Fiber Arts Friday: Rainbow Vanilla Socks, part 3

In episode 3, I have been working on the feet of these Rainbow Vanilla Socks.

Simple Socks are the best for waiting around knitting.  

• They are small, therefore portable.
• They can be stopped at any time.
• It's easy to pick up at any time and know where you are in the pattern.  

So far, I have worked on these while waiting for:

• warranty work on my truck,
• while travelling to an Invitational Dog Show
• while waiting for events at said Invitational Dog Show
• at the DMV
• Waiting for a yoga class to start

I completed the foot for Sock #1 on 7/11/25 and began working on the foot for Sock #2.

As of today, finally in mid-September 2025, I have completed foot #2.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Fiber Arts Friday: Rainbow Vanilla Socks, part 2

I spent a little bit of time working on these Rainbow Vanilla Socks while at a Dog Show on Mother's Day.

I had set these up in early April in preparation for some travelling I have planned for next month... and also for the warmer days that happen during a Colorado spring which was certainly the case last weekend.

I realized that I cast one one more stitch for one sock, so I corrected that and now have both toes complete.

I also took some measurements and set the plan for when to place the scrap lines for the Afterthought Heel.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Fiber Arts Friday: Rainbow Vanilla Socks, part 1

I have wanted to make a pair of Rainbow Socks for a while.  As such, I've accumulated a selection of Rainbow Sock-weight yarns over the last few years.

I've been setting them aside for the last few months and contemplating them with different patterns... I want to show-off the colorway without making it muddy or modifying the stripe thicknesses due to changing round lengths around the heel.  Many of the alternate-construction patterns are quite interesting in this regard, but as of the end of March, I decided to make a simple Toe-up, Vanilla Sock, with an Afterthought Heel using Scarlett's Rainbow.

The yarn I chose was acquired at the Estes Park Wool Market last year and dyed locally by a new-to-me artist.

The colorway, Scarlett's Rainbow, is named after the artist's daughter and has a large number of colors in short succession.  Which means the color changes every few stitches.

This pattern should work nicely with this colorway, which I think lends itself to a pleasing set of Fraternal Twins, rather than needing to be Identical.  If I hold on to that idea, the stress of getting both socks started in the same place of the colorway goes away.... and I am always in favor of reducing stress, no matter how small it may seem.  :-)

I initially swatched with US0 needles, which yielded the recommended gauge of 8sts/inch.  However, I decided the fabric was too stretchy.  So I cast on with US00 needles.

As of this writing, I have two rounds completed per sock and the end-of-rounds are marked.

We are ready for being a travel project and will be Fraternal Twins.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Things That Work: Tallow Balm

I used to participate in the One Small Change and Slow Living monthly reports.  I'm still doing a lot of these things to reduce our carbon foot print, but one thing that has always eluded me was how to handle toiletry products.

Then last year I learned about a local producer of Beef Tallow moisturizers.  I had used Bison Tallow soap before, and completely loved it.  So this was an easy sell for me.

With being a farmer anyway and extra-diligent about hand-washing due to Covid, my hands take a beating.

Our skin is our largest organ and absorbs everything we put on it.  So I think it's even more important to be using healthy, sustainable products.

I love that this tallow balm is literally only 3 ingredients that are easy to pronounce and understand; beef tallow, olive oil, and essential oils.

When I use the Tallow Balm, I feel the need for it less frequently than when using industrially-produced lotions.

I also really love the stick format.  It's perfect for carrying in my hand-bag or backpack and does not seep thru the cardboard.

So these days I'm keeping a stick in my handbag and a jar on my desk.

Beef Tallow definitely works!

Fiber Arts Friday: Spinning Suri Alpaca, White

I started spinning this Suri Alpaca in March 2016.  It rested a lot, but then got a lot of attention as I tried to finish it before the Tour de Fleece in 2017.

It was not finished.

Then I worked on it some more, trying to finish it before the 2018 Tour de Fleece.

It was not finished.

There it waited on the bobbin storage rack for another window....

with only 3/4 of an ounce to go.

Finally, in June, as I was preparing for the 2020 Tour de Fleece and I was able to finish the last 3/4 oz.  :-)

668 yards, 24 wpi

Some yarns just take longer than others... kind of like some stories.  ;-)

Happy Fiber Arts Friday.

Travel Reading, part 6 - Raw Material

After Reading Brotopia, I needed something that was more upbeat.

Raw Material: Working Wool in the West by Stephany Wilkes was just the ticket.

I found this book at Stitches West earlier this year.  I just loved the premise, so it went toward the top of my reading queue.

Turns out Ms Wilkes was the first interview on the Soil to Soil Podcast.  In which, I found her to be engaging and compelling.  So I was really looking forward to reading her book.

It was a slow off ramp from Brotopia.  Ms Wilkes is a former Bay Area Tech worker and mentioned some of the sexual harassment she was the target of prior to making her career change.  Fortunately she quickly got to her shearing experiences and told the story of how Mendocino Wool came in to being.

I appreciate the author telling stories of walking into businesses after shearing all day and describing the looks that shop keepers/clerks would give... as well as how good food can taste at the end of a long day shearing.... and of course, the response from family/friends about how crazy she was to leave a lucrative job for manual labor... and the despair that comes with being stuck in an office all week after spending an entire weekend outside, doing tangible productive work... I feel a kinship with Ms. Wilkes and hope I am able to meet her one day.... shearing people are some of my very favorite.  :-)

One thing I find interesting in the author's story, and have experienced it myself... while farming and shearing tend to be male-dominated, they are welcoming to women... if you are interested in learning, then you get the work.... at least in my experience, the overt sexism is not as prevalent as other industries I've worked in.

Fiber Arts Friday: Medium Brown Suri Yarn, Finished

This yarn was part of a package of local Suri given to me by a fellow alpaca breeder in the spring of 2016.

I started spinning it in July 2016, and finally finished it in June 2018.

It spent most of it's time resting.  ;-)

This yarn turned out much better than I expected.... it's always amazing what a bath does for fibers.

This is a 2-ply and will be part of a long-term project, yet to be revealed.

233 yards
2.25 oz
21 wpi

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Slow Living: July 2012

I guess it's true that life moves faster as you get older.  Or at least it moves faster as you get busier.

I was struck by one of the Slow Livers last month... that doesn't sound quite right.  Gonna have to think of a better name.  ;-)  But several of the folks mentioned how they're busier than ever trying to live a slower life.

I would have to agree.  It's not because of this project, but more because we're moving from one sort of lifestyle into another.  Learning new things and changing things over... and for us, certainly working a full-time job while building our own agri-business means there is a lot that needs to be done.

So on to July's installment for the Slow Living Project.

NOURISH: Make and bake as much as possible from scratch. Ditch overpackaged, over-processed convenience foods and opt for 'real' food instead. Share favourite links/recipes/tips from the month here.

I realize that I've been talking mostly about yoga in this category.  I think it's important for my well being... my soul, joints, strength, flexibility and peace of mind.  But I realize the intent of this category is more about food... preparing whole foods in a slower, healthier way.

I think we generally we do a good job in this category since this was our first step into living a greener life... before we were married nearly 15 years ago.  We buy in bulk, local, organic, natural or free-range as much as we feel we can.  But we also go through phases where we buy take away more often than we would like.  Usually it's from the Vietnamese place in town that makes an awesome bowl of Pho, but every now and then it's fast-food Chinese or grocery-store sushi.  Asian foods are our weakness.  ;-)

Roasted Home-Grown and Farmer's Market Beets

So aside from the take-aways that we enjoy, we have moved into full-summer.  Which means our garden is starting to produce and the Farmer's Market in full-swing, we've been able to make several meals each week that are either primarily or completely locally sourced and extremely fresh.  That makes me very happy.

PREPARE: Stockpile and preserve. Freeze extra meals or excess garden/market produce. Bottle/can, dehydrate or pickle foods to enjoy when they are not in season. Aim to reduce dependency on store bought items especially those known to contain BPA and other suspect additives. Stocking up on dry goods when prices are low counts too.

Our garden hasn't produced enough to start canning and freezing yet, but I think that will change next month. At least the canning will change since Hubba purchased two crates of Palisade Peaches from our neighbor.  :-)  We'll be receiving them later this week, so I have been reviewing recipes for jams and butter as well as instructions for freezing and canning.  I'm really looking forward to this weekend.  :-)

We are also planning our annual hay buy.  We need to get this worked out in the next couple of weeks.

REDUCE/Reuse/Re-purpose/Repair: Cut down on household waste by re-using, re-purposing and repairing. A ladder into a strawberry planter? A sheet into a dress? Share ideas and project links here, allowing others to be inspired.

I started making Limeade and Lemonade from actual limes and lemons.  With Hubba's profession as a road racer, we go through a lot of Gatorade type drinks and with this hot summer we've been going through even more than normal.  Which means our plastic recycling has gone open-loop recently.  ugh.

It's not really less expensive than buying the pre-made drinks... especially when they're on sale for $1 each.  But it does taste better and since the rinds go into the compost, there's no waste.

GREEN: up our lives. Start (or continue!) using homemade cleaners, body products and basic herbal remedies. The options are endless, the savings huge and the health benefits enormous.

I hung old CD's in each of our young fruit trees.  The trees are small and I only had 3 CD's available, but it seems to have worked.

I picked this plum a little early, but it was completely free of bird bites.  :-)

GROW: plant/harvest. What's growing this month? What's being eaten from the garden? Herbs in a pot, sprouts on a windowsill or and entire fruit/vegetable garden -opt for what fits space and time constraints. Don't have a backyard? Ask a friendly neighbour or relative for a small patch of theirs in return for some home grown produce, they may surprise you!

We have started harvesting a few things.  :-)  Zucchini, radishes, cucumbers, beets and tomatoes have all made it to our table.... yumm.

Watermelon, honeydew, cantaloupe, spaghetti squash, pie pumpkin, acorn squash, butternut squash, rutabaga, okra, plums and apples are all in the works.  :-)

We have also started breeding two of our alpaca maidens.  We decided last year that it would be better for us if we moved our breeding/birthing time to June-July.  There are fewer races then so Hubba is less likely to be travelling and since it's summer we're not likely to have a cria born during a snow storm.  ;-)

We will finish the protocol, then ask the vet to come out for ultrasounds over the next month or so.

We have 3 cria due in October and will most likely hold those mommas over to next summer so everyone will be birthing and breeding around the same time.  This not only makes it easier for us, it's easier on the cria who will have someone to play with as they are figuring out their world as well as have some friends to wean with when the time comes.

CREATE: to fill a need or feed the soul. Create for ourselves or for others. Create something as simple as a handmade gift tag or something as extravagant as a fine knit shawl. Share project details and any new skills learnt here.

July has been all about the Tour de Fleece.

DISCOVER: Feed the mind by reading texts relevant to current interests. Trawl libraries, second hand shops or local book shops to find titles that fill the need. Share titles/authors of what is being read this month.

We have been about figuring out what's next for Hubba.  Since we're not going to London, I recommended that he take a month off with no focused training and that he spend some time fishing and figure out exactly what he wants to do next.  He hasn't bought a fishing pole yet, but we've spent a lot of time exploring our heart's desires, life preferences and goals.

ENHANCE: community: Possibilities include supporting local growers and producers, help out at a local school/kindergarten, barter or foodswap, joining a playgroup or forming a walking or craft group. Car pooling where possible and biking/walking instead of driving. Even start up a blog if you haven't already - online communities count too! Or maybe just help out someone trying to cross the street! The rewards for your time are often returned tenfold.

My friend's daughter has started to help me halter train a couple of our young alpacas.  We have been wanting to show our alpacas, but just haven't gotten to that yet.  They have a youth division at our local alpaca show in November.  So I had made the suggestion to her mom a while back.  Her mom said she just about shook her head right off her shoulders about the idea of helping out with the alpacas over the summer.  :-)

Miss A and Big Thompson

She's learning a little about alpaca care but mostly she's been establishing trust between her and the youngsters.  Big Thompson is still being a little bit stubborn, but Clementine will follow Miss A just about anywhere now.

She's been trying her hand at spinning and crochet too.  It's been really fun for the both of us.

ENJOY: Life! Embrace moments with friends and family. Marking the seasons, celebrations and new arrivals are all cause for enjoyment. Share a moment to be remembered from the month here.

The 4th Season of Breaking Bad is now available on Netflix, so Hubba and I have been enjoying it quite a lot this month.  :-)  Not only because it is well written, produced and acted but because it is takes place in and is filmed in Albuquerque, NM.

Having been long-term residents of Albuquerque, it's quite a trip for us.  With the exception of a few, all of the places are real places on real streets in real neighborhoods...

• Jesse's aunt's house is close to our old house.  We used to walk our dogs down that street and every time I passed it I dreamed of living in it one day.
• I remember when they dressed up the duplex that Jesse lived in and thought it was weird that someone spent time and money dressing it up but then no one seemed to live in it.
• Garcia's on Central
• The Car Wash
• The parking lot that Walt Jr learned to drive in
• The Convenience Store

... these are all places that were part of our regular life when we lived in Albuquerque.



We also celebrated US Independence Day, an impromptu visit with my parents and of course the (delayed) coverage of the London Olympics.

Opening Day

It was a cool and damp 45F this morning for opening day at the Larimer County Farmer's Market.

As far as I could tell, it didn't dampen any one's spirits and I think it's also a blessing for those working the nearby Hewlett Gulch Fire.

I really like the idea of having a booth at the market one day.  Of course at this time I don't have anything planted and have no idea about the regulations or what licenses might be required to sell our produce.  But I am sure glad that other folks are on top of this.  :-)

Is There a Restaurant Nearby That You Like?

Hubba and I headed out to one of our favorite restaurants on Friday night... Tasty Harmony in Fort Collins.

We forgot it was Great Plates, so they were slammed and had a line.  We weren't in the mood to wait, so we decided to walk around a little... but as I said, it was Great Plates and it was Friday night and it seemed that everyone was slammed.

Great Plates is a two week festival of sorts, highlighting some of the restaurants in Downtown Fort Collins.  30 restaurants are participating this year. Each puts together special dishes highlighting things about their place and offers it at a significant discount.  It continues for another 10 days, so we will participate... we just weren't in the mood for waiting on Friday.

So we went to the Book Store.  I had heard great things about Old Firehouse Books.  I follow them on Twitter.  I had tried to find the store a few times... it was always cold and I didn't have anything in particular I was looking for, so I hadn't been successful.  But this time, I had their address.  It turns out I was really close, but I kept turning right when I should have been turning left.  doh.

The book store was great.  There's an adjoining tea house.  They have a terrific selection of new and used books and the place is completely accessible.

We found a few books that came home with us...

The clerk was very friendly.  Which honestly is always the case... It seems that people are always friendly where ever we go.  Have I mentioned here how much I love being back in Colorado?

So we asked her, "Is there a restaurant nearby that you like?"

She listed off a few places that we had already tried then said, "Oh if you like Chinese Food, I really like Taipan.  It's in the parking garage."

"In the parking garage?  Yeah, let's go there!"  No, I'm not being sarcastic.  :-)

It was a two-block walk and yes, it's in the parking garage...

It turns out that this is the back door.  They do have a proper store front that is street-facing.

It was delicious, with a nice ambiance and great service.

Made in the USA

I've been wanting to write a post about buying products that are made in the USA for quite some time, but I've had a hard time finding the media sources I was looking for.

Some of the TV networks have been talking about the benefits of buying domestically produced products.  But the big shift I've noticed recently is that some of my friends, who traditionally only care about price, have started taking up the idea of buying US produced goods.

So finally today, I came across this article via Twitter.  I just love Twitter.  :-)

I'm not fanatical about buying products that are made in the USA, but I am very interested in buying local.  So if you live in Canada (Hi Jaimie!) or anywhere else outside of the USA, please know that I am not opposed to your domestic products.  I am a HUGE fan of coffee, mangos and Belgian chocolate.  I am also currently implementing a Canadian product for a client.

So with my disclaimer stated, let's move on to why I like the idea of buying local.


Buying local reduces demand for petro-chemicals.

People who participate in a pursuit of locally grown food cite reduction in petro-chemicals as a primary reason.  If the food is grown locally, you may only need a truck to get it to the point of sale rather than many trucks, airplanes, trains and boats.

The same is true for durable goods.  If our clothing, plates, furniture and baseballs are manufactured domestically, the cost and pollution of moving them to the point of sale is reduced.


Buying local gives you and your neighbors good jobs.

As an Engineer by trade, this is a huge one for me.  If we don't manufacture and produce in our local communities, eventually we won't get to design those goods.  The people who are doing the building know much more about the products than those who only design them.  The builders know how to build better and therefore know how to improve design for manufacturability and maintainability.

Manufacturing and Design jobs are good paying, interesting jobs.


Buying local improves the economy of your neighborhood.

Community members who have good paying jobs will generally have more money to spend in those communities.


Buying local strengthens your community.

If you are living, working and playing in your own community, then your community grows stronger.  You get to know your neighbors.  You get to know the producers of the food you eat and the products you use.  You take pride in your own town and work to ensure it's safe for and accessible for you and your neighbors.


***
It's true, sometimes I am an idealist.  However, I do think my reasons are sound.  These things are all true in places that have strong Farmer's Markets or CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture).  So why wouldn't they be true for manufactured goods as well?

As an alpaca farmer and thus, fiber producer, I am thrilled by the response described in the LA Times article.

So I ask you to consider the source of the goods you buy.  Were they produced locally?  If not, is there a suitable option that is produced locally?  If not, go for it and be proud of yourself for thinking about where and how the products you use are produced.

***
By the way, please do check out Jaimie's blog.  I adore her and the local, sustainable life she is creating with her chicks.

Shopping

I have said for years that I hate shopping, but I went shopping recently and had a great time.

This got me thinking about why.  It was an afternoon of walking around a small town downtown and looking in shops without any real purpose.  I was with my BFF, so the company was good.  :-)

The shops were local, independent and full of unique items.  All of which I enjoyed.

So why do I think I hate shopping?

I hate shopping for undergarments, swimsuits and cars.  I hate shopping at the mall.  I hate walking around with a bunch of other people looking at things that are the same as everywhere else.

I do love shopping at the Feed Store, Farmers Markets, and Fiber Shows.  I enjoy shopping for yarn, roving and books.  I love shopping at kitchen stores and plant nurseries.  So I guess I better re-evaluate my thoughts.

Fort Collins Farmer's Market

Saturday was opening day for the Larimer County Farmer's Market in Fort Collins.

Hubba and I love the Boulder Farmer's Market, but it's a little far to go on a regular basis and we had herd the Fort Collins market was pretty good.

We were not disappointed.  This market is smaller than the Boulder market, but there was a good variety of everything you would expect to see at a Farmer's Market.

Fort Collins was less crowded than Boulder.  I'm sure it will become more busy as we move into summer since this was the first day of the market.

I love shopping at Farmer's Markets because you have a chance to speak with each of the growers about their product.  The food is fresher because it's local and you're supporting local and small businesses directly.

We came home with honey, strawberries, beets, bread, mushrooms, cherry cider and a source for local, organic, free-range turkey and chicken.

We've been looking for fresh turkey since we moved back to Colorado, so the poultry source is huge.  We ate a lot of fresh turkey when we lived in New Mexico and have been missing it a lot over the last year.
The other thing I noticed was that many of the vendors accept food stamps which I think is fantastic.

Happy Summer.

The Shining

Yesterday I was talking with a hotel clerk about Colorado and how beautiful it is. He & some friends want to visit, but have never been.  So I pulled out my trusty iPhone to show some pictures of Estes Park and the Big Thompson canyon. Both are close to my home and in my opinion the most beautiful part of Colorado.

As he looked at the pictures, he said they reminded him of The Shining. I thought that was interesting since the Shining is said to have been written at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park.

I've never read/seen it because I have been way too chicken. But since this is the second time it's come up recently and it's part of the local history, I feel must give it a shot.

I'm going to update my Netflix queue now.

Barriers

Since my husband and I have recently relocated we are looking for places to spend our money on the goods and services we need and want.

At the very top of this list is a grocery store. We are looking for a local market to be our source for fresh local, organic meat and produce as well as bulk items such as pasta, beans and coffee.

Today, we went to a food coop in a nearby town. I had read many good things about this market and they have been in business a long time. Their apparent mission and values are consistent with ours, so we decided to give it a shot.

We drove the half hour to the store, parked across the street and walked in. The store is clean and inviting, the merchandising is consistent with their online presence. The store is smaller than expected but still, we are happy.

As we proceed toward the back we see the bulk section is split into two separate rooms and there are two steps up into each room. Since my husband uses a wheelchair and most of the items we want to purchase are "up stairs" this store instantly became undesirable.

Whether your shop is online, in person or both, please spend some time thinking about the accessibility of it. Is there something you can do to make it more available for someone who uses a wheelchair, a white cane or sign language?