In the past week, I have purchased an amazing amount of fleece: over 2.25 pounds. I am still reeling from the experience and lapse in sanity. 

WHAT was I thinking? I’m not exactly sure, but I will try to communicate my train of thought.

My 1st attempt of spinning was from Corriedale roving that had been sitting in my cedar closet for about 5 years. The years had not been kind to it; time had compacted the fibers into a very flat disk. The roving measured approximately 4 inches in width. These two facts meant that I had to do a lot of pre-drafting. Additional drafting had to be done as it was being spun onto my Ashford spindle.

My 2nd and current attempt at spinning is from Shetland roving. This roving is soft and lofty. More importantly, it was carded into pencil roving, roving that is approximately 1 inch wide. My first thought when I received it was that I won’t have to do any pre-drafting. Wrong. I still do though it has been greatly reduced. Pre-drafting consists of just teasing the fibers further apart so that the yarn can be spun thinner than the initial carded 1-inch width.

These two wools have been great to work with as a beginner spinner. Yet, my favorite wool is alpaca. It’s heaven in your hands. My entire reason for spinning was so that I could eventually spin my own alpaca. There you have it: Reason #1.

Reason #2: If there is no amount of carding that can eliminate pre-drafting, why not skip the step altogether? Why not indeed. So, I did my research. Come to find out - it is possible to eliminate the carding process with certain fibers. Alpaca is one of those fibers that can be spun straight from the locks (sections pulled off of a fleece).

Reason #3: I love to take something and strip it down to the basics. In design work, I start with a blank piece of paper and a pencil. In gardening, I start with seeds or bulbs. Short of shearing the animal yourself, the closest I can get to the basics of wool is to purchase the fleece and start from scratch.

Reason #4: It’s Maple’s fault. She wooed me. I was browsing through her Etsy store to purchase yarn for my swap partner and I came across her listings for alpaca roving and raw fleece. Her description of Sunshine’s fleece grabbed my attention. “By the way, this fleece has hardly any vegetation in it. I am going to spin this without further preparation, like carding or combing. Because it is crimpy and long this is easily spun.”

So, my 1st purchase of raw alpaca fleece was from Maple of North Star Alpacas. Here are pictures of the raw fleece she sent me.

Sunshine

A lock of Sunshine: Do you see how it changes from cream to fawn and back to cream?

Polaris

On Sunday, I received a call from my local alpaca farmer. She invited me to come out and see the bounty from her latest shearing.

As I was walking towards her house on the farm, I was greeted by Sammy.

I heard Sammy’s greeting of Meow, Meow before I even saw him. Walking swiftly to me was an orange tabby cat. I knelt down to meet him and he bowed his head so I could scratch his ears. I spent the next several minutes taking photos of Sammy and petting him. What a sweet cat!

Show and Tell of Shearing

Though I had no plans to purchase anything more than a sampling of fibers totaling one pound. I came home with two pounds. What can I say? I have no will power.

Buddy, the blind alpaca, before any processing

Buddy after shaking (to remove the vegetation) and carding (to blend in the sun-dried tips)

Magnum whose fiber is red!

Dan commented that Magnum’s fiber looked eerily like my hair.

And more goodies starting from the top right and working clockwise: Cream alpaca blended with brown alpaca roving, Dark grey - almost black alpaca roving, undyed silk roving, and lastly brown alpaca roving.

Oh, yes, I have enough fiber and roving to last me for many months. I am NOT allowed to purchase anymore no matter how pretty it is.

Which begs the question, how am I coming along on that Shetland roving? Well, I still have 4 more ounces in my cedar closet, untouched. On the positive side, I am making mean work of the roving upstairs.

I LOVE my new spindle. It spins and spins. I highly recommend Jenkins Woodworking.

Within Ravelry, I am in a group called Sew Obsessed. Obviously, it’s for knitters/crocheters who love to sew in their spare time. Recently, there was a call for an apron swap. I have still not had a chance to make myself another apron, so I thought this would be the perfect motivation to not only make myself a new apron but to also make an apron for someone else. I could share the love, so to speak. Though I have not even started to make an apron for either, I received an apron from my swap partner yesterday.

It’s so bright and cheery. When I pulled it out of the package, I smiled.

Though I only expected the apron, my swap partner Betty included many goodies from the kitchen friendly to the taste-bud friendly:

A card
A card set
4 dishcloths
2 cutting boards
Candy fruit slices
Dark Chocolate with orange flavoring
Orange scented candle

Thank you so much, Betty!

Faithful readers, I know I promised alpaca fleece, more Sammy and a custom knitting bag, but household chores are calling me. I have ignored them too long. Plus, I would like to eat homemade food tonight. I’m thinking potato soup. I have some pork stock that should provide a great building block. I will try and post again tomorrow with the fleece pictures.

Until then, here’s a sneak peak of how the woven pillow is turning out.

This weekend, we hosted a mini get-together to celebrate a friend’s birthday. I was supposed to cook a chocolate cake.

Saturday morning, just back from my walk with Jake, I decided the last thing I wanted to do was bake a cake. Cakes aren’t cool and refreshing. It wasn’t even 10 am and I was already searching for a bucket of ice water to dunk my head in. Jake was laying next to me panting. He couldn’t believe I was thinking of turning the oven on.

So, I compromised and dyed my hands red in the process.

I bought 2 lbs of Washington red cherries (sweet) and made a cherry pie based on Martha Stewart’s recipe.

I made a few changes. I swapped out arrowroot for the cornstarch and apple cider vinegar for the lemon juice. I eliminate the egg wash and extra sugar because I prefer the natural look. Plus, since my cherries were ripe and very sweet all on their own, I used a little bit less sugar than called for, probably about 2 tbsp less.

It was yummy.

Now, truly, I have so much more to tell you. For starters, I received a super cute apron in the apron swap I’m participating. Next, I ordered and received a new purse designed specifically for knitters. Then, I can’t wait to show you the lovely, raw, alpaca fleeces I purchased. Finally, I have to introduce you to the friendliest cat I’ve ever met. (Thankfully, Jake wasn’t with me. He thinks cats were put on this earth to be chased.)

His name is Sammy.

I’ll post pictures and an explanation later this week. Hope you are having a great day!

I had boasted before our trip to Tennessee that if I didn’t complete the last tie of my knitted tree skirt, someone could take away my needles.

You’ll have to pry them from my dead, cold hands first. I’m keeping my needles.

Not only did I finish knitting the last tie of my tree skirt, I knit another i-cord (that will become a bow on one of the white ties) and I started and finished knitting a pillow cover. Perhaps I should be stuck in a car for 22 hours at least once a month. I would knit more than I usually do.

The final tie:

The i-cord:

The odd-shaped pillow cover:

The reason for its odd shape is so that I can weave the knitted strips together like a basket. I’m not sure if this crazy idea will work or not. It popped into my head. I was stuck in a car with no book to read (I had finished it), no more ties to knit and nowhere to lean my head for a nap. It seemed perfectly rational at the time. Of course, walking home also seemed perfectly reasonable. I take back what I said earlier. It would not be good if I was stuck in a car once a month for 22 hours.

Did you notice something else about the pillow besides the odd shape?
The cream yarn is my 1st handspun yarn.

Because I love the “Wouldn’t You Like to be Knitting Here?” series by Knitting Dragonflies, I am borrowing it.

Wouldn’t you like to knit here?

I can testify that it is lovely, since this is the view from Dan’s grandparent’s deck where we spent the long holiday weekend.

We did many wonderful things while we were in Tennessee:
*Visit with family.
*Visit with more family (Hi, Tim!) in Knoxville.
*Take a tour of the lake on a pontoon boat.
*Eat blueberry pancakes.
*Take a walk around the neighborhood after a good rain.
*Watch the men set off fireworks in the backyard.
*Knit.
*Spin.
*Relax.

Yet, my most prized memory is teaching one of Dan’s younger cousin how to knit.

Miss E with her new scarflette.

Miss E is 8 years old and loves to make crafts. She had been wanting to learn how to knit, but did not have anybody to teach her. I was thrilled to able to pass on the gift to one so enthusiastic to learn. Miss E’s mother kept thanking me for taking the time to teach her. Truly, it was I who was thankful to be able to teach Miss E. I even sent her home with her own set of bamboo needles and yarn.

The specs on Miss E’s scarflette:
1 ball of Lion Brand Landscapes
Size 10.5 needles
The instructions: Cast on 10 stitches.
Knit in garter stitch until only a little bit of yarn is remaining.
Bind off all stitches.
Weave in the ends.
Sew one button on. No buttonhole is necessary due to the nature of the large stitches.

I hope you have a wonderful day celebrating our country’s independence! (Unless of course, you don’t live in the States. Then, I just wish you an ordinary but still wonderful day. Grin.)

Dan and I leave for Tennessee tomorrow morning. His father and paternal grandparents live in a large house on a lake in Talbott, TN (little town outside of Knoxville). It should be a relaxing weekend, minus the 11-hour drive … for one of us. The other one will be knitting.

Have you ever seen the Lion Brand’s “So much yarn, so little time” tote bag? Huge, right? Mine is stuffed to the gills with knitting needles, yarn, roving, spindle, and notions. The plan is to finish knitting my Christmas tree skirt. I only have one white tie left to knit. If I can’t finish one tie in 22 hours, someone should take the pointy sticks away from me.

Speaking of my tree skirt, I started playing around with more ways to decorate it. I wanted the embellishment to be non-breakable, flat in dimension and durable, since presents will be stacked upon it year after year. Plus, it needs to withstand abuse from children, pets, and the stifling heat (or freezing cold temperatures) found in our attic.

What do you think?

As you can see, I dipped into my button stash.

PS. The cookies are lemon almond cookies (with a Hershey’s kiss inside), drizzled with white chocolate. Even Dan liked them.

Technically, Summer officially started on June 22nd. I had been informed of the fact and even subjected to a brutal heat wave. Still, I refused to welcome Summer in. Until yesterday.

Yesterday, I bought blueberries.

OK. So, we live in an era where seasons hardly matter anymore. One is no longer restricted to purchasing and eating fruits and vegetables based upon when they are harvested in his/her little corner of the world. Somewhere else, it is warm and sunny.  

Yet, there are specific fruits that I refuse to eat out of season; blueberries, strawberries, and apples are top on that list. I think part of my philosophy stems from the fact that since childhood I associate fruits with a particular season. More accurately, I associate a season with particular fruits. I look forward to each season with the glee of a child waiting to open a present.

I was thrilled yesterday to find blueberries in the grocery store. Not just any blueberries - blueberries grown and harvested in our neighbor state, New Jersey.

The best way to enjoy fresh blueberries is with heavy cream poured over top of them.

Delicious.

Yesterday was made even better by our mini-trip to Saint Peter’s Village. Piney, my secret pal from Summer of Love swap, had told me about it. It’s only 15 minutes down the road.

Though I have no pictures of the little town, I do have pictures of our booty.

Inside Dan’s bag are two chocolate coated pretzels.

My bag is better.

Dan said he should steal a truffle or two from my bag just to teach me lesson about how to properly label bags. Not funny.

I bragged to my neighbor that my mulch pile would be gone by Monday. It was my 2nd mistake. My 1st mistake was ordering 7 yards of mulch last month. What was I thinking?

I have laid it everywhere I can think of:
the garden that wraps around the entire house,
the garden bordering my neighbor to the left,

The path in between the house and the garden to the left:

the garden bordering the my neighbor to the right,
the sunflower bed behind our firewood pile,
the veggie garden, 
the two trees and two saplings in front of our house,
and the garden behind Henry’s tree.
(After listing them all, I’m starting to think … perhaps … we have too many garden spots).

Even my neighbor has taken a few wheelbarrows of mulch to use in his garden.

And still I have a pile of mulch sitting in my driveway.

I’m beginning to hate the sight of it. Do you think anybody would notice if I set it on fire?

Speaking of my veggie garden, my strawberries are growing!

I have come to the conclusion already that I will not be making strawberry jam from any crop I receive out of the plants. They are too tasty. I can’t seem to stop myself from eating them as soon as they have ripened.

The plan was to drive our our old car, a ‘98 Honda Civic, into the ground. We made it to 190,000 miles.

When Pottstown’s local Midas mechanic informed me that it would cost approximately 1 thousand dollars to repair all that was wrong with it (back suspension, broken motor mount, and broken hubcaps) and receive the state inspection sticker, I told him not to bother. “Kindly give me back my broken car” I said. Surprisingly, he was relieved. The mechanic confessed he was going to try to talk me out of sinking more money into the ole Civic.

On Friday, we went car shopping at Car Sense. Dan has already narrowed the choices down to a Honda Accord or a Toyota Camry, since both have excellent reputations for longevity and reliability. We test drove both. And by ‘we’, I mean Dan test drove the cars while I played with all the buttons and gizmos in the passenger seat and back seat.

Our old Civic didn’t have any buttons outside of the AC/heat and the radio. To let the fresh breeze in, you had to manually hand crank the window open.

By the end of the evening, Dan and I couldn’t agree. I liked the Accord. The Accord, being a Honda, felt more familiar. Additionally, it had less automatic buttons (i.e. less things that can break and require repair). Dan liked the Camry because it was a smoother ride.

Guess who won?

Dan got his 2006 Toyota Camry.

He was right. The Camry was a smoother ride and we drive a LOT. Our closest friends and relatives are an hour away (which equates to a 2-hour round trip). Other relatives are much further. It is more important to be comfortable in the long rides that it is to buy a car for its familiar environment or to worry about the buttons and moon roof that might break.  

There is nothing wrong with my computer. The problem lies with my Internet provider, Comcast. We have a high-speed cable connection though you wouldn’t know it these past few days. On Monday and Tuesday, I was certain I had a dial-up connection. Yesterday, I couldn’t connect to the Internet at all. Today, it is still splotchy, but greatly improved. I can only load one site at a time, but something is better than nothing.

Though it was frustrating to be barred from the internet, it did allow me to complete a task I have been procrastinating about. I completely rebuilt the charts in my Christmas Tree Skirt pattern so that they are easier to “read”, adhere to industry standards, and look more professional. My eyes were starting to cross towards the end, but I am pleased with the way they turned out. Here’s a small and abbreviated snapshot of the chart for the white tie.

Because of my Internet service troubles, I was not able to share with you pictures of what I did on WWKIP (Worldwide Knit in Public) day. So, I’m late coming to the Show off your WWKIP Pictures party.

Knitting at Spinnerstown Hotel & Restaurant, Spinnerstown, Pennsylvania:

A closer shot of the good beer: Scotch Silly.

Dan would like to make a notation. He asserts that I cheated. He states that I only started knitting at the table so that he could take a picture of me. Once the pictures were taken, I promptly tucked the i-cord back into my purse so I could concentrate on the good beer and good conversation.

I defend myself by pointing out that I put enough foresight into the occasion so that I was properly prepared with both a knitting project and a camera. Besides, it will have to do. I was not about to drive a hour to the nearest WWKIP event in Philadelphia. Gas prices are high here too and Philadelphia is too far away to bike to.