I’ve been busy spinning, dying and knitting a few charity items.

One of the women in my spinning guild brought with her a ton of very lovely alpaca roving that will be spun and knit or crocheted  into warm items to be distributed to people with a need.

My yarn ended up averaging 16 wpi. I wanted to do fair isle knitting so I dyed approximately half the yarn a nice clear blue.

The mittens were a free Ravelry download by Heather Desserud called Ruba’iyat Mittens. This was my first ever attempt at fair isle knitting and I was very pleased with the results. I used the cuff pattern from the mittens on the matching cap.

I think I have enough yarn left to knit another hat. The main color will be the natural with the blue as the contrast.

Here are two socks that I recently finished. The first is by Cookie A. published in Knitty the second by Charlene Schurch and were in her book Sensational Knitted Socks.

I recently purchased Cookie A.’s book Sock Innovation. It’s very interesting not only does she give you sock patterns she lets you into her creative process and encourages you to make changes or even design your own sock. Anyway, both pair of socks are knit from Araucania “Ranco”  which I love to use when knitting a sock with a lacy pattern.  I am currently working on another pair from Sensational Knitted Socks.

Hope everyone had a great July 4th.

This is what roams freely through Custer State Park, SD:

Big Horn Sheep

I wish the quality was better they were taken at a great distance although they look fine on my I-Photo viewer.

The best wildlife pictures are on my husband’s computer but here are a few pics from the trip. I’m in total awe of the men that were part of the CCC.

Harney Peak fire tower

Plaque Harney Peak

view from Harney Peak

I’m curious what do you think makes a good spinner? Is it simply creating a balanced yarn? Is it being able to spin a really fine yarn? Is it mastering the different styles of spinning? I lean toward being able to make the fiber become the yarn you want. What is your definition of a good spinner?

Yes, it’s been a long time but processing wool takes forever and the sampling even longer. Add in there a great road trip to the Badlands and Black Hills of South Dakota and there is virtually not an extra minute for anything else.

I will write more about my spinning and the vacation very soon.

This has nothing to do with fiber – only a rant. I’m so sick of the cold. Yesterday was 50+ and sunny. Today the forecast is for 6 to 8 inches of the white stuff (I can’t even say the word) overnight. YUK!

I need to be outside picking through a fleece. I want to be spinning out on the deck. It’s time. It is officially Spring. Get the picture Mother Nature?

Ok, I feel better now. Stay warm.

I’ve also been enjoying reading “the intentional spinner” by Judith MacKenzie McCuin. Very good stuff. I’ll be using this book a lot tons of information between those covers.

 Spring time knitting –  out of Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece. It went very quickly. I worked a large wavy cable up the front and a small lace pattern on the back. Here are pictures of the unblocked piece.

March 22, 2009

I washed the first batch of fibers and have had a chance to do a little sampling. Elsie’s spins up beautifully hand combed and spun worsted or hand carded and spun woolen. I was worried about the large amount of VM in her fleece but it combed out easily. I’ll post pictures of my sample yarns next time I post.

I’m thinking that for the most part I will flick her locks to remove the VM and then drum card into batts. I don’t have the need for a true worsted yarn so I’ll save the hand combing for when I do.

Here’s a few more photos:

Flick carded lock

Pencil roving pulled from mini combs

Flicked locks ready for drum carding

As you can see her washed locks are beautiful. Not bad for a little lamb whose mom didn’t take to her right away.

Elsie

A little about Elsie:

A sweet little sheep 3/4 merino and 1/4 cotswold. Her fleece is very fine ( I counted 13 crimps in an inch)with a high lanolin content. She was not coated and has significant vm. This was her first shearing.

I spent most of yesterday afternoon sorting Elsie’s fleece into locks to be washed and I only managed about a third of the fleece. I’m not complaining it was beautiful outside – the first really warm day of the season. I will be doing some sampling very soon. My whole days work:

box of sorted locks

basket of locks ready for the wash

See you soon.