Blending for Spinning

Here you can see the homemade hackle that is actually made from metal hair picks from the dollar store. They are mounted on a scrap piece of 2x2. I found directions on the Internet and they were easy to put together. I made them for a class on blending. These are really fun to play with and to see if one is interested in purchasing a professionally done hackle. These are okay, but if one is seriously doing a lot of blending this way I recommend something more sturdy. Two rows of tines would be nice as well.

I was given some fleece from Sequoia's first ram lamb. This shows the steps that I am using to card and spin it. The locks are a bit sun bleached on the tips but they are sound so I left them on. You can see in the drum carder tray how the tips are lighter. It just makes the yarn a bit more heathery. Is that a word? Heathery?

Sale/Trade Day

Last month I hosted the annual sale/trade day for my local group. It is a lot of fun. People come for the day and we spin and knit and shop. Several of us have sheep so there is wool and roving for sale. This year I offered knitting bags. I make them with lots of pockets inside and two on the outside. Three sizes. It is fun to see a lot of my bags come in to a meeting. We had mini booths set up in the front yard and in the carport. Used the front and back patios for spinning. What fun! I also make stitch markers and soap. One of the gals in the group makes soaps and lotions and bath salts, etc. This was the third one and word is getting out so we had new people this year.

I am going to try several posts in one day to get caught up a bit. I did have the knee surgery but will not bore you with that stuff.
My flock is growing. I had sheep and angora rabbits years ago in another life. Getting back now to having animals again and loving it.
I did a bit of solar dyeing this summer. Here is some as it is being combed. It shows up in the lower picture as a skein in the basket. It is the second from the bottom. I am showing off a couple of new spindles. The Golding was a birthday gift from a very dear friend. I love it!!

llamas

In April a llama came to live here. His name is Archie and he is nearly three years old. Dark Brown. Then in August and little girl llama came. She is four months old. Her name is Veronica. (I did not name them) ;-) She is lovely with wonderful eyes. She is white with a brown tail and has black around her feet that looks like little velvet slippers.

Sheep

Way back when, I asked Rocky if he had done his job. He did. Two of my friend Kathleen's Shetland ewes had lambs. Twins for both. I got a boy from each ewe. Sir Cedric was born on April 23rd. He was a lovely taupe and that is what attracted me to him. As he aged and it was time to pick him up he had changed. He is now very light. Ian was born on May 1st. He was black and now is a lovely cinnamon brown with dark brown underneath. Here is Sir Cedric then. If you look back at the post titled Sheep Babies you will see Peaches (light mother) with her twins. Ian is the dark one. Also there is a picture of Blossom the darker ewe with her twins. Cedric is one of them.

Sheep

Then on June 26th Sequoia Silver had twin ram lambs. These boys are half Scottish Blackface. Sequoia is Sierra's mother. The ewes were bred when I bought them and this was a surprise. I named them Slate and Nubbin. Here they are with their mom at about a week old. Slate is the one standing.

Sheep

Thought it was time that I updated this blog. Here are some pictures of the happenings around here. A ram lamb was born on June 2nd. He is Coopworth. He was born to Sierra Silver and is her first lamb. I have named him Garry Coopworth. The first picture is when he was about three days old. Isn't he the cutest thing?