I'm wearing my own sheep!

So, it has been about a year and a half with our very own sheep. 3 Border Leicesters, and one......cross. I think she is a Shetland and a----

Last May was our first sheering, and I sent the wool to a semi-local mill to be made into Aran weight yarn. I currently don't have the time, skill, or if I am completely honest, the inclination to spin my own yarn. Someday maybe. Let me tell you what I've discovered:

I had each sheep spun separately so I could compare the wool.  I did this because when they were being shorn the gentleman helping us was discussing how they felt to him as we went. I wanted to see how this would translate into wearable yarn.


I've so far knitted with Evia's and Caitlin's (she is my favorite sheep by far). Evia is a ginormous sheep and I've got the most of her wool. Tiddler is the smallest and I haven't used hers yet (also because it feels the roughest). I'm in the process of working with Zoom Zoom's (the token black sheep that we actually bought for meat but she was too small and too adorable to even contemplate that fate). So far, by far, I love Zoom Zoom's wool best. It is the most squishy, lovely stuff imaginable. It is not as scratchy as the Border Leicester wool. However, I washed Caitlin's a couple of times in Eucran and the sweater was pretty good to the touch. A wee bit scratchy to begin with, but certainly bearable. 


Evia's Wool Projects:

I had this pattern in the closet. I don't particularly like the way the collar turned out, and I'm not sure I will ever wear it. I only washed this once and it is still pretty rough. Pattern: 7187 Woman's Jacket by Sirdar

This was super fun to knit and I love it. My family makes fun of me for knitting a bonnet, but look how beautifully it turned out! I haven't washed it yet, but I will for next winter!

Pattern: Neon Ski Bonnet this is a free pattern!










Caitlin's Wool Project:

I knit another Ross by Pam Allen. I had previously knit one for my daughter, and I think the sizing is weird. It is meant to be boxy, but the arms are skinny. Anyway, I learned from my previous knit and I am happy with the result of this one. 






Zoom Zoom's Wool:

This is the back panel on a Highway 61 Pullover. It is from Interweave, and so far, I love love love it. I was a bit leery it would turn out too small, but I am currently at gauge so fingers crossed. I am always to nervous it won't fit when I am done. This project is seamed, but I like to pretend I don't like but I secretly think I do. At least, for Aran jumpers. 

So that's what I've been up to. I am looking into natural dyes, so I have a long road ahead of me. I'm going to see what I can plant, or what I can harvest naturally around here and see what colors I can get. Fun!!

I'm mostly canning tomatoes

When I looked at my blog post list and saw the last time I posted was in March.....I was a little ashamed of myself. But only a little. Spring, summer, fall, they are all busy times here on our little farm. I've been knitting, but I've also become caretaker of some sheep, planted a big garden, went on vacation (yay!), and currently I'm canning. A lot. Mostly tomatoes but today I made some pickled miso vegetables I'm eager to try. 

Before I go much further, because this is a crafting/knitting blog, these are my future yarn providers. They are Border Leicheters, and really rather spoiled girls. The ewe in the background there is going to be bred in a few weeks, the others will wait until next year when they are old enough. The black sheep is actually something else......part Icelandic I think. She was bought as a meat sheep but we all sort of fell in love with her.
 

In April I went on a trip to Seattle with my sister and niece, and I bought myself some Frabjous Cheshire Cat Mini Skeins. Then I came home and made a Sugar Maple top. I had almost enough, but ended up getting another skein to finish it. Poor me, I have almost an entire skein I'll have to use up on another project. I really love how the top turned out, and last night I wore it to dinner. I finished it in July and just managed to get my daughter to snap a few pictures. This yarn is so super soft, it felt wonderful wearing it. 





I've got to run now and get the girls to someplace or other, I'll post my latest project as soon as I can (it won't take 6 months, I'm too proud of it).

Christmas knits

I'm waaaaay behind in my posts, because it is near the end of March and I'm going to post my Christmas knits. Oh well, better late than never I guess. 

Every year I try to knit the girls something for Christmas--teaching that homemade is best and whatnot. This year I made them shawls. I know, they are only 10, but for whatever reason they both really wanted shawls. Thus far I've only knit small shawls, or shawlettes, or whatever your call them, so I wanted to pick something relatively easy. I picked the Campside shawl, and I really enjoyed it (even making two!). The pattern is free, which never ceases to amaze me, people are just so giving with their talent.

I chose Elsbeth Lavold Silky Wool, in the girliest colors ever (I think they are just now thinking there is a world outside of pink and purple). The yarn is 45% Wool, 35% Silk, 20% manufactured Fibers - Nylon / Polyamide. I liked the yarn, it was different than what I normally use, and was a nice change of scenery if you will.

They shawls took about a month and a half each for me to knit, in secret, with the girls beating down the door because it was locked. They love them however, and that is all that matters. 

 
I also knit them both a hat, from patterns I already had, and yarn I didn't know what to do with. 

Now that it is waaaaay past Christmas and time for their birthday I've knit them fingers mitts, but that is a post for another day, it took me long enough to hit publish on this one!

Addictive knits

I've just recently discovered something so addictive I feel like I shouldn't even talk about, lest more people become addicted and lose precious hours of their day to it. However, since this IS a knitting blog, and I'm having so much fun, I will. 


I just started a 10 Stitch scrap blanket, and it is divine. The other day I drank a strange combination of wine (with dinner) and tea (after dinner) and somehow ended up with energy to burn and a craft closet to clean out. It looks wonderful now, and it got me to thinking I should start another scrap blanket. I made a crochet one years ago now (I love it),  but that didn't use up the tiny little bits I've been storing, and I feel like the 10 Stitch will. So I put all the smallest pieces in a basket, and let the girls lay them out in the order they wanted me to use them, and I got going. It is really very easy, though I didn't do the daisy join right the first time, but I soon realized I wasn't slipping the stitch on the reverse side correctly and once I'd fixed that--presto!

The thing I most love about scrap blankets is that they can be ugly to everyone but the person making it. I like to think about each yarn as I use it--where I bought it, what I used it for, who I gave the project to. It is a lovely little trip down memory lane, and so very enjoyable. For some reason, it is also highly addictive, and I am having trouble putting it down. The laundry lays neglected, the kids are playing too much computer, the husband really deserves help with the fence, but here I sit, knitting. It is really quite addictive.

Mindless knits are essential

Well, I cannot deny the truth of it--I have castonitis. In a BIG way. First (weeks ago now), I cast on some fingerless gloves. Then I got to the finger portion and

they were abandoned. I cast on a cabled sweater with the yarn I have left over from this

that was abandoned because I cast on a vest with this gorgeous yarn. It is Wool of the Andes Tweed. 

 
then that was abandoned and I cast on a vest for my daughter

Ok, that isn't all true, not everything has been abandoned. I am knitting the Mielie vest while the kids and I watch TV at night, since it is mainly stockinette. 

I  had to cast on the vest for Isla because all this beautiful yarn arrived in the mail. I also discovered something wonderful--yarn really does cheer me up! We've been having just a wee bit of family worry/drama, and the pumpkin yarn in particular make me feel ever so much better, just by looking at it. So I've left it and a red skein out on my desk, in case I need a quick pick me up. Another nice thing is that the kids saw all the pink (which they had picked) and decided in the future maybe they should pick some other colors. Wouldn't that be wonderful, if they threw in some greens and blues! Rori at least picked that lovely purple on the right, and Isla picked the red. 



So all that should keep me out of trouble for a little while. But I'm not going to lie, for some reason the cold weather is making me want to knit socks. We will see where the season takes me!

Alice

So, here is how my Alice in Wonderland currently looks:

I tried it on, and I LOVE it. I ordered the last skein that I needed right away. And maybe a little bit more of a different yarn to make a cowl as well. Is there a yarn addicts anonymous group I can join? 

While I wait for the yarn, I'm back to work on my Lempster. I love it too.
 

I'm also working on my Roxborough Dolman again. I've messed up the increases, but I think it will be OK. I don't have a picture of it though, sorry. Not that it looks like more than a stripey tube. 

It is pretty great to be working on projects that I'm happy with. I hope it continues!!

 

Gingko Shawl

Hi everyone. I hope that you've had a lovely week. We had some good weather, followed and preceded by some gray rainy weather. I'm ready for some summer already!

I was very excited about this shawlette. It turned out rather well, but I cannot for the life of me block out the little hump at the top where the cast on was. The designer does mention this, but still..............it left me feeling a little deflated. Looking at others projects let me know that I am not alone.

Pattern: Gingko Crescent
Yarn: Bendingo Woollen Mill Luxury 4 ply. I like this yarn very much.

Wearing it as a scarf makes the little hump not matter at all. This is how I would wear it, were I not sending it to my Grandma for Christmas. I hope she likes it!

Have a great weekend

go with the flow

Hello, and thanks for stopping by. I've had several things that made me happy this week: large amounts of sunshine and warmth, baking cookies, cuddles with the kids, gardening (and not hating cutting the grass), and finishing my Flowing Lines.

I knit this sweater in record time, two weeks! It was a pleasure from the get go, and of course I love this wool more than I should. Like, a lot! I want to buy more of it, right now, and knit more things. Fabulous stuff.

The only mods I did on the pattern were to lengthen the body a couple of inches (I have a long torso) and to make the sleeves 3/4 length (I ran out of wool). I really like the way it turned out. Of course, it has no buttons yet, because the shop didn't have any I like. I will look online, but in the meantime, I wish I hadn't put the buttonholes in, because it is fabulous without. Maybe I'll just discretely sew them closed.........

Funny thing about these pictures. They aren't the best. I was just putting on the sweater when Rori ran into the house and shouted, "I need you, I've lost Isla." So I ran with her to the school thinking something terrible had happened (they had gone back to school to find something left behind, it is 2 blocks from the house). Turns out she was only hiding from the teachers because she thought she would get in trouble, even though I had sent her to ASK the teacher for help. Sigh. So when we got home I made them take pictures for me. The day was grey, they weren't interested, and the sun was going down. So all in all, I guess they aren't that bad. On the up side, this sweater is like a warm woolly hug. I did not want to take it off. But I do want to try blocking it.

Details:
Pattern: Flowing Lines
Yarn: Malabrigo Rios in Lotus   

Thanks for stopping by, have a great weekend. 

Not a stash busting year

Is it wrong that I ordered yarn to be delivered to Australia from the USA? Perhaps it was just laziness. If I've got any fellow Down Under friends that can recommend a great place to buy yarn online here in Australia, I'm listening. Until I get that figured out (there are only so many hours in the day), I had this delivered from the Home Country.

That should last me a wee while, and cover three (four if you count each of the girls cardigans) projects. Man I love yarn. This box made me so happy. You can tell I'm in the mood for grey, can't you?

My current post-move stash, until the rest arrives

This will not be a stash busting year at all, mostly because it is April and I haven't seen my stash since I packed it all up in December. I am going to be reunited with it in just a few weeks now, we've had word our belongings are in Melbourne. Of course, they need a few weeks to clear AQIS, but it will be soon!!

In the meantime, I'm trying to be monogamous to this vest I started before the new wool arrived. I expect I will last a day. Or two. Maybe three as the work week starts up again tomorrow.

I'm working on The Enchanted Pullover which is a free pattern. I'm using more Supa 100% wool, mainly because it was on clearance and it will be warm. You can't tell very well in the picture, but it is a beige color.

That's all from me this week, I can't wait to see what you guys are working on as well!  

Happy Crafting!!