Woven Dreams Farm

2012-01-20T09:49:00.000-08:00

It has been since before Christmas I've had time to post here. But it is 2012 now and we've had no snow ... that is, until a couple days ago. After the first little bit we got in November, our weather was cold but clear. Then we got the huge storms this week. Schools are all closed and the roads are snowy and slick. Oh well, this is winter after all. I haven't been spinning or weaving for a couple months now. I think now that the holidays are over I am getting anxious to begin again.

My camera battery went dead, but I found the charger (finally!), got it all charged up and now I can't find the camera. In the meantime, I have discovered the joys of Kumihimo braiding. I ended up using my daughter's camera which is why there is a date stamp on the picture. Here's the picture of the new disk I got and my first little braid. Its more like a small keychain. It is easy and fun ... if you get going the right way. There's several you tube videos on the internet that make it a lot easier than trying to read the instructions.

My niece is leaving next week to return to her home in Calif. We all have mixed feelings about this. She is anxious to go home, but will also miss all her friends who love her here. Our house will certainly be empty and quiet when she leaves.

2011-12-15T18:32:00.000-08:00

Yeaa, Christmas is next week. I can't believe how quickly it is coming. We celebrated Christmas last Saturday because my niece who lives with us was leaving to spend the real Christmas with her parents and other family members. I got in the spirit so much, I'm not sure I can do it again next weekend. I think I ate too much. Phew!

My daughter has been ill, so I haven't been spending much time at spinning and weaving. Actually I haven't touched any of it for at least two months. I've just got to get back into it again. Probably right after the holidays.

Because my daughter has been so sick, I decided to rehome the alpacas. The first four went right before Thanksgiving, the last four will be going to their new family this coming Sunday. I'm so sad and miss them all so much, but I still believe its the right thing to do. I just don't have the time or energy to tend to them like I would like.

We had our first big snow last month, since then the weather has been dry and cold. Most of the snow is gone except in the shady places. Last night we had a light dusting and nothing due in the next couple weeks. Woohoo. Nice traveling weather for those who are heading out to spend Christmas with family.

Here's a pic of our Great Pyrenees Bella playing with our 5 month old chihuahua puppy Emmy. This can be scary!

Merry Christmas everyone. Remember the true reason for the season we we celebrate the birth of our loving Savior Jesus Christ. God bless you all.

2011-11-13T12:03:00.000-08:00

This new painted warp on my Mighty Wolf loom seems so appropriate for fall. The colors are bright and the yarns are incredibly soft. There is enough for two scarves, or one ridiculously long wrap. Probably one scarf will go as a gift for someone, maybe I will keep the other one.

I have a lot of new fiber to try spinning thanks to Paradise Fiber in Spokane WA. Since I joined their fiber club I get three different types of fiber each month, each one being around 4 oz each. If I blend it with anything I can get pounds and pounds! The fibers are beautiful and a lot of them are not ones I would normally buy. They are either unusual or the cost might be a little high. But this way I can try out those and I have to say I've been very pleased with the quality.

Had our first snowfall this weekend. It only was about and inch or so, but very pretty. Since we still have leaves on the ground to rake and quite a few left in the trees, I'm hopeful more snow will hold off for a while until we get the raking done. Our barn and alpaca sheds are finally cleaned out and looking pretty good thanks to some very good friends. Now if we can just stop the alpacas from 'going' where they are supposed to sleep ...

2011-10-30T08:15:00.000-07:00

I've had the pleasure of going to my mom's 90th birthday this month. There were nearly 50 family members that attended. I think she looks just beautiful. Happy Birthday Mom!

While I was there visiting, my daughter got to feeling sick. We took her to the doctor when I got home a week later and she has been diagnosed with acute kidney failure. She is now on dialysis and will remain so until a suitable donor can be found. Please pray for her.

Since things have been so busy here most of my spinning / weaving has been put on hold. I have plenty of fiber so no worry about what to do with myself these days. The alpacas are in the process of being re-homed as I don't think I can care for them properly by myself. My niece is such a huge help but she will be returning to her parents in the near future. Plus with winter coming on sometimes we can't get over to the pasture with the deep snow and spend a lot of the day just digging out. This winter our snow is predicted to be heavy and our weather colder than usual. Our snow blower does a great job but there are still areas to shoveled by hand. I have been fortunate for the past several years to have great neighbors to help plow us out too!

Here is a picture from a couple years ago when we had over 100" of snow. This big guy (and six more like him) was inside our property. The snow was so deep they simply stepped over our 6' fence. This one saw me and tried climbing up on the roof when I ran upstairs! They were down here eating my shrubs and fruit trees because the snow was too deep higher up the hill for them to find food.

2011-10-08T08:13:00.000-07:00

I finally got yarns and fiber ready to send to Kentucky! They will be displayed in a farm store there. I'm hopeful folks back there will like them more than they seem to here. These two are hand painted, then carded with some glitz and glamour for your spinning pleasure :-> The blue one is a batt, and yellow is roving, both done on my little Strauch Petite carder. It is time consuming to turn the crank by hand but the results are nice.

I'm working on more. I hope to be able to spin up some of the batts I'm making. I try to tie each bag with a sample of the yarn. Its much better than feeling the product for sale, as hands have a certain amount of oil and dirt than eventually will make it off-color. The spindles I use for teaching are perfect for sampling. Take a spinning class from me and I will give you one with your fiber.

We are trying to get our wood in today. The weather has turned much colder, with rain off and on for the last couple weeks. This morning it was a brisk 33 degrees. Brrrr! But of course winter is just around the corner. We usually have snow between Oct 31 and Thanksgiving. Maybe this winter will be kinder to us and we won't have that much, although everything says we will have lots of snow again. Oh well. More time indoors to do fibery stuff, in addition to keeping the paths clear of snow and wood brought up to heat the house. Love that woodstove!

Mom's 90th birthday is next Wed. If you'd like to say Happy Birthday, give her a call on Oct 13th or email me for her phone number. Happy Birthday (almost) mom.

2011-09-19T17:58:00.000-07:00

An exciting day today. We've seen a several acre fire behind our house. We smelled smoke this afternoon but weren't sure where it was coming from. Sure enough, it was just a couple acres over. Fire engines were all parked down on the road but we couldn't see any up the hill from our farm. Its not that steep, but completely covered with trees and brush. Probably more than usual due to the long wet spring and early summer we had this year.

We tried to round up the alpacas for transporting in the stock trailer, but they wouldn't cooperate so we decided the pasture was a safe place to leave them. Not much grass in the pasture this time of year so its as good as any place. We did move the tractor over in the middle of the pasture as well as our stock trailer, just in case. Its about 2 1/2 acres in size with no brush or grass, just a few trees now so isn't likely to burn.

Here are a couple pix of the helicopters that were doing water drops on the fire. Its still smoky in the air but not as bad as an hour a go. The water drops are still going on but I think they have a pretty good handle on the fire. Last I heard it was about three acres in size, but I'm not sure now.

The first picture is a helicopter dropping water, you can see it just to the left of the big tree on the right. Second picture is just some of the smoke coming up from the fire (see how close!) and third one is one of the helicopters with a full bucket getting ready to drop it not far from our property.

2011-09-15T10:51:00.000-07:00

Our lost Great Pyrenees Dolly has been spotted around here. We've received several calls this week she was down by the highway. We finally saw her this morning and although we were very close to her couldn't catch her. She has always been shy and afraid of cars, and ran into the woods when we would try to get to her. She appeared to have on a collar with tags, but these are not our tags. At least we could know where she's been. Please pray God leads her home the rest of the way. She's been gone since Feb 4 of this year.

The fiber blending has been going well. I've been working nearly every day trying to get some rovings and batts ready to sell. I will be sending some to friends in Kentucky who have a store to see if its something people there might like. Here is a picture of the blue, carded and turned into roving. So soft!

2011-08-24T08:12:00.000-07:00

With the beautiful warm weather we've had the past few weeks I've been dyeing fiber again. This time something new was tried. I put the pre-soaked fiber into a couple of large plastic containers and poured leftover dye in different colors in the jar as I added the fiber. Then into a black trash bag and sat it in the hot sun for a couple days.

When I rinsed them afterwards there was a little more color in the water than normal, but they rinsed clean after a couple times. I don't think any true color was washed away. The colors were not as varied as I'd hoped. They pretty much did their own thing together, but pretty anyway. I think I will try carding them with some of the flash I got a couple months ago. We'll see what turns out. I do like the colors they both ended up ... fluorescent pink and electric blue, and a light lime green and soft royal blue. The computer really doesn't do them justice.

2011-08-14T20:24:00.000-07:00

We have a new family member! Meet Emmy, my daughter's newest addition. Emmy is about three days old in the picture and is a tiny little chihuahua puppy. We will be receiving her when she's about 7 weeks old. The longer little animals spend with mom, the better the start in life they usually have. We can't wait!

Our kitty Petey that was missing for three days has returned home. We found him up in a Very tall tree in the woods behind our house. We had to get our tree cutter friend to climb up and get him. He was so ready to come down, didn't fight at all. I can't imagine why he would go so high unless something like a coyote or fox scared him. We also have owls and hawks that have carried off at least one of our kitties in the past.

No spinning being done right now. Its been very warm, 80's and 90's. With no air conditioning in our house its a little uncomfortable to be handling such warm fibers. Early morning is ok sometimes, but I'm just not organized enough that early.

Jury duty for me this month, I can't plan anything. Fortunately I still have not had to go, but you just never know. Each Friday night I call to see who is on their roster for the following week. So far, so good.

2011-07-25T07:44:00.000-07:00

It seems we have lost another kitty. Petey, our much overweight orange boy has gone missing. Only since yesterday, but he's always the first one at the food dish. We are very worried and pray nothing has happened to him. He is sooo sweet and we've raised him from a bottle baby. He is a previous foster baby.

Yesterday the three pygora goats were sold to a nice lady from Plummer ID. I went outside early this morning and didn't hear them calling me to come feed them! I think I miss them (no!) already. But they now have eight acres to eat, so should be really happy.

The yarn in the photo is the merino top / cashmere. It is incredibly soft and spun with the little bits of cashmere making it look 'tweedy' or heathered. Only four ounces of the merino so maybe I will have to buy a little more so there's enough to make a scarf or something. I Love it! These fibers came from Paradise Fibers in Spokane WA.

And I wish I knew how to take better photos, the yarns never show up as pretty as they are in person.

2011-07-19T07:38:00.000-07:00

Summer is here, off and on. One day 85 degrees, next day 69. But a little rain once in a while keeps everything green and fresh. I really don't mind. My flower garden was looking so good but now is getting a little tired. The purple flowers at the top of the page are Campanula, this pink one is called Poor Man's Orchid. They are tiny, about the size of a 50 cent piece, the stalks grow to about 5 feet tall. Anyone want any? They are very prolific.

Finally got a picture of the black alpaca / green firestar, but its not a very good one. It is hard to get a good picture of black anything. I finally ended up putting it in a sunny window. Haven't started spinning it yet and hope to get about another 3 ounces blended. Maybe I can put in on the Etsy shop.

I did get some beautiful soft light beige merino and blended it with super soft cashmere. Both these were through the fiber club I joined with Paradise Fibers. It is incredibly soft and spun thick and thin. The cashmere made the merino top just a little bumpy, so not too much variation. It would make a wonderful scarf, mittens, socks ... just about anything next to the skin. I will post a picture next time.

2011-06-10T09:40:00.000-07:00

Spring is here and I hope it stays a while. Beautiful flowers everywhere. Along with the flowers we have an over abundance of dandelions to deal with. So much yard work!

The green flash I have has been blended with black alpaca. Wow! That really makes it flashy, lol. Also blended with about 10 different colors of wool I had used for a 6th grade class demo that was done last week. There were only bits and pieces of different things, not enough to do anything with, so they were all blended together with the green flash. Very nice.

2011-05-22T10:06:00.000-07:00

Yard sale days are finally here. One of our favorite things in the summer. We are cleaning out our own closets and storage areas in the hopes of getting rid of a lot of unneeded stuff. We've got several big tent-like tarps to set up in the yard but probably most of the stuff will go into the garage, just in case it rains. Memorial weekend is coming up so that seems like a good time to start.

Our Blanchard Spinners went to Paradise Fibers yesterday. Not all of us could go, but those of us that did had a great time and found some yummy fibers to put on our wish list. I bought some green flash fibers that I want to try blending with my alpaca to give it some bling as well as being soft.

The yard is coming together again. Everything is so green and fresh. Lots and lots of weeds. That's the next project for me I guess. I love gardening, but on this farm there's just so much of it. Anyone want to have a garden? C'mon over!

2011-05-18T11:04:00.000-07:00

My beautiful, sweet Dolly is still gone ... Since Feb 4, 2011. In the last couple days I've received several calls about big white dogs who apparently were hit on the road and died. Funny, these dogs were all quite a few miles from us and all in different areas.

I refuse to give up looking for her. I just have the feeling she is close by, possibly being cared for by well-meaning folks. If she is, knowing Dolly she will find a way to ecape again. Praying God will lead her home.

In the meantime, I have my two beautiful other companions, Bella and Jessie. We love these huge, gentle beasts. They love playing together and with my niece. Its so comical to watch the two of them rolling around all over each other. Maybe I can get a video going on soon.

Our Blanchard Spinners group is heading off to Paradise Fibers in Spokane Sat morning. Most everyone hasn't been to the new store, so we will all go together in a couple vehicles and I will show them where it is. I Love the new store. So many fun things to look at! Better leave my checkbook at home, I'm always so tempted.

2011-05-14T11:23:00.000-07:00

Shearing Day! Alpacas usually are sheared once a year, our goats twice a year. Its always a hard day, pretty dirty too! I just had knee surgery on Wed, so had a very good friend come over to help my daughter and my niece. Also my niece had a friend from school there and the two little girls did a super job. Our wonderful shearer Clint did a great job and was able to get everyone done is a fairly short time.

I got to sit in my chair and be the picture taker for the day. So much easier than bending over to gather the fiber off the tarp.

I will be selling the 2nds right out of the bag, if anyone is interested. Probably around $2 oz, unwashed but since it doesn't have lanolin like a sheep fleece, it may be dusty or have a little VM still in it. Let me know if any of you would like some, its extremely soft. There is a lot of white, a good amount of brown, and one bag of black. Oso is a true black and has no white at all in him.

All in all a very good day. The weather was good, a little windy at times, but warm (finally) and it didn't rain. Woohoo. We're done.

Paradise Fibers Fiber Club Subscription

2011-05-07T11:26:00.000-07:00

Paradise Fibers Fiber Club Subscription
What a great idea! For $35 or less per month you can try out three new fibers from Paradise Fibers in Spokane WA. Made a quick phone call to them this morning and (of course) it depends on the cost of the fiber as to how much you get. But, the total amount should usually be between 12-16 oz for the three. Increase your stash or try out something new!

I bought some Punta fiber a while back ... WOW. My new favorite. Never would have considered it if a friend hadn't recommended it to me or I had been sent a sample to try. Thanks Paradise!

2011-04-18T11:23:00.000-07:00

Here it is mid-April and its snowing this morning. Light and fluffy so hopefully it will disappear soon. It was in the mid-20's this morning when I got up. No fair!

We got five new babies shortly after we lost the first two little ones. Three black girls and a white boy and a beige girl. All doing well, thankfully. Their eyes have opened and I think they are beginning to hear a little. They sure can smell when one of us is around though. waaaaAAAA!

I'm working on new fibery stuff for our spinning group. New colors, different blends. So much fun. The shearer is coming on Friday to give everybody their summer haircuts. Unfortunately, last week the goats B-E-utiful long lustrous fiber went the way of dreadlocks. The little boys were rubbing against the fence, and all their fiber felted into a tangled mess. I'm sick about it. Just a couple weeks ago I was admiring how beautiful they looked. All that work and expense for nothing ... again. After they get cleaned up Friday I think I will put them up for sale.

2011-04-03T07:50:00.000-07:00

Sad news today. In the last two days we lost both the new baby kittens. The little orange one went peacefully on Friday, the little black one went Saturday. They were so tiny, so delicate. RIP little loved ones.

This one was named Pumpkin. I couldn't bear to take a picture of the little black one.

2011-03-31T20:13:00.000-07:00

They've arrived! The first two babies for fostering by my daughter. She is the one that does all the feeding, loving, playing and cleaning of these little beings, along with lots of help from my niece. The shelter likes our foster babies because they are usually so people friendly. How could they not be, with three of us always kissing, touching and holding them.

These two are just 24-hours old. They arrived Tuesday evening still wet from being born, and one even had the after-birth still attached. They will live here with all the rest of the ones (to come) and at about 12 weeks be returned to Priest River Animal Rescue shelter to be adopted by some very lucky family.

There is no word yet on Dolly. I can't give up looking for her. New flyers to be hung on every post and pole around. Now I'm resorting to driving up to farms and houses asking if anyone has seen her. That's a lot of territory to cover, but like I said, I can't give up.

I've been dyeing alpaca roving this week. I dyed some brown alpaca with indigo in spots. Very interesting and I think I need to card it to distribute the colors throughout. Then I put white alpaca roving in the nearly-spent dye pot and it came out a very light blue denim. We'll see. Pix when I get them spun up.

2011-03-22T21:23:00.000-07:00

This is true love in action. Bella and my niece certainly love each other and spend every waking hour together. They are so cute. And niece keeps Bella on her toes.

Bella is doing her best at being a livestock guard dog these days. No word yet on Dolly, but I got a phone call today there was an ad on Craigslist about a big white fluffy dog. I emailed the craigslist address and we went to where the dog had been seen.

We didn't see any white dogs but talked to a Sheriff and possibly he can pass the word on Dolly. When I got home there was an email response from the person that put the ad in. She said a large white dog had walked through their back yard today but she was unable to catch her. After sending her pictures she thought it had been Dolly!

Tomorrow we will go back up there and hang flyers on everything we can with Dolly's picture on it. Hopefully someone will remember seeing her and give us a call.

Our spinning group is still going. We are meeting twice a month at the Community Center. Had a call from someome today that may join our group. Last Saturday we went to the spin-in that is a once a year event. Its so much fun to see other spinners and weavers, knitters and of course the vendors who have all the 'must have' things for this wonderful art.

I'm currently spinning a blend of black and brown alpaca from my own herd. Its mostly black with brown highlights and is being spun thick and thin in a somewhat modified woolen type yarn. Its dark and rich looking, sightly fuzzy and very interesting. It looks to me like mink or something rich. Pix when I get a chance.

2011-03-09T09:23:00.000-08:00

This morning I have added a YouTube video my daughter did of our beautiful, funny alpacas. The four white ones are Harley (the little one), Wasabi, Apollo and Diego who was my first one along with our black alpaca Oso Negro, who has the most beautiful black fiber. Very soft! The brown two aren't in there much but are named Coop and Raulito.

She even got the pygoras in there. Snowball is a sweet little female and has horns. The other two are wethers, LoverBoy with the red collar and Toby, his twin brother. We call them the 'naughty boys' because they are!

All these animals have incredibly soft, fine fiber. Right now I'm blending some brown into Diego's white fiber making really nice, soft, light tan batts for spinning. These are undyed and all natural. Unlike wool, which many people are allergic to, these won't cause any discomfort to most folks. A dream to spin. These will go on my Etsy shop for sale. I have the shop set up but nothing for sale yet. The link will be posted when the shop is ready to go.

No further word on Dolly, our Great Pyrenees. I am still praying she will find her way home.

2011-03-05T05:54:00.000-08:00

10:00 a.m. Update ... Sorry, it wasn't Dolly. It was a beautiful white and brown short hair dog ... probably some sort of pit bull mix. Very large, but not Dolly. We will keep putting up flyers and praying for her return.

* * * *

A very short post this morning. Last night someone called to say he thought Dolly has been caught! THEY MAY HAVE HER!!! We are so excited. We are heading up to the water treatment plant in Newport this morning. Apparently they have a place there where they keep found dogs, and have a contract with the Sheriff's office. They can only keep them for three days then they turn them over to the main shelter to be euthanized. You all will be the first to know if its her.

2011-02-28T06:37:00.000-08:00

I've no idea what fiber this yarn is made from. Its fairly soft, looks possibly handspun, but not really sure. There are short guard hairs in it, but it makes such an interesting yarn. Not scratchy. It was inherited with the cormo and the rest of the things when I purchased the Mighty Wolf loom from some friends. The skeins were such a mess I didn't really know what or how much was there so ended up using my swift and ball winder to help straighten it out. Guess I better show it to a friend who knows much more than I do.

I've dyed up the rest of the cormo yarn this week. The new dyes work so beautifully! Since I wanted to see what they all looked like these yarns are multi-colored but I think as a winter hat or scarf they would be great.

My Etsy shop is nearly ready to open. Now that the shop design and payment options are ready I just need to price some fiber batts and yarns ... that's the hard part. Never knowing what to charge for something I love so much. I can give them to friends and family but sell ?? Well, empty nest syndrome and all that I guess.

Dolly is still gone. This week we are making up new flyers with a different picture of her and hanging them all the way up and down the highway where she's been spotted quite a few times. We still pray she will come home of her own accord, that God will show her the way back.

2011-02-24T13:19:00.000-08:00

We've been having a blizzard since last night. The wind is so strong. We all thought just maybe(?) winter was over. The last couple weeks have ranged between 40's and even 50's one day. Oh well, -12 degrees F isn't as bad as it could be.

The alpacas love it, Bella seems not to mind it ... she was lying out in the pasture near the gate watching for any sign of life in the house this morning. The goats seem fine, although Snoball, in the pen by herself, was shaking a little this morning when the girls went to feed. My daughter put in more hay but I think that shed may be too drafty. We will have to put a tarp of something around the outside when the wind dies down. She was eating and drinking alright and not crying so I think she's ok for now. The cashmeres used to shake a lot but never got sick.

The yarn balls are the Cormo I dyed the other day. I was just needing to see how it would look as a hat or pair of socks. So soft and pretty. I like the colors much better mixed together in the balls. After the 'four-year sox' I finished last year I said I'd never make another pair. Now I'm not so sure. We'll see.

Dolly is still missing. I still get an occasional phone call that someone has seen her. I think everyone in this area is looking for her. I just pray she is ok.

We had another cougar sighting yesterday on two of the roads leading up to our driveway. Called F&W but they won't do anything until damage is done (what does That mean??). Finally called a referral from that office and he indicated he'd come down if there was a problem. Hopefully the lion will keep movin' on.

2011-02-19T07:58:00.000-08:00

Dolly is nowhere to be found. The last call from someone was last Sunday, and no sightings since then. I am praying God will bring her home showing her the way. Just like us, He shows us the way. The choice is ours.

I dyed two skeins of the beautiful Cormo yarn I had. There are several more (8?) to dye and I wanted to see how a new brand of dye worked. What beautiful vivid colors. I hand painted the skeins in five bright colors so it looks like something just right for a child or winter cap. Next time I will be a little more subtle, which is how my dye jobs usually turn out. These skeins are mill spun 165 yards each 2ply sport weight. 330 yards would certainly be enough for most projects.

Our new spinning group at the community center is getting off to a rather slow start but its fun and certainly worthwhile and I've met some very nice ladies. We are planning a field trip to Paradise Fibers to check out what interesting fibery stuff they have. I love that store!

If I didn't tell you before, my 11 year old niece got one B and the rest A's on her semester report card! Such an improvement. We are all so pleased with her progress. A new cell phone for her was promised and received for the good work.

2011-02-12T17:27:00.000-08:00

We continue to search for Dolly. I had a man call last night who had seen her for the last two days in Blanchard. We drove his road last night in the dark with flashlights, also today for several miles up the road but didn't find her. We ended up at this person's house and he indicated she was spotted about three miles north of town also.

I'm beginning to think she just doesn't want to come home. Everywhere she has been seen, she's had to pass somewhere near the farm. Oh well. We have done everything we can.

I was able today to work on my etsy shop. I think I've got just about everything set up for the shop with the exception of something to sell! There is some beautiful soft Cormo yarn ready for the dye pot so I'm hopeful I can get it in tonight, then let it sit until tomorrow when I can rinse it out. You all will get the etsy address when its ready to go.

2011-02-10T19:47:00.000-08:00

No news isn't necessarily good news, but at least its not bad news. I've had two more people see Dolly, both in approxi- mately the same place as the first three.

So that lets us know that she is still out there somewhere. We have had some cold weather but with her full fiber coat, I'm sure it feels pretty balmy to her. I have talked with many people about her. Everyone is so nice! One lady has been praying for Dolly to return, and didn't know who we were. I met her just by chance on the road tonight.

We have been stopping folks driving down the local roads near our farm and just asking them to please watch for her. Then they want to know about her and we are off and talking!

Tonight we spent about an hour driving up to the crossroads where she's been spotted and dragging an old pillow case with some of our fragrant poopy goat hay in it. We still have ice and snow on our roads up here but that stuff is so stinky I'm sure it will not be gone for quite some time. Dolly is absolutely in love with one of our little wethers, LoverBoy, so I'm hoping it was his that I was able to scoop up and put in the bag.

Thanks to everyone who has been leaving me messages and comments. I surely appreciate them. It makes me feel so good to know there are nice people out there who care. :-> Thank you everybody!

And this is an earlier picture of Dolly playing with Bella when Bella was a puppy.

2011-02-07T18:59:00.000-08:00

Just an update ... we talked to a man yesterday after church at a gas station in Spirit Lake. My daughter asked him if he'd seen Dolly and he said YES! He had seen her Sat night heading up the big hill towards town. That's about 7 miles from our house.

Tonight I just got a call from a lady that said she saw Dolly yesterday at about the same time in the very same place. So my daughter went up there a while ago to sit and wait for Dolly. I pray Dolly does the same thing for the third night. And not too late, its just now 7pm. C'mon Dolly.

2011-02-05T19:09:00.000-08:00

I am heart broken tonight. Our beautiful, faithful old Great Pyrenees Dolly has been missing since Friday Feb 4 around noon. She escaped from the pasture and trotted down our little dirt road. She has done this before but always comes back a few hours later.

We've called and called for her. We hung posters on posts and poles around here and I even stopped at a few houses asking if anyone had seen her. I called the sheriff in both counties around us, police depts in several neighboring cities.

Anyway, we've done as much as we can. We have been praying ever since yesterday when she disappeared and prayed together tonight before dinner so we are all hopeful she will come home soon. I love her so much! And God is so faithful! Thank you Jesus.

2011-01-31T20:23:00.000-08:00

Our alpacas just love this snowy cold weather. They will lay out in the pasture when its snowing instead of inside the sheds. Here is a picture of Apollo, behind him is Diego (one of my first two) and one of the brown boys just behind him, but I can't see who it is.

They are so sweet. They're the ideal farm animal I think. No, we don't eat them. But we do harvest their beautiful fiber once a year usually in the early spring. Then they are cool all summer and start getting some length on their coats towards fall.

One of the things they really like in the summer time is when I get out the hose and squirt their feet and legs. Sometimes one will get so happy he will stick his entire head in the stream of water, open his mouth and get a nice cold drink. All I have to do is head towards the water faucet and they are there.

Their fiber is extremely soft and warm. Some of the most beautiful yarns come from these guys. Here's a picture of Wasabi's fiber when he was only about a year old. It was dyed blue and green, spun and plied to about a sport weight yarn. Haven't made anything out of this yet, but it would certainly make a soft scarf or socks. It feels like butter.

I have some new ideas for this year as far as using the natural colors of my animals. I hope they turn out as I imagine them.

2011-01-24T09:07:00.000-08:00

My niece had a great time space dyeing her merino / silk fiber she bought with some Christmas money she received. We used Country Classics dye which don't require any additives other than soaking the fiber in a little Synthropol before dyeing. The colors were a little tame for her (she likes zebra stripes and hot pink!) but all in all its very pretty.

I started putting a Verithane finish on her wheel to protect the wood but couldn't find the sandpaper needed, so finally got some yesterday and hope to have the wheel finished by this afternoon. Being a Kromski Minstrel it has so many little pieces that make it so fancy so it takes a while to get them all coated. She's anxious to use it so guess I better hurry up.

2011-01-21T11:28:00.000-08:00

I started blending some yellow superwash fiber that I don't really like the color of, with some beautiful white Punta. It needed a little pzazz so some salmon-colored nylon icicle was added in big streaks. I think it turned out pretty nice. I wanted to see what it was like so its on one of my student spindles right now. I love the way its turning out. Hopefully others will like the batts and try spinning them.

We had our first spinning group the our local community center this Tuesday. There were three ladies there plus myself. One was a spinner but its always so much more fun to spin with others. Its also a great way to discover new techniques. The other two are using the student spindles and seemed to have fun. They caught on very quickly and picked out some of the dyed / blended wool samples I brought. Hopefully there will be more spinners in the future, but for a first time with instruction from me going on, three was quite enough. Any more might have been too much.

Snow continues to fall in north Idaho and now a freezing rain is predicted after there were many pileups and collisions on our local roads and our one freeway. Guess its a good day to stay home. We were supposed to go pick up alpaca feed and then take our remaining two rescue babies up to the shelter in Priest River. Everything is on hold until at least tomorrow.

What a good day to stay in the do some dyeing! Already have fiber in soaking that my niece bought with her Christmas money, some merino and silk from Paradise Fibers. So soft. She spun a little already and was able to see the beauty of the fibers and the ease of spinning it. We will do some rainbow space dyeing this afternoon.

2011-01-11T20:36:00.000-08:00

Back in October I dyed some fibers for a spinning class I hope to be giving at our local community center. I showed on that post some bending nylon in the dye pot with some dabs of color applied at random, this picture is after rinsing and on the drying rack. It can be difficult sometimes to imagine just how the fiber will look once its dried, spun and then incorporated into your project. That's what is so much fun about this craft ... seeing the final product made from your imagination. Sometimes I start with what will be a planned project, but what I end up with is entirely different.

We are having a studio and shop day tomorrow. Who knows what will come out of it. Maybe a couple of real masterpieces :-> We are supposed to get up to 18" of new snow tonight and tomorrow, so it sure sounds like a good day to stay inside. This morning's temp was just about -10 degrees so you know who wasn't outside, at least for too long.

2011-01-04T09:20:00.000-08:00

There is usually a bright side to most things. As snow continues to fall off and on here and the outside temps run between -10 and above 20 degrees, my niece loves it and it doesn't matter how cold. She was out playing with the dogs a few days ago and made her very first snowman. We didn't have any carrots for his nose and since the woodstove was already going we couldn't dig for pieces of charcoal for his mouth so we made do with some green candy kisses for his eyes and a stump of broccoli for his mouth. I thought he was cute.

The pink and white punta & BFL yarn is finished and plyed now. I actually got two nearly full bobbins of finished yarn. Today I'm trying to get it measured on the niddy-noddy, weighed and washed to set the twist as they say. After drying it will be hung with the rest of the hand-spun finished yarns and hopefully end up in my etsy shop. I've had the etsy a while but never have put anything in there yet.

The tan Polworth with the pink glitz is still on my Sonata wheel so am hoping that will be finished up this week. Just a little more to spin and then the two bobbins will be plyed together. Its beautiful but a little coarse for what I like but it may soften up when finished.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2011

2011-01-01T19:18:00.000-08:00

After a very nice and quiet New Year's Eve we also spent an energetic and peaceful New Year's Day. I always feel like cleaning house on the first of January. Sort of like cleaning up my life for a new start. The temps are still below 0 during the night but doesn't seem to bother the animals. Except the kitties. No One wants to go outside. They sit and look out the glass door but do not try to open the door or they will run.

After getting the house in some semblance of order, I was able to re-card some fiber for the third time. I like it a lot better now. Also the pink BFL and white Punta is spun and in the process of being plyed together for a pretty soft pink yarn. Not sure how much I will have here but certainly enough for a nice baby sweater set. Maybe I will try to do some baby blue also.

I gave my niece a gift certificate for Paradise Fibers for Christmas so we are making plans to go over there one of these days. She doesn't have school on Fridays so that might be a good day to go providing the weather isn't bad. Looks like our cold weather will last until the middle of the week, then more snow which means warmer temps usually. She's doing so well at blending and spinning her fibers. Usually I give her some of my stash but now she will be able to purchase her own and get what she wants.

2010-12-27T09:59:00.000-08:00

Christmas is over and slowly things are getting back to normal for us. The scarves I made for my daughter and niece turned out nicely. They are so warm and feel so good when the weather is nasty. As soon as I can I am going to make up some kits for these scarves. They are so easy to make and are a nice one-day project. And I can dye them whatever color someone would like. Merino wool is extremely soft and blended with silk makes the perfect felted scarf. Spun up the wool / silk would be wonderful also. My niece's scarf is purple ... her favorite color!

Keeping the animals fed and watered, pens cleaned and fresh straw down is a major job these days. As soon as I can get my tractor up and running we will take it over to the pasture for some major cleanup work. As usual the battery is dead, even though it was a new one last summer.

We are waiting for a snow storm today that will probably last through New Year's Eve, then the temps will drop to below 0. As long as the wind doesn't blow too much we should be ok. We always have extra water on hand and keep the wood stove going. This seems like a good day for some serious spinning. I have several unfinished projects that I'd love to get done before New Year's.

2010-12-19T17:54:00.000-08:00

One more project before Christmas completed and on the drying rack. This is a merino / bamboo felted scarf for my daughter. I have one to go by Christmas. Hope I get it done by Friday evening. They are both a surprise.

Still haven't finished my shopping so off to town tomorrow and hope I find what I'm looking for. We went into town last week to view the Christmas lights and they were certainly pretty. I thought we'd walk around a bit to see what the stores had to offer, but at 4:15pm on a Sat evening, about a third of them were closed. Too bad, with only a week or two left before Christmas.

This will probably be the last posting before the 25th, so I pray everyone has a beautiful and blessed Christmas, celebrating the birth of our Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ.

2010-12-03T18:42:00.000-08:00

So far I purchased one gift and have the 'makings' for several others. Our family doesn't make a huge thing out of gift giving. We enjoy the true meaning, the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Trying to get out to the studio but so far I've only been able to do some carding and spinning in the house. But that's something I certainly enjoy ... blending some batts for my etsy shop, but when I get them carded they look so interesting I always end up spinning them. I really need to stop being so selfish and get some of this on the net for sale. Here is the blue / aqua BFL I carded this week after dyeing it last month. It looks totally different after blending. This was put through the carder three times.

2010-11-27T07:31:00.000-08:00

Inspiration for color blending and dyeing comes from so many different places for me. God is the master and He is so able. Every once in a while we are blessed to come across something that is so remarkable, and I just had to share this. This is the 1st Place 2010 Olympus BioScapes Digital Imaging Competition: Eyes of daddy longlegs, from an internet picture.

I just wish we could witness more of His magnificent workings ... and recognize them as such. God bless you all on this Thanksgiving.

2010-11-18T10:04:00.000-08:00

Today we had our first snow. When we got up at 5:30 there was only about an inch or so on the ground; its now 9:30 and still snowing. My niece was so excited as she has never seen snow before. She actually walked up in the dark to get our great pyr Bella out of her pen, just so she could be outside in the 'white stuff'. They are best friends and go everywhere together.

Last week we had company, my sister and her daughter. We did some spinning on spindles and had a go at the wheel. They did so well. Then we went over to see Paradise Fiber's new store. Wow! It is great, and they are still doing some remodeling. So much space. Paradise is a wonderful place to go, or shop on line. They always seem to have just what I need, or are able to get if for me. Check out their website: ParadiseFibers.net

Yesterday I dyed about eight ounces of beautiful BFL fiber. Four ounces each of Royal Blue and Aqua to blend together along with some kind of shiny 'glitz'. Here's a photo before I card them on my drum carder into batts. I plan to leave large sections of color, rather than completely blending the colors as I normally do. We'll see.

2010-10-10T14:45:00.000-07:00

Got out to my studio at last, after a short hiatus. I forget just how incredibly peaceful I feel out there. I'm hoping to get a spinning group going at our local community center this fall so I've been dyeing different types of fibers for participants to try. So far I've got some Wensleydale, White Norwegian and my favorite BFL which stands for Blue Faced Leicester, but so much easier to just say BFL. There will be spindles for everyone to try that doesn't have a spinning wheel available, also lessons or demos for everything. Its possible to blend different fibers and/or colors by hand so we won't need a carder.

Also did some rainbow dyeing with a bit of blending nylon. I've left it as it was when it dried so I can show how the colors blend after the fiber is drafted out a little. There's probably enough for everyone to try a little anyway.

Fall in north Idaho is such a nice time. Usually the weather is cold, clear and sunny. This week however its been cool, cloudy and rainy. The painters were here this week trying to finish painting the outside of the house but it rains off and on so they've had quite a time. The screened porch is wonderful and sure keeps the bugs out of the house.

2010-09-25T08:21:00.000-07:00

I finally got some of the Polworth washed, picked and carded with just a little pink nylon glitz. I've started spinning and Wow, it is beautiful. Its soft and since the fibers are so long a dream to spin. Not sure what will be made with this nice yarn but is very suitable for hats, scarves or nice outerwear.

It is not quite as soft as alpaca, but certainly worth the effort. Like I said before, it is a dream to spin.

We had Dolly groomed this week. She is so clean and white that the night after I think she actually glowed in the dark. She's been hiding out in the alpaca barn ever since so maybe she's tired from the ordeal or could be mad at me for taking her there. Anyway, she looks beautiful and smells much better. Now to get Bella done.

2010-09-08T18:56:00.000-07:00

We have a new addition to our family! Thanks to my good friends at Serano Alpacas, Jasper has been added to our herd. He is a year old and incredibly beautiful! I can't wait to spin some of his fiber next summer. We will be shearing in the spring of 2011 so I will have to wait until then.

Things are moving ahead on the farm. I finally decided to let our Great Pyr 18-month old puppy Bella out of the goat pen where she's been kept the last couple weeks. She spends her days in the pasture with the other animals, then back to the goat pen at night because I don't trust her not to dig elephant-sized holes in the newly planted front yard. I let her out mid-morning today and by early afternoon she had a nice sized hole started. My daughter promptly went out and retrieved her by loudly proclaiming "naughty!". Bella got up and slowly walked to the goat pen. Guess she knew what she'd done. It was almost funny.

I hope to get back to some spinning soon. I've got the dark brown yak carded with the bright red tencel nepps started on one of my spindles. I'm planning on spinning the rest of the plain yak roving into another single on my wheel, then plying the two together. The fiber is so incredibly soft and short it's taking a little longer than usual to get done. At least I can take my spindle with me when I have to sit and wait anywhere.

2010-08-27T07:33:00.000-07:00

I finished the wool and silk felted scarf I had been working on. It turned out very pretty. I just might have to keep this one, since I don't have anything red! It was easy to do and maybe I will make up some kits to sell so you can make your own. I've got my tencel nepps dyed red and plan on blending a few of them with some beautiful dark brown yak fiber. Maybe this week.

Summer is winding down, at least in north Idaho. We had a dust and wind storm yesterday as a cold front dropped in for a visit from the north. Lots of fires fanned by the swirling winds. It would be nice if we could get some rain too.

We had our front yard somewhat landscaped over the past few weeks. I had a water problem in the back of the house I hope is finally solved. After the yard was planted with new grass, we had the front porch screened in. We may not be able to use the porch much longer this summer, but next summer it will be so nice not to fight the moths and bugs every time you go outside.

Our sky is normally so blue, but this picture was taken right in the middle of the wind and dust storm. You can see how gray the sky was yesterday. The inside of the house is now covered with a fine brown dust that seeps into every crack and crevice.

2010-08-13T18:54:00.000-07:00

How busy can one family be? We've had eight baby kittens for several weeks now. Three different litters, all with no momma kitty. Its so sad how things happen that way. Last week we were asked to take in another single baby. He is very thin but so sweet. He's all white with one green, one blue eye. My daughter believes he is completely deaf. Not surprising with the eye colors. She's finally got him on the right track eating and drinking on his own. Quite an appetite! Then this week she was asked to take another litter of five. They are about three weeks, mom was killed by a coyote and they are all being bottle fed every couple of hours. She has such dedication and love for these little beings. After they are a few months old she returns them to Priest River Animal Rescue shelter to be adopted. Here is a picture of one of the white Siamese babies. Three white and one gray. Kitten anyone?

While she is busy with the kitties, we are also having a portion of our property landscaped. I'm so excited about that. Its something that's been needed for several years. The guys work hard and are doing a wonderful job. I can't wait to post a picture once its all done.

So ... who has time to spin or weave? I got out some beautiful, soft Yak rovings this week but wanted to dye up some tencel or cotton nepps in a contrasting color before I spin it up, but just haven't had a minute to do it. Hopefully after Labor Day things will calm down and I can get some 'fun' stuff going on again. We're going to Blanchard Daze tomorrow, parade then a craft type fair. Always a good time with good food.

2010-08-04T17:17:00.000-07:00

Carding is not hard ... my 10 year old niece carded her first batt all by herself. I showed her how to do it, gave her some hunks of fiber and turned my back to work on something. Pretty soon she had this beautiful batt ready to remove from the carder! Beautiful. This is a blend of alpaca, mohair locks and some odds and ends of different wools.

This has been a very busy month and it looks like there's no end in sight. We went to the Art on the Green last weekend. Didn't buy too much but its always so much fun. I love the street craft show and the food. We've had so much wind today we can't get much done outside. The lawn and flowers are drying out but not much we can do. Hopefully it doesn't last much longer.

I have a carpenter working on the front porch, screening it in at last. At least we will be able to sit outside without being attacked by moths and mosquitos. Also have a landscaper scheduled to help with the drainage situation, which is a winter-time worry. The ground freezes, then the snow melts and no where for some of the runoff to go.

2010-07-19T08:06:00.000-07:00

Finally got the Cotswold locks dyed and spun up. They were blended with some dyed nylon fibers, then spun thick / thin, and the single was plyed with some rayon yarn. It turned out very pretty. The pic is before and after carding. I did use the picker to get those little locks nice and separated. Still have an entire bag of it to go.

Also finished the green wool singles and plyed them with some hand dyed silk hankies I bought a couple years ago at the NWRSA when it was held here in town. I had spun the hankies already and the colors just matched so well. Never throw anything away, even if you think you won't be using it, not that I would have thrown the silk yarn out. The weather has been beautiful and warm. Went to a church BBQ last night, it was so fun with the live music from our own praise band. All the summer foods including ice cream. The kittens have been so sick but are doing much better. My daughter takes such good care of them but its certainly is a full time job.

2010-07-02T11:38:00.000-07:00

What a busy time for us here on the farm. This week we got firewood delivered for next winter. We had the wood dumped in a big pile and still need to stack it close to the house so we're not hiking through the snow to get an armload. We get it cut and split to size by the guys that we buy it from so there's not a lot more for us to do except stack. Also got our second load of hay delivered this morning. We still need around 15 bales for the alpacas this winter, then start working on the goat's hay. They don't eat the same kind with the goats doing better with some rougher types of grasses.

I finally got the merino / pygora yarn finished up this week. Here's a pic of the finished skein. I'm not sure how much yarn there actually is, I will have to measure it later. Today I'm putting the gray Cotswold locks in the dye pot. I love the color and texture of that wool and think a very light blue with a little lilac might be pretty. Lots of the gray will be left undyed to give it the variegated look I love so much. More rain today, so no yard mowing for a while.

2010-06-28T08:03:00.000-07:00

Wow, now that summer is here the weeds have gotten about knee-high around here. Mowing is a full time job. But so pretty and green right now. If I can just get control of this situation ... I bought another loom from some friends daughter. Its a Mighty Wolf by Schacht, also came with a bench, bobbin winder, spinning wheel and lots of other goodies. No place to put it right now but may end up keeping it in my daughter's shop, which is in the next room to my studio. It came with a huge bag of yarn and three white garbage bags of wool right off the sheep. You never know what wool is like until you start going through it, but check out the length of this stuff. I believe it is Australian Polworth, which a web site said it was Australia's original type wool. They are known for their beautiful merino. This stuff is just about as soft. I've hand washed a bit and Love it. Here are some of the locks before washing. Pretty greasy stuff, but it doesn't smell bad and washes up fairly easily ... very hot water with a little Dawn detergent, let it soak for about 30 min. Then lift it out, more hot water for rinsing. One batch I had to wash twice, but its certainly worth the effort. It dried and I can't decide to dye it or not. We'll see.

2010-06-20T11:17:00.000-07:00

We had a very big day yesterday, visiting the walking marathon for Priest River Animal Rescue, several yard sales, and finally ending up at the Treasures on Foxwood outdoor vendor sale in north eastern WA. They had the most delicious huckleberry ice cream! Mostly we just walked around looking at all the goodies for sale but on the way around I happened upon a nice lady with a little two-shaft loom for sale. I just couldn't pass it up. She is local, very nice and interested in weaving so hopefully she will be able to come up to the farm and we can try out the little loom! Its very cute but no name on it. Could be an old home made model, but some parts seem so skillfully crafted. I'm anxious to try it out. Here's a pic. The rain continues to fall this spring, now summer. It is beautifully green here and no need to water the lawn. The goats found out how to get the fence apart and I found them out on the property several times since last Sunday. Ordered some very cool fasteners from Premier that are so ingenious ... spiral shaped that go from the top to the bottom of the 16' cattle panels and there is no way the little stinkers can get through any more! woohoo. My garden is safe once again.

2010-06-08T09:34:00.000-07:00

This has been a very busy two weeks. We finally got the hand painted yarn warped on the little Dorothy loom. My friend is taking it home to weave on. The yarn turned out beautifully although its a little fuzzy, especially for metal heddles. Whatever it turns out to be (scarf, table runner, ?) I'm sure it will be gorgeous. Here's a pic of the yarn just started on the loom. We have had rain nearly every day all spring. Today is sunny and warmer so out to the yard for some much needed yard work. I have veggies to plant and flowers that are dieing in the little pots that sure need planting. The puppy continues to be a nuisance and loves to find my new plants and drag them the around the yard until they are completely out of the pot and spread over the grass. The riding mower has been in the shop for the 4th year in a row at the start of spring, so we've got so much to do! I'd love to get a different one, but hate to spend that much money. More rain forecast for the next three days so we better get as much done today as possible. No fiber fun for me, at least today. Darn!

2010-05-29T08:24:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday was the Barn Bazaar and it rained the entire time. I think we even had some hail / snowflakes. It was crowded but we moved from booth to booth at a more rapid pace than usual. Ron and Judi from Serano Alpacas in Post Falls were there with their beautiful yarns and fibers. It was their farm my black alpaca Oso Negro came from. They have been such a huge help to me I can't say enough nice things about them. My friend from Olympia is still visiting with us and we have been planning a weaving project for her. She will weave it on my little Dorothy Loom, being able to take it home with her. Its nice and portable, suitable for carrying with you, so she can take it to weaving classes. Yesterday we dyed some wool yarn she will use for her first project, maybe it will be a scarf or several table scarves. With a 21-yard warp she will be able to decide exactly what she wants. We handpainted a warp I had already wound before she got here, in all the colors of her house. Here is a picture of the individual counted skeins being painted. And another picture of it drying to show how they look after 'cooking' and drying. A huge difference. Today we will get the loom warped and hopefully will have time before she leaves next week to do some good practice sessions.

2010-05-22T07:49:00.000-07:00

This morning is clear, sunny and cold. We've had so much rain lately everything is green and fresh. Today we are off to eastern WA for the 2Women Barn Bazaar. I love summer! So much to do, so many places to go. I hope the rain doesn't return until tonight. Just received some of the most beautiful wool from LaTeaDaDesigns. They are white Cotswold locks. Marti sent me a sample of some silver gray and of course I couldn't resist ordering that too. The plan is to blend them with something else but not sure what right now. Then spin it up and do some handpainting on the yarn. I've been looking for some silver or light gray for quite a while so I can't wait to get this. I also went to Paradise Fibers the other day and bought some nepps in cotton and tencel. This should blend well with other fibers to give the handspun yarns a nice tweedy appearance. Not sure when I will get to these as I have so many projects going on, as usual. I'm hopeful to get the painted warp on the Herald this coming week with the help of my friend who will be here for another couple of weeks. We took Pete, our little foster kitty, back to Priest River Animal Rescue shelter yesterday. We all hated to see him go, he is so cute and very gentle and sweet but my daughter picked up four more motherless bottle baby kitties to take his place. She will be very busy for the next month or so, that's for sure. We're taking them with us today so she can feed and care for them.

2010-05-16T10:47:00.000-07:00

I've been dyeing silk scarves and yesterday finished a big project. On one of the scarves there must have been something that prevented the dye from working properly so it ended up with light colored spots. I have covered them up with a painted design of a fish with bubbles, it turned out pretty well. Not sure if anyone else will like this, but what can you do? I had a friend and her family over last weekend to learn spinning and it was so much fun. They did a good job and took spindles and some hand painted wool home to practice on. I love teaching others to do the thing that I love so much. Another friend is coming to spend some time here on the farm and wants to learn to weave. Woohoo! Have I got some beautiful warps we can dress the Herald loom with while she's here. We have been friends since high school and I can't wait to see her again. Finally getting a handle on all the spring yard work. I had to hire someone to help weed and she's doing a great job! Everything is starting to look much better.

2010-04-28T08:31:00.000-07:00

Finally finished my six-year socks! So relieved to have this project off my mind. The color in the pictures didn't turn out true but they are more of a dark purple than blue in places. The little cables up the ankle portion were fun to do (I love doing cables). Now on to finish more already started projects. I want to get the yellow bamboo scarf off my loom. I have several other warps already to go on so I can't wait. Probably not more than a couple weeks if I were to do it daily. I've got a hand-dyed warp called Autumn Leaves from Cotton Clouds, a yarn company I've bought from previously. Beautiful fall colors of gold, red, green and black, with a black weft. I haven't put it on the other loom because the loom sat in front of a window with direct sun in the morning. I finally dug out some old curtains (way too long) but hung them up anyway temporarily. With summer nearly here now I sure don't want to take a chance on any of my hand-dyed yarns and fibers to get sun damaged. Still spinning on the rose-rust alpaca/merino, but that's something I can do just about any time to relax. Off to a farm in north WA tomorrow with a friend to look at some raw sheep fleece. I don't like the smell, but she sure does :-\

2010-04-05T17:12:00.000-07:00

Easter morning turned out to be beautiful, after several days of rain and intermittent snow flakes. Cold but sunny. I bet the Sunrise Service was something to see this year. So many are cloudy and dark. I finished spinning the blue / green yarn and finally got to ply something worthwhile on the new magical plying machine, aka the Babe Electric Spinner. What a great job it did. It went so fast. It would have taken me several days and a sore back to finish that part. Now I just need to transfer it from the spindle to the skein winder and off for washing and drying. This morning I put four ounces of pygora in the dye pot. The color is called Desert Rose. Next, as that was cooling, I dyed four ounces of merino top a rich rust color. If they both turn out to what I expect when dry, I will be carding them together for spinning. Here's a pic of both on the drying rack. I love both colors so I'm hopeful they will look really good together. And I finally figured out why some of my dyeing jobs has darker spots in the fiber. The dye pots I've been using get hotter around the outside edge than in the middle. Not sure how I'm going to solve that problem. My big roaster is used like a large double boiler with water in the bottom. We'll see what happens with this batch.

2010-03-28T21:25:00.000-07:00

The annual Log Cabin Spin-In was yesterday. So much fun! It was held at Templin's Red Lion on the river and is incomparable for hospitality and the view. Lots of vendors were there as were lots of spinners and a few visiting public. I had taken my big tapestry loom in hopes of selling it but it didn't sell, sad to say. There were a few spinning wheels for sale and lots and lots of yarn and fibery stuff. I was fortunate enough to win the very first door prize, a gift certificate. It wasn't hard to spend ... I bought two more hand knit caps from my friend Diana at Going to the Sun Fiber Mill in Kalispell, MT who had a booth set up there. She does beautiful work and her mill processes my fibers. Here's a picture of the one I had her knit up for me previously. I want to try dry dyeing it like we did with the yarn balls. Just dip and hold a portion of the little hat in the dye pot and let the dye soak up as far as it wants. Then turn the hat and do another section in a different color. You just have to remember to dye the lightest colors first, then the darker. The two dyes will eventually run together for a short ways and create a third color. Its fun and sometimes you get something totally unexpected. My kind of dyeing. Unexpected results. Yeah!

2010-03-16T19:17:00.000-07:00

The wonder plying machine is a marvel! I can hardly wait to get some more yarn singles spun up so I have something to ply on it. I got some of the wool cones given to me last summer and plyed them and then put it on the ball winder. Ended up with three pretty good sized balls of white wool yarn. It looks great and will get dyed in the ball Thursday when a friend comes over. We will be experimenting with different dyes and techniques. This should be fun and will post pix when we're done. Decided a couple days ago that the white LL I've been dyeing is just too bright for the braided rug. I threw some dark gray, light gray, beige and white in the dye pots all together. Each color wool turned out different but the same coloration. The grays and beige are beautiful, but as I said the white was just too bright. So today I have been blending some light and dark gray into the bright ones. The blended orange and green is on the left and then blended with the dark and light gray is on the right. Its turning out pretty nice and when its done it should all be a cohesive unit for the rug. Hope it matches my carpet and wall paint ok. I am really enjoying my studio these days. I also was able to dye up some BFL in a light navy and have been blending that with some Kelly green columbia I had. It makes a nice heathered dark blue-green yarn.

2010-03-03T13:01:00.000-08:00

I got it! An electric plying spinner from Babe's Fiber Garden. Not pretty, but it sure does the job. I just got it set up this morning (took the picture still sitting on the box it came in) and of course didn't have anything to ply. I did find some old and scratchy mohair blend I had spun several years ago on a spindle. I needed the spindle for another project so had re-wound it on two empty TP rolls. They didn't work as smoothly as a real bobbin would have, but I just couldn't wait. Started out plying the two together, then decided to add some mohair locks I pulled open. I purchased them in Arizona last spring and they were nice and soft. Between trying to get the hang of using a bobbin-led wheel and trying to insert those pesky little mohair locks, I've had a great time this morning. This would probably look good in a wall tapestry or something like that. Can't imagine where I'd use this yarn, but its fun and very pretty. I can't wait to try plying some hand spun yarn. I'm also dying up a couple pounds of wool in different colors and will try braiding a rug next. So many projects and certainly not enough time. I'm taking my tapestry loom to the Log Cabin Spin-In this month hoping to sell it. Got to make room for more 'stuff'.

2010-02-25T10:48:00.000-08:00

Well I finally bit the bullet and joined Facebook at my daughter's insistence. We have lots of close relatives that live in other states. It is nice to get to see their pix and see what they are doing. I don't know if I will post much, but I will give it a try. This week I've been plying the blue/green alpaca with some nice white BFL I had spun up about a year ago. Here's a pic. I got so tired from the plying about half way through I called my friends at Paradise Fibers in Spokane and ordered a special electric spinning wheel set up just for plying. My knees and feet are so sore. I should have ordered it before I started. But it should be here in a few days. I have to finish what I started on this old Ashford (which I love) because I don't want to break the yarn and make my skein shorter. guess I'm just finicky, but the longer the better.

2010-02-06T09:19:00.000-08:00

The scamers and spamers are at it again. I've had to withdraw my loom ad from craigslist. I've received no less than 20 offers from these weirdo's. Its still for sale, just not on that web site. Our weather has been wonderful for most of the winter this year. The last couple weeks has been near or in the 40's. I'm wanting to get the garden weeded and ready to plant something new. Now, if I could just keep Bella from digging elephant-size holes everywhere ... like the driveway, the front yard ... she loves digging! And so big and strong now she can just about go through concrete. I've been spinning up the blue / green baby alpaca (Wasabi's) I dyed last year. I want to make a baby hat for a friend's new baby. Hope I get the yarn done before the little guy's a teenager! We were finally able to find a new home for the Q-bed. A friend is coming today to pick it up and take it to the family. I'm so glad they can use it. My little Harley will be gelded next Sat. He has gotten so amorous with me! I'm sorry to do it to him, but it will be better. The two other little guys aren't ready yet but the vet says he can 'fix' that so we can do them this year (I hope).

2010-01-27T13:03:00.000-08:00

For Sale: Ashford 24" Tapestry Loom - $350 (Cost New $525) I will be at the Log Cabin Spin-In in Post Falls in March and can deliver it then. Or you can see it / pick it up at my home studio. Email me at WovenDreamsFarm@wildblue.net if you want more pictures or have any questions.

I guess its time for me to pass this beautiful loom along to someone else. I purchased it used about five years ago from a nice lady in Wisconson. I have never used it and realize now I probably won't. I have four other looms and although I have always wanted to learn how to do Navajo weaving or make a wall tapestry, I just don't have the time any more. So I am downsizing a bit. This is a great deal for someone with the time. Whoever purchases this has to promise to send me pictures of what they made with it, though!!

2010-01-23T18:48:00.000-08:00

Poodwaddle.com

2010-01-21T15:48:00.000-08:00

A friend sent me this utube video link. I had to post it here as it is one of the best I have ever seen. Take a look at this and be sure your sound on on. All I can say is Beautiful ... Bravo, Bravo!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ds8ryWd5aFw
I also have it listed under Favorite Links. Here is the email I received with the link:
In November 2009 at the central market in Valencia, Spain, opera
singers disguised as shopkeepers were selling produce at the
various stalls there. Suddenly music from Verdi's Il
Trovatore starts playing over the loudspeakers & they burst
into song. None of the shoppers has a clue what's going on. Sort of
like candid camera but completely charming.
Click on this & watch and enjoy the music and the faces in the crowd.

2010-01-19T08:24:00.000-08:00

What a beautiful month we've had. Rather than snowing, its been raining. So different that the last couple years. The tree and bush branches are starting to have some color so buds won't be far behind. Sure hope we don't have a hard freeze in Feb which would kill off the new growth. I went to a natural dye class Sat. The product we used is called Earthues and is mostly comprised of bugs and roots and is a very ancient form of dyeing used around the world. The picture shows the nine different applications. We used cochineal, logwood purple, cutch, Qyellow, Qred, pomegranate, weld, lac and chestnut. Cochineal and lac are bugs, the rest are roots or seeds and plants. We were told not to wash the yarn for at least a week so assume it will soften the colors just a little when I do. It was very interesting and a lot of fun. I've used other dyes, but never anything like these. The colors don't turn out like you would imagine so a basic class is helpful. I've more confidence now and would love to try them. They are very expensive so I'd sure hate to mess it up. Got to get my tax stuff done this week as my appointment with the tax preparer is next week. No playing and fun for me until its done.

WELCOME 2010 !

2010-01-02T07:49:00.000-08:00

The new year is finally here. Out with the old, in with the new. Just like our lives we throw away what we don't need any more. One of the things I like and will continue in 2010 is recycling. We usually re-home our older clothes to the Salvation Army, reuse grocery plastic bags and all the stuff most folks do also. One or two interesting ideas is to shop thrift stores, find a sweater (or whatever they have) that's not particularly attractive but the colors are beautiful. Then frog it, or unravel it. Knit or weave the new yarn to make yourself a scarf or hat for near to nothing pricewise. Last summer I carded small batches of left over fiber together and got some very interesting combinations. Some people (not me) use the thurms from weaving and spin them in with other fibers for a colorful interesting yarn. I'm still working on spinning the brown / white / black alpaca. It will be a 2-ply yarn and so far I have one bobbin full, ready to start of the second bobbin. If finances get better this year I would love to get an electric spinner to be used for plying. That's the only part that makes me so tired, because there's a lot of it and I'm always anxious to get it done (so I can play with it!). My resolution for this year is to get my desk cleaned off. Happy New Year everyone.

2009-12-19T08:38:00.000-08:00

Six days until Christmas. I finished up my shopping and things I was making this last week. No more trips to the mall. WooHoo! I had done most of my grocery shopping for Christmas before Thanksgiving and put a lot of stuff in the freezer in the spare refrigerator. Right after turkey day I cleaned out that frig and turned it off. Unfortunately I also turned off the freezer somehow and we just discovered everything was lost. All the meat including my beautiful big lamb roast I was planning on for the 25th. Another trip to the dump was in order. I did manage to get the hat finished for my daughter. Now I'm working on a little crochet purse for her that I don't know if I will finish or not. Pix when I do. We still don't have any snow to speak of. We had about 3" this last week, but today its raining and most of its gone now. We got Bella spayed this week. She did just fine. I'm disappointed because I wanted to breed her in a year or so but with all the coyotes up here I was too afraid one might get through our fence and get to her. So now, she can just concentrate on her wonderful guarding capabilities. Already she's a great watch dog. And at 7 mo old and nearly 75 pounds, I would certainly be afraid. I've been reading on-line about a new dyeing technique I'm anxious to try. Its similar to tie-dyeing but with a much different look. As soon as the holidays are over and things calm down again I am heading back into the studio. BTW, here's a picture of my poor bamboo scarf that got 'kitty-handled'. Keep in mind that threads in this are about the size of sewing thread.

2009-12-11T20:25:00.000-08:00

Brrrrrrrr. Temps much colder than they should be. Here's a sample from around 6am Tues morning. Bella is tolerating the cold by sleeping comfortably outside every night. So does Dolly with the alpacas and goats. I visualize them all huddling together in the sheds. Probably not. I'm trying to get my second bamboo scarf done. I've set a goal of six inches each day. I can't seem to stay on schedule every day but was doing pretty well until I found one of our kitties had sharpened his / her nails on the woven part. What a mess. I will have to un-weave about the last four inches and just hope the warp isn't damaged. The weft isn't so important and it could be replaced. Right now I have the bamboo warp on the Ashford, I'm winding the wool warp in the studio and plan to space-dye it when its all wound off, I have white-brown-black alpaca blended and on the spinning wheel, a hat for my daughter about half done with the knitting, my knitted sox about 3/4 finished, a cashmere knitted hat started, and a knitted scarf from dyed alpaca roving started. Anything else? I'll never remember. In addition, I've ordered two more painted warps and have one I want to paint myself and make a scarf. With only a couple weeks left until Christmas there is so much other stuff to do I wonder when I can get back to my studio. I went shopping yesterday and returned home nearly empty-handed. I can't seem to find what I want and the rest is way too expensive. We have no snow yet, just cold and wind. At least that wind has stopped for the time being. Good excuse to stay in and complete at least one project.

2009-12-03T19:28:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is past and only three weeks until Christmas. I'd like to impress by saying my shopping is done, but sadly not so. Who knows when that will happen. Its an hour drive each way to town, then shopping, a couple of errands probably and the day is gone. We feed the livestock in the morning so never get away from the farm until around 10am. Change clothes (yes! a must) and don't get back home until around 3 or 4pm. Phew! Makes me tired. Thanksgiving was fun, the only mis-hap was when Bella wanted some Pumpkin Dessert that was sitting on the kitchen counter. She tried to be sneaky and get it herself but only succeeded in pulling it off the counter on to the floor. Broke my dish but we only had a tiny little taste before it happened. One of my sisters lives in Spokane WA and came for dinner. And she brought home-made fudge. Thank goodness. She admired the rayon chainette / cotton scarf I had woven so I gifted her with it. She can't wear wool, so that worked out perfectly. And, its her colors too. Not much spinning or weaving going on right now. Who's got time? I am knitting a hat for my daughter, frogged it three times already but I think I have a good start this time. I will post a picture when its done, after Christmas. Its a surprise and I don't want her to see it. Nights are getting a lot colder, in the single-digits this week. Sunday its supposed to be windy and cold, nearly zero on Monday. Ouch. Animals are all holding up well to the cold. Bella likes it cold and I think the alpacas do too. Glad its them and not me out there. :-)

2009-11-20T08:00:00.000-08:00

Nearly Thanksgiving! No, I'm not ready, but almost. Don't mention Christmas yet. We've been getting ready for winter by taking care of all our outside chores, stacking wood, putting away anything that might get broken or puppy would chew up. I ordered some beautiful space-dyed chenille yarn last week. The delivery person so kindly put it somewhere near the front porch where the 60+ lb puppy was so sweet to open the box for me. I found the yarn cone on the other side of the yard with the bottom all chewed out. I'm sure the pieces of yarn will be about 12" long when I unroll it. Oh well, it was only a 2 lb cone! I did finish the 12/2 bamboo scarf this fall that has been on the loom for the last two summers. I sent it to one of my sisters. She liked it! So now I'm working on the second half of that white warp. The first scarf was woven with a beautiful yellow, the second one will be lime green. I've also got three more warps ready to go when I finish this. The big Herald loom has steel heddles and I'm not sure if I want to stress the warp on it like I did with the Leicester Longwool scarf. Of course that was handspun which made it a little more fragile that these will be. Here's a pic of the yellow bamboo one.

2009-10-20T09:13:00.000-07:00

Brrrr, a little chilly this morning. Foggy, damp and around 38. Not as cold as its been but with the dark skies it sure seems so. All our four-legged friends are doing well. The alpacas and goats have been famished when I feed in the morning. Wonder if they are putting on extra weight because its going to be colder or something this winter. We've taken in another motherless litter of kittens. We lost one right away, then another wasn't doing so well. We did take them to the nice vet and got some medicine, put an extra heater near their cage and lots of TLC. The two are doing so much better. One we named Big Mike. He's so big and robust and bright orange, and can play with Angel, the little kitty I found in the pasture one morning. The other little girl has been named Mini because she is. She's a tortoise colored mostly black with a tiny little orange nose. She is so much more fragile and apparently isn't as advanced as Big Mike. She prefers to sit in the cage and watch most of the time. I finally got my black alpaca yarn spun and washed. It is so soft. I want to either knit a hat or will weave a scarf. Pix if I ever get it done. I tried getting pix of the two little ones this morning, but they are too fast. Here's one of Angel.

2009-10-04T07:32:00.000-07:00

The wind has been blowing all night. It was so noisy at one point I got out of bed to make sure we didn't have anything 'bad' going on outside. Flashlight in hand I made it downstairs only to find all the motion lights outside were on. I guess when the power went out and came back on a few minutes later it tripped something and they had to all be unplugged this morning. At midnight, I wasn't about to go out and do it. The only mishap (so far) has been my beautiful little maple in the front yard. I have always suspected it would split but thought it would be several years before that happened. When it stops blowing later this week I will be out doing cleanup on the property. I always pray none of our big trees comes down on any outbuildings. Last year one did come down on the fence and just barely missed my neighbor's house by inches. God is so good.

2009-09-27T18:52:00.000-07:00

Things are going slowly right now, we are trying to get everything done outside before the cold / rain / snow hits. The days have been so beautiful here, 90's last week, 70-80's this week. A person could just forget how fast winter comes to north Idaho. All the fun inside stuff will have to wait for now. We got 90% of our wood in the carport. Decided to do the sawing and chopping later as its all inside. There was a lot of stuff left when the workers all finished up so just deciding what goes to the dump, what might sell and what we want to keep is a task in itself. In the studio I'm winding a warp of the nice wool yarn a friend gave me. I dyed several different pieces of it last week just to see what it would look like. I haven't decided for sure what I will make yet but I'm thinking of maybe a lap robe or small blanket. Its not 'next to the skin' soft but will be nice. I've got some black alpaca on both spinning wheels; the Ashford has the single and the Sonata has the double ply. I ran out of one of the single bobbins while plying, so that's why I started another one. Then I decided to see what the black / brown / white alpaca would look like blended together so that's on the carder and started on a bobbin for the Ashford. Really nice looking! When I get ready to weave the black alpaca scarf I want to do a stripe of the blended just for an accent. Since I had some dye left over from the wool yarn, I took a small piece of the blended alpaca and put one in each of the little dye pots. What an interesting color combination it made. I can't wait to get some of these projects done so I can continue on with the rest of them. Alpaca is on the bottom, wool is at the top of the photo, same colors used.

2009-09-12T19:48:00.000-07:00

Labor Day is past and the weather feels like we're back in July. Near 90 this week. The nights are cool but it feels pretty good after a hot day. We took Bella to her first doggie training class last week. She seems to fit right in. So far she's learned she get treats if she listens to whoever is on the other end of that darn leash. One sad note, my daughter's beautiful white kitty disappeared the other night. I let him out, a short while later when he should have been coming back in, he never showed up. We've looked and looked but can't find any trace of him. So sad. My spinning, dyeing, decorating the new studio ... all of it is going pretty well. I keep re-arranging stuff. One of these days I know I'll get it right. Its so nice to have a place to go to when I just want a little quiet time to spin. There's just so much to do outside right now I feel guilty doing anything else. Winter will be coming, that's for sure, so we need to get all the outside chores done in just a few weeks. I had someone come over and grade the driveway getting it ready for gravel. He is so good with the loader / grader and he gave me some pointers on my little tractor. I tried them out this afternoon and actually was able to do some things like moving all that poopie hay that's been piling up. Thanks Jeff!

2009-08-28T07:23:00.001-07:00

So in the process of packing up and moving my fiber stash and equipment over, I kept hearing this little scratch-scratch going on. We have six kitties so I figured it was one of them. Willie was hiding in the big picnic basket full of exotic fibers that need spinning. He's so funny. Must be part Siamese because he 'talks' all the time when he's playing or wants something. I met the most interesting lady at the craft fair a couple weeks ago. She visited the new studio the other day and has gifted a friend and me with some beautiful wool yarn from sheep she used to raise. All spun and on cones. I want to wind a warp, then do some dyeing (fiber painting) before I put it on the loom. Not sure yet what to make, maybe a large shawl. Its way too delicate for a rug. Good news, yesterday we went to the Fair and I won a blue ribbon for my bamboo scarf. That thing was the hardest pattern I've ever tried. Worth it however, it turned out so beautiful. We had fun and ate a lot. Couldn't believe I was hungry again last night. Today I will try to get a project finished in the studio. There are so many going on, I don't know which one to do first. I've just about got all the black alpaca from Oso spun up, and had this idea I'd like to see a little brown / black / white tweed yarn to use with it. So I lightly carded some together and am spinning it now. I think when its plied, it will be pretty in the black alpaca scarf I'm going to weave. I've got Mawata silk hankies to dye, more pygora, alpaca, bamboo and wool sitting there calling me to dye ... so much fun!

2009-08-23T14:10:00.000-07:00

Its so nice to have some time finally. After a long summer of so many things going on here at the farm we've finally reached the point where I'm getting my house back in order. We've managed to take most of the studio and shop furniture over to the new building and at last I'm able to find my living room floor. As is my norm, now that I have time to finish up a few projects I'd already started, I have a bunch more in my head I can't wait to start. Room for dyeing, new warp on the big loom, finish the warp on the little loom and maybe even get my tapestry loom up and running. I did finished the bamboo scarf for the fair. We're going on Friday. I'm always afraid to see what the judges say about my things. Mostly they are so nice. I also re-homed my chicken flock this morning. A very nice lady from Spokane WA came over and picked them all up. Wow, finally I can sleep in without hearing those silly roosters seeing who can cock-a-doodle-do the loudest. Ah, peace and quiet at last. Bella is doing so beautifully. What a sweet and gentle little girl she is. We just love her. Here's a more recent picture of Bella doing what she does best ... what a ham!

2009-08-17T06:29:00.000-07:00

Wow, what an awesome and busy month we've had here on the farm. The studio and shop were finished just this weekend. Blanchard Daze went smoothly and we met some super nice people. Lots of interest but so many are so busy with other stuff. I don't know why we do it to ourselves. I for one have had to learn when to say 'no'. I've nearly finished the bamboo scarf I started last spring ... that's a year ago last spring! Beautiful pattern but difficult for me. To many different repeats. Maybe I will finish in time to enter it in our county fair. The yarn I took to the show was very well received and now I have room to make more. Oh boy. I hope to get some new storage areas to put fiber and yarn in. I got my big Herald loom moved over already. Both spinning wheels, all my dyeing equipment, and now I just need to get the bags and boxes of fiber that have been taking up all the room in my house moved. And I'm having so much fun! Pictures later this week when things are cleaned up. All the animals are doing so well. The weather was so hot for so long, then a nice cool break with rain for a week or so. Now its getting hot again but everything has greened up. If the lawnmower and lawn tractor hadn't broken at the same time my yard would certainly be mowed. What a good excuse not to!

2009-07-26T22:11:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited. We have two new members added to our household. A few weeks ago we fostered three more kittens without a mom. After turning them back to the animal rescue, last week one of the kittens wasn't doing too well so we brought him home again. What a difference a little TLC and some different kitten food makes. He's now thriving and terrorizing the entire house. The other little person is a new Great Pyr puppy. She is around 10 weeks old I think, just a beautiful little miniature of our Dolly. She's got dark spots on her head, ears and body. We're thinking of calling her Bella because she's so beautiful. I've been working hard getting my fiber and yarn ready for Blanchard Daze which is Aug 15. We have a booth this year and I'd like to get more people interested in spinning fiber for yarn. I plan to do demos and it will be a hands-0n type booth where you can purchase handspun yarn, fiber to spin your own, and also Ashford spindles with which to spin the fiber into yarn. I really want to show that you don't have to spend a fortune to get into this wonderful relaxing hobby. The turquoise and white merino / silk shawl shown below was spun on a spindle. Our new studio and shop are nearly finished so I will finally be able to clear out my house. Right now you can just barely walk from room to room for all the fiber-y piles of stuff. Here's a pic of Bella ... she's so cute!

2009-07-02T21:05:00.000-07:00

One more added to the herd this month. Here's Wasabi. He is so cute! What a little sweetheart. He and the two other little guys Apollo and Harley, always are together. When they eat the adult white alpaca joins them. Seems funny but the white ones kind of stay together and the other three are content to stay with each other. Everyone gets along for the most part. Once in a while someone has to have a 'time-out' because he is getting a little too rough, but they all live and sleep together. I've been spinning a lot, mostly Oso's black fiber and plying that with some beautiful spun silk. I was so impressed with the colors of the silk I decided to try dying some on my own. It turned out very nice ... red and yellow with the colors blending in the middle. I like to think of it as Tequila Sunrise. Pics when I get it done. We've had a busy summer, remodeling the oldl guest house into a new studio for me and a workshop for daughter. Now we can get our 'stuff' out of the house and out there where we can really make some messes. Uh oh, now I have no excuse for my house being messy. Hmmm, where did I go wrong? I'm learning to make videos with my camera so maybe I will do one for the blog soon.

2009-06-03T17:13:00.000-07:00

They're finally here! Apollo and Harley were sheared and brought home Saturday. How cute are they? You decide by this picture of them. They are quite a bit smaller because they are so young and are a little intimidated by the 'big' boys. They seem to be blending in very well, each day getting easier for them. Nothing is quite as soft as baby or yearling alpaca fiber. Right now I'm working on some of Oso's beautiful black fiber from last year. I've spun a single and plyed it with a single of some Mawata silk hankies that were dyed a beautiful dark turquoise and purple. Wow, with that black alpaca, its really striking and extremely soft. Guess I better do some more of the same. We're remodeling the old house on the property and will make it a garage, two shops with a small bedroom and bathroom. So much nicer. Now my studio can be out there instead of upstairs.

2009-05-24T06:47:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is Memorial Day. I salute all our veterans including my brother Dave, for their service to our country. May God bless each and every one of them. Thank you. Yesterday we got the four alpacas sheared. Finally! I'm sure they were all so happy to rid themselves of those hot sweaters they have been enduring. The temps have only been in the 70's but even so, they were too warm. I got over 12 pounds of blanket fiber off them plus the 2nd and 3rds. We keep it all separated; I will send the blanket fiber to Going To The Sun Fiber Mill in Kalispell MT and do something with the 2nd and 3rds myself. GTTS does such a fantastic job. So far I've gotten rovings and lace-weight yarns done. Thank you Diana! I will spin the 2nds and maybe try a little felting work with the 3rds. We got the goat side of the barn finished this weekend. Now the alpacas and the goats each have their own areas to eat and sleep in if they wish. Most of the time they prefer to be together, but when they eat its so much better to separate them. Dolly seems happy no matter which side she is on. She's so sweet and calm. Nothing disturbs her except loud noises or strangers. Such a love. Here's a picture of coming home after taking them to be sheared. The gray alpaca is really my white one after rolling in the dirt because it feels so good!

2009-05-20T07:21:00.000-07:00

Spring, finally. The last week or so has been much warmer. We're shearing the alpacas this Saturday. I'm sure they will be so happy to get rid of all that hot fiber. And I'm getting two new babies the following Saturday. They are young and named Apollo and Harley. So cute. We will shear them when I pick them up. Finally got another side put on the barn. Now the alpacas and goats can be separated for eating and it gives them so much more room without them having to go inside the barn. I plan to use the barn this year to store hay. That way I won't be carrying it over to the pasture daily. I can carry almost enough for one day, but with two more boys, that would mean two trips. Since I have a booth this year at our local fair (very small), I really need to get busy preparing my fiber and other related things. Hopefully more folks will get interested in spinning and weaving. Right now I'm still working on spinning the black alpaca fiber and also some beautiful dyed silk hankies. Both of these will be yarn for sale in the booth.

2009-04-04T06:43:00.000-07:00

Good grief, April already. Where is the time going? Three days into spring! Since we've had snow every day this last week it sure doesn't seem like it. Went to a friends a couple weeks ago, here is a picture. The babies are so cute! My babies are all getting along well. I think today is the day we shear the little goats. Its been so cold I've been holding off, don't want them to get chilled. The weather is warming up now so hopefully everyone will be ok. We have been going to garage sales and went to a swap meet yesterday. I bought three old pickle crocks for nearly nothing. They are great for holding fiber-y stuff. I will have a booth at our local fair this summer, so always looking for stuff for that. I've been working on my spinning, trying to get some yarn made up to sell. Its hard for me to knit any more but I do love the yarn. Pics when I get some done. I like dying and spinning and blending fibers. I guess I'm partial to a tweed-y type yarn. Its so pretty when you make something. Come on summer!

2009-02-28T18:17:00.000-08:00

Well, tomorrow is the first of March. I just realized I haven't posted here for some time. I've been busy trying to keep on top of things at home, get everyone fed morning and night, and trying not to make my back any more sore than it is already. Today I finally bought a tractor to make things a little easier in cleaning up around here. With winter's end approaching rapidly, there will be plenty to do with the animals. In the past I've done it all by hand with my daughter's help. This year hopefully the manual part of the labor won't be as much. Its a cute little Kubota, just my size with a bucket on the front and a snow blade. WooHoo. The chickens are getting big enough to butcher. Since I've got only two hens out of my remaining 11, I won't be sorry to see and hear those roosters go. They are so noisy and start crowing around 3am every morning. Between them, the coyotes that run past nightly and howl, my big pyr barking to warn them, and the wild turkeys that are now back, its a cacophony of sounds all night long. I finally found out where the moose were entering the property, its along the fence all the way in the back. Two very large trees came down on the fence and broke it in several places. How easy for them to just walk over the downed fence in the very deep snow and just keep going. I can't fix it yet as the snow is still too deep and the ground still to frozen. Welcome spring ... hurry hurry.

2009-01-19T11:27:00.000-08:00

Check this out! This guy was hanging around my house for the longest time. I had gone down to the chicken coop with the border collie when she started barking and barking. Just about the time I told her to stop and come back, this guy peeked around the corner of the coop. I ran as fast as I could back up the driveway. I was so scared! I decided to go feed the alpacas and the goats over in the pasture instead and when I came back, here was Mr Moose camped out on my front porch. Waiting for his breakfast I guess. Mom and I were inside taking pictures (without the flash on). This one I took from upstairs. When he heard me open the window for this picture, he put his big front foot on the edge of this roof and looked like he wanted to climb up. Our snow is so incredibly deep that he was nose high with the edge of the porch roof. I was on my way to Arizona that day and wasn't sure I would be able to make it out of the driveway. If he decided to stand in my way, I don't think my little car would have been a match for him. Luckily he decided to go eat somewhere else.

My trip to Arizona was fruitful. My mother-in-law passed away and I needed to get a lot of paper type work accomplished. I met some wonderful people in the process. The weather was cool and very windy but nothing like ours here. It was 12 degrees this morning when I got up. Quite a change from 70! I had almost (almost!) forgotten. I'm so glad to be back home. All my little animal friends were so happy to see me ... even J2, my snooty male kitty came and made himself comfortable on my bed last night. Hopefully now I can settle back down and get some spinning done before this winter is completely over.

2008-12-21T16:05:00.000-08:00

Almost Christmas. Time passes so quickly any more. I've been knitting tiny little newborn baby hats to take over to the Open Arms Crisis Pregnancy Center. I hope they like them. Its been a fun project. More snow that usual has fallen already and its only the start of winter. We had about 27 inches in 24 hours. We've had moose in the yard too. The snow has drifted in the back by the fence and I suspect the moose just walked right over the 6' fence there. I left and front and side gates open last night so they could get out, but this morning there were no large footprints so I guess they didn't go out that way. I'm so disappointed! One of my goats ate a very old gold earring I was wearing. LoverBoy (so aptly named) loves me and loves to taste and nibble my fingers, face, hair, ears. He reached up this morning and grabbed my ear and I heard the earring unsnap. He gulped a couple times and bye-bye :-( No sense grabbing him, they are so fast. Everyone is doing well in the pasture. I had to take the snowblower over a couple days ago and plow some paths for them to run around. They were so happy to be out of the barn and shed, which are remarkably warm even when the wind blows like it has been lately. Just getting out of the draft sure makes a difference. This picture is almost the same one as at the very top of the blog. Some difference! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone.

2008-11-15T06:41:00.000-08:00

No snow yet! I'm so glad, I still have work to complete outside before it does. Yesterday I took six of our chickens to be butchered. They certainly looked a lot bigger with their feathers on. She does it so quickly. It would have taken me most of the day, it took her about 1/2 hour total. Thank You! I can't wait to eat them. If you've never had fresh chicken, you are in for a real treat if you ever get the chance. A few weeks ago I was blessed with a Clemes carder by a friend. I've been carding a Gotland fleece I started several years ago. Gotland wool is from New Zealand and is what they made those beautiful capes from in the movie Lord of the Rings. It is so crimpy that I didn't want to use my big carder, afraid it would be too much. This carder is just perfect for it. Now I can spin the beautiful silver fiber either alone or blend it on the big carder with something else. That's my favorite, a gorgeous natural fiber blended with a dyed or over-dyed fiber. That's what makes the heathered yarns I'm so partial to. Pictures if I ever get it done. Nephew coming this weekend from out of state. Hope he likes the farm.

2008-10-24T19:00:00.000-07:00

What a tragic day. At 4am and again at 4:45 am this morning I heard a chicken squawking. Since it is very dark up here at that time I waited until it was light to see what was wrong. I found two dead chickens, one in the yard and one out by the orchard. I think I've finally figured out there's an owl that hunts at night that may kill them and partially eat one. Then in the daylight we have a very aggressive hawk that will swoop down right next to the porch and try to get the chickens. So far this month I've lost about six I think. Some were babies, but some were the moms that were trying to protect the little chicks. Our last remaining mother chicken I rescued today from the hawk. She looks like she has been through a windstorm with her feathers half gone and the rest all sticking out. The goats and alpacas are all doing so well together. I had a three-sided shed built so they can get out of the weather. They seem to like it ok, but this morning everyone had frost on their coats from laying out in the freezing air in the pasture instead of inside the shed. Silly things. With everything going on ... leaves to rake, apples to pick, chickens to rescue I haven't had much time to do much fibery stuff, although I did start spinning some of Oso's beautiful and soft black alpaca fiber. The two scarves on the loom haven't been touched since way last summer but I'm hopeful I can get back to finish them before too long. After all, Christmas is coming!

2008-09-30T07:15:00.000-07:00

The month of Sept has flown by. Already we are putting away the summer tools and preparing for winter. How quickly time passes when you are so busy. I was in Arizona for a few days. The heat is oppressive, 92 degrees on the porch at 8:30pm, air conditioners still going strong. Our nights up here are so cool and fresh with the days in the fall warm and sunny. I was so glad to get home to both families ... human and otherwise. Yesterday my wonderful friends Mary and Stan from Aspen Alpacas brought me two more beautiful gelded alpacas named Raulito and Coop. They are both a rich copper color and the fiber is incredibly soft. It will be next spring before they get sheared and I can't wait to start spinning some of it. The turquoise dyed alpaca and apricot silk yarn I made a while ago was from another of Aspen's geldings, Diego. I gave the yarn to Mary for a scarf she will be making. How fun. You go girl! Here's a picture of the two latest additions to our farm.

2008-08-31T12:19:00.000-07:00

I just realized today is the last day of August and I haven't done anything here this month. It really feels like fall already, last night was cold at about 39 degrees. The weather is usually so beautiful this time of year, dark blue skies, warm sunny days but cold nights. We are hopeful that this winter will not be as brutal as the last one. Just in case it is, today my daughter and I finished putting up the cattle panels on the new alpaca pen. It is next to the goat pen and much closer to the house than the barn and pasture are. There were a few times last year I couldn't get the gates open so I could feed the livestock because the snow was several feet deep. This year if that happens, at least the animals will be on this side of the property. Our little foster kittens are so cute and ready to be re-homed. Little Princess has already found a loving home with a big sister that is so delighted to have someone to play with. Reggie and Mr Comfy are still looking to be adopted by loving families. Since they didn't have a mama cat, they are so friendly with people. I've been so busy this summer that I forgot to enter anything in the Fair this month. I didn't finish my projects this summer either so maybe next time I will have a new scarf to post. I have started spinning the black alpaca's fiber. It is incredibly soft. For a black alpaca, Oso has remarkable fiber. I hope to be able to weave a scarf from it. We'll see what happens.

2008-07-28T10:08:00.000-07:00

Last week the new rescue pyr got a new 'forever' home. I'm sure he was so happy to finally be in place of his own. Today I tried taking a picture of the yarn I just finished along side the Campanula flowers that I dyed it to look like, but the flowers were all gone! They only last a couple of weeks. Our weather has been warm but not hot so I was hoping they would last a little longer. I took it with the lavender instead. This coming weekend is Art of the Green and the craft fair in Coeur d'Alene. Its always one of my favorite things to do. They have tons of food booths in the park, lots of shade to sit in and its right next to the lake. I can't wait! Our little foster kittens are about five weeks old today and are so cute. They have just learned to eat soft cat food from a bowl and insist on getting inside the bowl. Their faces are covered. It won't be long before they are old enough to adopt.

2008-07-21T07:00:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful weekend we've had. Saturday we went to the parade in town, the Farmer's Market and the Lavender Festival. Summer in north Idaho is so much fun! Everyone is doing well and surviving the hot weather. The other day I was squirting water with the hose and our two alpacas were competing to see who could get the wettest. They love me to squirt their front feet with water. That's how they cool off. Well, they must have been really hot because they got in the spray from head to tail. They were soaked. Then a good roll in the dirt made them feel so good! Good thing I have a great mill to send their fiber to. The dogs are getting along very well. Bo seems to be adjusting to having so much room to run. He seems very happy and Dolly doesn't seem bothered by having him 'help' her do her guarding. She takes it very seriously and does a great job. The little pygora goats have figured out how to open the old cooler where I keep the pellets and grains. Snowball knows how to use her horns to pry open the lid. Yesterday we had to get a long chain and actually tie it to the stall wall. Oh well, this now gives them something else to figure out. They are so smart. Yesterday was the first day in a week we actually had time to swim in the pool, maybe today we won't be too busy to enjoy it.

2008-07-02T10:47:00.000-07:00

What a surprise! Yesterday afternoon one of my missing chickens came walking out of the woods with 8 or 9 little tiny chicks! I have been feeling so bad about Bo killing the other ones. I thought there were three gone, but this little hen was doing her thing in a safe place. As soon as she feels confident enough for me to come close, I will get some pictures. They are so cute. Since we have these HUGE crows she probably will keep the chicks pretty close to her for a while. Our weather has been in the upper 90's and last night we had a very strong rain storm. Just west of us they had nickel sized hail. The lightening and thunder were incredible. Since we are not air conditioned in this old farm house it got pretty warm when I had to close all the windows because of the rain and wind. This morning its sunny and beautiful and everything looks so clean. I'm so glad I got my yard mowed just before it rained. This flower is called Campanula. It grows all around the house and is quite large, about 1-1/2 to 3 feet tall. So pretty and only lasts a couple weeks.

2008-06-28T19:49:00.000-07:00

I can never leave well enough alone. For some reason I thought I needed another dog. I received an email from Sharon at the great pyr rescue org saying there was a young male dog who needed a home. I made arrangements to meet him and his owner in Missoula MT Monday. He is a wonderful dog ... friendly, obedient (as much as a pyr can be) and just loves to be loved. Things don't always turn out like you think they will, however. On the way home (4 hour drive) he decided he should have used the bathroom in Missoula and proceeded to urinate in the back of my Lexus. Oh well, not his fault. Then we got home and I walked him on a leash for some time showing him the fence line and all the 'fun' places he could find. He was being such a good boy that I let him off the leash to see what he'd do. After being so good for so long, he took off after my chickens and killed three before I could get to him. I only had six to start with. Then my other pyr Dolly, won't have a thing to do with him and snaps at him when he comes close. I can't put him in the pasture with the goats and alpacas for fear he or Dolly might jump the fence and leave. I've decided he deserves a better home than this one and a lady is coming tomorrow afternoon to look at him. To her credit, she is even more of a dog lover than I am and the meals she hand prepares for her dogs, I could go for! Hope she takes him. He's such a nice boy.

2008-06-09T16:24:00.000-07:00

How many days in a year? I think this is the 366th day of rain so far. We start to warm up, then it rains again. More this week and very cold. Since the snow is down to 4000' today, maybe that's the reason? There is always a rainbow, though. At least with this weather, working outside isn't something that I'm needing to do. So, that means I get to weave and spin without feeling guilty. I'm working on the Bamboo12 scarf with the tiny little spiderweb-y yarn from Cotton Clouds. It is so beautiful, but so tiny. Hopefully it will turn out as delicate as it seems. It is supposed to be very soft. The warp is long enough for two scarves so it will be a while before I get to take the first one off the loom. Maybe I can get a picture of the first one in the next couple days. The pattern is not as hard as I first thought, so maybe it will be ok after all.

2008-05-30T09:39:00.000-07:00

We found the most beautiful moth earlier this week. Its official name Gloveri (Hyalophora gloveri) moth, or silk moth. I was able to snap a few pictures before it went away. Very large, maybe five inch wingspan. Uh oh, now my little maple tree is being eaten by something and I suspect the female laid her eggs in the tree. Not sure what I should do, ordinarily I would spray for bugs, but this moth is just too impressive. We'll see. After last night's rain storm, maybe they were all washed away because I sure can't see anything moving this morning. I'm wondering if it actually has a type of silk cocoon that can be boiled and spun.

2008-05-29T08:28:00.000-07:00

Wow, it is already past Memorial Day. Summer is right around the corner. Goats and alpacas are enjoying the warmer weather and being able to graze a bit. We've been working on getting stuff put away upstairs in the new bookcase I had built this winter. Finally, after two years I can put my stuff away. Weaving has gone by the way side, I continue to spin on the dyed BFL I started. I'm almost done with the second batch and plan to ply the two together. I tried plying the first one with some white but it looked too much like a sporty yarn, so hopefully I'll be able to get the colors to coordinate. Actually being able to find supplies and lots of fibery stuff after so long is like Christmas in May. Our kitten has been going through all the fiber and yarn, she's quite the little nosy one. Just one problem, she likes to eat string, I keep pulling long pieces out of her mouth. Hope it doesn't make her sick. I guess I'll just have to be better at housekeeping now. A picture of River ... we should have named her Bandit.

2008-05-08T12:32:00.001-07:00

The alpacas got sheared Saturday. They are so cute! It is amazing how different and small they look without all that fiber. Diego's is so white and shiny. They thought it would probably be graded 2, which is pretty good. Oso is a true black. What gorgeous fiber he has too. It is almost as fine as Diego's and there may be more of it. Off to Going To The Sun Fiber Mill in Kalispell to be cleaned and made into roving. Diana does such a beautiful job. I always want to sell some, but enjoy spinning it myself so much I don't usually have any left over. I got to mow my lawn today for the first time this year. It looks pretty nice, considering how much snow we had last winter. I also see lots of dandelions out already. Maybe I will pick some for salad before I spray them with weed killer. On second thought, maybe the goats would like to come over and do the job instead.

2008-04-19T09:19:00.000-07:00

The painted BFL turned out pretty nice. The steaming worked better than the submersion dying and the wool stayed nice and soft without any felting. My original plan was to double ply it together, but I've decided to do singles of the painted and ply it with some white BFL. Just to see. Here's a picture of the single so far. A new project in the works now. The Bamboo 12 yarn from Cotton Clouds is so beautiful. I've just about got the warp measured out, maybe today will finish it out. Then on to warping the Ashford. The weft for one scarf will be lime green, the other a bright yellow. Both of these on a white warp. Should be great for summer. We finally succeeded in re-homing the two extra roosters from last year's chicks. They were too nice to eat but very noisy and the daddy rooster (Brooster) wouldn't let them near the hens or to eat. Poor little guys. The people that took them had 20 hens and no rooster. We were both happy. The cashmere goats are going to be sold soon, I hope. They have gotten too rough for me and are very jealous of the other littler goats. I had to move the cashmeres to the little pen where they started out a couple years ago, and put the alpacas over with the other three pygora goats and Dolly, our wonderful Great Pyr guard dog. Everyone seems so much happier now. The cashmeres are so wonderful and so loving and playful. I really hate to get rid of them, but it seems to help my stress level to have a few less animals to care for right now. They're calling for more snow this weekend, BLAHHHH! Everyone up here is so sick of it. Oh well, it can't last into summer, can it?

2008-04-03T16:16:00.000-07:00

I've been working on dying some Blue Faced Leicester top. The roving was painted with Wilton's and rolled in plastic, then placed in the roaster with a little water in the bottom. I wanted to see how the steaming process would work instead of immersing them in the dye liquid. So far it seems like it worked fine. The colors are actually lime green and light purple, although it doesn't show up on the computer. I haven't got any spun up yet so we will see then if it fades at all. It was a little more work than the usual dying I do but they turned out pretty nice. Our weather is warming and we were able to get one of the pygoras sheared yesterday with the help of my daughter. I had a shearing stand built so it is a lot easier on my back this year than last. The cashmeres are just starting to blow their fiber so it won't be long before that is done, too. Our kitty babies will be eight week old Friday, they are so cute and playful. We wish we could keep them all, but that's not possible so we will keep just one. I can't believe it is April and I finally got my taxes sent in so that's done. Can summer be far away?