Fiber Arts Friday : Preparing Tibetan Mastiff Undercoat for Spinning

I washed it.

Carded it.

Pulled it through a diz. 

 

The Tour de Fleece starts on the 4th. 

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Fiber Arts Friday: Pinocchio's Cashmere

I finished spinning these singles last week.

Since I broke the yarn a few times while spinning and prefer to make joins while working on the final project, I ended up with 5 separate singles totaling 34 yards and 1/4 ounce.

It took me almost 3 weeks of spindling 10-15 minutes during the lunch hour at the Day Job.

I love spinning cashmere.  Love, love, love it.  Good thing I have more in my stash....

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Fiber Arts Friday: Spinning Silk

I have been spinning silk off and on since last summer.

This is my first time with 100% silk.  It was squeaky and a little sticky when drafting but I love the color and the rustic texture of the finished yarn.  So I have mixed feelings about it.

Breaking the roving into thinner sections helped with the drafting, and it definitely mattered which end I started from.

I want to try hankies, so I will give it at least another try or two before I make a "final" decision on whether I like spinning 100% silk.  ;-)

I was going back and forth between plying and leaving this as a single.

So when I broke the yarn while winding it into a cake, I decided to ply only the smaller portion.

This has yet to have a bath, but you can see that my plying was not very consistent... some is loose and some is tighter.  

I'm fairly certain I am going to leave the rest as a single since I have a vague idea for a weaving.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Shearing Season

I'm always trying to come up with something profound to say on this subject.  But the simple truth is, if you're just calling now because it's finally getting warm, you are going to wait.

photo taken by Johnny Robson

• May and June are high season around here for shearing.
• There is a shortage of good shearers.
• Most schedules have been set for months.

My schedule is generally firm and full by February.

Good Night Chiva

Having a farm is mostly rewarding.  But some days are harder than others.

I had been wondering how much longer Chiva would be with us.  The last couple of winters had been tough on him.

He was older, but not "old."

He had a famous father, but poor conformation and skin issues that we could not get ahead of.

He was gelded early on and never a sire, but he was protective of the smaller alpacas.  So we would bring him into the Mom and Cria Corral a few weeks before we would separate the young boys from their mommas.

Chiva made weaning easier.  The little boys always had a friend who would stick up for them when the bigger boys would start to bully them.

I found him in the pasture Sunday afternoon within an hour of his passing.

His herdmates and protectors had already said their good-byes.

We're sad, even though we knew it was coming.

Chiva in younger days

Crescent Moon's Chivalry, we've enjoyed knowing you.  Thank you for being part of our herd.

Saturday Morning Visitors

These two young bachelor Mule Deer spent the morning in our front yard enjoying the shade of our Blue Spruce.

This is the first time I've seen deer on our property.  With so many close neighbors the deer are typically a couple of miles west of us.

A nice distraction from Saturday morning chores.  ;-)

Fiber Arts Friday on Saturday: Spindling Cashmere

I've been having a hard time being away from the farm during the day.  Especially now that winter is over and there is still daylight when I get home.

So last week I decided to start bringing my drop spindle to the office.

I hadn't been taking time for lunch at the Day Job.... just eating while I'm working so I can get home sooner to help with chores and puppies.  But I figured that spending 10-15 minutes with wood and fiber in the middle of the day might be good for my soul.

I had started spindling this cashmere at the end of last summer's Tour de Fleece.  It was a gift from one of my shearing clients.  I shear her llama and alpacas.  She also has horses, chickens, peacocks and a few goats.

She had mentioned that she didn't know what to do with the black goat's undercoat.  I believe I stopped in the middle of what I was doing and started salivating.  ;-)  So she said she would try to save some of it for the next year.  But surprised me by sending a 1/4 ounce in the mail a few weeks later.

I love working with cashmere, so bringing it to the office has been a nice respite.

I suspect I'll be finished with the single in a couple of days.  I'm not fast with the drop spindle, but using it nearly every day means I'm getting better and spinning this fine fiber from a cloud means I've broken the yarn a couple of times when I start to get too confident.  ;-/

Linking up with Fiber Arts Friday on Saturday.  Be sure to check everyone out over there.

Have a great one!