Fiber Arts Friday: Palindrome Scarf, part 7

Sunday marks 2 years since I started my Palindrome Scarf.  Last time (mid-January) I had just finished burgundy ball #1.

Today, I'm little less than half way through burgundy ball #2.  Obviously I haven't been working on it very much, but I have been picking it up recently.  Slightly cooler weather always helps with knitting progress.

Even though the scarf is already at 56 inches, I feel I have 20 to 22 inches to go before I'm done with this project.  I continue to change my mind about when and where to place the 15 grams of black.  Hopefully I will have made a decision by the time I get around to posting about this project again. ;-)

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Tibetan Mastiff Info Calendar Winners, 2016

The winners were announced on Monday.

Baby Nobu was our vote getter.  She did not make it into the calendar, but some great photos did.  Including one of my favorites, chosen as the cover.

Please consider supporting Tibetan Mastiff Info by purchasing a 2016 wall calendar.

Many Thanks,
Kathryn, Nobu, and The Crew

Peachy Weekend

This has become a tradition.  Our neighbor sells Palisade Peaches as part of a college scholarship fundraiser for women and I make jammy goodness.  :-)

We bought two lug boxes, 36 lbs this year.

I froze some, made one batch of butter and the rest went into jam.

I bought the wrong kind of pectin, so the darker jars were boiled longer and are therefore a thick jam.  The lighter colored jars were not boiled as long and thus more of a peach sauce.  The darkest jars are the peach butter.

We sure do love our Colorado Peaches.  :-)

Greeley Dog Show, 2015

Mr. Ramen had his first conformation show last month.  At eight months he is the most easy-going Tibetan Mastiff we've had thus far.

He took his time checking out all of the new sights and smells.  He was polite and friendly with everyone he met and took every opportunity he had for a nap.

For his first time in the breed ring, it was a little after noon, ridiculously hot outside and he performed extremely well.  He was rewarded with Winner's Dog (WD), Best of Breed (BOB) and Bred by Exhibitor (BBE).

The group competitions are always at the end of the day, so it's a long day whether you happen to be a puppy or a person.  He wasn't very cooperative with stacking, but as you can see below, he enjoys the go-around.

Photo Credit: Bonnie Spiece, Windy Pine Cane Corso

Sunday was harder for him.  There were so many new smells in the breed ring and we were ready too early, so his puppy brain was in full gear.  However, he was awarded Winner's Dog (WD) and Owner-Handled (OH), which means we were fortunate to have group time in the air-conditioning both days.

Photo Credit: Bonnie Spiece, Windy Pine Cane Corso

Overall, he enjoyed the show and really has fun in class, so he will keep exhibiting.  :-)

Fiber Arts Friday: Spinning Tibetan Mastiff

So I haven't been writing much, but I have been spinning a lot lately.

I started spinning the Tibetan Mastiff for the Tour de Fleece on July 4th.  I had quite a lot remaining at the end of the Tour, so I continued spinning.  Finally finishing the singles 7.5 weeks later on August 26th.

I was going for a thin yarn, so it broke a few times when winding off the bobbins.

The small, extra-fuzzy balls in the front were made on the drop spindle from raw fur. The rest was on the wheel from washed, carded fur.  9.75 oz total.

My Lazy Kate is too narrow for my bobbins, so I thought I would try to ply from cakes. But it's also too small in the vertical direction for the big cakes. :-/

So I started plying with three cakes on the floor, then finally found a yarn and two soup bowls to keep them contained.

I had to keep my home office door closed, as this was just way too tempting for a certain kitten.  ;-)

This was the first time one of my bobbins was completely full.  It held 6 ounces of 3-ply yarn.

Two skeins straight off the wheel...

And after a bath and stretch in the sun...

I finished spinning on September 4th, exactly 2 mos after starting.  I'm really happy with the results and can say that knitting with it is very nice so far. :-)

Happy Fiber Arts Friday.