TDF Day 11-REST!?

 Since I didn't have to 'race' today, I used the time to card the rest of the Alpaca!  I have 12 more ounces to spin!  I might stop when I have another bobbin full at the 8 ounce marker...  I then took the time to clean out the carder, oil it and discard all the SAND that fell out from the fleece!  Wow, can this fiber hold dirt!  I then cleaned and oiled my Espinner so all is ready for tomorrow's schedule!

 I cut out a denim straight skirt.   I didn't have a lot of oomph left after this activity so I moved on to a sitting job.

 I finished the Mystery shawl clue one.  I was supposed to have at least 2/3 of my starting weight of yarn left after this clue and I have that and a bit more!  Nice to know I am on the mark.  (Remember this is no blocked;  lace knitting doesn't look as impressive on the needles!)

 This afternoon when a mighty thunderstorm moved in, I did some knitting on this project!  I did quite a bit of it in the dark as we lost the power several times over two hours!  We did get almost an inch of rain which is a lot for us!  This doesn't look too exciting laying down like this but when you put it on your foot, an amazing stripe is evidenced:

See the pretty stripe of zig zags up the outside of the foot and leg!  Very easy to knit and fun to just do 'one more zig...' !  (Zigzagular Socks is a free Ravelry download!)  I did add my own heel to this and make it toe up instead of following the directions but it is the same idea;  I have been a knitter too long to knit any way but my favorite way!

TDF 2014 DAY 10

This is the fullest bobbin I have ever spun!   It is holding 8 ounces of finely spun Alpaca!  I weighed it to be sure, subtracting the weight of the bobbin, of course!  This goal is reached;  a day off tomorrow!

TDF 2014 Day 7 and 8

It  might get boring to keep seeing this silver Alpaca, but it is a nice soft spin for me and I am using this fiber up which is a great bonus for the Tour de Fleece!  I spun up an ounce batt when  we got home last night and another 1 1/2 oz batt today.

The cats missed us.......they follow us around, just waiting for a lap!

 Today I also started a Mystery Shawl Knit A Long from Wendy Johnson.

  I am using the last of the Shetland I spun up. Once I figured out the direction she wanted us to go, it moves right along!   It is nice to have some choices for go-to projects from my control-center recliner!

Beach Bunnies

Friday morning the guys got to work putting up the 'ceiling so the deck above didn't leak through to the deck below.   The landlord asked that they not do anything permanent which called for some creative wood work!

 The girls did some creativity on our own!  Ella liked playing with 'mud'!

 After burying the pretty stones, we put her to work on her own so Cassandra could save the Ella prints on her stepping stone!

It turned out well!  The guys got the decks organized, the yard all cleaned up and the projects were done~  (Caleb called later to say that the fiberglass worked so he could grill in the rain and stay dry!)

We took another hike to the beach and saw Ella's bunny from the boardwalk.  She calls him and the turtle each time they walk over to the beach!   It is very cute!

 She knows the way-off she goes down the dunes to her water!

 Grandpa and Ella got slammed by a wave;  she took it in stride!

Bill and Caleb were able to do 50-60' body surf rides on the waves-the water was warm and no undertows to mess with your safety!  It was beautiful.  

I was determined to find a shark tooth!   Caleb finds one within seconds, and then Cassandra does.  I will say in my defense, trying to see a 3/8" little tooth in this kind of beach detritus is hard and complicated by my glasses! 

And against all odds, I found one!  What a thrill!  It is tiny but it is my first shark's tooth !  See me smile!

We packed it up to head for home-Ella had a snack-it is chocolate Nutella.

She does it proud. 

And she did not appreciate my picture interruption!  This is pure Ella here!

 On the way home, I saw this Agave plant in bloom and begged Bill to turn around so I could take its picture!  (on the opposite lane of a four lane highway.....he was mostly patient with my request)
This stalk is about 25' tall!  It is an incredible sight.  It only happens after the plant is 15-20 years old and it will then die.  It is commonly called a century plant people claiming it only bloomed after 100 years but that isn't quite right;  it should be called the suicide plant because after it blooms, the main plant dies!

 But, the plant has been busy reproducing itself at the base,

and it is growing new ones up here, too!  Read the cool article here about them.

Thank you for the sweet visit, dear family!

Playing Hooky from TDF 2014 Day 6

We're visiting Ella!!!  Caleb and Bill have a home improvement project and fishing on their agenda and newly pregnant Cassandra and I are going to play with Ella, gab and maybe build some stepping stones!

I will spin again soon but I am ahead on my race goals so like the hare I am going to take a rest!

Projects at Ella's Beach

On the way to Fernandina Beach and family, I decided to give a try on a pair of socks with some thinking attached!  I do like to travel with my plain socks but the mood struck.  So did the mindless part because these have a cable and to do a cable easily in the truck needs a cable needle!  I knit as far as I could until the cable part!

The guys moved everything from the upper and lower decks so they could power wash them before their building project.

 Let the work begin~

 The wood was untreated and it had dried out so much there were slivers galore.   The side on the right is the before picture.

 This was taken with high humidity outside and it is funny that it was evident in the picture!

Even the lizards liked the new color!

 In the evening when it was cooler out, we took a beach walk.  Ella was ready for some daddy attention after he worked for 6 hours on the decks!

And some silly time with Grandpa!
                         
We stood with our feet in the warm water for quite a while...it was a great way to end our day.

TDF 2014 Day Five

I was a bit slower today but I dug out my delicious Alpaca fleece in silver grey and carded several ounces.  The actual spinning was only an ounce but I am spinning this in a fine weight yarn so I get a lot of miles in my ounce!

TDF 2014 Day 4

 I started the day with two bobbins each about 3/4 full of Rambouillet singles.  It is a bit trickier to ply without treadling because you get into this counting thing to keep an even twist  when you are using a spinning wheel but I think I worked out my technique on the e-spinner and it is a bit hypnotic watching the singles build up their twist and then feeding it into the orifice........

 By afternoon I had one skein done and wound off onto the niddy noddy then skeined.

 By early evening the second one joined its mate.  The two skeins equal 481 yards of sport weight Rambouillet yarn.  I soaked them and they are now hanging to dry!  I think I lost a few ounces of their total weight in chaff while spinning this yarn if my lap was any indication!  I hope most of it has fallen out by now so I can knit it!  (This looks like it will make a good textured hat!)

During intermission, I remembered I had tried my hand at this bead weaving a long time ago and it was a disaster!   I found out my mistake and thought I would try again.  Like most weaving, tension can be an issue because I am drawing in on the sides but I am just going to go with it since it will be a bracelet and the selvages will not be such an issue! lol  My fingers are not coordinated enough to take this on as a new hobby but it is going to be nice to have one successful project done on this loom!

TDF Day 2 and 3

I spun almost 4 ounces off and on yesterday and will do the same today.   This is the Rambouillet.  It contains a LOT more vegetable matter than I think is acceptable (It is from a small farm and local mill not commercially processed).  I am losing a lot while spinning but I can still see some in the singles.  It is a nice long draw spin, though!

Reflection on Lilies

Consider the lilies, how they grow: 

they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, 

even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  Luke 12:27

Tour de Fleece , Day One

 I began the race with the Teeswater/Cotswold cross bred roving that I dyed.  It was a good spin and a great way to start off the spinning experience!

 Throughout the day I would spin with the espinner from my recliner (I am still not very mobile!)

 I managed to spin, ply and wind all four ounces.  (The race covers 198 miles and the way I play is to set my goal to spin yarn that will equal that distance in yards so I have met today's goal and then some...)

 The colors were very fun to spin-just like in knitting....just one more color and then I will rest...!

I have a 258 yard skein of fingering weight yarn which will most likely be a small shawlette!

Looking Forward

 I do not have the oomph to do too much.  I used up the last of the broken rainbow pieces.

 We did go and visit new neighbors for lunch and to get the grand tour of their new home!  We are so happy for them!  I was completely done in by the time we got home.

The doctor forgot to mention the back pain that lingers from his 'little' procedure!  I am done in from pain....

Comfort knitting is off the needles....