Blog

All our snow from last weekend is still here.
And more is coming down as I write.
I’ve come to terms with needing to go out into it to tend critters, shovel, etc etc, but I won’t give it the satisfaction of a photo on the blog.

Instead, I’m choosing to focus on more warm and tasty subjects.

Subject One:
Spinning of Chone fleece. One more bobbin’s worth accomplished this afternoon

which puts me only 3 ounces away from my objective

Subject Two:

Combed and spun Esther singles for the bottom ribbing and collar/buttonband of the multicolor vest

Subject Three:

Pie

Berries from this past summer. Added some almond flour to the crust and was really pleased with how that affected the texture. Really flaky and tender!

Posole

A new cold-weather favorite. So flavorful and satisfying. My version is a blend of a couple recipes I found online

All kinds of great flavors in there- garlic, onion, ginger, allspice, clove, oregano, cumin, red chiles- plus pork, hominy, tomatoes.

It would be more photogenic if I had the traditional garnishes (cilantro, radishes, avocado) on hand. But it’s plenty tasty the way it is.

So that’s how I’m dealing with our unfortunate cold spell.
The sheep don’t seem to mind so much, as they have nice heavy coats. The chickens are not pleased, but I’m keeping them full of scratch and sunflower seeds and they seem to be coming through it ok.
I’ve rigged a tarp on the northeast side of the shed that is keeping most of the swirling snow from blowing in and getting all over their bedding, so that’s an improvement.
But we’ll all be relieved when we get back to our regularly scheduled programming.

The weather has turned on us, and its now snowing and blowing all over the place.
Ick.

But inside, by the glow of the pellet stove, the spinning of Chone’s last fleece continues

Two more bobbins, fresh from Sigrid the Norwegian slanty girl

And plied on Moto the e-spinner

Brings the yardage total to 916.

I’ve got about 6 ounces left to go, which is about 7 more hours of spinning time.

I’m really loving this yarn. I find it hard to photograph because of it’s dark color, but it feels amazing.
Light and lofty, with just a touch of lanolin left in.
Will need to find just the right pattern for it.

In other news, I’m making good progress on the multicolor vest, and working on writing up the vest pattern to share with folks.
I’m not planning on repeating my “afterthought saddle shoulders” on this one, so am trying to sort out what is the best way to work the shoulder and neckline shaping so that it sets up the shawl collar the same way the first one came out. Getting close to an answer, but won’t know for sure until I try it out on the current version.

About 15 inches in now, and into the violet part of the color spectrum!

I picked up some seriously tiny needles this weekend

Size 0, length 9″. (also got size 2 and 3)
The tips are only about an inch and a half long, so it’s a little different holding them, but I think I’m getting the hang of it.

I’m excited about the possibilities.
These might revolutionize the way I knit socks.
And mittens.
I really got them so that I could make some of the really neat stranded colorwork mitten patterns that I have saved on Ravelry, but never started because doing stranded knitting on double pointed needles is so fiddly.

In other knitting news, I’m still making good progress on vest #2-

Just got past the underarms, and am now shaping the armholes and the deep v-neck. Colorwise, I’m transitioning out of purple into violet. And I really like how the color scheme is working out so far.

That’s about it for now- thanks to everyone who came out to the expo on Saturday. It was a lot of fun talking wool and wheels with folks all day.

Just keep spinning,,, just keep spinning,,,,

I kept some of Chone’s last fleece.

I don’t know if it seems undignified to have sheared him after he passed, but I didn’t want to waste the lovely wool that he’d grown over the last 9 or so months.

It’s probably the nicest wool he’d ever produced- and I want to do something special with his last fleece.

I’ve been trying to honor his memory over the last couple of weeks by spending time spinning his wool, and have enlisted the help of Sigrid, my antique scandinavian wheel, in this effort.

I finished my trial skein last week. Once washed and dried it came out to about 2.25 oz and 145 yards, which I think makes it about DK weight.

So that is the standard for this project. I think I have about 1.25 pounds of his wool. If I spin to those specs I can turn it into nearly 1300 yards of lovely, lofty, Chone-y yarn. A sweater-able amount (though no idea on what sweater that might be yet)

I am really enjoying spinning on Sigrid. I’d almost forgotten how much I love the momentum of her big 25″ wheel, and the feel of the double drive when the tension is set just right. It’s very relaxing.

I’ve almost filled two Sigrid bobbins this weekend, so tomorrow we ply! (thankful to have the MLK day holiday off)
She’s not one to work in the counterclockwise direction. For that I will depend upon Moto

Tomorrow I’ve also get myself organized for the Country Living Expo!