judyb-alpaca-and-fiber

Knitting Granddaughter

2012-01-07T18:18:00.000-08:00

I visited my granddaughter (and her father and mother) in Tennessee this Christmas. I enjoyed getting to know this precocious 7-1/2 year old who is a tough little girl! We played catch, and she could throw harder than I could and catch better than I ever could. Ellie plays basketball; was in gymnastics before too many other sports took her away--and I think her arms are stronger than mine! You don't say "pink" around Ellie! She fishes and hikes with her father in the Great Smoky Mountains.

And now she knows how to knit! Here she is with the scarf she knit (well, she knit at least half of it!). I cast on for her and was amazed at how quickly she caught on. It's a ten stitch row--she would knit two or three rows and then ask me to knit six! She really sped up as she progressed, learning how to push the point of the needle so her old stitch would come off and recognizing when she made a mistake that needed fixed. She also added the fringe by herself! Next visit, the purl stitch!

I did have a disappointment--As you can read in an earlier blog, Ellieowns Leroy, one of my alpacas. I spun Leroy's fiber and tried to knit her a sweater from her own alpaca. I still spin too tight, so it wasn't as soft as it could have been (which she noticed right away) and it turned out to be too small for her, especially the width of the arms. But I knew she appreciated the thought--we spent some time looking at the alpaca farm website, talking about Leroy and other alpaca things.

One of my spinning/knitting ventures this Christmas was a success, though. Madi got a scarf made from Madison! BMCA Mitchell and BMCA Madison were both born in 2009 and named for the sister (Madison) and brother (Mitchell) who work on the farm and noticed first when the dams were getting ready to give birth. Both the alpacas now belong to their mother who said she would now always have a Mitchell and Madison at home! They are greatly loved by Madi's twins sisters who call them paca-doos! This is what BMCA Madison looked like before shearing in June 2011.

Anyway, I spun up fiber from Madison and knit a lace scarf for Madi for Christmas. She said it was "BEAUTIFUL," and when she showed it to her mom, her mom said she would have to learn how to spin and knit. Here's a picture of the scarf, on blocking wires the night before Christmas eve!

I'm going to unknit Ellie's sweater and use Leroy to make a vest for me!

I might wait til Ellie's older, or I'm a better spinner, to try to knit her another original!

Alpacas Swimming and Fleece Cleaning

2011-07-28T15:45:00.000-07:00

Yes, summer finally came to the Palouse--slow as spring! It's been an unusually cool and wet summer with few days in the 90s. That's good for the alpacas though, since they seem to have a harder time with heat here on the Palouse than they do with the winters. I'm assuming that this is because their homes in South American are at higher, and therefore cooler, elevations.

So we make sure the alpacas have a swimming pool in each pen! Some of the alpacas just stand in the pools or use their front feet to splash water up at their bellies, but there are "swimmers" who take a full dip and sit down. To each his own! This is BMCA Jenna taking her first dip of the year.

While the alpacas enjoy the summer grass and their swimming pools, I'm busy skirting fiber. What do I do with it then? I have several options--all of which I use.

Some of it gets sent off to small mills. I used a new mill this year in Lebanon, Oregon--Creekside Fiber Mills. Sent some fiber off this spring and got back about nine pounds of luscious alpaca/mohair/silk from four of my medium brown alpacas (Leroy, Miguel, Dominga and Jane Wagner). It looks grey on my screen, but it's a great shade of medium brown. I'm selling it on my Etsy site (Alpacaknitter) and at the Yarn Underground in Moscow.

I like what they did so much, I sent more fiber their way. I'm also trying out a mill in Pennsylvania--Lazy Meadows.

I take some of my alpaca after skirting and wash it myself. I'm lucky enough to have traded my crew's skills at trimming alpaca toes for a used top loading washing machine I keep in the garage. I fill it with hot water using a hose from my laundry room near the garage door. The fleece goes in with some dishwashing liquid and soaks and then gets spun out. I may soak an extra dirty fleece a second time, and rinse it. The usual method of drying is to set the fleece in the sun on screens or the skirting table--that can take a day or two, turning the fleece, rescuing it from bursts of wind, etc.

But this year, I had a great idea! The story goes back about 9 or ten years ago when I accompanied my brother Brad up to an appliance store in Spokane where he was talking/pricing range tops. I got bored with the discussion and wandered around the store. "Brad, come look at this!" It was a "drying system," a "two-story" appliance with a "regular" dryer on the bottom and a second story of shelves and racks for drying/airing stuff. I had never seen anything like it before!

I should have known better than to wax eloquent over anything, because when Brad went up to Spokane a few weeks later to pick up his new range tops, he drove back with the "system" for me! Funny thing was, it wouldn't fit into the house where I was living at the time. So, it's been sitting in Brad's (now my) garage for years, unused!

Lightbulb appearing over my head!! Could I set fleece on the shelves instead of sweaters??? YES!!!! A trial run and it worked! Takes less than an hour to dry fleece. Wonderful!

So now, I can sell washed fleece---so much better than the fleece straight off the alpaca. No matter how hard we try to clean them beforehand, using a shop vac even, there's always dust left! I don't wash the fleece that gets sent to mills, but this skirted, washed fleece is wonderful for spinners!

So I tried something else this year. An inveterate Ravelry-er, I asked if there were spinners who were comfortable with suri and made an offer--I'll send you clean fleece; you spin; you send me half and keep the other half! I've had quite a few takers.

My first "return" came this week from Raveler Tara from Tennessee--she combined my suri with cormo (wool) and you'll have to take a look at the result on her flikr page:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23492466@N00/5954262657
I'm so happy with it! Looking forward to seeing what I get from "my" other spinners!

Yes, It is Spring

2011-05-16T15:32:00.000-07:00

Well, at least the bluebirds know what time of year it is! They have been romancing my truck and its mirror and flying around having a good time.

Spring is such a mixed up time. Madi, the young woman who works for me, was so happy on Wednesday because she got to cut the grass on the farm! Having sun was so unusual, she forgot to put on sunscreen and so was suffering the following day (when it rained again!) We got up to nearly 80 degrees on Saturday, but we were spared the tornadoes and hail that were predicted! Early this morning it snowed--but of course, it didn't stay long!

Sunday, after a beautiful morning, it rained, but the Girl Scouts that came for a farm visit didn't seem to mind. They enjoyed visiting the alpacas, feeding grain and petting BMCA Madison and BMCA Leyla, who always love the attention. The group of older girls and geldings and Katherine, the llama, kept approaching the girls with their usual curiosity. The girls learned what it meant when I explained that alpacas were herd animals, as they pursued the animals to try to get them interested in the grain.

The girls collected eggs and laughed at the skinny, bare necks of the turkins! They each picked their "favorite" egg to take home. They also took small ziplock bags of alpaca poop home!

In the garage, after spending time with the animals, the girls used alpaca fiber dyed with Kool-Aid which they felted and strung along with beads to make zipper pulls. They feasted on cake and lemonade and worked on an alpaca crossword puzzle and word search. I gave them a demonstration of spinning and they read the display boards that showed pictures of shearing, a cria birth, and other pertinent alpaca "facts."

"I really had fun!" one of the girls said to me. And her grandmother who came along as one of the chaperones decided that she really wants two alpacas!

Did I say Spring???

2011-04-23T17:08:00.000-07:00

Well, it's surely not summer--it's closer to winter. This picture of "Mother Earth and Earth Dog" was taken by a friend who lives only 10 miles east and went outside to play in the 4 inches of snow that came down at her house yesterday! Here on the farm, the yearling girls were out early and cushing together on their hill, but when the snow started, back to the shelters they went! It snowed on the farm, but didn't lay, but it was cold and windy.

But tulips and daffodils have made their way out of the mud and I'm sure will be blooming in a couple of weeks. It's sunny today, but supposed to be rainy for the next few days. Don't know when I'll be able to shear. Last year it wasn't until the third week in June and it may be that late again if spring keeps coming in so reluctantly!

I'm getting ready to head north to a fiber festival in Fairfield (South Spokane) Washington on May 7. Will be taking roving, alpaca socks, alpaca yarns and other miscellaneous things of interest to fiber folks.

Today as I worked down at the Artisan Barn studio, I plied two bobbins of alpaca--one a darker gray huacaya and the other a white suri. I have to take it off the plying bobbin and wash it tonight. Can't decide if I'll try to sell it or use it myself for a cowl--what I had in mind originally.

In the meantime, I'm working on a beaded lace shawl with 100 percent baby alpaca--it's Alpaca Cloud in Raspberry from KnitPicks and the beads match perfectly. The pattern is a lace sampler and its fun to see the different lace patterns take shape and decide where I'll add the beads.

A Happy Easter to all!

Spring comes to the Pacific Northwest!

2011-03-26T10:26:00.000-07:00

Yes--although we woke to snow two of the last seven days, spring is definitely here! Snow, sun, crocuses, lambs! Weather changes every two hours!! Yes, that's what spring is here. Yesterday, our Friday spinning/knitting/knoshing group met at a Troy farm to visit the spring lambs! Although this picture only shows white, we enjoyed black, brown, black with white starred foreheads and one little tan baby ram, all running around enjoying sunny weather. Baby animals are all so adorable.

In celebration of spring, I finished my latest pair of entrelac socks in a pastel blend that makes me think of Easter baskets. It's made from Plymouth Zino, a blend of wool and nylon, a single-ply that does have a tendency to split if one isn't careful. You can see them on my Ravelry page.

Spring Visitors

Another sign of spring are the visitors that came off and on this week to enjoy my pond--a pair of Canada goose. This was the first week that the pond was water, not ice, and the pair seemed to enjoy stopping by.

Watching grosbeaks at my feeders, too! One friend saw bluebirds back. Last year was the first year I ever saw bluebirds. I had nesting pairs in my two bluebird houses and I have another house to put up. I'm considering raising mealworms to keep them well fed and loving my place!

And the alpacas are enjoying the spring sun--instead of moving back and forth from feeders to their shelters, they are spending time sitting in the sun and nibbling at the fresh grass coming up.

Promises of warm days and starting the day outside with a cup of coffee!

Spinning (and shopping) with Friends

2011-03-21T14:33:00.000-07:00

Saturday, many of my friends headed north through snow and slush (!! a surprise!!) to the Log Cabin Spin-In sponsored by the Northwest Regional Spinners in Post Falls, ID. Lynne and I arrived at 10:09 (or so our German-speaking GPS guide told us!). That's me withthe big butt and thighs at the front left.

It was momentarily difficult to decide whether or not to browse the vendor booths before sitting to spin. But only momentarily! We browsed before we even set up our wheels! So many great vendors with practically anything a spinner/knitter's heart could desire. Many of my alpaca friends from Pacific Northwest Alpaca Association were there, either vending or just browsing and networking.

Lynne, who has yaks along with llamas, alpacas, and dogs, enjoyed meeting a fellow yak farmer from Sandpoint, ID. While looking at her lovely exotic fibers, a large skein of yak and silk lace yarn called out loudly to me! It has joined my stash! Right before we left, it called out to Lynne, also. She also had to buy a t-shirt "Got Yak!"

I also purchased, from another vendor, some extra f ine lace merino that I thought would go with some red beads I bought a month or so ago. I had nothing in mind at the time, except that I had no red beads--it turned out I had no yarn to go witih the red beads. One thing always leads to another!

I spent time with Jayne Deardorf from Me2 Farm (Colville, ID). Jayne has taken my alpaca fiber and made me some beautiful roving over the past five years! She always likes to get the name and picture of the alpaca from which the fleece comes from. She told us that she pins the picture on the wall as she's working and talks to it (nice alpaca!!) She just recently sent me roving from BMCA Elayna (which is now at Yarn Underground) and from one of the early imports from the farm, Esplindida. I'm saving that for me, maybe!

Jane also had some dyes and I bought a "Mother Mackenzie's Miracle Dye Mix kit with 9 basic colors and directions for secondary colors. The only dying I've done so far has been supervised by friend and partner Margo, who took a class on natural dyes and has been experimenting. I really just loved the indigo, but you can't have everything in blue! I also succumbed to temptation and bought a beaded wheel orifice hook.

My friend Jennie brought a young girl with her who is from Germany and currently studying at WSU. Michelle has fallen in love with spinning and knitting and was learning to use a spindle. Shelley was there from Yarn Underground networking like mad when she wasn't buying yarn or roving!

I did spin, though. I brought with me some gray alpaca huacaya roving--my first huacaya. Yes, it is much easier to spin than suri! And it's going to have a very nice gradation of colors. I may use it for a cowl I'm going to knit for a SKAL (spin-knit-along).

I'm planning to head to a Fiber Festival in May in South Spokane. Walking around at this spin-in gave me some ideas of what I could take to sell--maybe I'll have to take Esplendida's roving there!

BMCA Bonnie Selected for AOBA National Auction in May

2011-03-16T15:36:00.000-07:00

This is Big Meadow Creek Alpaca's Bonnie!! And she has been selected by Celebrity Sales to be sold at the Auction in Denver, CO, at the AOBA National Show May 19-22 in Denver, CO.

We're not surprised, bonnie lass that she is! But she doesn't have red hair--instead she has wonderfully luxurious, white suri fiber!

She carries genetics from award-winning alpacas from both the east and west coast. Chasqui, well recognized in the show circuit, is Bonnie's maternal grandfather--he is one of the premier herdsires at Ameripaca in Maryland; her fraternal grandfather comes from Alpacas of Tualatin Valley in Oregon.

Neither Bonnie, nor her father ATV Hercules nor mother Ameripaca's Blair, have been to alpaca shows, since my farm focus is on fiber, rather than breeding. I'm currently carding Bonnie's fiber from last year so that I can spin it. It's so nice and soft, I'm planning to knit a cowl with it.

Back to the Basics--Well, Almost

2011-02-24T15:48:00.000-08:00

Several more inches of snow last night on top of this weeks inches of blowing snow! And then at least four hours without electricity! What a great time to go back to the "almost" basics--sitting in front of the fire and spinning!

Of course, it was a wood stove, and I had some beautiful dark brown alpaca (from Leroy!) to spin--the pioneers would not have had alpaca -- although the alpaca supposedly originated in North America before they migrated to South America. And South America is where all the current North American alpacas have come from. Ending a sentence a preposition with! But I had no real coffee! I usually start the day with a fresh pot or heat up a cup or two from the previous day in the microwave. But the pot was empty. Instant--boo!

But the warmth of the wood fire made me think food, so I started a pot of lentil curry soup. Warmth and a good smell! [I could light my gas stove with a match!] Usually when I'm spinning, I'm listening to a book on tape, but that wasn't possible today. And I had no one to read to me from Pilgrim's Progress or other such enlightening literature! But the crackling fire was great background. And then, so was the plow outside, as a friend came to clear my long, winding, snowbound driveway!

I never did knit anything for my granddaughter Ellie from Leroy's fiber for Christmas (my intentions whe I wrote about Leroy last October). My first skein of Leroy, only my second skein of yarn, was too "beginner-ish." I may make myself a hat for next winter. But I've become a much better spinner and I think this yarn will be "IT." Second spool finished in front of the fire today--I think the plying will make all the difference. A friend lent me a video, "The Gentle Art of Plying," which I'm going to study before I ply these spools. I have a little more Leroy roving to make more yarn if I need it.

This afternoon, the electricity came on and the sun came out! It was beautiful with some blue showing in the sky. I went out for a walk and to say hello to the alpacas. Fed them a little grain as a treat--this is BMCA Desire, who snuffled down into the snow for the last bits of grain that fell.

The alpacas have tracks from their shelter to the hay, to the water, and back again! They don't really mind the snow except when its windy--the wind blows their fiber up (they are suris without the "sheep-like" fluffy coats). The chickens were out and running about and it was very pleasant, with great views on all sides! What a lovely place to live.

Playing with Entrelac

2011-02-17T12:56:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's wool! But it's going to be felted, so I can't use my suri alpaca! This is the Hobo Bag from Gwen Bortner's Entree to Entrelac book. I'm going to be teaching a class on entrelac at the Yarn Underground, so I thought I'd get a couple of projects done. I still have to complete the strap and felt the thing. I can't believe I ended up with another orange and brown project! Those were my high school colors soooo many years ago. But I wish I had picked up a blue to use, now that it's almost finished. When done, it will join my other items on sale at the Milk House Fiber Studio at the Artisan Barn in Uniontown.

I'm going to do a scarf with my black and white alpaca, using some lace stitches on the white "blocks" and then add some black beads I picked up in Posts Falls a couple of weeks ago.

Sunday, I'll be giving some tips on knitting lace at the Woolgatherer's meeting. One of my tips might be to be careful of your lace knitting when you're drinking tea! I had my shawlette with me when I was knitting a couple of Sundays ago at the Yarn Underground and alas! part of it ended up in my cup of tea. I didn't notice right away, and even though I tried to get the tea out with some cold water, it did't work. So now I have the entire shawlette sitting in some weak tea, hoping that I can get the effect that you get when you put fabric in tea--just a light "antique" look that won't detract too much from the nice blues in the Starry yarn.

I'm looking out the window at two inches of fresh snow--everything looks so clean--and there's even some blue in the sky today and very little wind. Hard to believe that just a week ago, it was approaching the high 40s and everyone was thinking "spring"!!

So, back to my hobo bag!!! Cheers!

Yarn Ahoy!!

2011-02-02T18:01:00.000-08:00

When the Yarn Underground opened in Moscow, I took some of my alpaca yarn to add to their inventory. Not that I needed any yarn, but I and spied this yarn--Starry sock weight with silver from Dream in Color--98% superfine merino! It called out to me, and I wondered how it would work for a shawlette pattern I had downloaded recently from Ravely. It really knit up fast and I was pleased with the results!

One skein had 450 yards, so I probably have enough left over to use in a pair of fingerless mitts!

And speaking of finished project, I also finished the alpaca jacket/sweater I started knitting for myself more than four years ago! Disappointment! It's too big; it's too heavy. Although I blocked the individual parts (fronts, back, sleeves) before joining, I may block again just to see how it changes. I don't even remember what size I chose to knit from the pattern--but I know I never measured a sweater that fits me to compare (this is something that I've learned in the intervening years I should have done). Since it's the first sweater I ever knit (except for baby sweaters), I'm going to use it as an object lesson! I'll probably frog the whole thing and use the yarn for something else . . . . eventually.

I've been considering joining the ongoing KAL on the Knitting Daily--even purchased some yarn for it--but for some reason, I keep backing off from starting. The Seaweed Cardigan is not a "full" cardigan--the two fronts are considerably smaller than the back--the modeled picture uses a belt to "close" it--I'm not sure it's meant for my body size (In the manner of Alexander McCall Smith, I'm a "traditionally built" woman!) I might just knit it for my studio at the Artisan Barn--it's a lovely lace pattern, and I do love to knit lace.

I'll be giving some lace instruction at the next Woolgatherers meeting here on the Palouse--talking about reading lace patterns, what all the stitches are, using a lifeline, etc. It should be fun. And I'm scheduled to do an entrelac class in two sessions at the LYS (Yarn Underground in Moscow, ID) in March.

AND, my alpaca yarn has been leaving the shelves at the Yarn Underground in leaps and bounds! I've been selling it at a pretty low cost, since it's part of the stash I inherited when I inherited the alpaca farm. But I'm getting ready to send off some more fiber to get more yarn made, which I will have to price at a more "fair"--to me price.

I put new yarn on my needles two nights ago--scarf with beads now in progress!

Celebrate a New Local Yarn Shop!

2010-12-16T13:24:00.000-08:00

My good friend Shelley Stone and her partner Marissa Gibler opened a new yarn shop in Moscow, ID--Yarn Underground! Shelley, a great spinner, has been one of my spinning inspiration-ers! A couple of years ago, at a Woolgatherer's meeting, she let me try her wheel. Then she even plied the several yards I made and presented it to me. Most recently--just yesterday--I took my wheel into her shop along with some dyed superwash wool I bought from her a couple of months ago.

Decided I needed to try something other than my own alpaca for spinning. As an alpaca farmer, I wanted to start with and learn to spin alpaca. Now that I'm a little bit confident with the alpaca, I wanted to stretch out to something new. It seemed that with the superwash I was getting either too much spin or not enough.

Shelley worked with me a little at the shop, helped adjust the tension and assured me that I was not getting too much spin, and I think I've got it! The yarn will be a somewhat laceweight mixture of blues, greens, yellow! I'm planning on making myself a pair of socks.

Anyway, back to the yarn shop: Marissa is a great knitter, especially of children's clothing. Shelley has knit some yummy sweaters and she recently got into dying. Yesterday in her shop, she showed me a shelf full of new yarn she spun (from her own dyed fiber).

And, some of my alpaca yarn is on consignment at the shop. On display there will also be two of my knitted projects--I took in a new entrelac scarf I made with my own Big Meadow Creek Alpaca yarn and some Cascade Eco alpaca (that I really don't like that much--one-ply, feels more like a lopi--but it is soft). The scarf is "fancied up" with some crocheted corkscrew fringe--I should have taken a picture! I also took in a lace hat made with some of my four-ply alpaca.

Now that the Christmas season is coming to a close, I might get back to knitting something for myself. I started an alpaca sweater two years ago that is 80 percent complete! It doesn't look like much in this picture I took--I guess in the summer of 2008! Definitely time to get that project finished!

Why Do I Love Entrelac?

2010-11-21T13:32:00.000-08:00

Why do I love entrelac? I don't know the answer. I just know I do. It seems to go faster. Of course, my other fave is lace, so of course, entrelac goes faster--don't have to think, just knit, backwards knit, pick up, purl 2 together; sl-k-psso--it all just happens. And although Noro is not my favorite yarn--compared to my favorite alpaca--it's scratchy and not soft at all--it works for entrelac. When I'm done with a project, I soak the finished product in water with some hair conditioner added, and that softens the entire thing.

My lastest project, a shawl and slouch hat, used Noro Silk Garden Lite in colors that reminds me of a pumpkin patch.

What I really need to do is combine entrelac with lace and maybe beads, too! I'll need to find just the right yarn to use, though. Maybe I'll just stick with a nice white or off-white alpaca!

I just ordered the new book by Gwen Bortner, Entree to Entrelac--I'm sure that will give me some new ideas.

In the meanwhile, last night I picked up a skein of 80% alpaca/20% silk "Paca de Seda" (imported from Peru) in some great autumn colors and started a quick and dirty Quant, which will be soft and silky, yet warm--a great combination (alpaca and silk)!

Some fluffy white snowflakes are beginning to fall outside. I guess winter is really here. Temperatures are going to drop to zero and below this week--a great time to sit in front of the fire with needles and yarn!

Knitters can Support Doctors without Borders

2010-11-02T17:15:00.000-07:00

Knitters/spinners/crocheters who spend any time on the internet will be (or at least, should be!) familiar with Ravelry. As they say on the website, "Ravelry is a place for knitters, crocheters, designers, spinners, weavers and dyers to keep track of their yarn, tools, project and pattern information, and look to others for ideas and inspiration."

Free and easy to use, the folks on Ravelry definitely inspire me. I find out what others have done with the yarn I have and what yarn others have used to complete projects. I can ask questions, get answers, give and get opinionsabout practically anything under the sun, but especially knitting and yarn.

But last night, as I was seeking inspiration, I discovered that some generous creators of knitted patterns have donated their patterns to be used to raise funds for Doctors without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontiers), an "international medical humanitarian organization working in more than 60 countries to assiste people whose survival is threatened by violence, neglect, or catastrophe." For instance, by October 31 (according to their website), they have treated close to 3,600 Haitians with cholera symptoms.

Back to those pattern creators: they have donated patterns to a fantastic knitting fundraiser called "pennies per hour of pleasure" or for short, p/hop. On that site, you can download knitting patterns for free. All that is asked is that you freely donate pennies for the time you get pleasure from using those patterns. I was able to wish p/hop a happy second birthday today and write on their blog--you can read it here.

My church has an annual "Quilt Sunday" on which the PPQ (the Purple Paisley Quilters) display quilts, serve brownies, and have a service based somehow on quilting. Yes, quilting--but since so many of us PPQ folks are ceaseless knitters as well, the talk I gave a couple of years ago focused on the way both quilters and knitters are workers for social justice. It doesn't take much investigation to find out that knitters use their artistic talents to provide comfort and warmth to premies, cancer survivors, soldiers, the elderly, etc.

If you are a knitter, join me--download a pattern (and there are many great ones--I especially love Susan Pandorf's shawls (thank you Susan)--and donate! p/hop is at 73 percent of their goal of $5000--let's make it 173 percent!

I Can Spin My Alpaca!!

2010-10-27T11:40:00.000-07:00

After my brother introduced me to alpaca and alpaca fiber, I would say, "When I retire, I'll buy a spinning wheel and learn to spin alpaca." Well, inheriting the alpaca farm sort of forced me to retire (I was of the age, anyway, but loved my job . . . ). And I did buy a spinning wheel--almost a year ago! Although I had friends who said "start with wool--it's easier," I was determined to start with my own suri alpaca fiber. I mentioned this in an earlier post.

My beginnings weren't pretty--in fact, I tended not to bring my wheel when my spinning/knitting/weaving friends got together weekly because I felt so pathetic. But I brought it enough and had friends enough who gave me advice and encouragement--I thank them! Fern showed me the magic triangle! Cathy D said, "Someday you will be able to spin, look around, and talk--all at the same time!" And she was right!!

I spun my first skein of white suri alpaca from roving that I had (I still have to work from the raw-carded-on-my-own-fleece). Then, because another friend Margo was teaching us some dying, I put the yarn into a vat of indigo dye--once, and then only half of it a second time.

Then I got out my knitting needles and ta-da! my own suri alpaca hand knit lace scarf! The fiber came from BMCA Jean Brooke--one of the earliest alpacas born on the farm and named for one of my Girl Scout leaders (BMCA Jean Brooke and BMCA Elinor deserve another entry some day!).

I've spun three skeins now--Jean's, Fiorano, and Leroy (see an earlier post). I'm finishing another skein of Leroy into which I'm introducing some greenish/gold dyed mohair (see my earlier post on Leroy). I'm hoping to knit a sweater for my granddaughter from the skeins of Leroy, since she "owns" him--with the best of intentions, it will be a Christmas gift this year! I should be spinning and knitting now!!

Girl Scouts Visit!

2010-10-24T15:01:00.000-07:00

On two different Saturdays this month, I hosted Girl Scouts--a local troop from Moscow, ID, and one from Spokane, WA. I was ready to greet the girls and leaders with two of my yearling girls haltered--Leyla, my black yearling who loves to get petted and will give kisses, and Madison, a white girl who is almost as friendly. "How cute they are!" was the first thing the girls said on climbing out of the cars.

The girls took turns leading Madison and Leyla as we walked to visit the yearling boys' pen. Naturally, the favorite was Miguel (below). They looked at alpaca's feet (which have soft pads and nails, like dogs') and in their mouths (which have teeth in front only on the bottom with a plate on top). Then we walked up to the adult females and provided them with alfalfa treats. The girls thought their hands were being tickled as the alpacas gently took the treats from outstretched hands with their top lips.

The girls were able to learn that alpacas, while not llamas, are in the same family of camelids. Kathryn, the llama, was happy to get some treats, as were the bigger herdsires. They were able to pick out the one huacaya alpaca in the herd (in the picture to the right--the caramel colored girl with white chin and a "do"!) They thought that Leroy, the gelding, had true attitude as he kept his ears back until they held out treats for him!

After the girls searched for eggs and admired the young pullets, they gathered around two tables in the garage and made zipper pulls with felted alpaca fiber balls. I had dyed the alpaca fiber earlier with Kool-Aid (see the picture below). One of the girls said the purple fiber still smelled like grape! They used needles, beads, embroidery thread, glue, and sequins to decorate their projects.

They learned about how fiber is made into yarn and got to see what suri fiber looks like when it has been sheared off the alpaca and is ready to skirt (clean out the veggie matter and short pieces) and to turn the carder.

The girls had cake and lemonade and they made me a gift of Girl Scout cookies. How I remember the days when I sold them! They got an alpaca maze, some alpaca puzzles and an information sheet to take home.

We made a tour of my garden where they picked and ate fresh green beans, gathered crookneck squash and tomatoes to take home. One of them remembered how I had offered them each a ziplock back of alpaca poop!to take home, since it is such great fertilizer. We tramped up to the manure pile and the youngest girls had a great time dancing on top of the manure pile--you never know what might really capture the attention of your visitors!! We all enjoyed ourselves!

Ellie's Leroy

2010-10-06T11:26:00.000-07:00

This is Leroy, one of the first alpacas to be born at Big Meadow Creek Alpacas. His dam Yolinda was one of the first imports to this country and was purchased by my brother from Andrea Applegate. His sire was Black Knight. When he was born in August 2002, he was such a big cria that he could nurse from his mother from a sitting position! That's why he was named for a rock--Rock Hudson--whose real name was Leroy Scherer.

In the fall of 2008, Leroy was on the losing side of a herdsire dispute! Ungelded male alpacas, like other males, sometimes need to prove how macho they are! Leroy had to take a trip to WSU to get stitches in his ear after one of these wrestling matches. To make sure his ear was healed before he went back with the other herdsires, Leroy was put into a temporary pen close to the house.

That's where Ellie first saw him. She was visiting me in Idaho for the first time. Four years old, Ellie was fascinated by Leroy. She immediately went for her crayons and paper, sat down near the pen and began drawing. This is one of her first of many pictures of Leroy.

One day, one of the crew that works at BMCA put a special bandana on Leroy. When Ellie saw it, she asked her dad what it said. "For Sale," Mike said. "Can I buy him?" Ellie asked. "You'll need to ask Grandma Judy."

She came to me and asked and I responded, "Well, Ellie, you would have to pay $1.35 to buy him." She went to her dad, held out her hand and asked, "Please." With the money in her fist, she came to me and I said, "Sold!"

Ellie ran into the house and after a few whispered questions into Mike's ear, came out with a piece of paper and taped it to the pen: "Ellie bought Leroy. Not for sale."

I understand from my son that after she got home again, she excitedly told her pre-school class about Leroy and his stitches!

I haven't billed Ellie for hay, shots for worming and vaccinations, or for shearing, let alone boarding "her" alpaca. But then again, I've kept the fiber and used it for the second skein of yarn that I spun (see my entry for Oct. 2). It's a wonderful shade and so very soft and lustrous. I'm planning to knit a Christmas gift for Ellie with the yarn I've made.

Leroy was gelded last summer and isn't getting into those macho disputes any more. He's a curious, friendly and gentle alpaca. Now if he really had a rainbow neck, I wouldn't have to learn how to dye alpaca fiber!

When Alpacas Were "New"

2010-10-04T17:23:00.000-07:00

Last Friday when I was down at my studio at the Artisan Barn, I was passing the time by reading an old Spin-Off, specifically an article "A Closer Look at Alpacas" written by Elayne Zorn and Juan Cutipa Colque for the September 1985 issue. Although the first alpacas arrived in the United States in 1984, the first importation began in 1993 and five subsequent imports took place. So, this article was written when alpacas were quite new, especially to spinners.

The article includes provides the historical background of the alpacas (that dates to at least the first millenium B.C.), the current status of herds in southern Peru, and information about alpaca fiber and how the fiber quality is judged. It concludes with "problems and hopes"--problems defined as the contradictory needs of native weaving vs. an international fiber market and poor weather conditions over three years affecting the herds in Peru and Bolivia.

I now feel justified in my insistence in calling what is sheared from my alpacas "fiber" rather than wool after reading that "Alpaca and llama hair is classified as fiber"!

When asked how long alpacas live, US breeders most often answer, "We aren't sure"--that's because alpacas in the US are cared for differently. Zorn writes that a herd in southern Peru (at that time) "might consist of a mixture of 100 alpacas, 75 llamas, and 200 to 250 sheep." According to Zorn, herders keep their alpacas about eight years before slaughter, "using yields of meat, fat for food, skin for ropes, gut for lashing, etc."

Alpacas are rarely used for food in the U.S., but it is interesting to note that Australia actively promotes alpaca meat under the name of LaViande.

Herders (at the time) sheared their best alpacas every two years, using the fiber for family weaving. Fiber of "inferior quality" was sold for "factory spinning and distribution" in Peru and to other countries. One thing that frustrates US alpaca owners is talking to someone who has purchased a garment in South America marked 100% alpaca and who finds it to be itchy! We know that "cheap" alpaca sweaters sold to tourists usually has some wool or llama spun in with the alpaca, definitely affecting its quality.

In the US, most breeders shear yearly. Yearly shearing is best for the alpaca's health--that fiber is not only warm on us, it's warm on the animals! Some breeders seeking to sell herdsires keep more than a year's growth on their males, but that longer fiber can't be used--mills, or handspinners, don't want fiber longer than five inches.

I can now call myself a handspinner! As I promised myself at retirement, I purchased my first wheel--a Louet. And because I have suri alpacas, I was determined to start spinning with suri fiber rather than wool. The picture above shows my second skein of spun suri roving. My first skein, white, was dyed in indigo and subsequently knit by me into a scarf, which I will treasure always! The fiber for this skein came from "Leroy." I'll save the story of "Leroy" for some future post.

Creatures on the Farm

2010-05-05T18:17:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's an alpaca farm! But alpacas aren't the only creatures (read "living" creatures) around! This morning, in fact, I was working on the computer, looking out the window, and I saw a rather unwelcome sight! Yes, right out in the driveway--a coyote, looking like he belongs here. I'm glad that all my crias are not so small any more . . . and that there were no chicken feathers hanging out of the coyote's mouth! Maybe he was just a sign of the wierd spring we are having.

And it has been wierd--high winds, show, sleet, hail, rain, wind, and more rain. Planning for this year's shearing, I thought we weren't going to have trouble with mud on the feet/legs, but over the past two weeks, all that was dry lot is now "mud lot." But the grass is growing taller [too wet to mow :( ], the trees are in bud, the daffodils and narcissus are in full bloom and the tulips getting ready!

But plans for the garden are also on postponement! Hopefully, the potatoes and onions put in two weeks ago aren't rotting underground.

I had a new greenhouse erected over the winter and we haven't quite learned how to use it yet. Although I have had lettuce, spinach and radishes to enjoy for over a month.

Oh, yes, I was talking creatures. Last month, well in April, I had an interesting sighting: a pair of bluebirds. This really was exciting because I had never seen a western bluebird before. The day

was wet and windy--I was in the garage skirting fleeces and looked out at my Dodge Ram that was parked in front of the garage. This male bluebird was flirting with himself around the side mirror. He hopped all around it, hanging on the door, sitting on the mirror. I learned from a good birder friend of mine that bluebirds (and robins, he said!) have this habit--they are acting aggressively toward another bird in their territory! At one point during the afternoon (because this went on and off quite a few hours), I saw the female sitting on the Dodge roof--"What a silly male," she seemed to be saying!

On another day when I was down at the pen of weaned crias, down at the edge of the woods, I saw another pair (or the same pair?) I had recently purchased some beautiful handcrafted bluebird houses from a friend of mine, and I got them up as soon as possible. I haven't seen any action around the birdhouses yet, but it's been so miserable, when I go out to feed the alpacas, I get it done as soon as possible and get back inside!

The hummingbirds are back, too! Saw some flitting around the back porch and so put out the feeders, but the feeders are emptying in the high winds. The kingfisher is back, checking out the spawning goldfish in the pond. The dreaded flickers have been back and we've already had to seal up some holes they made. I've had someone knocking on my front door and ignored it, thinking it was the flickers back at the grouting between the logs! They are attractive, but cause too much damage for me to enjoy them.

Looking out the window--it's snowing again! But the Ren Fair is over and Mother's Day is coming--maybe we'll get some sunshine again!

Back in the (Alpaca?) Saddle Again

2009-11-14T20:37:00.000-08:00

Over a year since I last blogged--grieving is a process. I still grieve the loss of Brad, but my life is back on track. So much has happened this past year:

I learned how to drive standard drive, one-ton Dodge Ram pulling a trailer!
I retired from my 10+ years at the University of Idaho at the end of July (although, as my friends know, I kept working, working, working part-time)
I become a full-time alpaca farmer!
Managed to direct the shearing of over 55 alpacas in two days, the crew cleaning the animals, bagging the fiber, taking pictures, trimming toenails, taking care of teeth, giving vaccinations and worming shots.
We had 20 successful crias born between May 30 and October 2! (more boys than girls this year :( but they're all beautiful! This is a headshot of Miguel, one of the last ones born.
Drove to and from WSU veterinary school how many times??? taking in crias and moms for exams and a few difficult births.
Went to the PNAA Alpaca Show with some great friends I couldn't have done without--took third place in "Breeders' Best of Three."
Worked very hard on the Obama campaign--hoorah! It kept my mind off my own troubles last fall.
Sold knitted items, yarn and alpaca roving at a booth at the UI's Women's Works in December.
Gave a sermon at the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Palouse on grieving that was well-received
Worked with the Purple Paisley Quilters to hold a successful service auction at UUCP.
Harvested tomatoes, beans, zinnias, squash, corn and strawberries.
Accepted a position on the UUCP Board of Directors.
Purchased a greenhouse, which is still being erected--hope to sell produce down in Troy next summer.
Purchased a spinning wheel--of course, I still have to learn how to use it!
Became a part of the Troy Creative Co-op and began giving some knitting lessons.
Took 16 alpacas to an auction in Nebraska, getting stuck in Chugwater, Wyoming, waiting for the blizzard to stop and the roads to open, but leaving Nebraska in 70 degree weather!
And got back to knitting again!!!

Still much to do--I want to reduce the number of alpacas on the farm and have a reasonable number so I can still play with fiber and watch these wonderful gentle, lovable, curious and intelligent animals. My favorite thing, I always say, is sitting on the back porch with a glass of wine and watching the crias play!!

It snowed for the first time yesterday and everything was lovely, white, and peaceful today. And besides the fact that I locked myself out of my bedroom until I figured out how to unscrew the doorknow, I'm feeling pretty good these day!!

Remembering. . . .

2008-09-07T12:39:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting at the computer, beside me scrambled eggs from my own chickens, ripe tomatoes and small zucchini from the garden; and I just came in from a walk around my property where I

Took pictures of my two crias just born within the past two days
Pet my Anatolian Shepherd Tzadi
Collected eggs from my chickens
Watched fish swim in the pond
Tested the mini kiwis for ripeness(almost)
Looked at the kumquats and thought how I'd need to learn how to use them
Picked a few sunflowers
Gazed at the blue sky, the trees swaying gently in the breeze, the green and brown fields

And I'm unbelievably sad. The reason I can do this on "my property" is because tomorrow will mark the one month "anniversary" of my brother's death.

My brother was my best friend and he died suddenly on August 8, 2008. Brad had an alpaca farm in Troy, Idaho, that is now mine. As one of my friends said, the farm is a double-edged sword. It's a blessing and a joy; it stands for loss and emptiness.

In Analyze That (a terribly funny movie with the line that runs constantly through my mind), Billy Crystal aptly and repeatedly says of grieving, "It's a process."

So I look out of the window, I know that one day I'll be able to do the same things with a little less ache in my heart, fewer tears in my eyes, and a sense of Brad's presence that will bring joy and comfort.

You can visit BigMeadowCreekAlpacas.com
and click "In Memorium" to read more about Brad.

Clematis, On and Off the Vine

2008-07-26T13:23:00.000-07:00

Been spending my knitting time working on lace projects--participating in the Seasons of Lace and using the great wine collection of lace yarn I bought from KnitPicks. First finished project was what I call the Clematis scarf, since it reminds me of the clematis I planted in my back yard that winds up and around and through the tree (sometime of ornamental spring blooming tree) in my back yard. The yarn is my favorite alpaca--well, 80 % baby alpaca and 20% silk. It's soft to die for!

I completed two more lace scarves and I have one Monkey Sock completed. I still intend to get back to my Candle Flame Shawl, a pattern and yarn I bought two summers ago and never got past the first five or six rows!

It's a wonderful time of year--long days, bright skies. I enjoy working in my yard. Two years ago, I had all the grass dug up and I've been working at filling it with flowers. A mixture of perennials and annuals, lots of Butterfly Bush and other butterfly/hummingbird-attracting flowers, a Smoke Bush, and of course, to add smiles, some sunflowers.

The smaller side front yard is filled with miniature roses. All summer long, I take small vases of these roses in to work to share with my coworkers and friends. My favorite miniature, for both its color and fragrance, is called Vista. It's a shade of lilac. (Can you tell I like purple in all its varieties??)

I buy the roses on-line from Nor-east Roses, which is now in California. But my brother worked with the original owner (now dead) outside of Boston and has wonderful stories about how he developed roses and insisted on perfection.

Besides working full-time, gardening and knitting, I keep myself off the streets! Not that the streets in Moscow, Idaho, are that dangerous anyway!! It's hard to believe that August is just a few steps away!l I better get away from the computer and spend more time outside!!

Transportation and Knitting Lace

2008-06-27T17:43:00.000-07:00

I work in a University Transportation Center, and that's what brought me to San Jose, California, this week. During the annual meeting of the Council of University Transportation Centers, the administrators of the UTCs meet to discuss best practices, issues they confront; there is an opportunity to meet with our US DOT Research and Innovative Technology (RITA) coordinators and have them clarify regulations, etc.

During the meeting this year, we admins were surprised and pleased to have Paul Brubaker, the Administrator of RITA, join us. Mr. Brubaker made a great impression on us--he was quite down to earth and seemed to understand the work we do. He's fourth from the left in the picture--according to the CUTC director, Paul looks like a linebacker.

So, my personal "connection" with Mr. Brubaker--he makes no small notice of being an alum of Youngstown State University. That puts him in the same class as my son, Michael (although Paul was an earlier graduate). I shared that with him and we talked about the area. He was familiar with Reyers Shoe Store (by reputation, the World's Largest Shoe Store) and Quaker Steak and Lube (a converted railroad car with the best hot wings and beer in town)--both across the border in Pennsylvania where I lived.

On the plane to San Jose, I worked on my newest lace project, the Misty Garden Scarf. Lessons learned or relearned:

Plane lighting is not conducive to lace knitting (at least, at my age)
Don't use a lifeline that is the same color or close to the color you are knitting
Horizon/Alaska Airlines serve free wine made in the Northwest (I knew this, but always appreciate relearning it!)
Don't get too involved in your knitting to pay attention to announcements (No, this is one time, at least, that I did not miss my plane fight)
Flight attendants enjoy seeing your knitting

Cast on Lace! Cast off for San Jose!

2008-06-23T22:29:00.001-07:00

So, it will be a summer/season of lace! Just had to buy the Wine Tasting Lace Sampler from KnitPicks--what's not to love--wine-colored lace yarn, lots of alpaca and merino! And I cast on Misty Garden from Scarf Style to carry with me on the plane to San Jose.

Sad to say, it's a working trip and not a vacation. But thanks to the wonderful people on Ravelry, I know where the best and closest LYS (local yarn store) will be to San Jose State, where I'll be meeting with folks from all over the country involved in transportation research and education. Since I'm a facilitator at a couple of sessions, I won't have my yarn and needles in my hand except on the plane.

I also discovered Ravelry on that at the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles, there's an exhibit called Beyond Knitting: Uncharted Stitches! Since I'm a quilter, too, that will be a must stop during my few free hours!

Had to spend this weekend cleaning--I'm obsessive about trying to take care of messes that should have heen taken care of weeks ago when I'm going to go on a trip. The only thing that made this weekend fun was the chance to visit a new cria (baby alpaca) only hours old, at my brother's farm Big Meadow Creek Alpacas. Alpaca mothers are very protective of their young, and Derica was no exception. As I was carrying the new baby to get weighed (a nice, healthy 17-pounds), Derica walked along beside, talking the entire time to the cria--and to me--not sure of what was going on. After the cria was weighed, I just put him down and the two of them went back up to the pasture. It's so much fun watching the new babies walk--every step or two they sort of stumble a little as they

But, I better go pack clothes to go along with my knitting for the trip!

WWKIP and snow in same week!

2008-06-15T17:54:00.000-07:00

Did I say spring? Well, on Tuesday, June 10, I was up early enough to see it start snowing! We have had snow in Moscow every month so far in 2008! This is not normal! Usually, after the first week of May, we head into lovely weather, and by June, there is hardly a day without bright, blue skies! This is a closeup of my allium in the snow!

The snow didn't last long--the advantage of spring snow--but it did snow enough for someone to take some great pictures of the University of Idaho campus and post them on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3Y0RoMykk8

But yesterday--Saturday, World Wide Knit in Public Day, it was beautiful and sunny and lots of folks showed up at the Moscow Farmer's Market to knit in public. I had learned about it on Ravelry and suggested to our Woolgatherer's group that we participate. Cathy, a real go-getter, got permission from the Farmer's Market folks, made some signs; I posted the information on the WWKIP main website and on our Palousefibers.org. But it was still surprising to find a variety of folks show up. Some came and went; some stayed almost all four hours. Folks showed up from the Woolgatherers. from Stitch-n-Bitch groups in Moscow and Pullman, WA, a few men showed up, and we even had a grandmother from Spokane! It was great fun!

Gardening and Knitting

2008-06-06T13:26:00.000-07:00

Now that spring has finally come to the Palouse and I can get outside in the dirt, it becomes a challenge to decide what to do in my free time--knit or play in the dirt? Notice, one of my choices is not "clean house"!

So, it's, stay inside when it's dark--raining--too hot, and spend the rest of the time weeding, pruning, planting, etc.

I do enjoy working in my yard. Last year, I had my entire "front yard" plowed up so I don't have to cut grass and I'm turning it in a big flower garden. Already had quite a few things planted here and there, but I splurged and bought more perennials that I have had before at a single time.

When I bought the house, the previous owner had already planted quite a few irises on the front edge of the yard. Luckily, her choices were mostly shades of purple. I planted a few allium last fall, and they have come up just beautifully. I love to cut flowers to have on my desk at work, at the few allium that I've taken in draw much appreciation.

I'm aiming for a yard that will attract butterflies and hummingbirds and other flying creatures (although I have to say that I've seen too many mosquitoes already this year!).

Two years ago, I already turned the part of my front yard on the narrow side of my driveway into a miniature rose garden. Last weekend, I fed them and did a little pruning left from the fall, and the roses will soon be in bloom.

I have a small area to the side of my house set aside for veggies--have tomatoes, lettuce, kale, beans, zucchini, peppers and a few other miscellaneous things planted there. Seeds are just beginning to come up.

It's been a slow, cool spring--and rainy all this week--which makes it excellent to dig out the insistent grass that keeps trying to come up where I don't want it!

But I finished my entrelac shawl last week, put on a fringe, and blocked it. I really enjoy the entrelac knitting, and the colors of the shawl are just fabulous.

I have so many knitting projects in mind--and so much yarn--so little time! I tend to have many projects going at once: at least one that takes concentration that I have to do when home alone; something easier that I can take with me when I join other people knitting; usually at least one sock on the needles; and a couple of projects just waiting to be finished.

'shrooms and Lace

2008-05-19T17:45:00.000-07:00

Two weekends ago, I went morel mushroom hunting. This is an annual trip that Mary Jo and Joel offer as a service item each year at the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Palouse that I attend. We did not find morels--well, Karen did find two very small morels! But what we did find were plenty of gyromita montana--more commonly known as snow mushrooms or "fake morels." They are called snow mushrooms because they are often found at the edge of snow--the first mushrooms to appear in the spring.

They are edible--prepared the same way I would morels--sliced up and sauteed in butter and garlic! What do they taste like? Mushrooms! A friend of mine at work asked about their taste, and I said they sort of taste like butter and garlic! He asked, "Then why bother?"

Several answers to that question. First, because it's great fun to be out in the woods, noticing the first wildflowers (we saw trillium), being outside of the office!, finding food like a gatherer! Smelling the mushrooms sauteeing!

I used my mushrooms in an omelet and froze some for use in soups and spaghetti sauces later!

Now that we've had some warmer weather, the morels should be out! I need to enter those woods again!

And today I signed up to participate in the "Seasons of Lace." It's a "KAL"--or knit-along, where the participants will all share progress, pictures, information about the lace items they are knitting as the summer progresses. There are chances to win prizes, but the most interesting part for me is to see what other knitters are doing--their projects, their successes, failures, problems, the yarn they use, etc.

My first project will be the Candle Flame shawl (offered on Knit Picks). I bought yarn for this last year--or was it two years ago--using alpaca (Shimmer--that I bought in the Turquoise Spendor). I didn't get very far before I frogged the whole thing. But now, I've learned about using a "lifeline"--running a line of "other" yarn or thread through the knitting. So often, it takes me some time to get the feel of a lace pattern--or I drop a stitch that I can't recover. When you rip out (frog!) lace, it can be quite difficult! But if you put in a lifeline every few rows until you catch on to the pattern it's supposed to reduce that frogging.

So, I'm looking forward to June and the start of the KAL! Keep watching for my progress.

Spring and Socks and Hats!

2008-05-06T20:13:00.000-07:00

Yes, spring does come to Moscow, Idaho, even if much later than usual! And here's proof positive--my finished Annetrelac socks with the daffodils blooming. Actually, I finished them at least a week ago, but I took time to soak them with conditioner since I sure didn't like the feel of that yarn. They did bloom a bit (like the daffodils!!) and they feel much nicer now. I'm going to keep them for myself and show them off with my summer sandals (yes summer will also come--and usually, quite quickly!). The toes are different colors--one is turquoise and the other purple--I normally work like the devil to get both socks to match exactly, but with this Noro sock yarn, it was impossible! But I think they're pretty cool anyway!

I did start and finish my first Fair Isle sock--alpaca yarn with an Egyptian cotton quilting thread knit into the foot. So very soft. I used only 60 inches, and the Fair Isle tightened up the leg of the sock, so they may not fit me. But I did "pick" the green yarn, holding it in my left hand, and throw the beige with my right. Sometimes, I had to untwist the green, so I have some way to go to perfect my two-color knitting.

The second Fair Isle sock went into hiatus as I worked on this lace Fountain Hat (Interweave Knits.com Spring 2008). Actually, I made two--I used the superwash Merino "Grass" that I purchased from Sundara Yarn (you can Google it on the net). Her overdyed colors are just great. This picture doesn't show the subtle change in the color green. I made a pair of socks using the Hedgerow pattern with Sundara's Cobalt over Mediterranean--a dark blue--that I donated last month to the silent auction at our church (and had two people bidding over them!). This hat will be a nice summery hat. It still needs blocked, so that the lace will open a bit.

I made two baby hats this weekend--sitting at home, feeling rotten, even though the weather had turned beautiful. Our Woolgatherers' group has donated more than 50 hats to the birthing center here in town. Very rewarding--finished quickly and using up all that stash of acrylic!

But I swear, my next project (besides the second Fair Isle sock) must be to finish the alpaca sweater I'm making for myself--So little to go! Since my office is cold all summer, I'll be able to put it to use! I work with many engineering graduate students at the University of Idaho--they always get offered good jobs--often, before they finish their theses. We warn them--finish them before they leave: "You just don't realize how hard it is once you leave school and "have a life" how hard it will be to pick it up and finish it." And we have student testimonies to that. Well, my sweater is just like that unfinished thesis. With the back, sleeves and one side done, I know it's going to take me a good couple of hours just to figure out just where I am on that almost-finished second side! Well, do as I say, not as I do!

It’s Snowing Again!

2008-04-22T12:15:00.000-07:00

Not that I need incentive to knit, but the weather sure helps. After one warm weekend, when many of the students on campus ended up with sunburns, it’s turned cold, windy and snowy again. No accumulation, but I sure don’t want to work in the garden again—although there are daffodils blooming out there and I can see my miniature roses coming back to life.

So, on my needles right now (in the snow!) are my Annetrelac socks (one finished and then frogged back to the heel because it’s too fat, and the second one almost ready for toe shaping). I love the way the colors come out on this Noro sock yarn, but would not buy it again. I’m one of “those” who want both socks to match and the Noro, lovely as it is, is not consistent in the single ball that’s large enough for two socks. I did some fudging to get as close as I could, but the two heels are different colors and there’s a greenish color in the leg of one sock that doesn’t show up in the second sock until the foot.

But I also started a pair of Fair Isle socks in alpaca. I’m modifying a pattern from Interweave Press’ book Sock. The pattern is in a sport weight and #5s. The alpaca I’m using is close to lace weight and I’m using #2 circulars, so I’ll need to extend/modify the patterning on the leg. I’m also playing in my mind with using multicolor quilting thread as a strengthener once I get to the heel and foot! That will be a work in progress from sometime.

Last Friday I got a call from my granddaughter (and my son). They live in Knoxville, Tennessee, but Ellie told me about how she caught her first fish! She will be four years old this June—I don’t get to see her enough. I hope that this summer, she will get to visit us out west in Idaho. I know Ellie will love the alpacas and chickens and dogs and the pond at Big Meadow Creek Alpacas.

Maybe she can catch a fish there.Both my children are in the east—my daughter is currently in New Orleans, providing support for the people still recovering from last year’s devastation. I hope to be able to visit her sometime this year.

Is it spring???

2008-03-29T15:04:00.000-07:00

Well, of course it’s spring. Spring brings that uncertainty—you never know what the weather is going to be like from one moment to the next—at least here in the Pacific Northwest. Just two weeks ago, it was sunny and warm when I got home from work I was inspired to start the spring cleaning in my yard. I even planted some tulip and daffodil bulbs that I bought right before the ground froze. Filled two big bags with dead foliage to take to the recycling center and discovered the first spring blooms.

Today those blooms are covered in snow—only an inch or so melted down from the original three to four inches that arrived overnight, accompanied by a winds coming from a variety of directions. A friend of mine said the snow at her place looked like white dunes, blown on the Palouse desert”! More wind and snow expected today, keeping many of us from heading north to the spin-in in Coeur d’Alene.

But the snow gave me the background for taking a picture of my finally finished cabled socks. My pal Miss “T” (for Terror) had to check to see what I was doing.

Miss “T” was rescued and given to me when I was recovering from ankle surgery (I have an artificial ankle, not knit!). I think my brother believed that a cute little kitten to pet would help me keep my mouth shut. She’s what’s called “blue and cream,” so the vet called me, and she was named Miss Terror because she would chase my brother’s feet and attack his large dogs. She has become a companion cat—she’s beside me when I sleep, knit, sew, garden (attacking my weeding hands) and at the computer (nudging my hand on the mouse to remind me she needs petting).

I enjoy knitting socks, though I hardly ever knit any for myself. My feet are hard on socks and I don’t usually don’t want to take a chance on beautiful knitted socks for myself. But this pair, I’m keeping. They feel pretty solid—made from a blend of KnitPicks nylon/wool—they should wear well. I was lucky to find a knitter on Ravelry who had some of the same yarn in her stash. Although I had two skeins, I found out that wasn’t enough to finish this pattern (from an Interweave book). The socks sat for a week or two while I was deciding what to do with not enough yarn, and in the meantime, I took the entrelac class (see my March 12 blog).

I have a finished pair of socks from a beautiful (Sundara) dyed Cobalt over Mediterranean superwash Merino in the hedgerow pattern. I was led to both the yarn and pattern through Knitting Daily. The web provides such inspiration for us knitters! Anyway, I can’t decide whether to sell, give, donate or wear these beautiful blue socks. Maybe I’ll wait to decide after I’ve worn these cabled socks for a while. Maybe I’m “walking” softer these days! Time will tell.

And time will turn spring into summer!

Long Weekend Ahead for Knitting, etc.

2008-03-12T16:52:00.000-07:00

Hurrah! Yahoo!

I'm taking two days vacation and looking forward to a long weekend. Shame it's going to be cold and rainy! I'll have to stay inside and knit! Last week I finished my first two entrelac projects--headscarves that tie at the back of the head--the pattern, Quant, is free on Knitty.com. And, it's not as difficult as it looks--but it makes use of self patterning yarn, so there's no changing colors or weaving in, etc. The yarn was Taos--100% wool--and frankly, I will never choose to use it again (except to finish something with the ball that's still in my stash!!). It splits; it tears; it's horribly difficult to frog. But then, I'm used to alpaca!!

Now it's time to start a bigger project--the project I've had in mind since I first bought Donna Kooler's Encyclopedia of Knitting--the Kaleidoscope wrap! Don't tell anyone, but I placed the order for yarn online today--I really needed this yarn--for Pete's sake! Can't wait to try the Noro Silk Garden. It's also self-patterning--a blend of kid mohair and lambs wool. It earns a high rating on Ravelry.

But I'm promising myself--no starting the wrap until I finish the sweater I started knitting for myself before the Christmas Thanksgiving holiday--too many things to knit for other folks and for bazaars, etc. The sweater is a lucious blue alpaca, and it is really so close to done--back, one front, sleeves, a second front almost done. But my office is cold all year round, so even if I don't get it finished before spring comes, it won't matter.

My third entrelac project will be the Annelac socks--bought that pattern yesterday with no specific yarn in mind (except for the lucious alpaca that my brother has for sale . . . . maybe I can sneak into his stash for these!) Maybe I should finish, ummmm--let's see: sweater for daughter; socks for me; socks for friend; baby hats for the birthing center; felted bag--half knit; vest for granddaughter; quilt for brother; wall hanging for me; baby quilt for church; felted bag--barely started . . . . ).

And I'm looking forward to my first venture into dyeing . . .

So little time. . . so much to do!!!

Alpaca yarn and yarn and yarn

2008-02-19T12:22:00.000-08:00

My brother has an alpaca farm in Troy, Idaho, about 20 minutes away from me, where my three alpacas live, thanks to him! Well, until he took me to an alpaca show in western Washington state about 6 years ago, I never knew about alpacas. What wonderful animals. They are so gentle and their fiber is absolutely to die for! Here's a picture of a few this summer, taken a month after they were sheared.

I'm fortunate because he "lets" me help him when I can, especially when it comes to shearing days. And we work ogether to plan what to do with the fiber. We've had some fiber spun into yarn at a local mill and we've had roving made at ME2 Farm in Colville, Washington. I met Jayne, the owner, at a Fuzzy Bunz show two years ago, and although she owns no alpacas, she impressed me with her knowledge. I think she has learned to appreciate alpaca fiber as she has worked with ours. She likes to "know" the animals whose fiber she is processing, so I always try to provide pictures. This year, she said she just loved the fiber from Missy, my strange fiber huacaya.

So, last week, my brother imported some baby alpaca yarn from his South American supplier, who guarantees that his yarn is "real, true alpaca." Many folks don't know that in South American, they can claim that yarn or other articles made from only 80 percent alpaca is 100 percent alpaca! That's why the quality, especially of alpaca clothing from South America, can be itchy--something you don't get with true, 100 percent alpaca.

Anyway, this yarn was in scrumptuous colors--I just wanted to touch, hold, inhale! it! I had used some of the same yarn last year to knit the Evelyn Clark's Swallotail Shawl from Interweave Knits.

I have so much yarn now--at least 4 projects on needles--and at least 4 or 5 more planned, but I think I NEED some of this new alpaca yarn--maybe I'll try an entralac sock pattern I've been looking at from the Interweave Sock.
Such yarn hoarders we knitters are--but it's because we can't resist the colors and feels of the yarn. There's never enough time to use all the yarn we want (or that we have!) But, that's what the future's for, right?

Woolgatherers on the Palouse

2008-02-13T12:36:00.000-08:00

I belong to this neat group of folks who spin, knit, weave, dye and have all sots of fun with fiber, on and off animals! They all live around the Palouse area of Moscow, ID. Check out the Woolgatherer's website http://palousefibers.org
The website is fairly new, so stop back again, and if you live in our area, come to a meeting. We love new folks!

At our last meeting, we decided that we needed to do something to contribute to our community. After many suggestions, we decided that we would knit baby caps and blankets. And at least four of us have started!

So what size is a baby cap?? We heard that we should knit them to fit a grapefruit!

Many of the pattern books I had for babies had the "old, traditional" baby hats with ribbons around the neck. Nah! We're going to make caps more interesting than that, and we're not going to stick to the pink and blue--no gender identification for us!

I did find some nice patterns in some of the magazines I had around. One was topped with an i-cord that you tied and it looks pretty cute. I'll have to remember to take some pictures.

One of the problems that we forsaw was that these caps will have to be easily washed and dried! So many of us knit with mohair and alpaca and wools and other natural fiber blends, that we'll have to dig deep into our stashes to find the appropriate yarns for these caps--that, and visit Goodwill, perhaps! But it will be fun.

Hooked on Hats

2008-02-07T16:23:00.000-08:00

Hats have never been my particular favorite thing to knit. I don't wear hats myself. I've been more into scarves and socks!

But, a fellow "Woolgatherer" from the Palouse [I'll talk about this group in another blog] is a wonderful pattern maker--the pattern for a three-tiered hats is her design, which I was able to purchase from her before she had time to commit to a publisher. I made one of these hats early in December and sold it at the Winter Market in Moscow, ID. It was made from autumn-like colors in an alpaca/silk/wood blend yarn (Cascade Dolce).

The hat is knit, on circulars--first the layer (closest to one's eyes) using one color with the final row in the middle color. Then you begin the second layer, work it until it is a certain length, and join to the first layer using a three-needle join. The two layers then are continued with the final layer in the third color. After the third layer is a certain length, it is joined to the first two and completed! It has bobbles and lacy patterns; it fits nice and snug; and the alpaca yarn makes it silky, soft, and warm without being too hot.

So much fun, I quickly made more. My quilting group--the Purple Paisley Quilters at the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Palouse--has a yearly Holiday Bazaar, where I sold another two and got an order for three more! Ah ha! Other people like them, too. One "customer/friend" went to the local yarn store with me where we played around with combinations of colors until she found ideal colors for her and for her sister-in-law. The colors weren't what I would have chosen, but the hats turned out great and one was picked up Christmas Eve/day for delivery later!

Another of the ordered hats was delivered to a friend Christmas Eve; sadly, it was still damp from being blocked. I told my friend (I'll call her Xy) to put it on a heating vent or somewhere to dry. She placed it in front of her fireplace. Unfortunately, someone turned the heat up and the hat got partially charred! Xy was afraid to tell me at first, but finally confessed. She's such a friend, that I simply replaced her hat.

Ok, I'm hooked. The hats are so much fun to make. More Dolce and some Ultra Alpaca (Berocco)!

But Xy had another friend who saw the hat and wanted one for herself. By then, I had another five hats made and two of them contained blue, which was what the friend had in mind for the main color. I left the five with Xy and two weeks later, she had sold four of them and ordered a fifth! This one is for a male, so I'll have to leave off the bobbles and make the patterns "less lacier." It will be fun to see how he likes it.

I can usually finish layer or two a night--sitting in my comfortable chair in front of the TV with a good Netflix movie!

And here are two recommendations for feel-good, but not "girly" films, to knit by:

"The Milagro Beanfield Wars"--a 1988 film directed by Robert Redford, full of magical realism with a young Christopher Walken as a villain.

"Neverwas"--I'd like to buy this to have and watch on those days when I need to just feel happier~!

Sadly (ha ha), now, I'll simply have to go buy more alpaca yarn. Someday, I'll make one to keep for myself!