Sheep, Wool, Milkweed and Cider

sheep shearing demonstration

Yesterday, my family went to the 21st annual Vermont Sheep and Wool Festival. Thankfully, the weather decided to cooperate, and it was a very pleasant, warm day– the complete opposite of Saturday.

We met friends there and ambled through the animal barns, oohing and ahhing over cashmere goats, multiple breeds of sheep, and the cutest little baby black angora bunnies we ever did see. It’s a very good thing the little buns weren’t ready to go to new homes yet, or the temptation may have been too great to resist, even with Mr. Practical (AKA my husband) around.

Luckily for us, we found another angora breeder located only 15 minutes from our house. Our family decided that next spring will be our time to get an angora bunny. And now we know just where to go!

While browsing in the vendor area, I saw a young woman that I knew I recognized but for the life of me I could not figure out who she was. After a minute it dawned on me that she was Jenna Woginrich, the author of the book that inspired me to finally do so many things I’ve wanted to do for years, including raising chickens, planting a vegetable garden, and learning to play the fiddle. As I realized who she was, I also realized that I had lost sight of her. Too bad, I thought. I’d like to at least tell her that her book was inspiring.

We went back to the demonstration area where a sheep shearing demonstration was starting. As I sat with my family, who should come and sit right in front of me? So, I asked her if she was Jenna. She looked slightly stunned, and then she said she was. I told her that she was the reason we got chickens this year, and introduced the boys to her, telling them that this was the person they should thank for their beloved chickens. She was very gracious, and I think I managed not to make too much of a fool of myself.

my finished ishbel shawl

In other news, I have managed to finish my Ishbel shawl, and I’m very pleased with it. Despite a maddening stretch where it seemed I messed up the stitch count on every row, it was an easy yet satisfying knit and I would definitely make it again.

I’m now on to the Multnomah shawl, which should be finished by the end of the week. I love the way this yarn is knitting up. I haven’t decided whether I will keep it or give it away, but again, I will likely make more. It’s a very fast knit, and the garter stitch section is so mindless you can work on it anywhere, amidst any chaos, without messing it up. Hopefully, I’ll have photos for my next post.

Would you believe that next in my queue is yet another shawl? This time it’s the Milkweed Shawl by Laura Chau. When I first saw this pattern, my eyes wandered outside to the milkweed plants growing along the roadside. Milkweed shawl. Milkweed silk. Hmmm…

the test batt

So, after a long, dull, rainy Saturday afternoon when I decided I had better find some motivation or just go to bed, I thought of the milkweed pods I had collected, now dry, and went into the studio to experiment.

I chose a nice, dark purple superwash merino roving that I had dyed to blend with the milkweed silk. As I carded, it became immediately apparent that the milkweed silk was too fine to blend evenly with the merino. Instead, it went in as silky clumps. Actually, I think this will be a nice effect, like a silky tweed.

Right now, I have a 1 oz batt that I plan to do some sampling with later today. I’m going to spin small skeins of two ply, three-ply and navajo-plied fingering weight and knit up some swatches to see what will work best for the shawl. This alone should indicate how infatuated I am with this idea- I am very much a fly by the seat of my pants crafter. This, my friends, is dedication.

our own home-made cider

And the last thing I have to share today, while most definitely not the least exciting, is cider. Fresh, beautiful, delicious cider that we made ourselves. Mr. Practical also happens to be Mr. Build or Fix Anything, and a few weekends ago he decided to focus his abilities on creating a cider press. We made cider with the boys last weekend and it was fantastic. The friends we met up with at the festival are planning to come over next Sunday for a cider-making, pumpkin-carving, spinning and knitting, all-around awesome autumn afternoon. I, for one, can’t wait.