Author: denisemor

Had the sheeps gathered up yesterday for hoof checks, and it occurred to me that I really should shear the Icelandic girls, Daphne and Fiona, sometime this Fall so they won’t be all matted and felty in the Spring.

They both have a lot of wool on them already, only about 4 months growth for each, and I’m thinking that if I trim them up now they’ll have plenty of time to fluff out again before it gets cold.

Thankfully they were both pretty cooperative (& alfalfa pellets help) 🙂

Here are the girls in their current, partially sheared state

And here are their lovely wools! (they were both damp at shearing, so I washed the fleece right away)

Fiona’s baby fleece is so soft!

I’m going to be off late this week, so hope to get them finished up then 🙂

I’ll sign off with this crazy little bugger in his happy place photo.

Wishing you all some “Gus in the Compost” comfort and happiness.

Hottest day of the year.

I’ve mostly been hiding inside, where our tiny ac unit and fan have kept it pretty tolerable, working on my Alcott swatch.

But the heat is good for some things- like ripening figs! This is only the second one I’ve picked so far this year ( the first one got eaten so fast I didn’t get a photo)

and the garden is still going strong, these little beauties being my most recent harvest-

Its pretty intense out in the full sun, but our apple tree makes such beautiful shade-

And that’s where you’ll find Boo kitten, because she knows all the best spots 🙂

Circled back around today to Alcott color selections for reworking the chart

Here are the colors- four bought (Biches et Buches Petite lambswool), and three handspun

Tried a few different combos in Stitchfiddle ( which is a lot of fun to play with), of which this is currently my favorite

I think maybe I’ll make a hat as a swatch to see how it looks in real life before starting on the vest.

The other kind of picking I’ve been up to is in the garden. Here is today’s take

Snap peas are gone, and raspberries are tapering off. But figs are coming along nicely and zuchinni, carrots and potatoes are still going strong.

So thankful for our little patch of land the comfort it has been providing me through these last few months.

Last weeks dyed fleece

Is now tidy little muffins

I’m really taken by the Wool Tincture colors. Just ordered a few more to have on hand, you know- in case of a color emergency. 🙂

Because it’s 2020, and who know what is around the bend.

Oh- and a lesson learned on using the wool tinctures in a larger vessel, with more water than the directions specify. The dyes come with citric acid packets that are added to the dyebath to make the color “strike”. But if you are using more water, the provided citric acid won’t adjust the pH enough to exhaust the bath, so do make sure that you add vinegar. It makes a big difference!

Stay well, and have a good week-