Purling Oaks

Cuteness and much fiber!

Last week Thursday, I picked up two dozen fresh eggs from Carole, my friend and spinning group leader.  While we were chatting, she asked if I would like to see the lambs.  You can guess my answer, right?!  On our way to the lamb barn, we stopped by her greenhouse.  Well, I should say the slightly repurposed greenhouse.  Yes, those are fleeces drying.  I think this is an excellent use for a greenhouse.  That little structure behind Carole is where she'll put a flat or three of seedlings if need be.  (If it ever gets warmer here.)

Then we came upon the sheep that didn't lamb this year.

Just look at that face, really, all those faces.

Then we went to the lamb barn.

 

I bet Carole thinks I am nuts.  

There is also a yard the sheep have access to but most were in the barn that day for whatever reason sheep have for being there.

More lambs...

And some more...

Here's a girl that has been with Carole for quite a while

Her "do" is a bit flat but I'm told she normally has a lovely hat of hair.  

Carole and her husband, Dave, own Yorkshire Rose Farms.  Carole also dyes and sells yarn, in addition to the other products of their farm including grassfed (delicious) meat and eggs.  The sheep are Romney, Rambouillet, and Tunis (I hope I got that correct) and various crosses.

It was a lovely visit.  Thank you, Carole, as a visit with you and the lambs is a guaranteed path to a happy outlook.

Happy Saturday photos

This photo makes me happy.  Blue and White Dot, geranium, my spinning wheel, a comfy chair, and a little Saturday sunshine.  Of course, there are things the photo doesn't show, which are fine, such as:

• Both cats (and their sisters) want to go outside but can't because Wilson and I are going up to the Farm in a few hours and we can't have the kitties running a muck while we're gone.
• The sunshine was only visible for about 60 seconds so far this morning.  The high temperature yesterday was 61 degrees F.  This is July?
• That's the same bobbin I started Tour de Fleece with--it is loaded up a bit more but the time allocated to spinning hasn't been too extensive. 

Speaking of Tour de Fleece/Team Crankypants.........You know the Groucho Marx scene where the phrase "Doctor, it hurts when I do this!" and Groucho says, "Then don't do that!"?  Well, I have to put my spindle on the sideline because I'm aggravating my shoulder and ribs somehow.   I'm taking action to heal up but no spindling for a while.  The wheel is still in action so I'm still cheering for Team Crankypants.  Good thing this was a no-stress event.  :D  I am happy that I've been spinning more, and that's what counts.

Our trip up to the Farm is because Dr. E is there visiting our mom.  He's only here for a short time so we're heading up this afternoon to say hello and meet with other family at the Roxie in Oshkosh for dinner.  He's back from vacationing in Europe with his two sons and will be able to tell us more about running with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain ( o.O ) as well as the other fun stuff the three of them did.

The garden is coming along despite my absence. 

Happy Saturday!

Making room for one more thing....

Some unscheduled events can be very tasty........

I had a full list of things to do yesterday.  However, sometimes you need to make room for one more thing, especially when Mother Nature is involved.  The cherries were ripe yesterday so I grabbed the step-ladder and a bowl and picked (and pitted) about five cups of tart cherries.  I'm actually glad they ripened yesterday.  Ripening on Monday would have meant the birds got to enjoy them all.  I picked just the ripe ones with many left on the tree.  So, we're sharing.  Of course, once they were picked and pitted, I was faced with the horrible task of deciding what to make with them. 

Horrible.  Riiiight.

Cherry and Nut Muffins using the Joy of Cooking recipe for basic muffins-full fat version.  I added 1.5 cups of tart cherries, and about 3/4 cup of nuts (pecans and walnuts), filled up a jumbo muffin tin and  presto......Breakfast!

and Snack.  and Lunch.  and Late afternoon snack.  Just Kidding.  Maybe.  Definitely tomorrow's early breakfast.

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Tour de Fleece 2009 Update

Yesterday's spinning is the bump part on the bobbin.  How I managed that odd bump I'm not sure.  All the cherry picking/pulled-pork making/laundry tired me out but I did make progress!  

I've got just a bit of this fiber to spin....I'm hoping to make a sweater with it whenever I finish spinning.  It is a warm neutral which should be perfect for a basic cardigan.

 

Geranium Update:

Happy Sunday!

Saturday show and tell

Hey!  I'm back from Upper Michigan and still have two days before I have to go to work!  How cool is that?  We had a nice relaxing break, caught up with sleep, and generally feel pretty darn good.  I'm catching up with blogs today, well some, since I have 1000+ new posts showing in my Google Reader.  Busy bloggers!  I'm also conquering the laundry, packing my work suitcase, and throwing a pork roast in the oven for some yummy pulled pork for dinner.

No good sky photos for Saturday Sky but I do have a little show and tell.  The skies this past week were generally overcast and wet in my part of the world, but here's a photo that Wilson snapped this week. 

Yup, bear tracks.  He said he didn't see the bears, probably a mama and her cub, but they had walked the trail he was on before he got there on his way to tickle some trout. 

While on vacation, I auditioned some spindles to prepare for Tour de Fleece as part of Team Crankypants.    
I think the two on the right are in the running for my travel hand spindle and the pink stuff is some roving from Susan's Fiber Shop that I don't know the wool specifics of, outside of it being wool and relatively inexpensive.  It has been in the stash for a while but it is pleasing to the eye.  I'll be spinning some other natural gray wool from Woolgatherers in Fond du Lac when I'm home on Margaret, my wheel, now that we are on good terms.  I'm going to have to pay more attention to my wool, aren't I?

My relaxing included some sock knitting on the man-sock, err, socks for Wilson with my first short-row heel completed.  Love it!  Thanks for the instructions, Cookie!  I also worked on Icarus --- I've recovered reknit past my ripping and then some but I'm still on chart 1.

 There was also some reading of the latest J.D. Robb paperback, Salvation in Death.  (Still a good read but I think something was missing, perhaps the personality conflicts?) and I started Tanya Huff's Valor's Trial which is definitely calling me.  This in book four of a series.....I know I read book three in this series but I'll have to look up the other two.

Happy Saturday!

Weather report

Those little icicles on the bird feeders have formed during the past hour and a half.   DH is on his way to the east coast this afternoon, so I'm sending out "safe travel" vibes to escort him.  Yesterday was also an overcast and chilly day.....a complete contrast to most of Friday.  Friday, for me, was a lovely weather day.  By noon, the sun was shining and the temperature was in the high 50s.  I was on the road quite a bit of the day (Oshkosh-Brookfield-Home), so I opened the Jeep's sunroof, cracked-open the side windows, cranked the tunes and had one of the best days, mood-wise.  It was a day to save for savoring when life is more demanding and a reminder of simple joys that will (help) keep me sane.  And it is just so simple--sun, good music, a bit of a breeze and I'm able to put aside some of my personal world's worries for a few hours.  The songs that were played on the radio Friday were some of my all-time favorite driving tunes.  Thanks to the music programmer!

Saturday included this view, although Black Dot was really supervising from behind me: 

I am pretty happy with my spinning progress yesterday.  I'm spinning some Polworth fiber from a Wisconsin Sheep and Wool vendor (no label and no memory, although I could find them by location in the vendor's shed).  As of this photo, there is just under half of the fiber in singles on the bobbin.  I think it will end up as a two-ply.
The color is "Autumn Oaks."  I will probably have to do some sleuthing to find the vendor, depending on how much yarn I end up with.  I think I would like a vest from this yarn.

I plan to spin again this afternoon--as soon as I light the woodstove.  DH set up the wood so all I'll have to do is light a match.  Life is good.

Part One- Wis S&W

Carrie was right.  It is a very good idea not to be home when the drywall guys are working.  Unfortunately, I am.  Yes, I am definitely thinking of a sedative and earplugs.  My plan to work, um, normally, was thwarted by a schedule change so I'm teleworking.  I've found a place on the front porch that is relatively quiet so as long as the weather stays nice, I'm good.

I had a great time at Wisconsin Sheep and Wool.  My beginning spinning class with Deb Jones was great.  She was a super instructor and I even made yarn, plied yarn!  The yarn is far from perfect but I feel I have a better grasp of *how* to spin and will be practicing to cement that in my brain.   I met some really nice classmates, which was an unexpected bonus.  I highly recommend the class.   I shopped the vendors during lunch and after class but didn't buy more yarn.  I did get a nice roving and a lovely pattern.  Here's the loot which includes my first plied yarn and a door prize from the Ravelry Afterparty. 

I've got more photos to share later.

Happy Wednesday!

Friday's focus

I'm taking a day of vacation today.  Whoop!  Don't get too excited...today is full of chores and a massage (well, that's okay to be excited about) so my Saturday will be free to spend all day at the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival!  I've signed up for a spinning class so I can learn to use my lovely Margaret Rose, um, more efficiently, yeah, that's the word.  I've signed up with Beth to help with the pre-ravelry Afterparty set up over in Rome.  Then it is fun at a fiber party!  I am looking forward to a very fun day and evening.

One of today's tasks is to take these garden lovelies and make them into sauce.   It will just be a basic sauce that I will bag up and freeze for use throughout the year.  I like to add shredded carrots to the sauce.  They add a bit of natural sweetness and other vegie goodness to the sauce.  I also have boatloads of basil to turn into some pesto but I'm not sure if I'll make my way into the basil patch today or not.

The drywall is being delivered right now.  After the rain we had all day yesterday, the ground is very mushy, so the big truck/semi is staying on pavement and the guys are hauling the drywall over the lawn.  All before 8 AM.  I know one trade that I'm not suited to, for sure.  I'm still enjoying my morning coffee. 

Saturday surprises

Saturday, I met Nora in Verona at the Sow's Ear.  I thought I was early but it turned out I arrived at the same time as Nora.  First, she lured me closer with the promise of a closer look at her newly blocked shawl.  Then she brought out a large garbage bag.  A garbage bag that looked suspiciously familiar to one that I used to know.  She gave it to me and I looked inside to see Artemesia's fleece, 2008 vintage.  I did my best not to cry and scare Nora.  Nora, Stacey, Joan, and Cookie conspired to find a replacement Icelandic fleece for the one that was lost a short while ago.  Friends, I am so touched by your thoughtfulness.  Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!  See how lovely (and large) it is! 

And here is a view of the creamy underside with the fleece folded.  White Dot is performing a quality control check.  He found it meets his very high standards.  He's not quite sure why Nora got the heebie-jeebies when she touched it.

Nora and I enjoyed our yarn shopping, coffee-drinking, sock knitting and chatting.  (I actually accomplished two rows this time.  *g*)  Nora was stopped by a yarn shop employee for appropriate shawl admiration.  It is lovely.  I think Nora is going to do a full post on it soon so this photo will just whet your curiosity.   (It's wonderful what bloggers can do with a public utility box and a self-timer.)

Nora had to head off to her family event far too soon. I started home but stopped at the garden center to support the local economy.  When I got home I found DH had gathered these for the table. 

Aren't they lovely?  Blue thinks so.

 

I am so glad I blog.  I will always be able to remember this wonderful day of surprises and friendship by just reading my archives should I ever misplace this memory in my old age.

Oh yes...............DH knows exactly where the fleece is and what it looks like.

A little happy dance

I'm almost giddy.  I sat in front of my spinning wheel last night and we (Margaret Rose and I) actually got along.  Fuzzle did a bit of supervising but she didn't have to break up any fights.

The yarn probably isn't all that uniform but it appears to be yarn all the same.  I spun some more this evening and finished off the bag of fiber.  I used what I think is the long draw for the the first time and it works well for me with this fiber compared to doing the inch worm technique.  Very satisfying, I must say.  Now, I'm still a bit of a poser for NaSpiMoMo but progress is being made.   I know I'm spinning wool but I don't remember the sheepy origin except that I got it at Susan's Fiber Shop a year or three ago.

It is rather nice to spin for an hour or so before the evening meal.  Of course, it is nice to be HOME so I can spin on my wheel.  Teleworking is such a wonderful idea.  Next week, I'll be back on the road but I certainly don't lack knitting projects to keep me busy.

Some explanations and a FO, in a way...

Thank you for the feedback on the mobile post. I thought the post would look different than using my mac to post but, at least on Safari, there is no difference. I downloaded TypePad for Windows Mobile 6 to the phone and it was very easy to use. The photos were taken using the phone camera and look pretty nice. I used the camera's mosaic feature and just snapped pictures of a few things with no real theme in mind. In the upper left photo is of a partially consumed bottle of Fiji water. I had a bottle this past summer when I was in Kansas during the "don't drink the tap water" problem. I really liked it so I drink it regularly...perhaps I am silicon-deficient so it tastes good to me. There is also the Spring 2007 Spin-Off (good eyes, Stacey!), and one of the walkie-talkies we use at home so we don't have to holler. The walkie-talkie is in action since DH came home sick Thursday morning after being struck with the flu on Tuesday evening in his hotel room up north. I'm doing my best to be helpful to him but not catch the bug. Cross your fingers for me.

The lower left photo is a close up of the embroidery on the bag my brother brought me from Costa Rica. It is going to be a great knitting project bag.

In the upper right photo is my aloe vera plant. Everyone should have one in case of getting a burn. It really helps your skin heal quickly.

A closeup photo of my first hank of handspun is in the lower right. Thanks, Kim, for the comment that it looked like Malabrigo; you really pepped up my day. The fiber is wool but, what variety, I don't remember. I know I purchased it in a "learn to spin" kit from Miekle's Farm at the Wisconsin Spin-In when it was held in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, several years ago. I spun a full spindle then set it aside. Time passed. *ahem* The fiber suffered a flood and a summer in a sunroom. Then I spun a bobbin of the rest of it on my wheel. The spindle yarn (multi-colored ties) was 65 yards and weighed 45 grams while the wheel spun yarn (purple ties) was 49 yards and weighed 58 grams. The last photo is after I soaked the yarn (set the twist, hopefully) and thwacked it against the side of the shower, then let it hang with a weight to dry. I'm leaving them as singles. I cleared the spindle and bobbin just to get the yarn finished, you know? Yes, it has been years.