8 stitches. Knit the last stitch and turn work 90 degrees to the right. Pick up 5 stitches along the side.

Pattern 1: Ribbing = 13 rows
Row 1: k2, p2, k2
Row 2: k1, p1, k2, p1, k1.

Cast off 5 stitches and knit the last stitch, turn the work 90 degrees to the right, and pick up 16 stitches = 17 stitches total.

Pattern 2: Double basket weave
Row 1: was the row you picked up and should look like knit stitches.
Row 2: K4, p1,*k3, P1* to end with 4 knits.
Row 3: Knit.
Row 4: Repeat row 2.
Row 5: Knit.
Row 6: K2, p1, *k3, p1* to end with K2.
Row 7: Knit.
Row 8: Repeat row 6.
Repeat rows 1-8, bind off on the next row in knit.

Happy knitting. Let me know, if you decide to try it out, so I can notify you of updates.

New ideas for a new year

This is the shrug that I am remaking. I have done over half of it and hope to finish it by Friday. I have half finished the red crochet shawl and need to get back to it. I wanted to see how the millspun yarn would work up. It is great for traditional knitting - sweaters, scarves, etc., but I think I would get bored with it, even the yarns that I have dyed.

I need to come up with a them name for my babies this year. Any ideas?

I also need to come up with a theme for inspiration this year. Last year it was freeform. I am thinking abstract, but that might be too much like freeform. I could explore geometric shapes, but have not a clue as to how I would relate it to yarns. So, I am thinking...

Happy New Year!

Making progress

I started working on the shoulder shrug that I need as a sample for the pattern that I designed a year ago. It is hard to get motivated to work on it, since it is cream colored and has no pattern. I finally got going on it this evening, after Marc taught me how to use the turntable that converts records to computer files. It was like a trip down memory lane. I have records that are 40 years old and still sound great. I can remember where I lived when I first heard the albums and where I was the last time I listened to them. My favorite one is Roger Whitaker's, The Last Farewell. Skyler, our African grey got really excited when the song, Whistle Stop, played. I plan to play that one frequently, so he will learn to whistle it.

I listed a few yarns on etsy, but will replace the photos, once the tabletop photo studio arrives on Thursday or Friday. My camera is good, but it is too hard to get decent photos. I hope to be listing more handspun yarns. I noticed that they are looked at more than the millspun ones.