Derby: In Memoriam

Two Winters ago one of my favorite rams passed away.  Derby.  He was born on our farm in 2004, sweet and gentle from Day One.  As he aged, his disposition never changed.  He was top ram for a couple of years when youth and testosterone were on his side, but slipped from power pretty quickly because he just wasn't a fighter.  He is the only ram we've ever had that never, never, lowered his head to me.  I was perfectly comfortable, never hesitated in fact, to break that Cardinal Rule and turn my back to him while in the pasture.  Aside from his remarkable demeanor, Derby was, and still is, the only sheep we've had who has shed his wool.  Each Spring, I would wait for his fleece to loosen and lift off the skin.  He would stand stock still for me while I pulled off, handful by handful, his gorgeous chocolate brown wool.  When he died late one evening, the other rams stood vigil.  My husband found them and remarked how it was chilling to find Derby on the ground while the three other rams stood quietly with their heads resting on his lifeless body.  Being the middle of Winter and befitting a Shetland ram who has equally strong Scandinavian as well as Scottish heritage, we built a large bonfire from a shed that had been torn down and sent Derby off in glory.  His soft nose, nuzzling into my hand, and his calming presence are sorely missed around the pasture.

So I decided to honor his memory the best way I know how,

with my needle and thread. 

loved to shreds

four months old

I knew my second child would be a boy.  I didn't need an ultrasound to tell me that.  So I chose a nice royal blue, acrylic yarn and found a knitting pattern for a baby blanket that perhaps, just maybe, I could finish in nine months time.

"What if you end up with a girl?" my mother asked.  "You'll have to knit a pink one."  Raising one eyebrow, I said, "she'll learn to love blue."

After my son was born, I finished up the final rows there in the hospital, he swaddled on my bed while I stitched the pattern from memory.  It was the largest knitting project I had ever undertaken, and I was quite proud of myself.  Not every stitch was perfect, but it finished off to a nice 40 inch square blanket.  And since that day in the hospital, he has quite literally loved his blanket to shreds.

*k2, p2, rep from * across

They weren't kidding when they said that one good thing leads to another.  Like the time I tried a new cookie recipe and before the batch was even gone, I was anxiously waiting with another new recipe in hand.  Or the year my geraniums survived over the winter, and I was encouraged to purchase more.  Or like my last knitting project that ever-so-slightly boosted my confidence, and now it seems I can't put my needles down.  Well, I guess when you've got a good thing going, why question it?

Winter is my season for knitting and spinning and here's another little project using my favorite fiber in the whole world:  wool.

my beginners lace

Lace knitting is on my bucket list.  More specifically a traditional Shetland Wedding Shawl is on my bucket list, and it may stay in the 'to do' column a few years longer.  Reason being is that I just finished my first lace project.  I'm wondering why I waited so long to do this?  It was a great intro project that, mercifully, didn't require months on the needles.  I learned a few new stitches and how to read a chart. 

Knit for Victory Challenge: My entry

I'm coming in just under the wire here for the knit-along over at By Gum By Golly.  The Knit for Victory challenge started before Christmas, but mercifully we have until the end of January to finish up.  I chose a small project that had been floating around in my head for a while, but the story of this simple piece is a bit convoluted so I'll explain.

Two years ago I purchased a fabulous coral-colored coat and made a simple tie-on hat to match.  Details are over at the Hometown Victory Girl blog (here). Well, I've worn that hat to death and decided that I needed more. 

Enter a pair of alpaca gloves from my wonderful husband.  Warm and gorgeous, I decided to make a jacket to match.  So this past Fall I restyled a 1960s wool shift dress into a bell-sleeved jacket (here).  The gloves were great with the jacket, but (you guessed it) I wanted a hat.  Enter this knitting challenge! 

Shetland Lace Knitting

Ever since I started my flock of Shetland sheep, I been in love with the traditional Shetland lace knitting.  Along with FairIsle knitting, lace knitting is distinctly Shetland.  Lace weight yarn, or cob web yarn, is so fine, it could easily be mistaken for crochet thread.  One source I read said the strand of yarn should be no more than six fibers thick.  Six fibers!  A single wool fiber is roughly equivalent to a human hair.  The real pinnacle of this art comes in the form of the traditional Wedding Shawl, a shawl so delicate, it can be pulled entirely through a wedding ring.  Spinning and knitting such a piece is on my bucket list.

Knit Collar

"They want what for that?!  I can make it myself."

It's those famous last words that knitters, sewers, crafters and general do-it-yourself-ers have uttered time and time again.  And that is exactly how this project came about.  A couple of weeks ago, I found myself in a chichi boutique looking at overpriced clothing.  I found a knitted collar that was simple in design and easy to knit.  I tried it on, noted all the construction details, the size, the weight of yarn and promptly put it back.  Next stop, the yarn shop.  

I purchased a ball of Amazing by Lion Brand Yarn in the Violets color and worked this up on size 6 needles.  Lately I've been adding bits of purple to my closet.  Don't ask me why.  I do not own a single stitch of purple clothing, in any shade, but for some reason, it's calling to me.  You know the saying, "You don't get old.  You just get more purple."  Apparently I'm there.

So this I what I knitted up.  A short wrap-around collar that criss-crosses in the front.  I've worn in under a blazer.  It's perfect for keeping the chill off my neck, but doesn't get in the way like a traditional long scarf.  I love the aesthetics of cowls, shawls and ponchos, but I hate fussing over my clothes all day.  I like things to be streamlined and stay put.  Well, except my skirts; there, the bigger, the better.

I did this using only the knit stitch.  Starting at one point, I increased to get the spade on the end, decreased to the narrow section, and increased again for the wider neck portion.  Then I tried to make the other end match because (of course) I didn't keep any notes.

 

On the underside I stitched on a small length of ribbon.  To close at the neck, one spade slips through the ribbon.  A buttonhole could be worked into the knitting here, or a snap could be sewn on as well.  

 

Then I crocheted a flower and added that to the end with the ribbon loop.  And of course an orphan button to finish off the flower. 

And if I get too hot, it easily folds down.  So what's the verdict?  I like it.  Fast project and easy to wear.  So if you're like me and struggle with the Buy It or Make It dilemma, take heart.  Some things really are worth making yourself!

Book Review: sheepish

sheepish, by Katherine Friend , Da Capo Press, 2011

sheepish is one of the best books I've read in a long time.  And by best I mean, it was lighthearted, humorous and made me want to keep it in hand while I switched loads of laundry.  As the cover states, it is a chronicle of the adventures of "two women, fifty sheep and enough wool to save the planet."  It's filled with those ridiculous stories told by first-time farmers that make us 'experienced' farmers just shake our heads in the classic, "Ah yes, my young Jedi, you too will learn..."

“As new farmers, we amused our friends and family with creative disasters.  We accidentally overdosed and nearly killed all our sheep one week.  We forgot to check the oil in the tractor engine, with quite expensive results.  Melissa nearly shish-kabobed herself when a sharp-toothed implement, called a drag, crawled up behind her on the tractor.  I cleverly planted 200 grapevines upside down.  We had to learn about sheep and duck penises.  That I even know about pizzle rot disturbs me. “

It also leans towards the educational side of shepherding, exploring the 'green' side of the wool industry and how this interrelates with today's conservationist movements.  The author reminds us how deeply sheep are felted into our culture ('felted' get it?), playing an integral part in our heritage. 

Just stop to consider how many references to this quiet little animals we have in our vocabulary: “lost sheep, black sheep, good shepherd, fleeced, pull the wool over someone’s eyes, led like a sheep to the slaughter, spinning a yarn, flocking together, gentle as a lamb, wolf in sheep’s clothing, two shakes of a lamb’s tail, dyed in the wool."

And a book on sheep would not be complete without one or two references to spinning.  That is afterall why we put up with all their sprionging (that's the technical term, says so in the book).

“Spinning’s supposed to work like this: Depress a pedal with your foot, the wheel starts spinning, the bobbin turns, the roving pulls from your hand and through a small opening, unfortunately called the orifice, and then around the bobbin.  Start the wheel spinning with your hand, then take over with the pedal while your hand gently pinches the roving so it twists and gets sucked through the orifice.

I create my own technique.  Start the wheel spinning with your hand, then push the pedal so hard the roving breaks.  Stop the wheel, curse softly, then thread the roving back through the orifice, and begin again.  I recommend repeating this step approximately twenty-seven times, or until you feel close to tears.  On the twenty-eighth attempt you get the speed right and you pinch the roving just right and the yarn begins to twist and accumulate on the bobbin in a mannerly fashion.

Yarn is supposed to be slender, and relatively uniform.  Theoretically, one pound of wool can be spun into ten miles of yarn, but not if I’m spinning.  Within a space of ten seconds, my yarn goes from the size of my thumb all the way down to dental floss, then back up to thumb-sized. “

Katherine Friend with her sheep

This is a feel good book that reminds shepherds everywhere why we love our sheep so much, why we put up with the chores, the manure, the pizzle rot.  Simply to hear a ewe's worfling on a bright, sunny morning (again, technical term) brings confirmation that we're doing something quietly wonderful.

Project List Status: Done!

There's something wonderful about checking things off the Project List.  Perhaps it's because some things have been on that List faaar too long.  Or maybe it's because things are continually being added to that List.  So while I'll never see the end of it, I might just get closer to the Latest and Greatest Project Idea!  And we all know that those are not in short supply!  So here are a few things that I've been finishing up in those precious hours after the kids are in bed.

Project #1:  I started this wool braided rug over a year ago.  I ripped, literally, wool yardage into 2 inch stripes, folded in the raw edges (like double fold bias binding) and started braiding.  It was great fun putting colors together, and it made a huge dent in my wool collection.  I planned to use the light grey throughout the whole rug and then shade the other colors lighter and darker as I went.  And yes, I said rug.  Originally I had wanted to make a 6 foot circle rug for my daughter's playhouse.  Oh, she would have loved it, but a thrift store rag rug seemed a more prudent option.  Having been stuck at this size for well over 6 months, I decided to add ties and voila! chair seat cover!  All the other yardage went back into the stash and now I have some great pieces for winter clothes!

  Project #2: Last month I knitted up a pink 1940s tie-on cap to match my pink coat.  I blogged about it over at the Hometown Victory Girls if you're interested.  Well, my daughter, who is young enough to still want to be like her mom, asked for one.  So a quick rummage through the yarn supply produced a skein of variegated pink left over from her slippers I did last winter. This little beauty works up so fast and is easy to size (I may make another one for myself).  So check off the List one going-to-church hat!

Project #3:  Last week my niece was confirmed in the Catholic Church and asked me to be her sponsor.  For her gift, I sewed up this cute little shoulder bag using Wild Kat's tutorial for reusable shopping bags.  Instead of using two carrying handles, I improvised a single shoulder strap.  I made a drawstring top and ran a heavy cord.  It closes with a sliding toggle, and the cord is sewn into the seam at the bottom of the bag.

The fabric was a remnant I picked up at the local thrift store (shocking, I know).  I think it may have been a valance at one time.  These whimsical birds scream 1960s and you can't help but smile!

Project #4:  It's so easy to come up with sewing projects for my daughter!  I used McCalls 8471 to make a simple bathrobe for her out of flannel.  I left off the cuffs and took some of the fullness out of the back.  And I only put one vintage button at the neck. 

She told me it's like wearing a blanket.  What could be better?!  And there are her slippers peeking out, made from the same yarn as her hat.  She and the cat, Zehny, are sitting in front of the wood stove (which stands just outside the picture).  This is the most coveted spot in the house during the winter!

Next up on the Project List is a wool pencil skirt for myself, a pair of corduroys for my daughter and a crocheted shrug.  The work never ends, but then it's not always work.  It's therapy!

Woolwinkle Yarn Shop

October 1st marked our small town fall festival, Pumpkins on the Petunias.  There were things to do and see for all ages, like the Tractor Parade, the Great Pumpkin Drop and the Soap Box Derby races.  Every storefront in town was decorated with pumpkins, corn stalks and scarecrows (not so many petunias though).  I spent the day happily camped out at Woolwinkle, the newest addition to our quaint downtown. 

That's my tiny wheel in the middle of the floor!

Yarn, needles, books and finished items line every wall and shelf.  The shop cannot boast of having expansive floor space, but what it lacks in size is made up for in warmth and generosity. 

Josie, the owner, sets the tone for the store.  Her let-me-tell-you-everything-I-know-about-knitting attitude kept the door bell chiming as customers (most of whom are quickly considered friends) continually came and went throughout the day. 

The majority of the floor space in the shop accommodates a large kitchen table.  No less then four of these chairs (at times eight) were constantly occupied by friends who had brought their knitting projects and camped out with me.  Even though Josie had two of her own projects to work on, she ping-ponged from person to person, showing how to cast on (and cast off), how to measure out button hole spacings, and how to finish off the thumb on a mitten.  Each lady sat down at the table with a measured look of concern in their brows and left the table with an equal amount of contentment, knowing that their project was not going to end up stuffed in the back of a dark closet.  And this was all Josie's doing.

Having introduced myself to Josie a mere two weeks ago, she was gracious enough to let me set out a table of my own homespun yarns and rovings.  What a delight to be able to spin all day without interruption!  Well, except for the times I had to go see how to finish off a thumb . . . I spent the day hand carding and spinning dog fur.  To my surprise it is turning out far nicer than I had anticipated.  Which only means that I can expect to smell like dog for the next couple of weeks. 

So should you find yourself wondering what will occupy the long, dark months of winter, wander over to Woolwinkle.  Sign up for a knitting class or stock up on new yarn.  Or you could dig out that project from the dark closet (you know the one I'm talking about), and stop in to see Josie.  She's like a fairy godmother with a knitting needle!