Red Hawk Meadow

Winter Prep

I have been so busy getting ready for the winter season,brrrrrrr.  Finally got outside last weekend and dumped all the flower pots that were holding the annuals.  Also replaced the ceramic bird baths with the winter time plastic which will survive any freezes we may have.  VG has covered the outside faucets and cleared the stream flowing out of our wetland area.  With all the rain we have gotten in the last week the wetlands are overflowing.  The vegetable garden has been cleared of all the residue and the perennials out there have been trimmed back a bit, some by the deer.  The white clematis on the arbor is continuing to bloom as are the roses.

I have been spinning and knitting, as well as working on some mixed media projects.  The fingerless mitts are just lacking the ribbing on the last one.  I'm also working on a kit I ordered from Knitpics.  In general, I like the pattern, but I'm changing it a bit.  I'm planning to make it more in the "newsboy" style rather than the "Castro" style.

 

The knitting is going well and the pattern was a challenge at first, but now that the pattern is apparent I am able to catch any errors and is going quite fast.

I am in the process of spinning this---

 

Into this---

 

Hopefully I will be able to ply and wash it this evening and will be knitting by the weekend.  I really love spinning this.  It feels so light and lofty and I like the color combination for winter---it's kind of cheerful. It should make a nice Christmas present for someone.  I'm also getting another "bump" in red and black from the same gal.  She is local, she and her husband raise the sheep and her husband does all the fiber prep, from cleaning, picking, dying, and carding.  It's interesting to watch her husband at work, he's so enthusiastic about it and really enjoys all the steps involved in preparing the wool.

My Helper

There is always someone hanging around while I am spinning---My little "Helper".

 

New Friends

We are back from Spokane after spending a week there with VG's parents.  We always have such a good time with them---visiting, playing cards, and exploring the area.  They have a bit of acreage and have developed a foot trail through the woods where we walk the dogs.  Sometimes when we're out walking, I like to check out the neighbors goats---they are so entertaining!  This is "Strawberry Shortcake", she's a pigmy and she is adorable with that little smile!

 

While in town one day, we went to Paradise Fibers.  I have been to their website and actually purchased some fiber from them.  Although the website has a lot of items, I wasn't prepared for the amount of yarn, fiber, and knitting items they have in their inventory.  I think they have every known type and size of needle made.  

Since we've been back, I've been very non-productive, just trying to catch up with little things that need to be done around here in preparation for winter.  But I did go to my first meeting with the area "spinning group" last night.  It was such fun, I took my knitting but I wish I had taken my wheel.  The wheel I usually spin on is really too large for transport, so I didn't want to take her.

 

My "utility" wheel is a stout little sturdy thing that will be my transport wheel.  She is a Louet I purchased last year to use just for plying because she has a large orifice and spools.  Although I have used her to ply, I have never really been comfortable just spinning, so she spends most of her time in the corner.  Last night after watching my "new friends" spin I was determined to use her.  One of the gals has Jacobs sheep and had several bags of FREE wool, so I thought this is the perfect opportunity to get to know her better.  When I got home, I pulled the poor thing out of her corner and started spinning on her and you know what----she worked great!!  I'm going to use just her for the next 2 weeks so I feel competent at the next group meeting.

 

She will now have a place of honor in front of my spinning chair.