Fiber Arts Friday: Estes Park Wool Market 2020, part 2

Swatching

As mentioned a few weeks ago, I registered for a class at the Estes Park Wool Market that has 14 swatches to complete prior to the class starting in June.

• 4  4-inch Stockinette
• 4  4-inch Garter
• 1  3-inch 2x2 Rib
• 1  3-inch 1x1 Rib
• 4  started, but incomplete Stockinette

Using some left over Cascade 220 and US7 needles, I have completed the first bullet and am working on the second.

The instructions don't ask for the swatches to be blocked, but I think I will block them slightly.

• 6 of 14 Swatches Complete
• 3 Months Remaining

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Dog Show: Colorado Kennel Club, 2020

It's no secret that the Colorado Kennel Club Dog Show at the famed National Western Stock Show Complex is one of my favorites.

This is one of the few local dog shows that brings out the public, so I have plenty of opportunity to educate people about Tibetan Mastiffs.  We decided to enter Ramen. 

I love seeing the transformation from Working Livestock Guardian Dog to Show Dog.  :-)

Normally I bathe our dogs in the back yard, but it's been cold and snowy.  So we went to Tractor Supply and used their self-serve Dog Wash.

The room was a little small, but we got the job done.  I will definitely be using their facility again.

courtesy: Jodi Maxon

Ramen had lots of family, friends, and fans come out to cheer him on.

He filled in beautifully for a Junior Handler friend of ours.

And showed his heart out for me.

courtesy: Sancie Rupple

courtesy: Jodi Maxon

courtesy: Stacy Woita

courtesy: Stacy Woita

courtesy: Kanitha Sullivan

courtesy: Sheila Mitchell

We were fortunate to have 5 dogs exhibited on all three days this year.

Prior to this show he needed two majors, two champion defeats, and 16 points to complete his Grand Championship.  He finished out the weekend with 3 Best of Breeds, 3 Owner-Handled Best of Breeds, and 1 Owner-Handled Working Group 3rd.... for 3 4-point majors and 3-defeats toward his Grand Championship Title and 30 points toward his National Owner-Handled Ranking.

courtesy: Sancie Rupple

It is rare to sweep the weekend, especially against such nice dogs.  So to do this two years after a back injury is extremely special.

He's completed his majors and defeats, and (assuming I did the math right) only needs four more points to complete his Grand Championship.

Ramen is such a versatile dog...  He's a great livestock guardian and mentor to our younger dogs.  He has and even and predictable temperament at shows and other events.  I am exceptionally proud to be the breeder of such a great ambassador.

Until next time...

Fiber Arts Friday: Dress Form

I know this will sound silly, but it didn't occur to me that one could buy a dress form until a few years ago.... One friend had posted one on her blog and then another had one custom made that matched her body size.  So I figured I would get one at some point, but even as I photographed scarves and shawls on chairs and railings, it really wasn't a priority until recently.

I've been working on a project for a competition later this year and felt it needed a dress form to be displayed properly in the submission photos.

There are so many options.  Dress forms come in wire, adjustable, black, white, and different prints.  The number of options is overwhelming, at least for someone who doesn't enjoy shopping.  ;-)

I really like the jute-covered head I got a while back, but I needed a darker color for this project.  So I figured I'd get a black dress form.  Then, just as I was about to click on the purchase button, I noticed a red one.

A few weeks later, I finally made the purchase and she arrived soon after.

Please meet my new dress form.  She is wearing my Best in Show Winning Alpaca Wrap, for now.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Fiber Arts Friday: Startitis and Long Term Projects

I admire people who can dedicate their time and focus to one project or subject.

This has never been me.  I learned a while back there's a term for it, multipotentialite, but that's a different post. ;-)

So while I prefer to have multiple projects in various stages of maturity in multiple subjects, there is a point where it gets to be too much.  Which means I've written posts like this before, I think because it helps me prioritize my ideas and activities.

Knitting

• Tempestry New Normal - recently started
• Scrappy Palindrome - starting to slow down and on the verge of being on hold.
• Bending Toward Justice - this idea was hatched on March 31, 2019 and has been my primary focus since August.  It is very close to being finished, but has not been shared online yet.  This project must be complete by the middle of March.
• Swatches for Finishing Class - recently started.  Must be complete by June.
• On Hold: Copperbranch - I intended to pick this up over the winter.  It needs dedicated, quiet attention.  It is too big to travel and too hot to work on in the summer.
• On Hold: Rill Scarf
• On Hold: one unfinished Christmas Gift
• A fresh idea for a hat.  The design has been drafted.  I'm anxious to test it.

Spinning

• SE2SE Breed 8 of 22 - Gulf Coast
• On Hold: White Suri Alpaca - started so, so long ago, and only TBD oz to go
• Spindling Cashmere
• Tour de Fleece - starting to think about goals and available time for this year's Tour in July.

Weaving

• Planning the warp for the first project on my portable loom

Fiber Collection

• Tibetan Mastiff Shed - the dogs have started their shed for 2020, which means collection is happening now.
• Preparing for Alpaca Shearing Day in May.

Ruminating

• A collection related to birds

This is just the stuff that I'm actively thinking about and working on.. with respect to Fiber.

I'm also thinking about a class I intend to teach in the fall, a book I've started writing, my day job, the state of our government, nutrition, fitness, a dog show, ... and a few other things.  :-)

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Fiber Arts Friday: Estes Park Wool Market 2020, part 1

On February 1st, I signed up for a couple of classes at the Estes Park Wool Market in June.

Taking classes at Wool and Fiber Markets has been on my list for a while, so this year I am finally doing it.  :-)

I will be taking the Clemes & Clemes Exploring the Drum Carder class and the Finished with Excellence class with Paula Koerner.

First off, I have a half-sized drum carder that I bought used a while back.  I've been using it with reasonable success, but other than one overview session covering all of the fiber prep steps in my Learning to Spin class a dozen years ago, I have no training on how to properly use this tool.

I adore both Henry and Roy, and bought one of their Modern Wheels last year.  I've also heard a lot of good reviews on this class, so I expect to learn a lot.


The second class, Finished with Excellence, has a lot of swatching homework to complete before June.

• 4  4-inch Stockinette
• 4  4-inch Garter
• 1  3-inch 2x2 Rib
• 1  3-inch 1x1 Rib
• 4  started, but incomplete Stockinette

For a total of 14 swatches in a prescribed yarn and needle size plus several other supplies.

Fortunately, I have plenty of yarn left over from my Santaclava and Santa Hat projects that meet the requirements.

As an experienced knitter I have (obviously) done a lot of finishing, but it's something that I've always thought I could do better.  So I am looking forward to spending one full day learning how to do these techniques better.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!