Blogger Comment Posting Issue

I've been relegated to silence since Friday morning.

Blogger posted here that they are working on fixing the issue.  There has been no update since then.

I found a discussion forum here about the issue.  Blogger is still referencing the above link with no updates.

Within the discussion forum I saw instructions to clear cookies which didn't seem to help.  However someone recommended unchecking the "keep me logged in" box which did help me.

Supposedly this is a temporary solution, but at least I'm no longer silent.  :-)

Fiber Arts Friday: Doormat? Nope. Awesome Dog Toy

Earlier this year I was sitting out on the back stoop watching our new puppies.  I didn't want to bring any of my yarn projects outside to where they might decide it would be a fun chew toy.  So I thought the baling twine doormat that Dutch Hollow did a while back would be a good puppy-sitting project.

The twine is a single-ply polypropylene material... aka plarn.  It's basically a waste product that we have in endless supply.  So I decided it would not a big deal to me if the puppies wanted to help.  Which of course they did.

I had been using a J hook which I think is too small for the twine.  Both Dutch Hollow and Voie de Vie suggested I try a S (super honking big) hook.  So I finished off the current strand with my J hook and gave the girls the ugliness.

They don't care that it's ugly and even Frieda wanted to play with the new toy.

I think the girls are happy.  :-)

Of course, I will start the Doormat project again because I NEED to replace the glued down carpet on the back stoop.  Blech.

I love being able to incorporate fiber (even if it's plarn), puppies and alpacas all in one post along with reusing something that we would otherwise throw away.  :-D

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!  If you're keeping track, that's one down and six to go. 

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.

Some of the Trees in our Garden

Earlier this year we planted two small pine trees and one even smaller maple tree.

I am happy to report they are all showing new growth.

I am cautiously optimistic about the maple.  She's tiny and had a tough go at first, but even she has a bit of new growth as well.

We didn't have many apple blossoms this year so I think it's a good year to prune this tree.

Finally, the climbing tree has leafed out.  :-)

Have I mentioned that I love this time of year?  :-)

Fiber Arts Friday: Too Many Projects

My last  three  projects have taken a lot of time and energy to complete, so I haven't been feeling inspired to start anything new lately.  Which is fine since I have way too many WIPs.  Some are snoozing, some are actually in work and some barely count as being started.  Regardless, I would like to have all of them completed or dispatched before I dive into the host of interesting items on my To Do List.

A quick look at my Ravelry page doesn't show much in work, but the reality is it's way more than the 2-3 projects that I feel most comfortable with.

Spinning Black Huacaya Batts of Wonder

My feet get too cold to spend much time spinning in the winter.  Yes, I suppose I should knit myself a pair of socks or slippers, but I haven't yet.  So I have only spent a few minutes spinning here and there over the last several months.  Which has me about half-way complete with the Black Huacaya Batts of Wonder.

Technically it's not winter anymore, but we have had a mostly cold and rainy spring.  I finally gave up and turned the heat back on yesterday.  So I suspect I won't be spinning much for a while.

Spin Tibetan Mastiff

When last I wrote about the TM fur, I had just finished carding it.  I am looking forward to spinning it.  I suppose this is why spinners have many wheels... I'm afraid though.  If I had more than one wheel, I would definitely have too many spinning projects in process.  It's a good thing our Breeder isn't in a hurry for this yarn.

Recycled Wool Nightcap

I have been quietly working on this hat when I need a little mindless activity.  I still have a ways to go and will have a zillion ends to weave in when I get there.

The Simple Scarf

I'm using this yarn to teach the ladies at the office how to knit.  I didn't really intend to make a scarf, but I like this yarn and think a simple red scarf is good to have around.  Of course, it's been ripped out and re-knitted several times, so I'm not entirely sure this scarf will actually happen.

A Baling Twine Doormat

I haven't posted about this project yet.  Mostly because the photos look like poo but also because I haven't made much progress.  I think I need a larger hook and the puppies have decided it's super fun to play with, so I may let it go and start again.

A Blanket

I haven't posted about this project either.  It was started as something to do mindlessly, but the Recycled Wool Nightcap has taken over that role.  I'm not entirely in love with it.  I may frog this one but I don't have any other plans for the yarn, so languish it does.

The Twitter Knit Along Shawl

I shelved this project in March 2010, that's more than a year ago.  I'm not really a shawl kind of person, but I joined in because of the skills this project could teach.  I reached an extreme level of frustration with 3 sessions of ripping back, culminating with the near-miss of a complete rip out.  I think with the extra year of experience I now have, I should be successful with the lace portion.  I do have a couple of recipients in mind, so I would like to finish it.  But it has become my Everest, so I need to make sure I am in the right frame of mind before I pick this one up again.

So this is my way too long list of WIPs.  I can't really call it the result of Fiber ADD, because I am only actively working on a couple of items.  But I don't like having such a large list of incomplete projects.  Especially since I have several other projects in progress.  But this is Fiber Arts Friday, not Day Job Friday, nor Gardening Friday, nor Alpaca Farm Infrastructure Friday, nor Home Improvement Friday, nor... so be sure to head over to Wisdom Begins in Wonder to see what the others have been up to.

Garden Progress

Well, I'm not sure how it's going.

We have had very cool and rainy weather since we planted our garden.

Some of the chiles and tomatoes have flowers.  Some of the other seedlings don't look too good, but others look great.

I know that's how it goes.  Gardening is all about experimentation and this is a first year garden in an entirely new state.

The good news is that the herbs are hanging in there, the baby pears are getting bigger and we have teeny, tiny plums.  :-)

Shearing Day - 2011

We sheared our alpacas last weekend.

My camera was there.  However it was quite lonely on the table and did not get any shots of the herd or the shearing process.

It was a cool day and has been overcast and rainy ever since.  The alpacas have been a bit chilly, but are doing well.

I have been practicing giving our alpacas a Stove Pipe Leg.  I think it looks nice and I was able to give it to one of our girls last year.  This year her leg fiber was felted.  So I decided to shear the remaining legs close so that the fiber can be usable next year.

I wonder if anyone else has had this issue or has a preference on the Stove Pipe Legs?