Spinning

When we live in the countryside in SoHum, we had all kinds of critters; from emus to rabbits to horses to finches. Then we moved to town and all that came with us were the finches. I have had these little darlings for seven or eight years. These are 2nd generation from the original pair that I received. Once in a while one of them will escape the cage while I am feeding or watering and it's exciting and intense trying to get them back inside! The song they sing keeps my heart glad in a stressful world.
One rabbit managed to tag along as well, but then one day she met my young black lab and needless to say the introduction didn't go well. She was an angora rabbit and I used to pull her fur to use it for spinning.

The entire experience of spinning wool fibers into usable yarn is simple yet fascinating. Women have been doing it for centuries to create essential garments for their families. This art invokes a spirit of tranquility in me each time I sit at the wheel. The concept of taking something so raw, right off the back of an animal, and then utilizing it to provide sustenance for my use is amazing. I have always enjoyed creating something out of nothing so to speak. Watching something so seemingly useless be turned into something so necessary as clothing really inspires me and motivates me to participate and try it out. My sock project is coming along fantastic and they will finished soon! I am actually going to finish them in a timely manner!
A group of us went to the Summer Arts Festival in SoHum this weekend to see my daughter play with her drumming troupe. They were fantastic. Lots of fun in the sun. We watched a group demonstrate "capoeria" which is a Brazilian form of dance, exercise, martial arts kind of movement. They were amazing! What energy and strength! When they finished, each of them went into the audience to chose someone to "teach" it to....well, one of the guys picked me out of the crowd! I got up and tried to look like I could do this! It was fun. My friends said I did great - aren't they sweet?! I will try to post video of the drum group later.

Knitter Almighty

My daughter says that I look like that in this photo. It's hard to see what I am doing, but I am trying to knit those socks one more time. Last time I tried, they got too big so I made them into baby hats instead!

So far so good.

While we sent the horses out for a run in the arena, I knitted!


Image has recovered from his injury to his leg and is back to his old self again.

Knitting Socks

For the last couple of years I have been learning how to knit various articles of clothing mostly out of my own homespun wool. Recently I came across this great pattern at knitpicks.com for knitting socks. The pattern is called "Two at once, Toe-up sock." The goal here is to finish the project with both socks being the same size and shape because you knit them side by side with the same stitch tension and whatnot. Here is a photo of my project so far. This is the toe end of the sock so now I just have to keep knitting until I reach the heel area. This pattern has what's called an "afterthought Heel." Let me explain the concept of the Afterthought heel. A separate yarn is used to stitch in a section of the "tube" (sock) which is later taken out and replaced when you go back and knit the heel. In this way, when the heel of the sock wears out, like they often do, you can replace it with new yarn by just removing the afterthought heel section that is holey. I hope that makes some sort of sense. I find it very practical since most of the time the heel is the very first thing that goes out on my socks. This is a great way to prolong the life of a favorite pair! So when I finish them, I will post a photo of them on my feet!

Isn't this the cutest knitting bag? My creative DIL made it for me for a christmas gift. Notice all the little needle holders on the sides of the bag. It also has a flat bottom so it sits up quite nicely.


Update: The socks just kept getting bigger ( I guess I increased too much!) so instead of making a size 15 sock, I decided to discontinue making socks and am now knitting two little baby hats! My first thought of course, was that maybe someone I know will be having twins in the near future and I can give the hats to them, but ....Anyway, I will begin a new set of socks soon and I will try to increase less and knit tighter! I will update later.

Humboldt "rasta" knitting

Here is the photo of my first major knitting project. The pattern is for beginners and it's called a prayer shawl. I feel such a sense of accomplishment! My DIL helped me get started on it and from there I went for it by myself. I have knitted hats and scarves before, but this was a bigger project. Of course there are mistakes in it. It won't be winning any ribbons at the Humboldt County fair or anything like that! For me, though, it is just what I wanted. Gus gave me a ball winder and a swift for Christmas, so now I am all set to do many more projects. My next endeavor is to make socks for s-2's birthday. Below is a photo of what not to look for when searching for a nice fleece. These are wild sheep on the Ranch on Salmon Creek. This is not where I got my fleece for my projects. These wooly mammoth sheep have been roaming around TJ & M's ranch for years without getting sheared!

The art of spinning

I like to spin. No, not like the Shakers used to do in church meetings, but with an Ashford spinning wheel. I have a passion to see the ordinary transformed into the extraordinary. Every year I purchase what's called a "fleece" (like the one Gideon used in the Bible to collect or not collect dew), from a shepherd in our area that specifically raises sheep in order to sell their curly locks. Throughout the year, Mr. Van der Naak carefully watches over his ewes, blanketing them to keep dirt off of their wool, preparing them for shearing in the early spring. At the Fiber Faire each fall I sift through the piles of fleeces to select just the one I want, then I bring it home to begin the transformation. While the blanket on the sheep keeps redwood fronds, hay and the occasional poo from anchoring deep within its rastafarian locks, it still smells....like a sheep. Baaaaaaa..... Nearly dripping with lanolin and reeking of the barnyard, the fleece comes home with me to begin its makeover. This new look will include washing, drying, carding, spinning, plying, setting, knitting and blocking the fibers into a beautiful, warm garment. Proverbs 31:13 ...she spins wool and flax and works with her hands in delight.
I have to wash it, then rinse it (several times ) in my bathtub with hot water and Dawn liquid detergent,(see photo). Yes, it smells. But we all know, beauty has a price. Gently, gently I soak it clean. If I mess with it too much it will "felt"( really bad -I did this with my first fleece). Felting is when you agitate it too much and the wool fibers meld together into a tight wad henceforth making it unsuitable for much of anything let alone spinning into yarn. (I'm sure most of us have ruined a wool sweater in our lifetime. Same principle). Next it must be thoroughly dried. To do this, early in the autumn while the sun is still very warm and hot, I lay the fleece on a towel on a large table in front of a south facing window in my house. In a couple of weeks it is completely dried and ready for its new look.
At this point, it smells, looks and feels a lot better than a few weeks ago. So now I can begin to card it. I have what's called a drum carder (photo of my DIL) to expedite this process. The carder is very old, but it works quite well for what I need. The wool goes in curly and ragged and comes out soft and fluffy. The tedious work is done, now it's time for spinning. This of course is the end that justifies all the work mentioned above. Sitting in front of a warm fire on a cold winter day with the gentle swishing sound of the wheel spinning 'round and 'round is my idea of a good day. (My cat, Rye-Rye, also likes it.)
After enough fiber has been spun, it's time for plying and setting the twist of the yarn. At this point, the yarn can be made into what's called a skein, wound into a ball ready for knitting or crocheting into something lovely. My first project from my own handspun yarn is a shawl. I wanted one that was lacey and light, but warm. I didn't dye the wool, I left it it's natural color. (I will post a photo later). The weather is still cold outside, so I will have plenty of time to wear my beautiful artwork. I hope I don't sound like a braggart here, but I am just so amazed and excited that with some diligence and fortitude, one can actually make a wearable piece of clothing out of something that once graced the back of a barnyard lamb. (without hurting the animal). Once again I am awed and amazed that God has orchestrated such a beautiful symphony of events that allow us to fulfill our natural inclination to "be in His image" by being creative.