Tuesday, December 20, 2005

Back Inside

In Progress: Crocheted Shawl
Progress on Crocheted Shawl

Yesterday it was a little warmer and the icy snow melted out of the sunny areas of the field and yard. Shady places are still slick, with an ice pack thick enough to hold me easily. Fun to get to the bird seed on the front porch across an ice floe. The finches have nearly emptied the thistle seed sock; I'll have to replenish my supply soon!

Since it was so warm I sheared a little buck, the black one that is for sale. He was a darling, settling in my lap comfortably while I took off his coat. I left a bit on all over for him, since they predicted cold temperatures overnight. Don't want a shivery bunny.

Closeup of Crocheted Hand-dyed Mohair Shawl
Close-up of Crocheted Shawl

I'm having trouble getting good pictures of the color of this shawl; there is a difference in the two yarns but the first one isn't really quite so green. This is the commercial mohair that I dyed in the crock pot. It's very fine and a little fussy to work with, although I'm getting used to it. Fortunately I like the colors or I might have thrown this project aside!

Coopworth Wool Spun on Reeves Wheel
Coopworth Natural Wool Spun on Reeves Wheel

Since it's been so cold and icy I've been getting a lot done inside. I really should do some computer work, but the shawl and spinning wheel have been nagging me. And I've had a couple of lovely DVDs to work by, especially a BBC television production, Ballykissangel. It's a funny and sweet story, set in Ireland, with wonderful scenery serving as backdrop. This Coopworth wool, from Deer Run Farm in West Virginia, was one I got several years ago to make rugs. I became more interested in fine fibers and set it aside, but washed up a bit of it so that I could spin a yarn for walnut dyeing. It's working up nicely and I'm boxing up the rest of the fleece to send out for processing into roving. Treasures in the attic!

No comments: