The color purple

 

 This post was originally written several days ago, but in the mysterious ways of my (lack of) computing skills, combined with the unimaginably poor service from my DSL service provider, it somehow disappeared into the great unknown.  I was so anxious to show you all how wonderfully the new yarn was taking to the dyepot,  I was ready to do war (again) with Windstream.  We are in the midst of a battle at the moment and I'm not going to subject you all to the rant that's going on in my head.  So, onward .....

Above is the first batch of circa 2012 yarn being mordanted and below is the actual dyepot.  I'm using natural dyes for a large portion of this years yarn crop.

The first dyepot is purple logwood and though I used enough dye matter for the medium shade, there was plenty of dye left in the pot at the end of the recommended time, so I took out the first batch and put in another.  I'm so enamored with the two shades that resulted and I especially love how well they coordinate.  They just beg to be used in a project together.

(first batch)

(purple logwood - first and second batch together)

(first batch of madder)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Many

 

Over the years, I've taken many dye workshops; some natural, some chemical.  The best workshops have been with Michelle Wipplinger.  I admire and respect her so much for her knowledge and commitment to natural dyeing (and she is a sincerely wonderful person).  I've had the honor of staying with her while visiting Seattle and the last time I was there, got to see her beautiful studio at Earthues.  When I first got to know Michelle, she and her staff were working out of her basement.  Now, Earthues and Michelle are known far and wide.  I'm really pleased with the colors I'm getting with Earthues and plan on working my way through my current supply of dye matter, before deciding what to use for the rest of the yarn.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I for one am glad to be tearing off the August page on the calendar.  Fall is my favorite season and after the summer we've had here in Kentucky, I'm even happier than usual to see leaves turning and cool weather on the horizon.

Lucky?

Unlike my friend, Sara, I hardly ever find a four-leaf clover. Some people just seem to have a gift for seeing them. Instead of four-leaf clovers, I find feathers, feathers and more feathers. Do you suppose that could be considered lucky?

Glorious

That's a one word description of the weather lately. This has been the one perfect week of fall weather and I have enjoyed it sooooo much! In fact, I'd go so far as to claim that all the inhabitants of Tanglewood Farm have had a pretty good week. Ollie has marked three ewes, Strawberry and Pippi are doing okay and everyone else is just doing their thing.

We've had the most amazing sunsets and moonrisings (if there is such a word). There are beautiful colors all around at this time of year and I wish the season could be stretched out just a little longer. (I'm feeling the "holidays" breathing down my neck.)

Tomorrow I'm taking my spinning wheel and going to Sara's new Wool House event and just generally planning on having a good, relaxing time all weekend. I hope you can do the same, whatever your plans.

Autumn rain

It has rained, off and on, since late last night. I love this kind of day, if I don't have to be out in it all the time. Unfortunately, some of the animals around here don't have much choice at the moment. The yearling ewes, Buddy (who is a wether now), the alpaca boys and Strawberry are in a field with no shed. All they have are the trees to provide some protection. If the weather was cold, I would bring them in so they could at least have the shelter of the sheds on the sides of the barn, but it is 65 degrees today and they are not suffering. Of course, looking at the alpaca boys, you'd think they were being tortured (and might I point out, they have chosen to hunker down in the middle of the field). Strawberry, on the other hand, is getting on with what she likes to do best....eating. (She's a girl after my own heart.)

As you can see, Strawberry has quite the baby belly now. I'm not exactly sure when she is due, because I can't remember when she started spitting off the male who was here to breed her. (A female llama does not ovulate until she is bred and once she is pregnant, she will spit at the male llama, if he tries to approach her.) I believe that she is due sometime around Christmas or early January. Once again, this is a case where the faintest record would be better than my fondest memory! I don't know why I didn't write down when I first observed her not being receptive. Good thing Strawberry is an experienced mother. I'm hoping for another appaloosa female cria. Wouldn't that make Pippi happy to have a sister who looks just like her? Pippi is quite the young lady now. She is still in with this year's ewe lambs and I'm loving the way she interacts with them.

Tomorrow is the big day......barn clean-out day!! (It's also my birthday, and sad as it might seem to some of you, getting the barn cleaned out is just the way I want to spend the day.) I'm so happy we are getting this done before cold weather. My friend, Teresa, made some wonderful minestrone soup that we will have for lunch tomorrow and a birthday cake with very unusual ingredients (another post). My friend, Mary, made a fabulous oatmeal cake (complete with one candle!) that we enjoyed at Wednesday knitting. What more could any woman ask for than to have a clean barn and such good friends (who are great cooks!)?

Hope you all have a productive and happy weekend. I know I'm going to.

Friends

When I agreed to take in an orphan lamb many, many (many)years ago, I had no earthly idea of the path I was stepping out onto. Looking back, I don't think I had much of an idea about anything at that point in my life! I had three young boys, one nearly four, one nine and the oldest 11 years old. I lived on a small farm and had the horses I had dreamed of my whole city childhood. That first lamb, Sheba (I know, I know, so predictable), was a Suffolk/Hampshire crossbred and she came to me at the tender age of one day old. I knew nothing about sheep and I mean nothing! It's a miracle she lived through all my learning experiences. (In fact, she lived to be seventeen years old.) I loved her in a way that was completely different from my affection for my horses, dogs and cats. When she was two years old, I took her to a neighbor's farm to be bred. Five months later, Sheba had her first lamb and that was it. I was hooked. I knew I didn't want to raise sheep for meat, but the idea of raising a wool breed and actually using the wool was so appealing. It was a life changing decision for me. I have involved myself in many activities during my adult life....golf, tennis, (anyone out there need a practically brand new pair of ice skates?) just to name a few. None of them worked for me. It's been the sheep and fiber related activities that have been the one constant and the point I'm trying to get to (in my usual round-about way) is that the friends I've made, because I raise sheep, are the true blessing.

Those of you who have read this blog for a while know that I lost a ewe who was very special to me last year. Pauladeen was bottle baby, mine from the moment of her birth. She was such a funny, quirky personality and I still miss her. Not long after Pauladeen's death, my friend, Lindy (locolindy), gave me a plaque she had painted with a likeness of Pauladeen and it was captioned "In my heaven, let there be sheep". Just this past weekend, Sara (thecrazysheeplady), gave me a wonderful needle felted sheep she had crafted to look like Pauladeen and she even created it from some of Pauladeen's last fleece. (Just writing this makes me tear up.) Who could ask for more caring, wonderful friends? Not me, for sure!

So, in spite of the fact that you've just been told a big chunk of my life story, my real objective here is to say thank you, thank you, thank you to my "sheep friends" for being so thoughtful. (And, how lucky am I that my thoughtful sheep friends are also very talented?)