Summer

Phew! It's been a long one already, and we're not through with summer yet! With everything happening this summer, I feel like I've been just busy enough to avoid posting anything here. I shouldn't procrastinate that way, I know, but it's just beyond important enough to skip.

I'm warning you now, there are going to be some photo heavy posts in your future. [insert ominous music here] We've been camping, river swimming (errr... jump off the dock-ing?), picking blackberries, taking care of Dream full time, and I've been doing lots of spinning. I need to get a Tour de Fleece recap up before we get too far beyond the TdF!

But for now I'll leave you with an invitation to join me on Instagram to see more frequent updates, and a video of a very silly dog.

Alpaca Farm Open House

There's a local alpaca farm that has a few open houses a year. During these open house events, fiber artists from the area are invited to come set up tables to sell things, come hang out and spin, and meet all the alpaca. Last weekend was the most recent open house and I was happy to go again!

I brought a little table to set up some handspun, WIP bags, and fiber for sale. I did make a couple sales, but it wasn't as busy as the last open house. It was hot! It wasn't too bad in the shade, I guess, but geez! There are times I wonder why the hell I live in the desert. It was hovering right around 100F the whole day. I think the only saving grace is that there was shade and a light breeze!

There were a few of the local fiber people there with wheels, so it was nice to see them and the projects that they were working on.

And the alpaca! The stars of the show! The reason we were all there! They were super adorbs and so sweet!

And, of course, I came home with a fleece... and a project idea... what kind of fiber addict would I be without coming home with a fleece?!

Have you spun alpaca before? Knit with it? What do you think of it as a fiber?

A (re)Introduction

I'm not, by any means, over the loss of my beloved Bella. Losing her so suddenly and so unexpectedly earlier this year really threw me for a loop. I was a complete mess! I was depressed, and slept an awful lot. I was very stuck in my own head, thinking the scenario through over and over and over and over on loop. Was there anything that I could have done differently? Could we have saved her if we'd gotten an earlier vet appointment? Could we have done something? Should we have let her go and not tried that one last test?

I'm bouncing back to my "normal." I'm not sleeping as much. I'm not crying myself to sleep. I can make it through the day without getting a tension headache. I'm not up for getting the podcast up and going again, that's still just *too* much for me, but I'm prepared to get back in to the swing of things with the blogging bit. I have so many exciting things that I want to share! And projects! And plans!

So I thought that it might be fun to do one of those random facts style introductions that go around Instagram, only do it right here. On the blog. In the blog? I'm not sure which is more correct there...

Anyways, without further ado, here's me!

1) My name is Lora, I'm 27, and I'm a bit of a fiber addict!
2) I would absolutely love to have acreage, with a few acres of garden space, a flock of fiber sheep, and a whole building just for my fiber studio.
3) I have a BA that I finished in 3 years instead of the standard 4, but still don't have a job in my area of study. I work at a locally owned small business. When I say small, I mean small - only 5 employees!
4) My partner, Ty, and I have been together for 4 years and never plan to marry, but do plan to stay together forever.
5)Together we have a slowly dwindling zoo with dogs, cats, ferrets, rats, and horses.
6) He grew up on farms, I grew up in the suburbs, and we both prefer places with trees and 4 seasons.
7) I love the idea of home cooked, home grown, and home preserved. I do my best to do that, but delivery pizza wins out far too often!
8) The process of getting a raw fleece, skirting it, cleaning, it, and getting it spun and then either knit or woven is one that I love. Ty would say that I have too much fiber... I say there's still more space in the pantry!
9) I have 3 spinning wheels, quite a few drop and supported spindles, 3 looms, hand combs, hand cards, and access to a drum carder. I'm spoiled with friends and family who have given me tools or will lend me tools.
10) I read this on a blog post this morning, and it really stuck with me.

It is unrealistic and unhealthy to try to do everything ourselves, flawlessly, all the time.*

I try all too frequently to do everything perfectly and by myself. I've written this in my notebook, on a planner, stuck it to my computer monitor, and will internalize this!

So, that's a little bit about me! If you want to know anything more, please, speak up. If you wonder about my dreams, I'm happy to blather your ears off. If you want to know about fibery stuff, oh dear... I'm not sure I would be able to pick a subject, so you'd better give me a direction!

*The blog that I got that quote from is the Truth and Dare Movement. Many of the blog posts and podcast episodes are worth listening to !

Two Months Later... a (mostly) wordless Wednesday!

Well, it's been just about 2 months since I last posted. We're in the very beginning of Tour de Fleece now, so what better time to start posting photos of my ongoing spinning projects for TdF?

I've finished up the Hobbledehoy Wizard battlings, started spinning the Hobbledehoy Kaylee's Parasol battlings, begun my Inglenook Fibers TdF sticklebatts, started a wheel spin of a braid of silk/BFL dyed by Edgewood Garden Studio, and finished part of a ply for the skein in the photo before plying!

"Three Fates" Shawl FO

I love doing test knits. Especially when they're wonderfully designed and thoughtfully put together!

This was a test knit for Amanita (aka Agata Mackiewicz). 

When she asked if there would be anyone interested in doing a test knit that combined cables and garter stitch in a shawl pattern, I jumped on the opportunity! Cables are one of my favorite things to knit. Seriously. They're so much fun! Garter is something that I wasn't really sure about... I tend to get really bored with garter stitch... it's just so basic. 

This knit, though, really seemed to move along very quickly!I used Misti Alpaca Baby Suri Alpaca & Silk, and the weight of the alpaca makes this shawl drape so wonderfully. I very, very, very lightly blocked the shawl. I don't even think that I needed to block it! 

I used almost all of 7 skeins of yarn to knit this. I actually got rather frustrated that the yarn only came in 50 gram amounts... so many ends to weave in... but it was so worth it! 


Now, all the important information for the pattern:
Pattern Name: Forest Mystery
Yarn: DK weight
Yardage: 700 - 735 yards
Needles: US 6 & 7

WIPs and a slow reintroduction

It's been almost a month since I posted about Bella. I think I'm ready to start up a schedule of posting to the blog again. I'll start off slow, just to be sure I have the energy.

I'm going to start with a round up of my current WIPs, mostly as a listing for myself to see where I need to focus a bit of my time and energy...

• Alma Park Alpacas support spindle spin
• May/June Jenkins Challenge spin
• Shetland lamb fleece spin
• Natural green cotton spin
• MKAL with The Cottage Knits, Ellie & Ada, & Mina Loves Deisgns
• scrappy fingerless mitts

I also have a couple things that I need to knit for friends (the Peace de Resistance mittens, to be specific) that haven't been cast on yet! 

I know that at least 1 pair of mittens needs to be finished by Black Sheep Gathering. And I would like to be finished spinning the Shetland and start my sweater by BSG as well. The support spindle spin can languish (and probably will... to be honest), and the MKAL might be frogged to find a pattern I like better. I'm not a huge fan of the construction and looks of the pattern. Maybe by the time the pattern is actually complete I'll like it more and finish the shawl? But only once I've seen pictures... 

I did just get a new toy today! I spent the morning and early afternoon at the local library for Fiber With a Twist! I shared a table with my friend Leslie, the one with the amazing Shetland sheep. I didn't do much business today, which wasn't terribly unexpected, but I did trade a skein of yarn for a tiny loom! So, I will need to play with that a little bit, of course, in between all of the other projects that I have ;)

And, of course, I have a few things that I need to list in the Yarn Runner etsy store. Pictures and listings will happen tomorrow, as long as the weird thunderstorm weather clears up!

In Memory of Bella

Wow. It's been almost a full month since my last post, and so much has happened since then...

I'm going to share pictures of one specific spin that I've been working on, and some pictures of my beloved Bella. (and cry in the process of writing this and sharing the pictures, I'm sure.)

Because I just can't, I don't have the energy or the courage, to write out again why I've been absent or why I'm crying in the posting of this, I will be adding in quotes from posts I've written off Ravelry. They may not make as much sense in this format, but they'll get the general idea across.

We got testing back. It isn’t good. It’s really, really, really bad.

Right now Bella is resting easy, snoring, on my bed, right in between my legs.

She spent quite a long time at the vet clinic today. Last Friday when we brought her in, she presented with symptoms that the vet didn’t think were life threatening or required blood work. She had puked a couple times and hadn’t eaten for a few days. She was drinking just fine, and just seemed tired until we asked if she wanted a car ride. Today when she went in for blood work (because even after anti nausea meds she still wasn’t eating), her physical poking & prodding side of things revealed that her abdomen is tender to pressure. That prompted X-rays, which found nothing wrong. Blood work was already in the works (she was such a good girl for the X-rays and blood work - no sedation needed), so we just had to wait. 

Her kidneys are failing. She’s dying.

The vet suspects that it’s either cancer (though no tumors showed up on any X-rays, and she got whole body exam and X-rays) or poison. We’re doing a test for Addison’s disease, just to see, because that’s treatable. It’s exceedingly rare. I’m not hopeful. More than likely we’ll be back at the vet on Thursday or Friday to help Bella cross the rainbow bridge.

...it’s been really rough. Things are up and down, and luckily I have other fur babies that need my love and attention. If they weren’t around, I’m pretty sure I’d be balled up in bed doing absolutely nothing but bawling my eyes out.

 I had to help my soul dog cross the rainbow bridge this evening. This is about the time, 5 year ago, that the local animal control picked her up off the street as a stray. Purple was her color - her collar was purple, her favorite blankets on our bed were purple, I knit a cowl for her in purple...

As a celebration of her life, and in memory of the wonderful animal control officers who made sure she was sheltered until I got her, I’m going to continue to spin my purple Inglenook Fibers. It matched her collar perfectly.

  I took Molly out for a walk earlier, and just started bawling because I was missing Bella - we always went for walks in a set of three! I went to the kitchen for a glass of water, turned around, and saw the empty spot that Bella always sat in watching me do whatever.

Episode 35: Shearing, Spin Ins, and Dyeing

I was seriously taken down by whatever the latest crud is that's going around. I am still carrying around a few tissues, just in case, and drowning in tea. I appologize tremendously if I still sound a little funny!

I do have a whole heck of a lot to share with you guys! Even though I was sick, I did get a lot done and help with quite a few things! Shetland sheep shearing, Log Cabin Spin In, Etsy photography and listings, business cards, spinning, knitting, planning...

The Happenings Around Here

We've started getting seeds out and planting some things (radish, beets, lettuces, tomatoes, peppers). The Shetland sheep at Leslie's farm needed shearing. The NWRSA conference 2019 planning has begun. I went to the Log Cabin Spin In in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho yesterday with a few friends. I did get a lot of spinning done, but I also made connections with fellow Pocket Wheel owners, talked to a lady about natural dyeing with lichens and mushrooms, and got to pet a baby BFL sheep!

I'll be starting up a dye cookbook/notebook and beginning to coll ect more dye books and information. 

WIPs

1. Jenkins March SAL - IF "Concord Grape"
2. Hobbledehoy "Gemmy Batts"
3. Honey Badger socks using Three Fates Yarns Terra Sock in "Blondie"

FOs

1. Romney Skeins (680 yards of Worsted, total)
2. Getting my Etsy store up and running again, with partial listings

(And here's the list of books from Amazon... I decided to be lazy and not actually list them...)

Wordless Wednesday

Silver Romney, a mission

So, you guys know by now that I'll be going to Fiber Market Day at the end of the month. It's on March 25th. And that I'll be sharing a booth with a couple friends while I'm down there. That was the actual launching point to my dream of providing handspun yarn, fiber, and other fiber notions kinds of things.

Now I'm just making sure that I have things to bring down there to sell from the booth!

I do actually have a bit of handspun that I can bring, but I also have to send off a couple skeins of handspun for my half of a barter (I talked about this back on February 16th. and I really need to get those skeins in the mail ASAP! It's been far too long).

I've been spinning the lovely silvery Romney that I got at Black Sheep Gathering last June. It's so different from the medium grey Romney that I spun for my shawl!

It's shorter fiber. I know that some people will shear twice a year - I'm wondering if that's the case for this particular fleece? Or maybe the sheep just had a coat that doesn't grow as quickly? Or the sheep was extra wiggly during shearing? Or maybe the shearer was new or learning? Whatever the case may be, I'm enjoying the spin, even if I'm finding more second cuts and weird bits that have been cut what looks like three times. I am using my combs to comb a section of fiber at a time, and then spinning straight from the combs. It's creating quite a bit less waste than the flicking I've been doing for the Shetland lamb fleece. I'll have to do some weighing to see exactly how much "loss" I'm getting with both methods. Don't worry, I'll report back here! Eventually... lol

Here's a video of me prepping the fiber, combing, and then spinning straight from the comb. It takes about 20 minutes start to finish for a pretty good bit of fiber. Never fear, though, I sped up the video by 4x so you don't have to sit there and watch forever! I admit that it's a bit mesmerizing...

Episode 34: Friendship and Stash

Ohmygoodnessguys! I had so much stash to share with you this week! I got the best surprise in the mail on Monday. I had been having a tough day, so it was absolutely amazing to have a giant box when I got home from work. I knew that the box was coming, but I had no idea what the box was stuffed with. And then there's the spinning. And then there's the knitting. And the new baby business venture!

WIPs

1. Jenkins March SAL - Inglenook Fibers "Concord Grape"
2. Romney skeins
3. Hobbledehoy "Gemma Batts"
4. Honey Badger socks using Three Fates Terra Sock in "Blondie"

FOs

1. Glynis socks using Madelinetosh Tosh Sock in "Olivia"

Wool Piggery

1. Hobbledehoy "Gemmy Batts," "Jacaranda," "Heart of Mars," "Boardwalk Empire" 
2. Corgi Hill Farm "Elwynn Forest," "Blood Elf," "Pebble Shore"
3. Hello Yarn "Heirloom"
4. Into The Whirled "Death"
5. Nunoco "Cherry Blossom," batt droppings

Yarn Runner

I'm rebranding and starting up a new itty bitty business! I've changed my Etsy store name, started putting together labels and business cards, and have been getting glamour shots of handspun yarns. I had been thinking about this for a while, but it took a push. The push are a couple events that I'll be attending with friends - Fiber Market Day in Prineville, Oregon, and Fiber With a Twist here in Richland. I'll be bringing handspun yarn, hand processed local fleece, dye things, and a few sewn project bags.  

Plus gratuitous pictures, cause they are freaking adorable...

this is the noise maker from the video... 

Handspun, Handmade Business

I don't know if any of you have noticed, or even knew that I had one, but my Etsy storefront has been closed for some time now. I'm planning on opening the little shop thing again, but I'm running into a dilemma. I want to change my shop name, but to what? I want to change my focus a little bit, but that requires a bit more time. I'm also attending the Prineville, OR Fiber Market Day. I don't feel like it's very fair to open a new Etsy store with a new name, without a lot of stock. Or open with full stock, and then a week or two later put the shop on vacation again so I can drive down to Oregon!

I will be more focused on spinning and yarn, with just a few accessories. I also plan to provide some of my dried flowers for natural dyeing every once in a while, or when they're in season!

This is all requiring a build up of stock, new photos, a real business card, a marketing plan, a budget, and all of that while I'm doing everything that I normally do! Those things like work and horse care and dog care and try to have some time to spin and knit for myself.

There will be more on this later...

P.S. what do you think of "Whirling Marigolds" as a business name?

Wordless Wednesday!!!