Fall 2011

Fall is here whether we want it or not.  Last weekend we went out to the Llama Futurity Show, it’s an event that is held out at Kirkwood Community College for llama breeders and enthusiests.  We like to go out just to look at the llamas and watch them prance and show off their stuff, they definitly know when to turn on the charm.  Vicky Gobel from “Bear Hollow Farm” was there with her beautiful yarns and knitted things, along with some raw fleeces from her animals. I picked up a raw black llama fleece, it is really nice.   

 

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Thrum Knitting

I finished a pair of thrum knit mittens,  these are my very first pair of mittens ever. I thought they turned out pretty good.  I really didn’t have a pattern, so I kind of made it up as I went using several different mitten patterns as reference. 

                                                    

 

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5/9/11

I’m finally getting around to posting a picture of the yarn spun from the romeldale and  wensleydale cross that I got from Heathered Ridge Farm.  I spun up singles from each breed and plyed them, softness with strength.  Then dyed it with Jaquard chartruese with a touch of extra yellow. The singles were spun on an antique Norwegian table wheel and plyed on a 24″ Reeves.  Hope to make a shawllette from it.

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Blizzard of 2011

We are having a very bad weather night, heavy snow with 25-30 mph winds.  We are expected to get 14-16 inches of snow, hopefully we won’t get that much.  Took this picture out of our back door, tried to get the snow blowing past the street light.  I’m really glad I’m on vacation this week and not having to worry about driving to work.

The road conditions at this time are “Travel Not Advised, the red dots on the map indicate which roads are pretty much closed.

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Introducing Miss Marengo

Here is the Rick Reeves 24″ red oak spinning wheel that I was fortunate enough to finally find and get, the price was very reasonable for a hand made spinning wheel of this caliber.  It certainly was NOT cheap, but it wasn’t anywhere near a new Schact-Reeves 24″ wheel either.  I’ve only been playing with it to get a feel for it’s nature and I did manage to get a skein of llama spun and plyed.  It will take a little getting used to.  We caller call her Miss Marengo because the wheel is signed Rick Reeves and he made it when he had a shop close to  Marengo IA.   The wheel was very, very dry and needed a good cleaning and waxing with Howard”s beeswax wood cleaner.

 Llama

I used 2 packs of pink lemonade, 1 pack of cherry and half a pack of orange kool aid to get this corally color.  It came out varigated due to uneven dying, I kind of like it so I don’t think I’ll over dye it to even out the color.

4/3/11

Completed a skein of 100% camel, used the standard whorl for spinning and plying.

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Spinning at the Wyoming Historical Museum

Today was the Wyoming Historical Museum’s fall breakfast and the museum was open for people to walk through and visit with the people who staff the museum and to view all the items that are on exhibit.  I was there to demonstrate spinning and knitting on a sock knitting machine.  This is a very nice historic museum to visit and they have an unbelievable amount of  things to see.

Barb

Rosie at the front desk

Albert and Joyce

My husband manning the sock knitting machine(Gearhart)

Bill with sock knitting machine, two of my old spinning wheels

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Edenburgh Folk Festival

Aug. 31, 2009

Edinburgh Folk Festival at the Edinburgh historic site in Jones county Iowa. It was a gorgeous day weather wise.The first two pictures are a couple of my spinning wheels that I used for a spinning demonstration.

 The ladies from the Wyoming Historical Museum

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