Fiber Arts Friday: Tour de Fleece, 2026 - part 4

For the fourth and final week of the Men's Tour, my progress is below:

Day 19: Friday, July 24 – 15 minutes

Day 20: Saturday, July 25 – 15 minutes

Day 21: Sunday, July 26 – 15 minutes

At this time, I have one of my original prepared rovings remaining... I plan to make more for the Women's race.

Week 4 Status -TdFH

• Spin Duration:  91 + 0 + 75 + 45 = 211 minutes (~3.5 hours)
• Spin Days:  6 of 6 + 0 of 6 + 5 of 6 + 3 of 3 = 14 of 21 days
• Bobbin/Skein Status: nothing finished yet

This is the end of the Men's race.  The women's race begins tomorrow.

I plan to continue working on the single and then to ply over the last few days of the Women's race.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Fiber Arts Friday: Tour de Fleece, 2026 - part 3

My progress slowed considerably since I was in a Silent and then Writing Retreat for all of Week Two.  Week Three progress is below:

Day 7: Friday, July 10 – Day 12: Thursday, July 16th

Was mostly off line due to retreats.  So no spinning was accomplished by me for week two.

Day 13: Friday, July 17 – 15 minutes

Its fun to be back at my wheel.

Day 14: Saturday, July 18 – 15 minutes

Day 15: Sunday, July 19 – Challenge Day

No spinning today

 

Monday, July 20 – Rest Day

I did spin today, 15 minutes.

Day 16: Tuesday, July 21 – 15 minutes

Day 17: Wednesday, July 22 –

No spinning today.

 

Day 18: Thursday, July 23 – 15 minutes

Week 3 Status -TdFH

• Spin Duration:  91 + 0 + 75 = 166 minutes thus far
• Spin Days:  6 of 6 + 0 of 6 + 5 of 6 = 11 of 18 days thus far
• Bobbin/Skein Status: nothing finished yet

I am happy with my progress thus far, given how little time I've been able to allocate.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!  

Fiber Arts Friday: Tour de Fleece, 2026 - part 2

Ok!  Spinning has begun and my Coaching/Facilitation Skills are getting a workout... Not really, the team is small and everyone is always lovely.  So it has been a joy so far.  :-)

(part one)

I did get my (ahem) stash together...

The good news is that it was clean.  The bad news is that it was not yet in roving form.... so I spent some of Friday and Saturday morning carding.  I got two batches of roving prepared.

This isn't enough to keep me busy for both Tours, but it is enough to keep me busy for a few days.

Since I already know that I will not be able to spin every day, my goal is simple this year... I plan to spin for at least 15 minutes when I do sit down to spin.

So here's my daily record...

***

TdF - Hommes

Day 1: Saturday, July 4 – 15 minutes

Day 2: Sunday, July 5 – 15 minutes

I had a special treat today, in that I got to help my spinning student check out and buy her first wheel.  She found a screaming deal on Facebook locally, and her new wheel is just lovely.

Day 3: Monday, July 6 – 16 minutes

Day 4: Tuesday, July 7 – 15 minutes

Day 5: Wednesday, July 8 – 15 minutes

I finished my first chunk of roving today.

At this slow rate, I may not need to prepare more roving.  lol

Day 6: Thursday, July 9 – 15 minutes

I covered the bobbin today.  That always makes me happy.  :-)

 

Week 1 Status -TdFH

I'm feeling good about my progress this week.  That will change next week;

• Spin Duration:  91 minutes and 6 of 6 days.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Fiber Arts Friday: Tour de Fleece, 2026 - part 1

It's that time of year again... Tour de Fleece.

A lot has happened in my world over the last year... really the last few years, but especially the last year.

I am in a new living situation.  On my own.  Just me and my dogs.

My alpaca are staying at a friend's ranch nearby.

I am the sole owner at The Canine Learning Center now, which is keeping me exceptionally busy.

Everything else is with my ex-husband and his "best friend."

I haven't been spinning or knitting.  I missed the registration deadline for the Estes Park Wool Market.  AND, I was thinking about not participating in this year's Tour de Fleece.  BUT every time I thought about telling the group that I would not be participating, I would get sad.

So earlier this week, I finally went to Ravelry to see how the team was shaping up, and there wasn't anything posted other than a question about whether we were having a team this year.

So I volunteered.  I am leading the team this year!  Hooray!

I have been teaching a friend how to spin, and she is starting on Chiengora... so I have also been teaching her how to prepare the fiber.. and she's doing a great job!

Which means, I'm not entirely without fiber in my life.  :-)

Anyway... now I need to get my stash together (ahem) and figure out what I will be spinning and what my goals are for the next month or so.

The Tour begins tomorrow, Saturday, July 4th.

Join us, won't you?

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Fiber Arts Friday: Portland Frog Hat

I happened to see a post from PDX Knitterati on Social Media on Sunday, October 26, 2025 about her Frog Hat.  

With it being similar to the Pussy Hats from the first regime and the joy of the Portland Inflatable Frogs from the No Kings March on October 18th, I knew I had to make at least one of these.

I had suitable yarn in my stash and stopped by one of the Big Box Craft Stores to get some Googly Eyes.

I love this yarn so much.... it has a Hygge feeling for me... the color, the softness, the squishy-ness... mmm.  It was acquired from the Apothefaery in 2022 at the Estes Park Wool Market.

I did not figure out a good way to attach the Googly Eyes that wasn't far too fiddly while also being secure and washable.

So I stopped at a couple of local shops and picked up some felt and buttons as recommended in the pattern.

And ultimately just used the buttons, which are wood so they will air dry.

I am ready for the next demonstration.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

County Fair 2025

As in most years, I did enter a yarn.

This year it was only one Tibetan Mastiff yarn from Ramen.  I have been working on this set of yarn for a few years, since I intend to make a sweater/wrap from it.

The vision is a rustic, big, warm, hug and I have finally crossed the half-way mark on the needed yarn.

I also entered a batch of Biscochito Cookies.  There was a lot of cookie competition... especially in the "other" category.

Thanks to being laid off from my Day Job, I was able to spend some time watching the judging.

I think it's quite nice for the judging to be open to the public, but I've not been able to fit it into my schedule until now.

The baking judges were silent.  So I had no idea what they were thinking and decided to wait for the comments.

The Spinning and Weaving Judge was very talkative about her thoughts... and thanks to that, I learned a lot about what they are actually looking for on the accompanying label that goes with each entry.

I took copious notes when I got home.... so hopefully, my yarns will be better explained in the future.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Fiber Arts Friday: Tour de Fleece, 2024 - part 7

 **Second part of Women's Race

Continuing with the second half of the Women's Tour de Fleece... I am pleased to have completed the Paco-Vicuna single last week.

Friday, August 16

Alpaca-ish - Paco-Vicuna:  15 minutes

I began plying today.

The cake weighed 30g (~1oz) when I started and now weighs 20g.  So I only plied about 1/3 of the single.

Saturday, August 17

Alpaca-ish - Paco-Vicuna:  11 minutes

I have a knot in the singles... if I'm not able to open it, I will have to break the singles and make 2 yarns.

Sunday, August 18

Alpaca-ish - Paco-Vicuna:  10 minutes

I was able to remove the knot, then continued plying for ~10 minutes.

I have 8g remaining to be plied.

Weekly Status:

Duration:  

• Alpaca-ish:  1 hour 21 minutes + 38 minutes = 1 hour 59 minutes

Net Days Spun: 4 of 4 + 3 of 3 = 7 of 7, no missed days

Finished Skeins:  1

Epilogue

While I did not finish the Paco-Vicuna during the tour, I did finish it this week.... while also making and resolving another ouple of knots.  :-/

The total is 30g (1 1/8 oz), 93 yds, 2-ply over ~2hours and 7 days.

Remember - The Paralympics start on August 28.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Fiber Arts Friday: Tour de Fleece, 2024 - part 6

Now that the Men's Tour and the Olympics are concluded, the Women's Tour de France is beginning.  So the Tour de Fleece, Femmes is beginning too.

The Chiengora Team has decided to be loose.  So I am focusing on finishing the little bit of Tibetan Mastiff I have remaining from the Men's Tour, the 1/2 ounce of Paco-Vicuna I started during the Men's Tour, and the two rovings of Suri Alpaca I have set aside.

   

I don't have any time or specific progress goals, other than spin each day.

This tour is only 7 days, so I will not accomplish as much as the 3-week race.

Monday, August 12

Alpaca-ish - Paco-Vicuna:  10 mins

Tuesday, August 13

Alpaca-ish - Paco-Vicuna: 15 mins

Wednesday, August 14

Alpaca-ish - Paco-Vicuna:  15 mins

Thursday, August 15

Alpaca-ish - Paco-Vicuna:  40 mins

I finished the Paco-Vicuna single today.

Weekly Status:

Duration:  

• Alpaca-ish:  1 hour 21 minutes

Days Spun: 4 of 4

Finished Skeins:  0

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Fiber Arts Friday: County Fair, 2024

As mentioned in my Tour de Fleece, Hommes wrap-up, these two skeins were entered into our local county fair.

On the left is Tibetan Mastiff (2 3/8 oz of 2-ply) and the right is Huacaya Alpaca + Bamboo (~4 oz of 2-ply). Both were primarily spun during the most recent Tour de Fleece.

I don't have great expectations for either yarn... 

• The Huacaya Alpaca + Bamboo has bits that are over-spun and not resolved during plying.  But it is a really soft and consistent yarn, otherwise.
• The Tibetan Mastiff is a much better yarn.  It is well-balanced and generally an even gauge, but not entirely.

So we shall see what the judges think...

I also had one entry in Preserved Foods for Blueberry Curd.  This idea blew my mind.  I'm so excited to learn that many fruits can be made into a curd... not just Lemon, which I absolutely love.

While we bought the blueberries, the eggs were produced by our hens.  :-)

The grand champion in the spinning+weaving category was a 3-ply yarn that was absolutely exquisite.

I always (!) love going to the Fair, and especially looking at the quilts.  I'm certain that I've mentioned this before.... we have some truly amazing quilters in my county.  :-D

We looked at all of the open exhibits and the 4H exhibits.  We watched some market lamb showmanship.  Walked through the barn to see some of the sheep and pigs.  Ate some amazing Brisket+Mac-n-Cheese.

I hope you have the opportunity to visit your local county or state fair.  It's always a fun time, in my opinion.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Fiber Arts Friday: The end of the Trout Jaywalker Socks

 Welp, I did rip out the Trout Jaywalker Socks.

It took me a few days to get to it.  I thought an idea might come to me on how to save them.... but it wasn't happening.

So I spent some time over several days looking at sock patterns in my queue and then went to take a look at the next sock project that I had set aside.

In that bin, I found another pattern that earlier me had put in there to make sure I didn't lose it.  I really wanted to make this one with self-striping yarn, but didn't have a plan for which one.

After reading through that pattern, I decided that the Trout Colorway should work nicely, although it is another Top-Down pattern.  sigh.

Anyway, after making those decisions I felt comfortable ripping out the Jaywalkers... and right about here, I had a thought on how to save the socks.  sigh.

That will be a plan for another yarn on another day.  ;-)

Happier Fiber Arts Friday than last week.

Larimer County Fair, 2023

I'm in the county's new system now, so I received an email on May 16 that the county fair was ready to receive entries.

The fair itself is held in early August, but I do appreciate being reminded that it's time to think about my entries and get them finished.  :-)

I downloaded several categories and had some thoughts about branching into several of them, but ultimately decided to enter in the following categories, which I have entered before:

• Photography
• Spinning and Weaving
• Knitting, Crochet, and Felting

As we got into July, I started setting items aside as well as washing and blocking the candidates.

The entries ended up being as follows:

• Minty Mitts - these are made well and match quite closely.  I also think the thumb join was executed well.
• Inigo Socks - these have two mistakes that I know of.  One can be viewed as a design feature.  Neither are obvious, in my opinion.
• Save Our Sheep Sweater - this has one obvious mistake, but I think the overall body of work and composition is good.  It should receive high marks for the variety of yarns made and used.
• TM 2-Ply Yarn - this is one of the better Chiengora yarns I've made.
• Peek-a-boo Photo of Wilma - I love the personality of this photo, but have no feel for how photos are judged and therefore placed.

The Minty Mitts and Inigo Socks are in the same class.  I only realized that one entry per class was allowed in the Knitting/Crochet/Felting department after I completed registration.  So it seems odd that the registration system allowed for and confirmed both.

So upon confirming with the Check-in Staff and then the Special Check-in Staff my second entry was cancelled.  Then as I was speaking with the Department Steward during Drop-off, She confirmed they were both allowed because socks and mittens should not be in the same class and they would be judged separately, but they would not let her break the class, so I re-entered the second entry.

There was also a change in the Photography Department to disallow matts, even though it is called out as specifically required in the Premium List.... and to be clear, I would not have mounted my photo unless the Premium List said it was required.

I also confirmed that the Premium List Posted still states the matt is required the morning after Drop off.

Annoying on both accounts but alas, all of my entries were dropped off to their appropriate departments.

Judging happens the day after Drop Off and is open to the public.  However, I've never been able to attend judging due to day job commitments.

Upon visiting the Fair over the weekend, I saw that my entries placed about where I expected them to.  It's always fun trying to find them in the display...

My Sweater was displayed prominently, with no ribbons.

I have to acknowledge that the Sweater Competition this year was quite good.  With the Brown one receiving the Grand Champion placement.

My Tibetan Mastiff yarn received 1st place and a Special Award.

The Minty Mitts received 2nd place.

The Inigo Socks received 3rd place.

.. and Wilma's Peek-a-boo photo was placed prominently in the Amateur Domestic Animal Display (directly under the Labrador/2nd place photo), with no ribbons.

So I am pleased that my entries placed about where I expected them to as well as looking forward to getting everything home and seeing what the comments are.

The written comments received were minimal.  I did not receive the written comments/score sheet for the Mitts, but I did receive some oral comments on the photo as I was checking out.... so I now have something to focus my attention on.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!