Fiber Arts Friday: Scrappy Palindrome, part 3

My Scrappy Palindrome Scarf is starting to get long....

I think it's about half-way finished.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Making Cranberries

At my first thanksgiving with my Mother-in-Law, she served the most wonderful cranberries.  They were made from scratch, and while still tart, there was a depth of flavor unknown to me prior.

Ultimately she gave in to my requests.  She swore me to secrecy and then gave me the recipe.

I have been making these cranberries ever since.

My favorite instruction is "Simmer for quite a long time."

No specific time.  No specific appearance.

Just "quite a long time."

This makes the engineer in me uncomfortable.... not that I'm good at following directions.  But I do like a general idea of where I'm going and how long it might take.

The artist in me thinks this is the best instruction I read each year.... it's up to me to determine what done looks like.

The manager in me takes this instruction to heart.... this is my annual reminder to ensure that the people I work with have the autonomy to do the work they've been hired to do.

Fiber Arts Friday: For the Love of Ravelry

I've extolled my love of Ravelry before, including when I recently bought yarn that was not the color I intended.

I had decided to keep the wrong yarn, and have a general idea of a project for some of it, but I have far more yarn than I need.

So when I received a message asking if I was willing to part with one skein a few weeks ago, my answer was, yes.

It turns out the inquirer lives and works in the area that I travel to for work.  So we decided to meet up at a local yarn shop for knit night to exchange the yarn.

We started the evening as strangers, grateful the other was willing to meet in a public place among people we both knew.  We knit together and told stories.  We learned that we know several of the same people thru our day jobs.... and we finished the evening as friends.

I love that something so simple and ancient as knitting, using a tool so contemporary and wonderful as Ravelry, can bring people together so easily.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Dog Show: Southern Colorado Kennel Club, 2019

After a long layoff, Ramen and I competed in the Southern Colorado Kennel Club Dog Show over Veterans' Day Weekend.

Ramen loves the show environment, and spent the 4-hr drive like this... excited to go to the show!

Since we were the only TM entered, we had the opportunity to compete in the Regular and Owner-Handled Working Groups all three days, and he received this nice mat for winning Best of Breed on the first day.

The Leonberger Club was having a specialty, so we were able to show many people the difference between Tibetan Mastiffs and Leonbergers.

We were also able to talk to people about Tibetan Mastiffs and LGDs in general.

This nice man sketched a quick portrait of Ramen.

I was able to get a little knitting done during a rest break.

We saw many of our canine and human dog show friends, and made many new ones.  We also met several soccer players at our hotel who were in town for a tournament.

I do have to say that I don't think of our dogs as being especially big.... I know they are large, but Great Pyrenees, Newfoundlands, St Bernards, Irish Wolf Hounds, and English Mastiffs are all bigger than Tibetan Mastiffs.  So to see Ramen in the hotel room, I was taken aback.... he really is a big dog.  :-)

I greatly enjoyed spending the weekend, one-on-one, with my special boy.

Until next time...

Fiber Arts Friday: Vashon Sheepdog Classic

I learned about the Vashon Sheepdog Classic from a coworker.

Vashon Island is one of the large islands within Puget Sound near Seattle, WA.  He and his girlfriend were going and it is now on my list of things to do.

Along with the Herding Dog Trials, there is a fiber and food market.  If you've never seen Herding Dogs work, I highly recommend it.

As a breeder of purebred Livestock Guardians, I am always interested in seeing well-bred dogs doing what they are intended to do... and Herding is no different.  Simply amazing!

My friend had a wonderful time at the Classic and was kind (and generous) enough to bring a present for me.... 2oz of washed and carded Yak Down.

If you know me at all, you know this is the most wonderful and thoughtful gift.  :-)

... and because I love this video so much...


Don't Knit Alone from Lisa Berglund on Vimeo.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Fiber Arts Friday: Scrappy Palindrome, part 2

So I ripped it out, and started over with US7 needles.

I like this fabric better.

Also, since I am now using larger needles, I went back to my stash and pulled some more remnants for this project.

In this photo I have some of the first yarn I bought when I restarted knitting 12-13 years ago (green and beige).  There is a whole lot of yellow left over from the Duck Feet I made for my nephew, handspun bamboo+silk+merino from my BFF Hat, kettle-dyed Manos del Uruguay, a tiny bit of MadTosh, a couple of black and white yarns that I used to make early hats and the little bit of blue-black left over from my fabulous Best In Show Winning Alpaca Wrap.

There's something really fun about these scrappy projects, very much like a patchwork quilt.... each section brings the memory of another project and the person or event it was made for.... and it's time to change yarns right about the time I start to get bored with the pattern.  ;-)

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Tibetan Mastiff Tuesday: Massage is Good

We are fortunate to have friends who are Massage Instructors.

I had the pleasure of being a massage-test-dummy at a sports massage practicum a few weeks ago, and a couple of our dogs had the pleasure of being massage-test-dummies for the canine program last weekend.

Aspen and Ramen have volunteered their services before and we are grateful that the Lang Institute for Canine Massage continues to call us back.

Being an experienced show dog, Ramen is well-versed in the Treat Pocket...  He ensured he got treats from each of the students by moving down the line and poking everyone's Treat Pocket with his nose before he got on the table.

Aspen made sure the students knew how much she enjoyed the massage.

Massage IS Good!

Fiber Arts Friday: Modern Wheel

I test drove a sample of the Clemes & Clemes Modern Wheel at the Estes Park Wool Market earlier this year.  It was the most smooth wheel I have used.  So I instantly knew I would have one.... someday.

Hubba encouraged me to buy one, but I didn't want to make a decision so quickly...  Spinning Wheels are not inexpensive.

But I couldn't get the wheel out of my head... I thought about it all the way home.... then I dreamt about it.

The wheel was still consuming my thoughts in the morning.... so I convinced Hubba to go back to the Wool Market on Sunday so we could order one.

Henry Clemes designed the Modern Wheel in the 1970s.  It comes from a single sheet of plywood and uses every bit.  There is no drop... no waste... only sawdust remains once the wheel is complete.

The treadle has a heel-toe action, so it's not a double-treadle, but it's not like the other single-treadles I've used either.... and I love the simple utilitarian look.

Several months later, I picked up MY new Modern Wheel at a LYS where the Clemes & Clemes team were teaching a class last weekend.

I started with a some carded Tibetan Mastiff... since I have a never-ending supply (!), I don't have to worry about ruining any of my purchased roving while I get used to my new wheel.  ;-)

I still love my Louet, but she may not get too much attention for a little while.  :-)

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!