the bianka scarf.

i finally reached the bottom of the fleece bag. all of bianka's beautiful first-shear has been spun into yarn by hand using a drop spindle. it took a long time. and i suppose i rendered about two skeins worth of yarn. i made this first batch super thick. partially because i like chunky yarn, and partially because i was still learning. next time i might try being a little more conservative. would like to spin thin enough to be able to create a two-ply yarn out of it.

next, i employed my almost non-existent crocheting skills. i took my little basket of mohair yarn and crocheted a scarf. it's a bit messy but i like it. it reminds me of bianka: soft, curly, & cherubic with just a touch of clumsy.

bianka in may 08 before her first shear

the bianka scarf

up close

friday was...

figuring out that my ball of yarn doesn't go very far. i started crocheting a scarf. didn't even make a full two rows. so i hit the cards again and started spinning more. hopefully, i'll have enough by the time snow rolls into town this winter.

whilst i was busy spinning, i heard a clatter in the kitchen. looks like del ray has figured out how to climb/jump/fly? he was on top of the kitchen table rearranging things.

spent some time with the chickens. they haven't been laying eggs for a week or so. we had to call in reinforcement last week. we moved in 20 baby female chickens. i had a talk with the older hens. explained the situation. i think we came to an understanding.

checked on stella (still pregnant). since i moved stella to the cow field, baby snakes has latched onto her like a parasitic twin. they are inseparable. for better or worse.

tended my garden. picked my first batch of sweet red peppers. looks like i'll be having grilled peppers for dinner.

sweeeeeet!

future egg-layer of america

i've got a llama on my back!

from goat to yarn.

i'm still in the learning stages of transforming lovely locks into mohair wool. it's awkward and foreign and tedious. but it's a tediousness that is strangely appealing to me. i'm not exactly sure how or why it all works, but i will and it does. here's a short sweet synopsis of the process:

first, you must obtain an angora goat....

bianka says, "pick me!"

bianka is a kid (baby goat). she had her first shear or "first clilp" back in may. first clips are more valuable because kid fleece is super fine. after we sheared her, i placed the fleece in a paper bag and stored it in the closet awaiting the next step... washing.

washing can ruin a fleece. if it is done wrong, it will turn to felt. you can't spin felt. you can maybe make christmas ornaments. being my paranoid self, i kept the bag in the closet for months. came up with all sorts of excuses why it wasn't a good time to wash. pregnant donkey. del ray training. hornworms. all were valid distractions but the truth was simple... i didn't trust me. finally got up the nerve with a little help from jason and i washed and dried fleece with success! sorry folks, no felt christmas ornaments this year.

i then proceeded to the next step.... carding. this stage is perhaps the most unatural to me. i bought books, studied articles, watched online videos. just didn't make sense. you take these cute little curly shiny locks and rake them through two metal brushes attached to big heavy wooden paddles. seems like a horrible idea. first time i tried, it looked like crap. but i practiced and got better. and formed a loose section of wool called a rolag.

final step.... spinning. i'm not going to spell it all out. cause i'm an amateur. but somehow you magically attach the rolag to the drop spindle, you hook, and twist and spin and pinch and pray that it all turns out ok. and eventually the spindle gets full and you can either make a skein (those cute little figure-eight-type packages storebought yarn comes in which seems way too complicated for me and is usally made with an instrument called a "niddy noddy" which i can barely type no less say without laughing) or you can roll it into a ball. i chose the ball.

cards, rolags, washed locks, and spindle

ball o'yarn

sentimental gentle wind....

blowing through my life again...

there is finally a breeze. and a cool. and a rain. and open windows. and i'm listening to "bare trees" by fleetwood mac.

getting back to getting stuff done. did more barn cleaning. the goats "helped" by rearranging supplies, knocking over trash can, chewing gloves/shirt/everything/anything...

harvested my coriander. picked some tomatoes. worked on halter training/rope leading with stella (still pregnant). taught del ray "give me your paw" & "roll over" - which he has combined together for a unique "roll over salute". or as i like to call it "who wants a burrito?".

and finally got around to my first attempt at yarn. i am learning to card and spin our angora goat fleece into mohair wool yarn. the locks are super fine and shiny and beautiful. and i have no idea what i'm doing so i joined yet another online support group. this one for spinners. and have actually produced my first yard of yarn. i'd attach a photo but it's just not that impressive looking... yet. i'll keep practicing and asking questions to the online cosmos and hopefully i won't get all my groups mixed up and spin stella's tail to the llama's mane while standing in the middle of a pond full of baby donkey's.

who wants a burrito? "i do"