Fiber Arts Friday: Tour de Fleece 2012, part 3

Hi Everyone, Happy Fiber Arts Friday.  Today I share part 3 of my Tour de Fleece.  :-)


Friday, July 13
I was so excited about remembering to get my FAF post out this morning that I nearly forgot I was supposed to spin something. ;-)

So I squeezed in about 15 minutes of spinning time between the Day Job and Evening activities.

Saturday, July 14
I love Saturdays... This week I managed a leisurely morning at the Farmer's Market with Hubba and Lil' Miss Wonton, Farm Chores, Spinning and a Nap...

and another very energized single.  :-)

109.5 yards of Camel+Merino - camel and white
Unknown origin - purchased at the Estes Park Wool Market from Your Daily Fiber
1 7/8 ounces
~16 wpi

I then got a second wind.  So I spun

and plied 1 ounce of Corriedale.

I plied using the inside and outside ends of the same cake again.  I figured a little more practice wouldn't hurt.  ;-)

This one is softer than the grey Corriedale that I started the Tour with.

17.5 yards of Corriedale - white
Unknown Origin - purchased at the Estes Park Wool Market
1 ounce
2-ply
~9 wpi

Sunday, July 15
Yesterday I stopped by Your Daily Fiber to pick up some Alpaca Roving since I was out of prepared alpaca and was wanting to spin more.

This is a Medium Rose Grey Alpaca blended with silk into a lovely pencil roving.  I met the farmer while I was there.  She has been breeding alpacas and llamas for 20 years.  :-)

Monday, July 16
I finished spinning this morning.  Nothing quite like a 2-ounce bump to make one feel very productive.  ;-)

94 yards of Double K Diamond Alpaca+Silk - Silk Feathers
Wellington, CO
2 1/8 ounces
~18 wpi

Tuesday, July 17 - Rest Day

Wednesday, July 18 - Challenge Day
I have a small stash of unusual fibers in cloud form.  I've been nervous to spin them for fear of messing them up.  So I thought this 1/4 ounce of Paco-Vicuna would be a good thing to try on Challenge Day.

I chose my wheel over my drop spindle because I figured the less things my hands have to do, the better.  ;-)

This preparation wasn't skirted very well.  There was a lot of vegetable matter, some second cuts and I found a couple bits of fleece that were definitely not blanket.  It is also quite dirty so the color is dull.

The more time I spend thinking about it, the more I think this was raw Paco-Vicuna and not a cloud.  There were some clumps of fiber that I think would have been opened up if the fiber had been through a picker... and frankly if it had been through a picker, I suspect there would have been less vegetable matter.

All that being said, I did make something that looks like yarn.  :-)  I plied it since the gauge was not consistent and the resulting 2-ply is very squishy.  I think it will be nice as an accent on something... after a good bath.  :-)

7.5 yards of raw Paco-Vicuna - Dark Fawn
Unknown Origin
1/4 ounce
2-ply
~12 wpi

Thursday, July 19
A different blend with the same Double K Diamond alpaca from earlier this week... Alpaca + Bamboo.

Only a few more days to go with this year's Tour de Fleece.

I hope you will head over to Wisdom Begins in Wonder today, since you know it is Fiber Arts Friday.  :-)

Garden: What a Difference a Month Makes

Last month we were in  a terrible drought with wildfires nearby.

Today, we're still in a drought, but we have had some rain and everything looks a whole lot better.  :-)

The fires near us have all been contained or are very close to containment... (High Park, Flagstaff, Hewlett, Arapaho, Squirrel Creek, Waldo Canyon) and the pasture is now more green than brown.

The tomatoes have overgrown their cages and the winter squash is doing really well.

The grass hoppers have hatched this week  :-/  There are quite a lot of these cute little buggers hopping around.

I added some old CD's to my plum and peach trees.  I remember having several more old CDs before we moved, but apparently I got rid of them and haven't added anymore.  I suspect I will need to get a few more since 1 per tree is probably not enough to keep the birds away.

We've had our first harvest a couple of weeks ago... mostly just checking a few things and thinning out the radishes, but still really fun to eat.  :-)

I was able to harvest a couple of proper-sized zucchini today though so I think our harvest is ramping up.  :-)

Fiber Arts Friday: Tour de Fleece 2012, part 2

More Tour de Fleece this week...

Friday, July 6
I decided to go back to thick again.  :-)

This is a Lincoln roving that came from the same farm as the Corriedale I spun last week.

My intent is to spin a similar weight yarn so that they can be used together in the same project.

I must say that this is a whole lot different than that amazing Grade 1 Alpaca also from last week.  This is my first time spinning Lincoln, and I am liking it so far.  :-)


Saturday, July 7
I had plenty of time to spin today, including a little time during the Tour de France coverage this morning.  :-)

Sunday, July 8
A little more Tour de France coverage saw me finish the single.

Then I wound it into a cake

and plied into a 2-ply yarn.

This time I plied from the center and outside strand of the same cake.  I had a few issues with tangles, but in the end I used all of the yarn in the final 2-ply.

I love the sheen in this yarn.

64 1/2 yards of Maplecroft Woolworks Lincoln - white
Boulder, Colorado
4 1/8 ounces
~9 wpi
Again, pretty close to what I was going for.  :-)

Monday, July 9
I had a hard time deciding what to spin next since I didn't really expect to complete this much already.

So when I don't know what to do, I usually spin alpaca thin for a big long-term project I have planned.  But since I'm out of prepared alpaca, I thought this camel+merino would be nice.  :-)

Which it is.  :-)

I don't know where it's from other than I picked it up at the Estes Park Wool Market last month.

Tuesday, July 10 - Rest Day

Wednesday, July 11
It's a good thing that I have that 1/2 inch goal.  I didn't think I would have any time today, but I found 10 minutes for spinning.  :-)

Thursday, July 12
About a 1/2 hour before the day job started.

I sure like starting the day with a little spinning.  :-)

Happy Spinning and Happy Fiber Arts Friday.  Be sure to join in the fun over at Wisdom Begins in Wonder.

One Lovely Blog Award

Kara at The Practical Frog Blog popped over yesterday several days more than a week ago to award me with the "One Lovely Blog Award". Which made my day!

I learned about Kara thru the Slow Living Community.  I subscribed to her blog the first time I read it.  :-)

One of the things that strikes me about Kara is how she appears to have boundless energy.  I'm a busy person, but I think she is much busier than I am.  She's a student, has a few different jobs and leads her family down the path of greener living.  From where I sit, I think she must be pretty remarkable.  :-)

I do wonder where the name Practical Frog came from though.  I've done a little poking around and so far, I haven't figured it out.  ;-)

In order to accept the award, there are a number of things one must do...

1 – Show your Thanks – Thank the person who awarded the honor and link back to them

2 - Share seven things about yourself.

3 – Nominate up to 15 Blogs that you admire.

4 – Contact the Bloggers by leaving comments with them about their Awards

So first, the interesting things about myself:

• It's been a while since I've written about it... mostly because it's been a while since I've done it... I used to be an Adaptive Ski Instructor in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  I was a member of an all volunteer organization that taught private adaptive alpine ski lessons.  Each student was paired with one or two instructors for six weeks of classes.  In addition to my students, I taught the other instructors 3- and 4-track techniques.  I loved it very much.
• Since I mostly grew up in Colorado, I've been on alpine skis since I was 10 or 11 years old.  But haven't been on them since we got our alpacas.  Just having too much fun.  :-)
• Hubba was an avid alpine skier when we met and regular skiing was part of our plan.  We skied a lot together in the early days.  If I wasn't skiing with him, or working with students, I skied alone.  I love skiing.  Hubba has been on a ski moratorium since he started road racing several years ago.  A shoulder injury could sideline his racing career.  Although, now that we are definitely not going to London this year, I think there's a very good chance we will put wax to snow this winter.  We both really miss it.
• There were lots of professions I wanted to have when I grew up, but I have always wanted to be a farmer.
• I'm not really a fan of politics, but could see myself as a lobbyist... for the right issue.
• My first job as a professional engineer was working on the Space Shuttle.  Something I am and will always be very proud of.
• I have fresh-cut lilies in my kitchen so my house smells amazing right now.

On to the blogs I admire:

15 is a very long list, so here are a few blogs that I really enjoy and haven't mentioned in a while.  They are all written by people I admire.  While I have only met one of these women in person, I consider all of them friends. :-)

• Voie de Vie - Denise is an artist with a crochet hook, paints and other fun things.  She will not knit socks.  She says, nope, not ever!  I still adore her.
• Wisdom Begins in Wonder - The WonderWhyGal is the current host of Fiber Arts Friday and commented on my very first FAF post almost 3 years ago.  She's an alpaca breeder, fiber sorter, spinner, knitter, weaver.  I haven't met her in person, but I feel we've been friends for a long time.
• Spinster Beth - spinner, knitter, gardener, kitty and puppy momma and former Marine a Navy Veteran. (if I remember that correctly).  My very first, and currently only pair, of hand-knit socks were made by Beth.  I feel very blessed.
• AllyB That's Me! - Ally is a beautiful spinner and sock knitter.  I know she knits other things, but she is very prolific with those socks.  And she finishes every post with a comment from Little Dog that always makes me giggle.
• Bits and Pieces - Vivian is especially talented with a pair of knitting needles.  She has an affiknitty for cables and a sweet little Rascal.
• Broken Clay - I met Katja through Hubba a couple of years ago.  She's an engineer, travelling maven, athlete and very funny, well-written person.  I don't know that she's a knitter, or spinner or crocheter but that doesn't mean I like her any less.  ;-)

So there you go.  I hope you take some time to visit these amazing women.

Fiber Arts Friday: Tour de Fleece 2012, part 1

Normally I make a list of goals for the Tour de Fleece.  But there's a lot going on, even if I'm not travelling this time.  So my goal for this year's Tour de Fleece is only to spin every day the tour races. That means if I spin only a 1/2- inch, I'm good.  The tour runs from last Saturday, June 30 thru Sunday, July 22.

As per usual, my daily progress is below.  However, this year I am starting in the middle.

I had already started spinning a Corriedale roving from a local sheep farm.  So it's not fair to take credit for this during the Tour de Fleece... 1 3/8 ounces of roving has already been spun as shown here...

2 1/2  ounces remain.  Beginning below.  :-)

Saturday, June 30
My tension was a bit wonky there on the left, but I got things back under control quickly. ;-)

Sunday, July 1
I started pre-drafting the roving today which I think helped me to spin faster, but I think also resulted in a thinner yarn.  Regardless, I was able to finish the nearly 4 ounce ball of Corriedale this morning.  :-)

This afternoon I wound off the bobbin onto my niddy noddy, counting the wraps (105).  Moved the yarn to my swift, then wound half back to the niddy noddy (52 1/2 wraps).

Then wound both into cakes.

The one on the left looks smaller and in fact weighs a lot less... 1 3/4 ounces vs. 2 1/8 ounces.  But I only ended up with about 5 inches of extra yarn from the larger cake.  As I mentioned, I thought I was spinning a thinner yarn toward the end.  Clearly, I was.

Somehow the bobbin is always more full as a 2-ply than it is as a single.  :-)

I love the final yarn!

101 yards of Maplecroft Woolworks Corriedale - Medium Grey
Boulder, Colorado
3 7/8 ounces
~ 10 wpi (wraps per inch).  Pretty close to what I was going for. Yay!

This may count as my most productive two days of spinning, ever.

Monday, July 2
On to alpaca today.  :-)

I picked this Grade 1 Alpaca up at the Estes Park Wool Market last month.  It's from Gentle Spirit Alpaca Farm in Wiggins.  Which is a couple of hours east of us.  I'm happy to note they that they used a mill in Palisade, near Grand Junction and home to some of the most amazing peaches.  So this roving is completely Colorado made.  That makes me pretty happy.  :-)

This feels very slippery... especially after spinning Corriedale.  So I'm taking it slow for now and am going for a thin single.

I only had about 10 minutes for spinning this morning, but I spun more than a 1/2 inch.  So it counts. ;-)

Tuesday, July 3
Due to tomorrow's holiday my normal Tuesday evening activity was cancelled, so I had about 45 minutes available for spinning. :-)

By the way, I completely love this photo.  The lighting is perfect.  :-)

Wednesday, July 4 - Independence Day
Thanks to today being a holiday and therefore a day off from my day job, I had several little pockets of time for spinning.  :-)

Thursday, July 5
About 10 minutes before work started plus about an hour after the day was finished meant I was able to complete spinning the 2 ounces of Grade 1 Alpaca.

You can see how energized this single is.

The yarn had a good soak and wringing.  I hung it out on the clothesline to dry, but then this happened...

A good soaking rain.  Thank you to everyone who has been sending thoughts of rain our way.  They say our Monsoon has now started.  I sure hope they're right.  :-)

I got the yarn inside right before the rain started, but it's still drying.  So I'll get a finished photo out another time.

143.5 yards of Gentle Spirit Grade 1 Alpaca - Beige
Wiggins and Palisade, Colorado
~ 2 ounces
~ 20 wpi

If you want to see my (and the rest of the team's) real-time, actual daily progress then join us at the Team of Wonder on Ravelry. If not, I'll see you here next Friday. :-)

Happy Spinning and Happy Fiber Arts Friday.

London

Well, we're not going to London.  :-(

Hubba had good performances at the Trials this past weekend, but it was tough competition.


The full Paralympic Track and Field Team Roster is here and includes Hubba's training partner, Christina Schwab.  Christina (then Ripp) was a member of the Gold Medal Women's Basketball Team at the Beijing Paralympics in 2008.

So when the Olympics are over, I hope you will spend some time on Paralympic.org to see what the Paralympians are doing... August 29 - September 9.

And, if you're so inclined send a note to NBC Sports and the US Olympic and Paralympic Committees.  Ask them to give the Paralympic Team the coverage they deserve.  These people have worked as hard and made the same sacrifices as the Olympians and have equally inspiring stories.  :-)

No Fireworks?

I was watching the morning news the other day when they had a woman on that was very upset over the fact that there would not be so many fireworks displays this year.

Tuesday is Independence Day for the US.  It's customary for most cities to put on at least one Fireworks Display.  But due to the extreme fire conditions in our state, our Governor has issued a state-wide fire ban.  It allows for the cities and sheriff's departments to make their own determination regarding their respective professional displays, but pretty much everything else has been banned.  Many cities (not all) have decided to cancel their displays.

My first thought when watching this interview was "get over your selfishness, pull your head out of your dark place and use this as a teaching moment for those kids around you that are purportedly yours."  Ok, perhaps my first thoughts weren't so polite, but essentially that's what I was thinking.

I truly enjoy the professional fireworks displays and certainly they are a traditional part of this holiday.  But 15 years of living in the desert southwest taught me to let go of that attachment.

Fireworks are dangerous.  Fireworks cause fires.  Yes, the professionals know what they are doing and they work to minimize those risks.  But that in no way means that professional fireworks displays are 100% safe or with 0% risk.

There are so many things you can do with your friends and family to celebrate Independence Day.  You may not even miss the fireworks.  Here are some that we've been considering...

• Go to the Farmer's Market and pick up some fresh produce and baked goods to take on a picnic.
• Watch a local Independence Day Parade and attend the festivities - Fort Collins, Boulder, Estes Park, Denver and the Greeley Stampede Parade
• Speaking of that, go to the Greeley Stampede.  What's more American than a Rodeo?
• Car races at Bandemere Speedway
• Volunteer some time to help out the evacuees and fire fighters
• Rent a boat on one of our many lakes or reservoirs
• Go to the water park or pool to cool off
• Take some time to read thru The Independent Stitch - Deb has 8 very detailed and well researched posts about the High Park Fire, including information regarding friends of hers who were evacuated and now faced with rebuilding.
• And if none of these ideas sound good, check out Heidi Town.  She's always in the know with what's going on in our state.

There are a large number of active wildfires in Colorado.  Three of them are very close to large, Front Range, metropolitan areas... High Park/Fort Collins (near us and 100% contained as of yesterday), Waldo Canyon/Colorado Springs (45% contained) and Flagstaff/Boulder (90% contained).

The Fire Fighters have been making tremendous progress in containing these fires.  But it's important to note that Contained does not mean Controlled.  Controlled means the fire is out.  Contained means the fire is still burning but unlikely to spread.

A quick look at inciweb.org and you will see all of the known wild fires in the US that are on Forrest Service Land.  This is not all of the fires going on... only the ones that are on Forrest Service Land.  There are now so many, that I have to filter for Colorado.

Which brings me to the point of this post...  Why would anyone be so selfish as to to complain about not having a 45-minute fireworks display when so many people are risking their lives to protect the land, people and property?  These people are our neighbors.  They deserve our compassion.