Summer Fruit

The fruit trees are loaded this summer.  We have apple, pear and peach trees.  We are hoping for more rain to allow the produce to fully grow.  Here are a few photos.

TDF 2017

And so it begins.

Started with hand dyed Romney wool.  Spun on my Ashford Traveller spinning wheel and plied on my Schact Matchless.  

This spinning will complete the spin for the sweater I want to knit.  Stay tuned for that this fall.  

Here are a few photos:

Sheep

Iowa Sheep and Wool has come and gone.  The new facilities were roomy and had excellent ventilation.  Many vendors some new and some returning.  I took part in most of the Shepherding 101 classes.  I learned quite a bit and made several contacts that I can call with questions. 

The hall of breeds included adorable sheep.  I will include a few photos.  If you are free next June you will have to stop by the festival.  

Knitting Life

I have been working on the usual things blankets, socks and I have finished a very nice shawl.  The Find Your Fade shawl that can be found on Ravelry.  Ravelry makes it so easy to find knitting patterns, see finished projects and purchase and then download so many patterns.  I really enjoyed this shawl pattern and I will likely make another.  

Here is a photo of it finished however unblocked.  Looking forward to wearing it this winter. 

We are Kidding Again

This is my newest favorite farm photo.  One of my angoras with her set of triplets.  Two black bucklings with a few stray white hairs on their head and one brown doeling.  The boys were needling a little extra help and are bottle babies.  All are doing well.  

New Babies on the Farm

We have a variety of animals from pets to a menagerie of 4-H projects.  For the goats kidding season is underway.  Here are a few pictures of lively, wiggly critters.

These are angora goats.  The Nubian dairy babies are so wiggly they are quite challenging to photograph.  I hope to get pictures of them and our pigs soon.  Stay posted.

What's in the dye pots?

Weighing out one ounce increments of Romney wool roving in a light gray.  Then I tie them with cotton.  I add two to each crock pot to dye.

They soak in a water bath with a couple splashes of vinegar for 20 minutes.  I can then prepare the dye solution. 

Then I add dye.  This time three colors.  A blue, light green and teal.  I turn on the crockpot on high.  I let it sit covered until heat set or starting to steam.  I turn off the crockpot and I leave alone until cool.  Rinse and let dry.  

The top once was my first attempt.  No natural color remained and a bit dark.  The second a bit too light.  Similar with the third.  Getting closer though.  One spun into a two ply it looks like this:

  I have washed and hung to dry.  I hope to start the sweater spin soon.  Ended up with a Dk weight.  Now off to pick a pattern.