Our beloved cat and partner Greenbean has a “thing” for raw wool fleece. Catnip does nothing for her, but a fresh raw fleece, oh boy! After turning over a new box of wool and dragging some of it out she proceeded to wallow in it. However, she did have enough dignity to stop for the camera.
Well, friends, looks like I have a ton of work cut out for me. The last two seasons have been great for wool which has luckily corresponded to our decision to shift to mostly using Kentucky grown fiber that we take from start to finish ourselves.
We were visited by our favorite local “crack” (aka wool) dealers yesterday; Windsor Wool Farms. Their Border Leicester and Border Leicester crossed sheep are some of the best well rounded fleece I’ve come across. Good body, regular crimp, right amount of lanolin, clean, clean, and clean. Every single sheep has a name and are very loved. I didn’t buy them out this year, so I’m sure they will have fleeces up on their website soon. I recommend them highly. So does Greenbean.
I’ve always avoided doing three ply yarn for large batches, because keeping my interest for three bobbins of lace weight yarn is just too much for me. So I finally decided to try my hand at Navaho plying and I really wished I had sooner. It’s so easy, makes perfect three ply yarn, and you only need one bobbin! Eventually, you daisy chain the one ply yarn and spin it together. If you haven’t tried it, you should, the results are amazing. If I can generate enough interest I will happily do a tutorial on UTube for it and maybe an online class. I can’t believe this is a little known way to spin three ply. It has made my life so much easier.
Next week we have a meeting in Berea for a possible show and hopefully some adult classes. Shows are about the only chance for the public to purchase our work (although feel free to ask if you see something you like, that’s how we work), but more importantly, getting fiber arts out there and getting more people to learn to do it. Shows are all part of it. Week after we have 25 kids in Hindman Kentucky at the Appalachian Artisan Center that are looking for an introduction to fiber arts. Kids classes are harder on me. It’s usually the parents that really want to learn what we do, but they send their kids. I think it should be the parents that learn and then they teach their kids, but that’s just me, and I help the AAC any way I can.
Now, on a non-fiber note, we are finally getting our first cucumbers from the garden and I canned 15 pints of Georgia Peaches in honey and raw sugar. The first planting of corn are getting ears (the rain made us late) and the soy beans will be ready to pick next week. The start of the year was so hard with the three week cold snap at planting time followed by three weeks of drowning rain, but things have pulled out of it and, although, a little behind might show a good year. As long as the thunderstorms stay gentle.
Just like with the rest of the world, things are wild around here. We’re trying to ride out the Mercury Retrograde with stoic determination and hope in the future. In these stressful times its hard to bring ourselves to make something; especially when all we can think about is how much its going to cost us. So today I present you the Netti Doll. Simple, beautiful, and all you need is scraps from your quilting, weaving, and/or your knitting projects. I would love to have some feedback and make you work for your supper (as we say around here) so if you want a tutorial to make her, your going to have to ask. ;-) 
