Fiber Dance Festival.

So much going on this weekend.  I was very busy all week getting ready for this event.  Tammy, Carol-Gay and I had a booth at the Festival.  We have all our yarn, knitted articles,  roving, and some of my fleeces to sale. 

This is our booth.  Lots going on here.

I sold one of my spinning wheels and a couple of fleeces so I can get a new electric spinning wheel.

 

These are some hats I have made that was for sale.  Don't really expect to sell them now.  They do better in the fall.

 

My friends doing a Back to Back practice.  I can't spin right now because of my knee, sure miss doing that.

 

Me, Tammy , and Carol-Gay holding Carol-Gay's critters.  I have the sheep and they have angora goats.  Really sweet.

This was such a fun weekend.  The next time we do this is in October.  Looking forward to that.
 

SPINNING FOR THE SHEEP TO SHAWL

This Father's day we had two teams to spin and weave a shawl at the San Diego County Fair.  I always love doing this.  This year I didn't enter the spinning contest ( I do so poorly under pressure) so I had a very relaxed time.  Some of my friends and I have been working on spinning the warp for this project for over a month.  That was probably my favorite part.  We met every Tuesday at one of the Girls houses (Kelly's ) and made plans, spun on the yarn and had lunch together (thanks again to Kelly) 

Until I got my new electric spinner I was in a blue funk about spinning.  Most of the time I was in so much pain I couldn't even concentrate on knitting.  But with my new miniSpinner I am in heaven.  I can spin all day or into the night.  Happy Girl!!! 

This is all my gear set up ready to go at the Sheep to Shawl.  I got this wonderful case that was really made for ice skaters to carry their Ice skates in and they can sit on top to put on and take off their skates.  It works perfect for my minSpinner as a table and of course as a carrying case.  It has awesome wheels that light up as it roles.  Ron bought me a new chair to match and I got the bag at the grocery store to match.  I'm all decked out and even got a battery for the spinner so I can spin anywhere I go.  It also has attachments to spin in the car or motor home or boat.  Great fun for me and I just keep making more yarn.

We had two teams this year so it was double fun.  We had two looms on stage and our plyer was on stage.  The rest of us spinners were on the floor in front so we could spin and answere questions people had about what we were doing.  This is always a great out reach to the public about spinning and all fiber arts.  It advertises our spinning class, but also lets people know we are out there.  You'de be surprised how many people don't know there are spinners in San Diego.  You wouldn't think we would need wool things, but it's everywhere. 

 

This is our loom right before we got started.  It was already warped and ready to weave on.

 

 

Here you can see the beautiful warp.  It was such a fun project.  The white in the middle was mostly my Isabell.  She is a Columbia sheep.  The colors on the edges are mostly Tammy's sheep and Aunt Cocoa, Beth and Murphy.  We all donated what we had to do this project.  It was such fun.

This is the Shawl we wove with our handspun.  It turned out so beautiful.

I really love weaving.  Totally different than knitting or crocheting.  It makes fabric.  I just warp my table loom for dishtowels so will be weaving while working this summer.  I still can't use my big loom because of my knee.  Oh well, that's another story!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A new Car for us!

We have been needing a newer car for some time but were waiting for the right time.  We were more encouraged about finding one when we helped Rhonda look for a car for Tess.  There were lots of good cars out there and we even found some in our price range.  Then poor Lilly had transmission problems and added to the radiator problems we were already having it was just too much. 

 

 

MEET BETTY WHITE

She is a 1999 Chrysler Town and Country Limited.  Perfect condition.  One owner kept in the garage her whole life and I don't think anyone was ever in the back seat.  56,000 miles almost unheard of.  The engine is so clean it looks like a brand new car.  It has all leather anterior and rides like a dream.  We love her.  After poor old Lilly this is real luxury.  It's longer than our silver van was so we are still getting used to it.  We really feel blessed to have gotten her.  She was just waiting out there for us to find her. 

Hay Bailing Time

The oat hay was ready and cut last week.  Then it was time to bail it.

THis is Dave Madison bailing our oat hay.  We have lived here for 36 years and he has been planting and harvesting oat hay all those years.  Still going strong.

Ron was out in the field putting the loose hay in collums so Dave could easily pick it up in the bailer.  Of course our granddaughter's dog Rain was trying to help.  She later got banished to the truck to watch from a safe place.  It wouldn't do to have a dog in your bail of hay.  infact, I had taken Louie to the house for the same reason.

The sheep can't wait for them to finish.  That means they get to get back out into the pasture and clean up all the extra.  They have spent the winter pretty much cooped up.  I love the look of all the bails in the pasture.  So do the sheep, I can just tell. 

There has been so much going on in my life and many changes.  I haven't worked on this in a long time.  I think Facebook kind of took it's place, but I still loved having a blog.

This is my friend Tammy with her very sweet Ewe, Beth.  She brought her to my house to be sheared when the Shearer came last month.  We had a fun day and all the girls got a haircut.  It is so exciting to us"wool" people to see all those lovely fleeces.  We can't wait to get our hand on them to spin and knit and dream them into wonderful things.

These are my girls waiting their turn to be sheared.  We get them penned up in close quarters so we can catch them one by one.
They are scared at first, but soon realize we are not going to kill them!  So upsetting at first.  Sheep are a prey animal, so fear is their strongest instinct.

This is Zane, our shearer at work.  He is very strong and knows just how to handle the sheep so he can get the job done.  I think this is Gabby (Gabriella), named by my grandson Peyton on her ride home to my house.  She had plenty to say all the way home so he named her Gabby.  The name stuck and I gave her a pretty name to go with it, and Gabby is her nickname.  She still is the first to speak up when we go out to their pen and always has something to say.  I have to admit, she is one of my favorite for many reasons.  No matter how long I go between visits, she always comes up to see me and lets me scratch her head.  Her wool is fantastic and borders on being like superwash.  Meaning it hardley won't felt.  I have a pair of socks I made two years ago and still wash and dry them.  The wool fulls, but hasn't felted.  Plus it is just plain fun to work with. 

 This is a yummy, wonderful fleece right off the sheep!  I love this!

This is a happy naked sheep.  That has to feel good.  This is Murphy, Tammy's other sheep.  Her fleece is wonderful.


That was shearing day and it was fun and tiring.  I couldn't do much to help, but I was a good supervisor.  I was still recovering from knee surgery so pretty much was useless.  It sure was hard not to get in there and help.  Ron, was the one catching the sheep and getting them ready for the shearer.  My friend Kelly was also there to help.  Ron is actually the Shepard so the sheep love him and pretty much trust him the most.
I love this time of year, because you can see the oats in the back round and is the only time it is green around here.  Makes for a pretty picture. 

Ron and Kelly with the next sheep ready

Wow, it's been so long since I have posted here. So much has happened and I keep myself very busy creating new things. I guess I will have to try to get focused and do better about taking pictures and all that goes with getting back on track here.

This is a picture of my friend Debra and I spinning at her shop Funky Spun in Santa Isabel. She has closed the shop as of today, and I will miss it so much. I loved to go there and spin and chat with other spinners. I am spinning with a drop spindle in this picture because I had hurt my knee and was giving it a rest. It is all better now so I am back at the Wheel.

I have a new lap top computer too and am having trouble finding my pictures. I'll keep trying and am sure I will somehow figure it out.

Been working at the Del Mar race track all summer and now I am home again. It's only been a week, and already I am back in full swing of classes and knitting and spinning and making myself crazy.