Finally, some pictures!
The yarn skeins are some wool yarn that I dyed with Easter egg dye this Easter. The brown hat is made from Berroco Ultra Alpaca. The pattern is called 3AM Cable Hat. You can find the pattern on Ravelry or http://smariek.blogspot.com/2006/01/chemo-hat-8-completed-3am-blue-cable.html
I gave it a long brim, so when I fold it up, it will keep my ears warm.
The blue hat and neckwarmer are from Lion Brand Homespun. I mentioned them in a previous post.
I also finished the hemp washcloth mentioned in a previous post, but I forgot to get a picture of it in my "photo shoot" today. :p
That's all for now!

More fibery goodness....
A couple of nights ago, I got out the spinning wheel. I hadn't yet really spun on it, only set it up to see how it works. The wheel is a Clemes and Clemes castle style, built in the 1970s. Someone bought it for me a few years ago, but sadly, I hadn't felt the courage to break it out and try it. Also, when I had set it up previously, I had a lady who spins look at the wheel. She seemed to think it needed something for the tensioning - so that was another reason the wheel remained in storage. I know there are lots of spinners who live in my area, but I am not connected with them (yet :D ).
So, other that what's on the internet, and my limited connections, I am pretty much on my own in learning to spin.
Anyhow, I got the wheel out and spun some of the carded Cheviot wool from my stash. I have no idea of the quality of my spinning - I'm sure it stunk, but my goal was to learn how to use the wheel. I really had a sense of accomplishment after that. I had finally tried spinning on this wheel, after being intimidated by it, discouraged and frustrated by my inability to use it, and various other negative emotions concerning it. At this point, I don't know if the wheel needs something for the tensioning, as a novice, I couldn't tell, but it seemed okay to me...Hopefully it doesn't need anything, except more practice on it from me!
Another fibery note - I started a dishcloth in hemp and it's a Ravelry pattern called Knitted Apple Cloth by Rhonda White.

Finally, something Blogworthy !

Gee, I knew I hadn't written anything in a while, but didn't realize it was back in January... Oh well, time flies, ya know. I haven't done much in the creative department until recently. I went to my LYS and bought some yarn. Yay! I got 2 skeins of Hemp for knitting, one in a blue, and one a white or off white. I also got 2 skeins of Berroco Ultra Alpaca in a dark brown, and a skein of Eco Wool in a dark brown. I plan to make washcloths out of the hemp. I really wanted to try linen, but the hemp was cheaper, so I thought I'd try that first. The other yarn, when I bought it, I was thinking of making hats with it. But I may change my mind if I think of something better.
I love how soft the Alpaca yarn is!

In chicken news, we have some newish chicks. They are about 1 month old and 2 months old.
The older chicks are Black Australorpes. The smaller chicks are Plymouth Barred Rock, and Buff Orpingtons. We have 6 of each breed. Our mature chickens are a Sexlink breed (I'm not sure the official color name - they are light reddish brown) and Ameraucanas. We have 15 mature chickens now (started off last May with 24. Lost a few to predators :( )
I'm really enjoying the chicks. Especially the Barred Rocks and Buff Orpingtons. They are really cute and spunky.

Latest creative activity:

Finally finished the blue Lion Brand Homespun hat. (I think this was a few months ago.)
A few weeks ago, I knitted a neck warmer out of the same yarn. It's nice not to have a scarf dangling when I have to do outside chores, such as feeding the chickens and gathering eggs. Chickens aren't exactly the most sanitary of creatures, ha ha, but I do enjoy them. ( Not eating them, tho)

I'm thinking of starting a 100 Things About Me List,
So I'll see how far I get.

1. As of this post, I have 7 kids: 6 girls, and 1 boy.
2. I have been married for 13 years to my husband.
3. I learned to knit and crochet as a child.
4. I love cats.
5. I love birds.
6. I love fish.
7. I like chocolate.
8. I grew up in Arizona.
9. I grew up in a copper mining town.
10. I wanted to be a doctor when I grew up.
11. I never became a doctor.
12. I play the guitar.
13. I started learning to play when I was a kid.
14. I play the mandolin.
15. I started learning to play mandolin around 5 years ago.
16. When I was a kid, I used to collect stamps and rocks.
17.I graduated 4th in my highschool class.
18. We had slightly over 60 people in our class.
19. I had a pet tiger salamandar when I was a kid.
20. When I met my husband, I had a couple of goldfish.
21. I had had my goldfish for 5 years.
22. I live in a cabin in the woods. (Really)
23. The cabin I live in was built by hippies.
24. My husband and I sleep in a loft above the living room.
25. Almost daily I see deer outside my cabin.
26. The same can be said for wild turkey.
27. I take care of the chickens on our property.
28. I am interested in genealogy.
29. Some of my ancestors are German.
30. Some of my ancestors are Cherokee.
31. Some of my ancestors came over on the Mayflower.
32. Some of my ancestors are English, some are Irish or Scottish.
33. I'd rather listen to music than watch TV.
34. I get kind of bored in the middle of movies, and go off and do something else.
35. I don't like microwaved popcorn.
36. I have a Whirly-Pop for making popcorn, and I love it.
37. When I was pregnant with my last daughter, I craved popcorn with cinnamon candy flavoring (like Red Hots Flavoring) and powdered sugar.
38. I like to make things.
39. I am interested in cake decorating.
40. I am interested in candy making.
41. I like to bake.
42. I don't like to cook that much.
43. I took a quilting class in college.
44. I also took Karate in college.
45. My favorite teacher in High School was Mr. Faulkner, my typing teacher.
46. I live about 3 and a quarter miles from the Pacific Ocean.
47. I have lived near Atlanta, Georgia.
48. I have lived in Colorado.
49. I love to read other people's blogs.
50. I love to read posts on Ravelry.
51. I don't really enjoy writing on my own blog. (I'd rather read everyone else's)
52. I really don't like Jerusalem Crickets.
53. I think they are creepy and scary. Yuck!
54. I don't like scorpions and centipedes either.
55. I used to work as a temp. for the US Post Office.
56. That was my favorite job.
57. I homeschool my children.
58. None of my kids have ever attended public school.
59. I really like the color combination of dark brown and turquoise.
60. I am not really interested in sports.
61. But my husband loves them.
62. I was manager of the track team my senior year in high school.
63. This involved keeping stats for the team.
64. I got to travel around to all the track meets with the team.
65. I really enjoyed it.
66. I do not like to play volleyball.
67. My gym teacher in high school was also the school's volleyball coach.
68. We played volleyball A LOT in high school gym class.
69. UGH!
70. I have never been bitten by a snake.
71. There are rattlesnakes in Arizona.
72. There are also Gila Monsters.
73. Coatimundis live in AZ, too.
74. Saguaro cactus are native to Arizona.
75. I love summer desert sunsets after a rainstorm.
76. Cholla cactus are not your friend.
77. They are nicknamed "jumping cactus" for a reason.
78. My first vehicle was a white 1980 Chevy Luv.
79. My second vehicle was a blue and white 1983 Ford Ranger.
80. The Luv ran way better than the Ranger
81. But the Ranger was prettier than the Luv.
82. I enjoy reading old copies of knitting and craft magazines.
83. I find it entertaining and nostalgic.
84. I like peaches, nectarines and apricots.
85. Apricots are my favorite.
86. I own a copy machine.
87. I find it indispensible.
88. I did a lot of embroidery in high school.
89. I used to win ribbons at the fair on my entries.
90. I also like to sketch and do portraits.
91. I like to research information.
92. I like English Breakfast tea.
93. I like Chai tea.
94. I like my tea with milk and sugar.
95. I never drank much coffee until I got married.
96. My husband loves coffee.
97. I want to learn the violin.
98. I used to hang my laundry on a clothesline when I lived in Colorado.
99. I really enjoyed that.
100. I've been a vegetarian for 12 years.

Whew! That wasn't too hard.
Gotta go for now!
Have a great day, and thanks for reading!

I guess it's about time I posted again. I've had a busy summer. The retreat center (where my husband and I are on staff) was down to a staff of 4 - which means - my husband and myself plus another couple (who are the directors). Along with a few groups of volunteers, we've had to keep the retreat center going during the busiest time of year. So, now that busy-ness has tapered off. We've gotten some more staff members. My family and I have taken some time off.

The past few days I've finally had time to do some "fibery pursuits". I did some spinning on my drop spindle. I finished knitting a dishcloth. I taught myself how to Navajo ply on the drop spindle.
My family and I went to our county fair - which has a big wool show. That was lots of fun. I love to see all the animals, especially. I saw lots of goodies I wish I could afford! Lately seems like I'm interested in books on natural dyeing. So we'll see how that interest progresses.

Well, guess that's all for now. Have a great day!

I've been knitting dishcloths lately.
I found a new pattern I really like - even better than the Peaches and Cream Ballband pattern. It's a waffle stitch pattern. I like the way these dishcloths come out a bit thinner. When I wash dishes, I personally like a little bit of a thinner dishcloth. I love to make dishcloths as gifts, and I actually have never used a handmade washcloth, but these ones are tempting me to keep some for my self!
The last one I made with orange yarn and a yellow/white ombre yarn, alternating to make stripes. The striped look really appeals to me - I'll definitely be trying that again.
It was fun when I was looking for my needles to make dishcloths again- (I hadn't knitted any since February)I found a complete dishcloth and an almost finished one that I'd completely forgotten about - so it was kind of like a bonus to have more finished dishcloths!
Here are some pics of my dishcloths and also of something with strings of a different kind - my mandolin! (I play guitar and mandolin)

Koolaid and Easter egg dye fun!

These are pictures from a few weeks ago. Dying with Koolaid is fun, and it smells great too! The colors were actually more vibrant in real life than in the photos! The red and the orange/red pink stuff is KA, and the bright orange, the green, and the blue are Easter egg dyed. (The EE dyed fiber reminds me of Muppets!) There is also some handspun yarn I dyed as well.
After the fiber dried, I carded it - some with hand cards, and some with my drum carder.