Sunday, February 22, 2009

Three Ply Merino Lace Weight

I dont know how other people do it, but this is my method. My kate is not tensioned, but it works for me.I have heard others talk about having the kate behind them, but I think that would really bug me; for one thing I wouldn't be able to see what was going on. With it in front of me, I can keep the tension right and know if I am going to fast and making the bobbins spin.
These are the first two skeins, sorry, this merino is very bright white, as you all saw in the last post, but I couldn't get a 'white' picture today, probably the time of day. The WPI on this is 30-32.
This is the scarf in Interweave Crochet that I would like to make out of it.





Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Fine Lines, Adding Injury to Injustice, Fatty-Fatty...

Meet George! This was the 17lb'er we had last spring, he hasn't grown much but his wool is wonderful! :)

George lost his manhood last Wednesday, so while he was in recovery, being the opportunist that I am, I snatched a lock of wool. George is tunis/corrie and has very, very soft, crimpy fleece. I am anxious now for shearing in April!

On the Wheel
I decided to do something different. Normally, I spin a bobbin full, put it off onto the ball winder and either ply it back on itself or Navajo ply it. I grabbed the merino I bought from Terry Mendenhall last year and sent off to Morro Fleece Works to pin draft and started spinning a very, very fine single so I can finish with a three ply lace weight. When I say fine, I mean really fine! Just hoping it all holds together to be plied. I'm on the third bobbin.



And a close up...
I found a scarf patern in Interweave Crochet magazine that calls for lace weight merino, so I decided to make my own :)

Baby Bumbs
Everybody is talking about baby bumbs, so I thought I would share mine...


Vanilla (Tunis)

Babs (suffolk/dorset), Tweedle in the back ground (Tunis)

Honey (Tunis)
Honey is always this big, I have sworn every year that she was going to have triplets, only for her to have twins or a single. Her only lamb last year weighed 14lbs. Hoping she twins this year. This is my favorite ewe, I love they way she is built, long bodied and fairly short legged.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

25 Things...

I had been tagged a couple weeks ago by Julie, but she tagged me for 40 things, I just couldn't come up with that much without getting personal or embarrassing. Now I've been tagged by Sharon, so since I already had the list started, here are 25 things... or so.

OK, no better place to start than at the beginning

1) I was born in Bremerton WA on September 26, 1963

2) My Mom and I came to Nevada in 1967 when she left my father in Oklahoma.

3) We met a man here with an A-frame house, they were shortly engaged, but he passed away from cancer before he and my Mom had a chance to marry.

4) My Mom married my Dad in 1968, and I met my sweet sister, who I have grown up with since we were 4 and 5 yrs old, so there is really no ‘step’ about it.

5) I flunked 1st grade.

6) I have a half brother (55) and sister (57), who live in Pahrump, NV and Chewelah, WA respectively.

7) I loved to dawdle on the way to school; my Mom came looking for me one day because the school had called to say I hadn’t show up, I was staring into a puddle, watching the bugs swim, she said, I was in kindergarten. I haven’t changed much.

8) Strays ALWAYS followed me home! I’m serious!

9) When I was eight, my brother died (my SS’s half brother) at the age of 16.

10) My Mom and Dad’s favorite punishment for my SS and I was pulling weeds. We lived on 5 acres; trust me, there were plenty!

11) My SS and I used to play catch in the chirt, barefooted. One day I tried to catch the ball with both feet. She still loves telling that story.

12) I begged and begged until my Dad bought me a horse when I was 12 I think, possibly 13… she was the nastiest nag anyone ever thought of putting on the earth. But I rode her anyway. There is no way I can explain how euphoric it is to ride full speed with the wind whipping past your ears and its just you and the horse and the desert.

13) Then I got Blaze, a quarter horse filly, she wasn’t saddle trained, so I got bucked off, a lot. Into the shed. Over the barn, through the fence. I was stepped on and kicked and drug… never fazed me, I just got back on.

14) I never belonged to a ‘click’ in high school, I was my own click; I was friends with everybody and nobody. Yep, I’m a loner :)

15) I played the saxophone for 8 years; tenor, alto and soprano. Still play my alto occasionally.

16) I didn’t graduate high school but I have two Associates degrees in Computer technology.

17) I got married to Tad’s father in 1982, moved to Wyoming, then to Utah, then to Georgia where I worked in a stove factory for more than 4 years. Met lots of people I still love to this day and learned a lot.

18) I met Derek on January 28th 1988 in the Owl Club and for all but one month, we’ve been together since.

19) My GPA is 3.7; something I was very proud of and worked very hard to get. It would have been higher had I not had to take English 101; I hate English! It’s why I didn’t graduate to start with! I got a C in that class, and only because the teacher liked me.

20) I like to party, karaoke mostly. I love tequila, and am a happy, fun drunk. I hate beer.

21) I hate house work.

22) I work for the BLM during the summers when I can as a fire dispatcher.

23) I have worked in 12 states; Nevada, Idaho, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Washington, Alaska, Texas, Georgia, Utah, Wyoming.

24) I have lived in 7 different states; Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Arizona, Georgia, Washington and Oklahoma.

25) I love my kids to be home from school.

26) I have only been fired from one job in my life.

27) I have worked in gas stations, on road crews, at gold mines, grocery stores, a stove mill, silk screening, with Thoroughbreds (brood mares and two year olds in training), in offices, at a newspaper, as a drafter… I can’t even think of all the different things I have done in my life, it has been well rounded :)

OK, so there are a couple more, just had to share :)

So who am I going to tag?
June
Debbi
Dori
WoolWytch
Pamela