Tour De Fleece, D.3 Update

So far…so good.

Upon our return from Kansas, I continued spinning with the baby alpaca. I have spun up all the rolags I had carded. While reviewing my brand new “Start Spinning”, I learned from Maggie about teasing my cleaned fleece.

I teased it mercilessly. I said it had nappy hair. I called it names. I mocked and taunted the poor fleece. I am not sure the reasoning behind these actions, but I persevered. Upon reading further, I discovered what Maggie intended. Oops.

After teasing and some carding, I now have more to spin tonight. And more to card, as well. I think the teasing was beneficial. The carding worked better, or maybe I am getting better. Or maybe both.

A couple weeks ago, while watching me work the alpaca, Wonderful Guy asked me what I had learned from the process. The learning curve has been steep.

I am glad I started with lanolin-free alpaca for the washing.

I have learned about examining the fleece thoroughly for vegetable matter. I will be ruthless in that regard in the future. And I was when deciding on the Jacob fleece at the Estes Park Wool Market.

Overall, I am pleased with the quality of this alpaca, and believe that I will have some delightful yarn when all is done. It is the first shearing from this particular fellow, after all. I may have spent a bit more than necessary, but not outrageously so. And with more experience, I might discover, not overly much for good clean fleece. It is good fleece, just maybe not so free of the VM.

There is a voice that is saying perhaps fiber prep is not for me. There are many outlets that offer wonderful and beautifully prepared roving and top. This is hard work, after all. Yet, I am finding it satisfying. So far.

Finishing a knitted object with it will be very telling.

Anyway, I am on track with my TdF personal challenge, working daily on the alpaca, making good progress, learning and refining techniques, and I think the 3 finished skeins is an achievable goal.

Personal Protection Equipment Required...

We are back from our travels to Kansas. Not a photo was taken. Not sure how that happened. The weather was unusually cool and damp, which was very pleasant and unexpected.

The small town fireworks were pretty impressive, until I felt something hit my leg. I thought one of the local little tykes had thrown a rock at me. It was a hefty impact, but when I looked down, I had a ring of soot, about an inch in diameter, mid-shin. Apparently, one of the spent, but un-incinerated cardboard tubes in which the charges are loaded, fell from the sky and landed on...me! No burn, but a good abrasion from the impact, and a sore place. I am very glad it took out my leg and not my face. It could have put my eye out! Seriously! I had been enjoying the fireworks up to that point. I watched the rest thinking I should have my safety glasses on.

I had a very nice visit with Wisest Sister in Lawrence, and a good, profitable visit to the Yarn Barn. Picked out some Shetland top, then fell in love with some 50/50 wool/silk. It's laceweight and I think I have enough for a shawl. Maybe. Since the bridge between Waterville and Manhattan is being worked on, a detour was required, so I didn't get to Wildflower Yarns there. Instead, I went through Wamego, and thanks to Ravelry, I remembered a little shop opened up there the last of June. Had to stop. Had to! Named Settler's Farm, I bought some of her handpainted sock yarn. Photos will follow...sometime.

I knitted most of the way there and back, and knitted most of the day while we visited on Thursday.

Tally for the trip:

• One Hedera sock complete, and another cast one, and the leg is 1/3 complete.
• One dishcloth, left with MIL for being such a great hostess, which she always is.
• One matching tribble 2/3 complete.
• One grocery sack thingey for Middle Daughter and Friend, except for finishing touches.
• Two Calorimetries of homespun, one which turned out a bit bigger than the other. How does that happen? AGH!

Again, photos to follow...sometime soon.

I am ready for some spinning for the Tour de Fleece now, having knitted very very very very much. Very much.

My copy of Start Spinning by Maggie Casey arrived while I was gone, too. I am excited to review and learn what she has to share.

Wonder what the news at work tomorrow will be....

I have joined...

..le Tour de Fleece! My goal is to have 3 skeins (2 ply) of my baby alpaca complete by the end of le Tour de France. There will have to be lots of spinning going on here at the old homestead for that to happen. This stuff has been slow going, but I am determined to set myself a challenge to meet, not just something I can do. Also, with the trip over the 4th, and a vacation to Yellowstone planned the week of the event, I can budget knitting time to traveling, and spinning time to my evenings.

So we are off tomorrow for four days, and I don't know about computer access. It will be what it will be, and maybe I will be in touch.

Happy 4th.

Famous...kinda...sorta....maybe....

I had a personal message today from a volunteer editor in Ravelry wanting to use my photo of the baby booties as the featured photo on the project page. In spite of the fact that there are very few of that particular project showing as knitted in Ravelry, I am still flattered. There doesn't have to be a photo, you know!

A few weeks ago, I posted about winning some books by the Yarn Harlot. Remember, yes? I would like to bring to your attention the comment (yes, singular...I don't get that many) to that post. Imagine my surprise. Imagine my effort in trying to explain my excitement to Wonderful Guy!

One of my first posts was about my hometown, Greensburg, KS. It was destroyed by a tornado a year ago in May. About 2 weeks ago, on the Planet Green channel, a series called 'Greensburg' began, chronicling the rebuilding choices, efforts, and successes. In this series, one of the families followed is that of my oldest BFF, as my girls make the reference. Except now she is 'Mom's FBFF' (.... or famous best friend forever....). Her son plays very prominently in the series as one of the high schoolers active in the efforts, and comes across very well, I think. (Tish, you must be so proud of him!) I have to admit, it is a very strange to see those I know and the place I grew up on TV!

See...famous!

We have sent the Middle Daughter and Friend back to Salt Lake, and are making preparations for the trip to Kansas day after tomorrow. No time for winding down! Things to do, places to go, people to see...well, certainly things to be packed, animals to be cared for, and plants to be watered. Always with the drama!

Random Firings

Well, tomorrow marks the six month anniversary of starting this little rambling venture of mine. I thought a celebration might be in order, but didn't know what exactly. And I didn't plan ahead for this. So for now, let's just say 'good job for sticking with it (but not so good on the poor planning...)'.

I kept Grandbebe Who Walks on Saturday evening and that was alot of fun for me, and I hope fun for her. She didn't cry hardly at all, so I think she had a little fun. She enjoyed playing with the leftovers of the kitchen cotton yarn. When going after my collected balls of yarn for traveling next week, I substituted a sack of the tail ends. She was more than pleased!

I fed the masses (or at least the local offspring) last night. A good time was had by all, I believe. The corn on the cob was fresh and sweet, as was the strawberries on the shortcake. Each summer, when the corn has come on, I feel like I have died and gone to heaven with that first bite.

Interesting tidbit: I rode my bike to the grocery store to pick up the berries, corn, and chicken. Yes, I did, indeed! I was able to fit two grocery sacks full in my saddle bags easily. It was a 3 mile round trip, and we took the round about way. There won't be any stopping me now!

I knitted a test calorimetry out of short ends over the weekend. It knitted up really well, inspite of being out of 3 colors, and 3 different kinds of wool. I look forward to knitting more for gifts...but out of single types of yarn...but then again, I don't know. It is kind of a cool effect!

When choosing another bird feeder at the local home improvement store, I wandered over to the veggie plants. Aimlessly? I think not! I picked up a pepper plant, a zucchini (with 2 plants in the pot), a yellow straight-necked squash, and a pumpkin. These are good established plants. I think they have a chance of producing before the end of the growing season. We made that new bed, and it remains unplanted for now. That is prime for those viney, sprawling plants. One only gains experience by making an effort. Along with the tomatoes and the strawberries, well, heck, I might be a real gardener!

Lots of Garter Stitch

My length-estimating impaired hairdresser is going to be grandmother in August, and because of the long relationship she and I share, and because I have known the mother-to-be (her daughter) since she was in grade school, I determined to knit the boy baby a gift.

Here's what they are going to get, whether they like it or not.

Not to difficult, but sort of snazzy lookin'.

The 'Heartbreakingly Cute Baby Kimono' and the 'Baby Bib O' Love' is from Mason-Dixon Knitting.

The booties are from 'Ruth's "Perfect" Baby Booties'. (Short row magic!)

The hat is from the 'Oh Natural' from Lionbrand website. (Super, super easy!)

In other news...

I have swatched for gauge! Yes, it's true. I am becoming a real life knitter, instead of an extraordinarily lucky one. In preparing for knitting while traveling next week, during which I hope to visit both the Yarn Barn in Lawrence (with Wisest Sister) and Wildflowers in Manhattan (by myself...must...practice...self-control...), I reviewed a couple of patterns. I am going to start Miss Muffet (by Marjorie Brigham), for Grandbebe Girl Who Walks (and who I get to watch tonight while Youngest Daughter and Bebe Daddy are partying). This pattern will be an investment in time and of resources even if the most wonderful Egyptian cotton yarn was on sale.

I thought to myself that perhaps I should test the swatching waters on this occasion. I did, and am going down a needle size, to sz 5. I am one loosey-goosey knitter. And the swatching whetted my appetite. The yarn knits beautifully, and is not going to feel anything like knitting with dishcloth cotton.

Another pattern I am going to be working on is Calorimetry (for stocking stuffers) out of handspun. This pattern highly suggested a swatch, too. In remembering what I have discovered about knitting hats, I decided this would be wise, not so much to knit exactly the size they think I need, but so that I can knit for the genetically big noggins that run in this family.

See how smart! Using her big noggin and smaller quantities of handspun! Oh, and knitting for Christmas in July! Very smart, indeed. (Now we will watch what actually gets knitted....)

M is for ...

...Matching! (Again, photos I did not take.)

Seems mighty fancy clothes to be messing with livestock!

Matching clothing that is. For many years of our lives, Dearest Sister and I were dressed aliked by our mother. She made most of our clothes, and some I am sure without patterns. She was really a very gifted seamstress. It was probably easier to buy enough to make two, and double up on what she was cutting.

Here we are with Wisest Sister. Again with the livestock...

Often we were asked if we were twins, to which we always responded, "No, we are 2 years and 6 weeks apart." Very precise for little munchkins, don't you think? And it was indeed very precise, and it was also very wrong. Wisest Sister and Dear Departed Sister were born 2 years and 6 weeks apart. Dearest Sister and I have birthdays almost exactly one month apart. We were born 2 years and 4 weeks apart.

And here we are with my Oldest BFF, all mix and match. (Boy, we were skinny back then, weren't we!)

We spent years thinking months were six weeks long, apparently. A cautionary tale, I think, about paying more attention to what we hear in our families (then repeat).