Woolybuns

Oh, Happy Day!

First, I saw these in my driveway garden, a most welcome sighting of Spring as I drove off to pick up the teenager.  On returning, I noticed messages on the answering machine.  Usually, it's just hang ups from telemarketers.  But the last message brought great joy: the arrival of a healthy 8 pound 2 oz miracle baby!  His mother from teen years had not expected to be able to conceive, and if she did, was unlikely to carry to term.  She lost an ovary to disease and has a mishapen uterus supposedly without room for full growth.  But now, at age 30, her baby boy has arrived pretty much just when he should!  I am so very happy for her! 

Now, certainly that was enough for me.  But the day just got better:  Sassy also came through!! She has two fat, healthy babies in her nest!  Well, I've got them snuggled in the warmth of my shirt for the moment.  They were born in the nest with wool around them, but not much under them and are a tad cool.  Quite active, though.  Several people have been eagerly awaiting this litter, so the fact that there are only two will disappoint some.   I will be keeping a buck, if the bunny goddess sees fit to grace me with one.   So only one other person can get a baby from this litter.   This is a repeat of last April's litter of phenomenal babies.  I don't generally repeat successful litters because I am a firm believer in genetic diversity for healthier animals.  But I foolishly promised all the bucks in the first litter before counting them!  I kept a doe and she is fabulous!  But my herd could benefit from a buck of this pedigree and the other people so wanted more.   Now comes the real hard part - who will get the other one?    If one of these little sweeties is a buck, that will make the decision a bit easier, as a couple folks, good friends, can share him with me.  And he will be one happy boy!!

Choices

I just finished the first 4 ounces of blue face leicester/angora I was spinning for my Stonington shawl, quite pleased with it.  It's fairly consistent and dreamy soft!  Now iImagine it in color!  There is a mild disappointment, though: the 4 ounces produced 330 yards, which means I'd need about 28 ounces to meet the yardage requirements for the shawl, about  6  ounces more than what I have.  So I have a decision to make: get more made up and force myself to wait for the blend to come back (yikes!  That's at least 6 weeks of waiting!), dig through stash to see if I have enough of something else, or see if I can duplicate the blend here at home.  Getting more made up also means waiting for another white rabbit to be ready to sheer so I'd have enough fiber to justify the processing, so I'm really not thinking that option is a good one.  I do have the tools and fiber to blend the small amount I need right here at home, a nice set of Alvin Ramer wool combs.    And I also have this lovely bit of roving pleading for a project of its very own.   I got it from Kim - a total of 16 oz of a merino/angora blend.  Now, the pattern for Stonington specifies yarn  either 8 ounces (1800 yards) of lacewight or 16 ounces (2,240 yards) of wool (weight not identified).   So the theory was, with 22 ounces of blue face leicester/angora, I had enough.  The reality is I obviously didn't spin it thin enough.  I tried spinning very thin with a very small sample of the Kim blend and the rythm didn't grab me.   Blending some of my own BFL/angora is looking like the best option, unless I decide to use my black corriedale/black alpaca/black angora roving.    Nice to have these choices but I really wanted to get started on my Stonington shawl.  So this is one reason why all you spinners out there with huge stash of fiber still go out and buy yarn, isn't it??    Hmmmmm.....

Another choice I am wrestling with: my bulky sweater.   I've started it at least 5 times already, trying to at least get through the ribbing without a mistake.  I finally decided I could live with the mistake I made in this latest "start." I miscounted my cast on stitches, came up one short but didn't notice it until round two because in round one I also skipped one knit in my knit 2 purl 2 ribbing.   I solved both mistakes by putting in a make 1 stitch.  But then I went back to the book The Sweater Workshop to read up on what's coming up in my sweater.   Author Jackie Fee talks about how the sweater at 3 inches above the ribbing won't look like it will fit and gives some reasons why.  One of those reasons is you knit the ribbing on needles 2 sizes smaller than the body needles.   I did????    Huh, how about that, cause... ummm... no, I didn't.  I obviously didn't read the section of the book closely enough when it talked about  a good knitted ribbing.  I read as far as use 10% fewer stitches on the ribbing than you will on the body.  Sigh.  Now, I'm sure you more experienced knitters out there laughing at me know to use a different needle size.  But laugh away, cause I'm choosing to laugh at my own foible and I'll chalk this up to a good learning experience.    So the choice is, go on cause I'm really tired of starting over or rip it all out and start it over.  Again.  Anybody wanna join me in the frog pond?  I'm getting quite comfy with that place lately.  :)

Cute As A Button Again

Hoppy Easter from my family to yours!!

Button

Saturday, we awoke in early morning to woeful whimpers and whines from Button, the Maltese.  She was clearly Not Well.  What she was bringing up would have been far more appropriate issuing unhappily from the other end.  After a couple hours, Button replaced the chucking up with sad eyes, copious drooling and lethargy.   Equally clear was that this event was not one in the "see if it clears up" category, so off to the vet we ran as soon as the vet opened for the day.   The vet did establish quickly that Button's temp was normal and her color was good.  Coupled with the rather sudden onset of symptoms, we all pretty quickly concluded she must have eaten Something Not Good.  I hadn't felt anything of obstructive nature  before leaving for the vet's office, but then, I am not well acquainted with what the innards of a dog should feel like.  But the vet didn't feel anything abnormal on palpation either, so off to x-ray went Button.   X-rays showed a clearly empty stomach with a thickened lining.  The vet said that meant something did inflame her stomach.  Whatever that something was, Button had already managed to rid herself of it.  So she got a bit of supportive IV fluids, some pepcid, and some reglan, and a prescription for lots of TLC at home.   And now, much to our delight, she is once again as cute as the little Button she is.  She is a tiny mite of a mere  4 pounds 4 ounces, but she takes up a huge amount of space in the collective hearts of this household.   Such a scare we do not need again.  We've tried and tried to figure out what she might have eaten in order to prevent a recurrence but I suspect it will remain a mystery.   If any of you should find your pet demonstrating her symptoms, please contact your vet.  Digestive tract obstruction can be quite dangerous to the point of life threatening, so it's not worth waiting.

My New Fiber Toy

A Fricke Big Ball Winder came to live at my house yesterday.  I love the idea of a ball winder because I can use it with my spun singles and ply from both ends of the skein instead of having to try to match the yardage of two separate singles and always coming up short on one.  I've had the smaller, plastic ball winder but we never quite seem to make good friends.   So when Rick from Twist of Fate Spinnery (not yet on line that I am aware of, so can't link to him yet) mentioned at a recent spinning guild meeting that he is now a dealer for assorted things like the wooden ball winder, I quickly ordered one.   I also handed him several pounds of luscious white merino fleece to wash.  I picked that up yesterday too, and now this week will sort through it.  The longer locks will be dyed for blending with angora and silk (if I have enough) for a nice spinning fiber, probably in shades of light blue, pink and purple.  The shorter locks will also be blended with angora but for a felting batt instead of spinning fiber.  To dye or not to dye, that is the question.   I could leave it natural bright white for dyeing after it is felt or I could dye the fibers first. Opinions?

At Least It's Pretty

Our gargoyle does not appear happy this morning.   Kind of like the look on DH's face as he prepared to tackle this latest dump of snow.   Bless his heart, DH even cleared off my nemesis, the cement slab which builds and hides ice so treacherously between the back door and my rabbits.  But this has been a very pretty snowfall.  The assorted frozen stuff that fell in January, February and early March was more harsh - the icy stuff that is more dangerous.  Last night's snow came in the form of big, fluffy stuff that is great for snowballs and snow forts and snow creatures and pretty pastoral pictures.  No wind, so my trees survived intact. 

This is one of my favorite trees, a Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar, the first of three that I planted here.   They are not really trees in their natural habitat, but more a ground cover type of shrub.  To achieve the living sculpture appearance I love so much, these plants must be trained, staked and hovered over.  This one is not at its best color at the moment, as it is ready to shed old needles so has that brown "I'm dying" look to it.  During the summer and fall, it takes on that delightful blue green tone so refreshing in a landscape. 

From my bedroom window, the view early on was a bit daunting, kind of like the mid-winter scenes in Dr. Zhivago.  But the temp is rising quickly this morning so the trees are shedding a lot of the stuff.  Still, there is no mistaking it's winter by Lady Earth's criteria:

Needless to say, with the snow and lack of visibilty, I did not go knitting last night.  At least, not in public.  I did work some on my bulky sweater, trying first a curled stockinette edge, didn't like the image I was getting in my head of that around the thick part of my anatomy, ripped it and decided ribbing would be better.  I settled in with a nice rhythm of 2 x 2 rib, only to discover on round 3 that I'd twisted on the cast on.  Not sure why it didn't show up until round 3 but grateful I didn't wait until round 10 or so to discover it.   So by the end of the evening, after a couple hours of knitting, I have my cast on stitches and nothing more.   Progress, of sorts.  :) 

Pet Shop Tails of Woe

Pet shops cannot legally refuse to sell a critter to a customer.  Yet there are some clearly poor choices of owners.  The latest such that came my daughter's way: a family with an infant and an under 2 yo toddler whose current small dog runs in terror when the kids are around, a fact only known to my daughter because the parents say so.  This family wants to buy a tiny 4 pound pup that will only grow to about 10  pounds max.   The kids grab the puppy by whatever handful of hair they can reach, or worse, by the throat.   Do the parents  correct the children?  No.  And when told by the store manager that that particular puppy is not the best choice for them because the kids are too tough on the pup, the family is outraged.  The staff is doing everything they can to redirect that family's desire (or discourage any purchase at all), but legally, if this family persists, the store cannot refuse.  Please all join me in wishing really strong thoughts for the safety of this pup the law does not protect. 

Can You Hear It?

It's a subtle sound, that gentle "ping" of Spring emerging from Winter's mantle.  Today is such a day.  Bright blue skies, no clouds, ice cap receding off the backyard so I must step carefully lest a hidden bit of frozen spite should throw me first up then splat down on the ground again.  I've had quite enough of that this winter, thank you, Lady Earth.    She is a peculiar sort, this Lady Earth, isn't she?   This year, she saw fit to trap me in snow not in Maine or New Hampshire where I dared venture in January and February, but in southern Virginia in March.  And when does she slam me to the ground with a bit of ice?  Why, only when the temperature exceeds 50 degrees!  I wonder what dues I did not pay her way this year.   But she is allowing the promise of spring.  I dare not believe Spring is here yet, of course, but there is the promise: forsythia is budding, crocuses are pushing to the surface, the air is gently scented and there is that indefineable "ping." 

This is a day that demands proper attire: old jeans, sweat shirt and muck boots, so I can tackle bunny chores.   Already today, I've cleaned 3 drop pans from the bunnies in the shed. Kokomo, a sweet German crossbred, spent some time happily munching morning hay out of the shed, delighting in the fresh air and bright day.  I'm taking a break from cleaning for a bit, not for me, but for the outdoor bunnies to enjoy their hay without the wheel barrow blumping around in great disturbance.  The new bunnies in particular do not care for that monstrous, noisy thing taking up space next to them.   I will do their under hutch clean up last, so they get used to its presence gradually. 

Bunnies are interesting little beings, defined so thoroughly by their prominent status in the food chain.   Their best defense is fear.  Anything new in their environment is scary and makes them try to run.  They are remarkably built for speed, which works wonderfully on natural ground.  Frantic pin ball racing in a hutch, however, is quite dangerous and can cause a bunny a broken back.   So I always greet the bunnies well before I enter their space.  They recognize my voice and the continuity with which I do that gives them calm.  When the wheelbarrow starts that blumping, I greet the buns again and they certainly poise for fright flight but they heed my voice as well.  It's a nice display of the trust they have in me. 

Trust is key in sharing life with angora bunnies.  This  3 month old German angora  already demonstrates that trust.  If  he didn't trust me, he would not have stretched out and relaxed on his first trip into my house.   We humans have to earn their trust through gentle, calm handling.   And carrots.  Some fresh papaya, dandelions, and other fresh foods sweeten that trust pot, too.  So do head scritches.  The bunnies demand attention before they eat, so feeding could take only a few minutes, but it doesn't.  Not here.  Filling their emotional needs takes more time.   But its time well invested, just because it's right for the rabbits.  It's fun for me, too, but the primary reason is to benefit the rabbits.   When we humans choose to include one or more animals in our lives, it is our responsibility to provide for them.  Pets of all sorts can be wonderful, but they are work.

Knitting News

Over the weekend, all those skeins of Pansy wannabes called to me.  So was the Stonington Shawl knit along which officially got underway on Sunday.  It's supposed to be knit of shetland wool, one of the requirements for making a true shetland shawl.   But I don't have enough shetland to spin and I'm just not in the habit of buying yarn when I make so much of it on my own. So I chose some blue face leicester/angora I had blended from Still River Mill last fall.   The first sample pansy skein that came out right in the dye pot is also this blend but it wasn't right at hand when the skeins and the shawl both started calling me.  I grabbed a small skein of mystery wool Pansy instead and tried out the Stonington shawl pattern.  I wanted to see how the variegated color would knit and I also wanted to experience the shawl stitches.   On the KAL list, the posts sometimes make the knitting sound complicated and as a relative newcomer to knitting, I can be easily intimadated by such things.  I've learned to ignore it.  I do not read the entire pattern to see what I'm "up against."  Instead, I just start.  One small stitch at a time I can handle. 

The Stonington pattern calls for garter stitch throughout.   I tried it.  I just didn't like it in the pansy colorway, so I frogged it and started over in stockinette.  I love the shawl pattern, at least this little bit that I did so far!  I do not like it in this yarn nor this colorway.  But that's ok.  I love the colorway for something else, and I made friends with a new to me stitch (M1),  so I've accomplished what I set out to with this little sample.   I  haven't yet decided if I will do the shawl in garter or stockinette once the yarn is ready.   I also haven't decided yet if I will  knit the shawl in color, dye it once  its a  shawl  or stick with the natural creamy off white.   I have lots of time for such decisions because the yarn is still on Rose.  I think that's about 2 ounces so far.  It's not lace weight but I think I will be getting a lot of yardage in this spin.  Still, I have lots more to spin, which means I will be one of the last to finish Stonington.   Fortunately, I have no problem coming in last - I'm doing this to learn, not to "place first."   

I have not forgotten Pi.  She is indeed rising from the ashes of her former self.  Slowly.  So far, I am at 144 stitches, ready to start round 5.  I already did round 5 once this time but mucked it up on about the 8th stitch of the round, I think.  So tink and tink and tink again, now all the stitches are as they should be and I can enjoy round 5 again.   Yes, I am using a stitch holder with Pi at the moment.  The fifth dpn of this set was one of the destroyed items in Amika's day of frustration.  So when I need to tink, the stitch holder substitutes, albeit awkwardly.   I will soon switch to a circ anyway.   But only after a couple more hours of bunny chores. 

Learning Experiences

This week has been full of them.  The obvious has been with dyeing yarn.  I set out to learn more of this.  My "dye studio" is not really set up yet but a tiny, modified version is in place in the laundry room.  Even cramped as it is so far, this works much better than dyeing in the kitchen.  I have a small dresser discarded from DD's room with one drawer full of assorted dye powders, another drawer with assorted useful for dyeing stuff and a third for when I need it.  On top of the dresser sits one of my  hot plates and a small dye pot.  It's a stainless steel spaghetti pot with a steamer option.  Very basic stuff, very tiny amount of space.  Eventually, I'll move my 6 foot long conference room table down there as a work surface, along with a kitchen counter/cabinet set up for much more work and storage space.   But the set up as it is now did allow me to go forward with the colorway contest.

I started with some reclaimed damaged skeins, natural off white wool of some kind but I'm not sure what.  One or another of the dogs used a skein at some point for comfort, so what was once a nicely sized identified wool skein became 5 mystery skeins of varying yardage.   A disaster then, but helpful for color experiments now.  Glad I didn't just get mad and throw them away.  (lesson number 1)  Off to mix up the colors! And these two skeins were the first.  Now, keep in mind, Kim's winning entry was Pansy, a soft yellow, soft lilac and deeper blueish purple.  I mixed the powders and tested them on white paper towel (white coffee filters work better but I used what was at hand).  I did not mix up green.  That's what the dyes do when they bleed into each other.  It's a fascinating process that can create some truly delicious colorways, but it's not what Kim "ordered."  So, clearly I had to use chunks of color rather than random scattering of color.    This skein, a BFL/angora blend I just had hanging around was the third effort.  I did a happy dance cause I thought it came out right.  So I emailed photos to Kim, who proclaimed it perfect.  Yay!  I pulled out two more of the damaged reclaimed skeins just to make sure I used the right dye jars and liked the results.    By that time, it was late and I decided to wait until the next day to give the intended final skein my full, wide awake attention.
Bad idea.  I don't know what happened but I'm guessing maybe some dye settled and didn't get mixed in well enough the next morning or perhaps there wasn't an even distribution of vinegar in the soak water.  In any case, her perfect skein wasn't.  It's close to the two smaller samples, but splotchy, and the darker blueish purple separated into reds, blues and the correct color, while some of the yellow has bleed green in it.    I tried but could not duplicate the darker blueish purple from the "perfect" skein.  So I studied the color chart from the dye company and decided a couple of the colors were close to what I needed without my having to try to mix the right colors (color theory is a study I am only just beginning, so I still have lots to learn on what to mix with what).  So bright and early Monday I ordered some new dyes and they arrived promptly a day earlier than promised.  Yay!  More mixing and I got what I felt was the right darker blue/purple.  But I had to spin another skein.  Finished that Friday morning and promptly started another, so I'd have at least two to work with.  Got that done Friday evening. 

So, as of this morning, the results of my dyeing this week.  I've learned a lot about
placement of the dyes, but not enough.  Kim's skein is still not done.   And I'm not going to work on it right now because...

Breeding like rabbits is a dang myth!  As charming as the buns are, they are quite frustrating to breed.  A lesson driven home (again) this week is kindling will happen as kindling will happen and there is little we can do to guarantee success.  I've tried for two months now and a variety of does and bucks  to get a litter.   As of 11 am this morning, no babies.  Last weekend, I was quite happy anticipating a litter on Monday morning.  At 6:30 am, I checked on her and through the window of the shed and the light of the heat lamp, I could see the doe busily constructing her nest.  I left her to the task as I didn't want to interrupt.  Somehow, the does can turn off labor and an interruption will lead to that.  I gave her an hour, then checked again.  It was a heartbreaking scene.  The doe was nestled in the comfy nest not in the box I'd provided but in the corner of the cage and all 10 babies were scattered around the wire, stone cold.  I believe she made the nest after she kindled, which means the babies had probably and hour and a half of chilling.  More than enough to kill them all.  I did gather them and try to warm them, but an hour of concentrated effort did not revive a single baby.   The shed was warm but without the protection of that marvelous mother's blanket of angora, the babies cannot stay warm enough to live.  Empty nests are much easier to take than finding a scattered litter.  Thankfully, that doesn't happen often. 

For the rest of this week, I've been waiting for two other does.  One I confess I don't know her actual due date.  I had bred her for a first of the month kindling but she was one of the "uh uh, I ain't gonna" crowd.  Twice!  She was due back in January also, with the same result: nothing.   I palpated and didn't feel any evidence of a litter sometime before her March 4 due date, so put her back in with the buck.  Did not write down the date of that rebreeding.  So I'm kind of guessing on approximate due date.   I suspect she will not have a litter this time either.  The other doe appeared more promising this week.  As of Tuesday, I was fairly certain she had babies in there.  For one thing, three days in advance of due date, she set about building a nice nest.  Two days before due date, she pulled a bit of wool to line the nest.  So far, doing exactly right.  So, Friday morning, hoping to avoid another disaster, I got up and checked on her at 5:30 am.  A full check so as to not miss babies born outside of the nest.  Nothing.  An hour later, still nothing.  Gave her another two hours.  Nothing.  Fed them all and she happily started munching hay.  Not a good sign for kindling anytime soon. Ok, so maybe she needs more "space."  I left her alone for several hours.  Nothing.  fed them again.  No babies.  Mom's not eating the pellets though.  And the belly feels pretty full.  Maybe by 11 pm.  But all I got at 11 pm was a good "floooop, wham!" fall on the ice again.  Lots of that nice dark blue/purple Kim is looking for in her skein but it's covering half of my calf instead.   This morning at quarter to 7, I trekked out to the shed very carefully, thinking surely by now....  No.  And not again at 11 am.  But at 11 am, I did at least fell movement in that very round belly.  There are living babies in there!!!    When they get to come out and play is another story.  So for now, I need to get out of the house so I don't drive the doe and me nuts.  If she's going to have a living litter, she will.  Constant monitoring just ain't gonna change a darn thing.  So DH and I are off to an antique show.

Screamin' Itchies

They strike fast and furious, a sudden burst of heated itch too intense to ignore, too deep to satisfy.   At bedtime, it's my back.  Like some sneak attack from a tiny mysterious creature hiding deep inside the body with the sole intent to torture, they bite in flashes.  I writhe trying to squash them, to no avail. So I grab a hard plastic hairbrush and scratch.   DH wonders about me.   Often, he helps me out and scratches my back for me, but I'm sure he's thinking "Crazy woman."  During the day, these bursts sometime hit in my feet or along my legs, only occasionally on my back.  I tried to describe them to the rheumatologist and she mumbled something about MS like symptoms.  Other than that hairbrush and my helpful husband, there was no relief from these kamikaze like attacks.  I've been very grateful they come intermittantly.  I cannot imagine the hell of such attacks more consistently.  For the past year, I haven't really had them, but ever since I whacked my elbow on the cement retaining wall as I slipped on the ice, "they're baaaaaccck."   Yesterday, I mentioned them to my chiropractor.     Hmmmm, he said, and he poked quite accurately some points along my lower neck that screamed "hey, that hurts!"   Those points don't hurt without his poking fingers so I didn't know to tell him about them.  He has magic fingers that tell him so much!!  I am in awe.   So, "Traction" he decrees.  Onto the adjustment table I go, face down.  This table is quite a marvel and must take some intensive study and practice to become qualified to use it.  Dr. D is a god with this table!  Traction consists of laying there with the table adjusted at the points necessary to stretch what needs stretching, while Dr. D works another person one cubicle over.  It also seems to encourage deep breathing, which may be a relaxing technique to help my body accept the upcoming adjustment more easily. (Note to self: ask!!!)  I have a strong tendency to stiffen up when I know I'm about to be adjusted.  It's the noise.  Ok, sometimes it's the fear of pain, but rarely are my adustments painful.  But they are noisy.  Craaaa-aaack!  It's the release of built up gasses in the joint, I think.  Sometimes I am uncomfortable for a bit after an adjustment.  But then all that goes away and I melt into the bliss of pain-free function.   And yesterday, once again, Dr. D lived up to my hopes.  Last night, no screamin' itchies!!

Before I started chiropractic treatment almost two years ago, I was a mess of menacing blood test results (positive for Sjogren's syndrome , incomprehensible results for Epstein-Barr virus which fascinated the immunologist, evidence of developing Mixed Connective Tissue Disorder ), achy and crunchy joints, neck muscles so spasmed I was unable to drive because I couldn't turn my head, the breathing capacity of a 12 year old, assorted "women's troubles," and a growing sense of despair that the future was seriously less than rosy.   I couldn't knit because my wrist just hurt and wouldn't work (a strange experience to pick up and simulataneously drop objects just because the wrist wouldn't work - no grip).  I was afraid I'd even have to give up not only spinning but my rabbits as well. I'd already given up horseback riding, and many other simple activities.  The immunologist offered an anti-viral med which did seem to offer relief of symptoms but not cure.  The rheumatologist suggested an anti-malarial which could destroy my eyes, along with prescription pain relievers.  She seemed to think those med were safer than the anti-viral which could destroy some internal organs, but she still required on-going blood tests to moniter what the meds she said were safe might do to me.  I was fast losing hope.

With nothing left to lose but a bit of money, I turned to the chiropractor for at least some relief from the constant neck pain.  I got not only that instant relief, but a gradual return to health.  Full health!  Normal blood tests.  Peacefully quiet and functional joints.  Breathing like an adult.  Normal menstrual cycles.  And those damn screamin' itchies went away.   All without meds.  No more blood tests to keep track of any damage the meds might be causing.  No more symptoms.  I can drive without impairment.  I can knit!!  I can take care of my rabbits, including lifting those 50 pound sacks of grain.  I can toss bales of hay into my shed.  I can harvest that glorious fiber off the rabbits.  And I started horseback riding again a few months ago.   The growing realization that I am rescued brings a peace and confidence and sheer joy back into life. 

The theory behind chiropractic treatment centers on the idea that the body can heal itself when the nervous system functions properly.  Minor spinal distortion called subluxations cause a ripple affect of cramped nerves which lead to decreased function, the surrounding tissues attempting to correct the original distortion leading to more distortion, more cramped nerves, and the cycle continues.   Those screamin' itches?  Surface nerve endings screaming for relief further back the line, I suspect.   Dr. D has a mountain of literature about the increasing evidence of success with chiropractic treatments, particularly against the autoimmune diseases which so confound modern medicine.   I hope, for the sake of each individual stricken with one or more autoimmune disease, that medical doctors and schools can get beyond their resistance to chiropractic and embrace formal studies to prove or disprove the successes chiropractors are having treating us.  And for you who have symptoms the doctor can only guess about and try hit or miss to medicate, consider chiropractic.   Returning to health and function is a profound experience!

And now I can do this:

And plan a sweater around this:

and this:

New Victims

Stitch n Bitch on Wednesday evening didn't involve any knitting for the three of us who met at Atlanta Bread Company.    Karen had asked for a spinning lesson and like most spinners, I was more than happy to oblige!  Addicting Enabling a new spinner is an evil Art.  Now, I can't take the full "credit" for Karen - she was pretty hooked before that night.  But along came Corinne to watch Karen, so of course innocent little Corinne trip toed onto the slippery slope of full blown fiber addict.  This was a second attempt for both Karen and Corinne, and it seems the second try is the charm!  I spun a length of single for each of them, then each got to practice first just treadling to keep the wheel going and to adjust to changing directions.  The wheel they were using was my Majacraft Rose, so treadling was pretty easy.  Then, after they demonstrated a good grasp of treadling, I pulled the length of single off the bobbin and had them feed it back in to experience the draw without having to consider drafting and the triangle.  Two or three times practicing that and each was ready for the the whole ball of wax!  To further assist the learning process, I brought blue faced leicester top which is extremely easy to spin, quite friendly to newbies, and a total joy to fondle.  :)   (Blended with angora and it's just Ooooooo La La!)  I firmly believe new spinners should learn on a well prepared, good fiber rather than working with "something cheap" so they don't worry about ruining it.  It's much easier to learn to spin on a good fiber than on neppy, poorly carded, hard to draft garbage.  And when the learning is easy, the process is so much more enjoyable and satisfying.  The beaming faces of Karen and Corinne on Wednesday night demonstrated that!  Both of them are Natural Born Spinners.  Good job, ladies!!

So, to fully assist Corinne and Karen with their new hobby, now I will provide some resource links.  Hee Hee Hee

The blue faced leicester I bought came from  Anne at The Wool Room in Antrim, NH.  Anne is a very sweet lady who lives in a deliciously quaint New England village.  She's only a couple hours away and not only carries BFL top, but a variety of other sweet fibers, a good assortment of yarns, and (take note, Karen and Corinne) spinning wheels.  I know she carries Jensen wheels and the Jensen Tina II is another wheel I lust after (I have 6 other wheels already but of course that doesn't dull the "I wants").  Someday.... 

Now, if anyone is traveling to Antrim in search of fiber, you need to drop a line to friend and fellow bunny/fiber fan, Nancy at The Spinning Bunny.   Nancy specializes in her own blends of luxury fibers with some very pleasing colorways.  She has German angora rabbits, as well as a small flock of sheep, a llama, a couple of cashmere goats, and assorted non-fiber animals.  And she makes her own soaps and lotions and bath salts for an extra treat.   I have had the great fun to join both Nancy and Anne for the NH Wool Arts Tour the last few years.  Anne is the host farm and Nancy has a booth there.   I learn a lot, teach some, and have a thoroughly delightful time!

Another NH producer of luxury fibers is of course Kim at The Woolen Rabbit, another bunny/fiber fan (and winner of the colorway contest - the skein is in progress, I promise!.   If the fibers aren't enough to drool over (they are the kind that will make you groan with envy!), then check out her litter of Cavalier King Charles spaniel puppies. 

Another vendor I recommend with confidence is The Wheel Thing, right here in Connecticut.   The owner, Janet, carries a variety of fiber related stuff, including fiber,  wheels, drum carders, hand cards, spindles, and nosteppindes in wonderful woods, plus she is the only authorized US dealer for the delightful Alvin Ramer wool combs.

Of course, I also produce some luxury fibers and yarn, as well as some really nice bunnies.

What I'm Spinning

Rose is currently coddling one of the luscious Brushstrokes Batts from Indigo Moon.    When the skeins are done, I'll wrap them around my neck to do a color check on me.  If I like, then I keep.  :)   If the color doesn't work for me, as some friends expressed concern when I bought it, then I'll have the fun of spinning this bit of luxury, then offer the skeins for sale.   Or knit something from it either for sale or for a gift.  Who knows???  One of the delightful aspects of this hobby - I can do as the muse directs, including changing course in mid-stream.   Or, with the multiple spinning wheels living here, I can bounce from one wheel to another for a good change of pace.  On Serendipity, I am spinning another skein of opal (blue and creamy tan) angora from my doe Opal (like that original bit of naming???). 

On my Kromski Mazurka, I am working on a skein of blue faced leicester which will be hand dyed in the Pansy colorway for Kim.  I have a big bag full of this BFL top and will be working on dyeing lots of skeins from that!  Of course, for me, one very big aspect of this project is I am actually spinning on my Mazurka!  We did not bond instantly like Serendipity and I.  Mazurka, a beautiful wheel, has needs.  She rewards with joy when those needs are met, but first I had to understand: she has needs.  Janet at The Wheel Thing very graciously helped me learn those needs.  And now, woo hooooo!  We are beginning to bond!  She's still for sale though (shhhhhh!!!  Don't tell her that - or maybe that would make her even happier than it would me???)

And in the making some sideways progress department, there is Pi.  As you last saw her, she was a grouping of sadly dangling stitches attached to a mad mass of tangled yarn.   Nothing else to do but rip.  So I did, then I let her sit a bit.  Then on Monday, I took a deep breath, found all my patience and some chocolate, and started the untangling.   Yesterday, I finished that dreadful process and am delighted to report Pi is again a ball of yarn, ready to start anew.   I am hoping the knitting goddess will reward that patience by not making this a cursed project.  Please??????

We Have A Winner!

Pansy it is, with seven votes.  Congratulations  to Kim whose yearning for Spring brought us this delightful colorway suggestion.  And a hearty thank you to all who participated!  I hope you had as much fun as I did.  I'll be working on getting that skein finished for Kim as quickly as I can.

Pathetic Pi

Poor little Pi went through a very sad evolution.  Things sailed along great until round 9 of the 288 stitch section.  I messed up on my stitch count somewhere in there.  I managed to find and fix 2 problems but the third eluded me.  So knowing that a bit of time away often works wonders, I set Pi aside for a time of clearer thinking.  Then I took it to Spa with me where in the wonderful hullabaloo of activity, Pi sneaked a bit off  the needles.  Still fixable at that point but required concentrated thinking.  No time for that with the trip to VA coming up so soon after getting home from Spa.  Then while I was away, sweet little Button the maltese spent some "snuggle time" with Pi.  Still, with a bit more effort, Pi could have been rescued.  But while I took a nap after my trip home from VA, the dog my daughter named after a goddess of destruction decided to live up to that.  She latched onto several skeins of yarn, ate a couple sets of kntting needles, munched a heel on a brand new pair of shoes I haven't even worn yet, ate the shaft off my Bosworth midi, snacked on my celtic hearts nuno felt scarf, and thoroughly tangled the ball of yarn poor Pi is attached to, reducing Pi to the pathetic thing in that photo.  I cannot find the end in that tangle, so there was no other choice.  Last night, I descended to the icy depths of the frog pond and Pi is now but a bit of hope amidst the ball of yarn still emerging from that mass of tangle.  On the bright side, I don't have to find that one last mistake, now do I??? 

Here is the lovely lady, Amika, who wreaked that havoc.  As you can see from the floor, that merry mischief is not the first of her munching.  She has an appetite for linoleum, as well as furniture, stair carpet, video tape boxes and a rather extensive list of other things.  Amika is, we think, an Australian shepherd, or at least an Aussie mix.  She was pulled out of a Tennessee kill shelter and transported north to North Shore Animal League, where we met and fell in love with this rascal.  In spite of her might mischief, I adore the mutt!   She has an amazing sense of humor!  She's smart (too smart, which is one reason why she ends up getting into things - she's very good at escaping).  She's very trainable.  She's loving.  And full of fun.  I never fail to smile when letting her outside to run and romp with the other dogs here.  How little it takes to make them happy!  And how happy they are to share that with their humans.

   

Wild Life

This morning as I gathered frozen water bottles in the frosty early morn, feathered wildlife flitted around.  In addition to the usual tiny sparrows and chickadees, one bush sported a pair of big, plump Robins (wheeeeee!  Spring can't be too far away!) and a bright red Cardinal.  Then I heard the raucous "Caw Caw Caw" of a complaining crow.  I scanned the trees to find it but forgot all about the crow when I spotted this big fella in my favorite maple tree out front.  There he sat in all his imperial glory, surveying the kingdom for breakfast.  Hawks in my yard is a relatively new phenomenon.  I love it!  Yes, I know that magnificent creature would be delighted if my bunnies would serve as his buffet, but there is so much right about hawks showing up.   Of course, I'm not "up" on rapter species, so I can't fully identify which specific bird this is.   I know a smaller hawk has been hanging around here as well, and I believe the smaller one is a Cooper's hawk.   While I didn't get a good close up of this morning's hawk, I'm guessing it's one of the Red Tails.  I know we have a growing population of them around here.  DH arrived home one evening last fall and insisted I had to go with him Right Now so he could show me something.   "Something" was a big Red Tail sitting on the side of the road about a mile away, dining on squirrel.  I'm quite delighted with squirrels and their various antics, but I certainly can't begrudge a hawk dinner. 

Back To Fiber

Last week's trip south was quite fun!  The first leg of the trip was  a short hop to the Crazy Fiber Lady, where I frolicked overnight with the Baron and his buddy Earl Gray.  Baron had a serious case of midnight madness and I'm not one to deny the guy his fun!  I do make an exception to that with Yeti.   Yeti was the specific purpose of the visit.  He is a German crossbred angora who joined the Crazy Fiber Lady's household just before she found out human twins were on the way.   Her rapidly growing girth did not allow her to learn to harvest Yeti's fiber and now with toddler twins and a full time job, finding the time to learn is challenging.  So I pitch in.  A good excuse to visit a friend!  But Yeti thinks I'm his once every three months doe come to visit, and becomes more than a bit randy.  He's a great pet for the Crazy Fiber Lady, but I get nipped when he's upright and .... LOL - ok, "assaulted" when he's upside down.   Quite the experience and thank goodness my own bucks generally don't engage in such behavior with me!

My final destination was a bit further away, a tiny community called Meadows of Dan nestled in the scenic mountains of southern Virginia just off the Blue Ridge Parkway.   If friendship weren't enough reason to make the trip,  the mountains certainly are!   But friendship was a big part of the journey.  I visited Leslie at  Greenberry House for some bunny adventures.  We slipped down to Mount Airy, NC for dinner Saturday night and again Sunday night for a birthday party for a friend of Leslie's.  Amazing how a group of women (and one man) who do not all know each other can have so much fun!  During the day on Sunday, a few other folks joined Leslie and I for bunny stuff.  We clipped a 4 month old German angora and got a nice box of fuzz.   The little guy and a couple other bunnies then traveled even further south to their final destination. 

Then came the storm.  I arrived at Leslie's in temps of 50 degrees or better.  Woo hoooo!  I think I even saw some green grass!  We had expected such weather the next day, too, but it really felt like snow.  And snow it did, about 6 to 8 inches of it, along with a serious drop in temperature all followed up by that howling wind.  The Blue Ridge Parkway was closed and the local back roads on the mountain were just not safe.  What to do?  Why, fiber of course.  :)  We started with  a deliciously soft angora/targee batt, wet felted it into a scarf.  Then we dyed it and had lots of dye left over.  So we pulled out some of Leslie's really sweet millspun merino/angora yarn and experimented with dyeing it too.  We had the equipment for immersion dyeing but we really wanted to try some variegated dyeing.  So off we trudged to find something to squirt with.  I had hoped to find some eye droppers or something similar but the best we could do was a trio of cheap plastic ketchup squirt bottles from the only store open and close enough to walk to.  They leaked a bit so the scarf ended up with some blobs of color instead of the graceful swirls we hoped for.  We ended up wrapping a gob of paper towel around the cap and mostly controlled the leaks.  So on to the yarn.  First we soaked the skeins in warm water, dish soap and a glug of vinegar.  Then we stretched them out on the plastic covered table and just squirted away randomly.  We used three colors: aquamarine toned down a titch with black, a warm green we mixed from royal blue and a smidge of yellow, and  pink as a contrast.  We both took a bottle of color and just squirted away  quite randomly, ultimately each of us using all three colors.  Then we wrapped the scarf and the yarns in that clingy plastic wrap and dropped them onto a rack in a pot of steaming water.  About 20 to 30 minutes later, we pulled out our experiments, let them cool a bit and then unwrapped to see what we wrought.   I'm quite pleased with the results and just a bit jealous that Leslie gets to keep the yarn!!  Good incentive to do more here at home!  We presented the scarf to Leslie's aunt RJ.   A delightful woman and a delightful end to a wonderful trip.  Well worth the smashed windshield.

The Contest Continues

The colorway contest is still in progress.  Anyone who wants to vote on the colorways, please do!  Your choices: Delphinium, composed of sky blue, periwinkle blue and purple; or Pansy, very very pale lavender, a deeper bluish purple and a soft soft yellow.   The deadline to vote: Tuesday, March 8, your bedtime.   Just leave your vote in the comments and be part of this!