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preparing for this week's update

Today, I’m packing up the last of the orders from Monday’s update. Tomorrow, I’ll be working on dyeing the next shipment to The Loopy Ewe, as well as some MCN for the next shop update. I was hoping to have some sweater amount batches of Super Squish Worsted for the next update, but hold-ups with the mill have pushed things back yet again. As soon as the yarn becomes available, I’ll be dyeing up sweater-sized batches in all of my Glimmer colorways. I can’t wait!!

before starting the feather and fan repeats

In the evenings, I’ve been working on the Multnomah shawl. I finished the fourth repeat last night. There are only 10 repeats in the pattern, so I’m getting there. If I keep going at this slow but steady rate, I should have a new shawl by next week.

When Multnomah’s done, I’ll begin the spinning on my milkweed shawl. Some sampling revealed a couple of things- First, two-ply will be the easiest to pull off and looks nice. Second, the silky tweed I originally envisioned was too tweedy.

So, I’ve taken what was left of the test batt, split it, and blended it with the rest of the roving. During the process, the silky fibers blended a bit more into the merino, so the whole batt has a sheen to it, and there are smaller and less frequent slubs of milkweed silk throughout. I’m thrilled with the finished batts and can’t wait to start the actual spinning for the project. Pictures soon!

Red, Trouble, and Thing 2 are blissfully unphased by the loss, and I suppose that I should follow their lead. Having a farm is as much about death as life, and if I want a farm some day, I’d better start getting used to the idea.

RIP Thing 1. You were as loved as any pea-brained chicken could ever be.

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.

So far, I’m absolutely loving it- and it’s not nearly as hard as I thought it would be. I already have plans to make a lace weight version when this one is done- that’s how much I love it!

Back to the dyepots… an update announcement is imminent!

1. I haven’t done a proper update for almost a month and my junkies customers are getting antsy.

2. I was accepted to be a participating vendor at Craftland.

3. Any of you who receive The Loopy Ewe newsletter already know that very soon, Fiberphile will be available there! I’m so honored to be asked to sell at TLE, and am hoping that this new arrangement will make it easier for all of you to get the Fiberphile yarn you want with the added benefits that Sheri so generously extends to her customers.

Anyone familiar with the dye process knows that dumping yarn and dye in the pot is only part of the dye process. The yarn needs to simmer at a temperature just below boiling for at least half an hour to properly set the dye. During these waiting periods, I’ve managed to get a fair amount of fiber-related project time in.

knit with fiberphile MCN worsted- available soon!

The first was a hat made from a brand-new pattern, Ripple by Wendy Bernard of Knit and Tonic.

I love this hat, even though it’s huge on my head. I will go down a needle size the next time I knit this pattern, and there will most definitely be a next time.

The yarn is Fiberphile MCN worsted, just as buttery soft and luxurious as my MCN fingering weight. This yarn is set to become available in October, so stay tuned!

handspun from alpaca/merino/silk roving

Another hat, this time from the pattern Robin’s Egg Blue. I was looking for a simple hat with a bit of interest, that would effectively show off the uniqueness of handspun wool. I think this pattern fits all requirements perfectly.

The fiber is Fiberphile Alpaca/Merino/Silk in an experimental colorway. I overdid it just a tad with the fuchsia dye, and it refused to set or wash out enough for me to sell. So, it’s mine. I can’t say that I’m terribly disappointed about that.

The button is one that came in a giant jar of vintage buttons that my mom got for me at a thrift store last year. She knows me so well!

three rows in

Finally, I have taken the plunge and started my very first shawl. After looking at lots of beautiful patterns, I decided on Ishbel by Ysolda Teague.

I chose this pattern because the bulk of it is simple stockinette and yarn-overs. The chart for the lace edging looks pretty intimidating, but there are written instructions included, so I will be able to follow the written instructions and mark my progress on the chart rows.

I’m currently 3/5 of the way through the plain part, so will soon be venturing into the lace portion. Stay tuned!

The label says it’s a Dick Blick Artcraft, but it’s really an older version of the Leclerc Dorothy, private labeled for Dick Blick. It’s a 4 shaft table loom on its own stand. It’s PERFECT for a beginner who didn’t want to invest thousands into a loom but wanted to experiment with textures and patterns that weren’t easily done on a rigid heddle. And, I think it’s charming. I’ve ordered some 6/2 cotton mill ends and hope that by the time I’ve woven the warp off into a set of dish towels, I will have a much better understanding of the amazing process of weaving. And of course, because I’m me, I’m already day-dreaming about the full-sized, 8-shaft floor loom that I will own in the future…

I’m spending the time dyeing of course, and catching up on all of the household chores that never seem to stay done very long when the kids are home for the summer.

Autumn is my favorite time, and I can smell it in the air. It’s well on its way to this little valley of New England. I can’t wait to visit the local orchard to pick apples!

We’ve been busy, but good busy.

Busy watching our chickies grow:

Busy exploring the forest and finding interesting things:

And of course, busy making things; like this set I made for little Bean:

We’ve been busy watching our garden grow, too. We had so many sugar snap peas that we would send the kids out to eat them straight off the plants, and had many delicious stir fry dinners with pea pods as the main vegetable. And yesterday, Liam harvested our first ripe tomatoes:

And of course you all know I wouldn’t be me if I wasn’t pursuing a new craft-related obsession. But that’s for another post.