FAF 3-31-12

Hello! Welcome.

It's great to be back to Friday again, isn't it? I'm happy to say that I've reached the point of having some breathing room at work. That sure makes the rest of life a lot better. Lets the creative thoughts swirl around in my head a bit better...be sure to check out the creativity of all the folks that post to Fiber Arts Friday over at Wisdom Begins in Wonder.

Tomorrow I'll be buying a Mega Millions ticket and hoping for some good luck. Have you ever thought about what you would do if you won $540,000,000? I had to think a minute how many zeros that would be. An amazing amount. What would you do with it?

I would find the largest and best place for all my friends to spin or knit or sew with endless amounts of really tasty treats and perfectly roasted coffee. A place where folks could gather to hone their skills and their friendships. Where they would be surrounded by inspiration and become their most creative. We could invite all the interesting teachers in the world. This is the place I dream of when I give myself the luxury of dreaming. It would be awesome and you would all be invited, every day.

I've been knitting and spinning and sewing this week. Here are the results so far...

2nd sock for Rita at Yarn Hollow

fiber from Emily at Fiber Addiction.com, this is the same fiber that was green in last week's photo. I can't wait to ply it...probably Navajo to keep the color transitions.

I'm working on a muslin for my new summer pants...I'm on version #2 right now, hoping I've got the alterations right this time. Once that part is out of the way the rest is easy.

For those of you that come to see LittleDog...here is a look into his daily routine. When I open the door he heads out for his adventure...first he stops on the edge of the deck, surveys his pugdom and barks, once.

then, he sniffs his way around the entire yard

until he finds exactly the right spot...

Now don't you wish you hadn't stayed til the end? LOL
I think his 3 point stance is hilarious!  Thank you for coming and have a great week!

A new "do" for Max

Max went to see a new groomer this week.

I think she's pretty happy with her new style even if it is a bit girlie...

She really liked the nice ladies at North Bark. We'll be going back again soon.

Some fiber has been spun this week. The Phat Fiber that I was spinning for Shine is finished...214 yds, 2 ply, assorted fine fibers.

It's oh-so-soft.

Next up, BFL dyed by another GR Yarnie, Emily.  This is an older color she did called Mayim Bialik (aka Blossom...did you know that she has a PhD in Neuroscience? Neither did I).

I checked in on Max last night around 7 and she's still exhausted from her trip to the groomer...

Hope you all have a great weekend. Have some fun with some fiber if possible. Be sure to check out all the creative peeps that participate in Fiber Arts Friday on Andrea's blog called Wisdom Begins In Wonder. You'll be inspired!

Just another reason why he's "The Saint"

Welcome to my Fiber Arts Friday post. If you find this subject interesting be sure to hop over to Wisdom Begins In Wonder where Andrea is the hostess with the mostest.

As the title suggests, there are many reasons but the latest is that last Friday while I was at work this man spent a considerable amount of time working to untangle this yarn mess for me. (I had already worked on it for an hour the night before)

Then Saturday morning while I was away having breakfast with the kids he finished untangling it.

He is the best! His patience and persistence allowed me to get started on Rita's second sock. Wouldn't you agree that qualifies him for sainthood?

Kristen, Paula and I drove up to Hillside Jacobs on Saturday. It was super tough buying only one fleece but that's all I purchased, one fleece, Jennifer's fleece. She's an older ewe but still has a very nice "lilac" fleece. This is the second year I've purchased her pretty fiber. I should have enough now to make a couple of sweaters.

It is always amazing to watch the shearer do his work.  The Jacob sheep weigh an average of 100 lbs and that's a lot of sheep to be wrangling around with a sharp clipper in your hand.

When we arrived the shearer was just finishing up the last  Columbia. They were the tallest sheep I've seen so far. They're all white and produce about 12 lbs of fleece per animal according to the breed website.

Here's my favorite Jacob sheep, Jennifer...

and here she is getting her trim...

She certainly isn't modest, LOL  I got a nice fleece from her and will add it to the fleece I got last year and get it spun up so I can do some sweater knitting.

There were also Shetland sheep sheared today...

I like their brown faces. It's so interesting how a sheep like the adult pictured above starts out looking like this little lamby...

It was a fun day!

I hope you all had a great week. Get out and see some fiber animals this weekend if you have a chance. Supporting our local shepherds will assure a good supply of fresh fiber for years to come.

LittleDog's piece of the blog:

Catching the last few rays on Thursday evening. Toodles!

Friday Fiber Stuff

Hey! How are ya? So glad you stopped by. I hope you find something interesting here. Please leave a comment to let me know you've visited. Be sure to check out all the creative and crafty peeps over at Wisdom Begins in Wonder too.

I have my papers together for the tax man appointment today and I'm oh so glad to be done with that little chore. (hopefully they won't have to call me 50 times with questions before they're done)

My knitting failure this week is a hat that I really don't like (on me)...will probably frog it and make something else with the yarn. I knit this whole hat twice...once on size 8 needles (too small) and once on size 10.5 needles (still too small). Not sure what's up with this pattern but the sizing is wak! It looks great on Heddy who has a nice long narrow head but she is certainly not representative of me. Don't you love the yarn though?

My first commission sock (of what I hope will be many) for Rita's festival season samples is finished. Isn't it pretty? The yarn is oh-so-nice and I love the pattern...I believe this is the third time I've knit this sock pattern.

Looking forward to starting the next sock tonight. The pattern is Riff and the yarn is fabuloso! (it has Cashmere) stay tuned for progress photos of that one.

It's shearing season so Paula and I will be heading up to Hillside Jacobs in Sparta tomorrow for the Jacob/Shetland/Columbia sheep festivities. I'm not planning on purchasing any fleece (really, I'm NOT!) but if I happen to run across a nice fleece grown by a pretty lady named Jennifer I might have to bring it home...this is some of what she grew last year...

and in the "lack of anything better to end with" department here's a couple of Pug photos. Enjoy!

 Rena and LittleDog

Time for wrastlin' in the office

Have a great week! Be sure to do something fibery. Thank you again for stopping by.

What a week!

Welcome! Here's this weeks offering for Fiber Arts Friday. Thank you so much for coming and don't forget to visit the other creative folks that participate over on Andrea's blog...Wisdom Begins In Wonder every week.
A lot has gone on this week at home and at work, I'll save you the drama and get right to...

the knitting...

socks commissioned by Rita of Yarn Hollow

Cookie A's Summer Sox.

one Ugly Sock done, second one started

I couldn't resist casting on with the handspun yarn that Paula gifted me. This is going to be Capucine. I purchased a ChiaoGoo 10.5 x 16" circ to knit this project with. I must say, I love the ChiaoGoo (pronounced chow-goo).

These lace tips are wicked! I'll have to develop a few little callouses, since I push the needle tip back with my fingers while knitting. It's a bit uncomfortable at first.

the fiber...
I'm happy to say I had the opportunity to support a friend and add to my fiber stash this week. Emily had intended to re-stock her Etsy shop. She brought in a few braids to show her new colorways and several of them didn't make it back home with her. I promised to post a pic of the ones that came home with me so others could enjoy the pretty. So here they are.

Exact same dye - colors and sequence...the one on the left is Faulkland and the other is Superwash BFL. Isn't it amazing how the different fibers took the dye? Thanks Em, they're fabulous...a perfect addition to my stash.

the pooches...

I know I can't post without a mention (and a pic) of LittleDog so here's today's offering, along with one of big brother Sam (who insisted that I take his pic too)

Sorry for the shiny eyes...I just can't figure out how to avoid them when I have to use the flash.

PS:  Tamara, LittleDog wanted me to tell you that we're sending good thoughts to your family in Syria and we all hope that they are staying safe during this super-scary time. Also, thanks for following us on Pinterest.