Spinning like mad

Basket of goodies.

I hate to say this, but I have one of those obsessive compulsive personalities. I usually get completely and totally obsessed with something, can't get enough of it, and eventually crash and burn out on it, sometimes I completely abandoned it and never look back (rubberstamping anyone?). Sometimes something else waves itself in front of my face and tempts me away from my current fascination. Well, something waved itself in front of my face and I hate to say it, but I can't seem to stop playing around with my new found toy. I am now spinning with my drop spindle like a mad woman!

First off, I have been completely obsessed with figuring out how to use my drop spindle. There was just something about it that fascinated me to no end. I love the idea of being able to bring my spinning with me whereever I want to go (can't do that with a wheel). Thanks to Nancy, I finally know how!

Second, I needed to know how to wash my alpaca fleece. I was terrified of ruining the best stuff (I ruined some the first attempt I made at washing a batch). Thanks to Teresa, I now know how! I filmed her prepping a fleece and washing it. I will be making that into a DVD soon (I just need to get through some of my fleece first since I have lots of it now).

I needed to know how to use my hand carders to make rollags, and thanks to good old Ravelry.com and youtube.com I soon had a basket of goodies ready to spin!

Using the easy to follow directions in my copy of Spin It, I even made my stepdaughters drop spindles using old cds, rubber grommets, a dowels and an eye hooks. They each picked out a photo to make it their own.



We all sat around spinning most of the day. We almost forgot to eat! My youngest reminded us in a hurry that it was well past meal time!

I've even managed to go from super duper bulky to worsted weight in less than a week! I am aiming for DK or sport weight so I can make a pair of alpaca socks!

Until next time!

My jam packed weekend of fiber, fun, animals, and friends!

I usually spend my days loom knitting, needle knitting, or doing some sort of craft or art project and don't usually get out of the house much. It is tough when you have six kids and naps need to be taken, snacks need to be eaten, potty training needs to be done, meals need to be prepared, and alpacas need to be fed and watered. I always have mountains of laundry to do or messes to clean up (I had a giant one this morning, my two year old tossed her breakfast across the kitchen while I showered). This past weekend was an exception to my usual rule of being a house ape. When I have plans, I have plans! I started out my weekend off by going with my two youngest girls on a community fieldtrip to St. Paul, MN to the Children's Museum. My daughters had great fun running from one room to the next playing with all of the exhibits! It was mayhem! LOL!


Amanda playing with ping pong balls at one of the exhibits.


Amanda sliding down an exhibit.


Paige playing with magnets in water.

While we were at the museum I found a little boy on the staircase crying his eyes out. He was about five years old. I saw so many people just walk past him. I walked up to him and asked him if he was lost. He wouldn't speak to me at first but I persisited. I told him it was ok, I would help him. I found a staff person and told him that the little boy was lost. The man said he would radio someone and walked away. My two girls were anxious to get going and took off running. I had to take the little boys hand and follow my two girls. Finally the man came back and brought a guide for the museum with him. I felt so badly for the little guy. He was so scared. I hope and pray he is home safe with his family.

After we left the museum, we headed to the Como Zoo. We couldn't have asked for a nicer day! It was warm and sunny. It wasn't too warm or too cool. My girls couldn't have been more well behaved! LOL! Too bad I had a terrible cold and had to haul a pile of kleenix along and stop to blow my nose constantly!









Our day went by quickly and we were soon home and crashed into bed early!

The next day was Mommy's day to play! Since it was my step kids weekend with their mother, I dropped off my three children off at my sister's house and my husband and I went down to Lake Elmo, MN to the Shepherd's Harvest Wool and Sheep Festival. I got to meet my friend Lisa Anderson. We had lots of fun endulging our fiber addictions! It was cold and pouring rain, but we still delighted in all of the fleece, yarn, spinning wheels, felted critters, and such! I can honestly tell you, this woman has a serious yarn addiction! LOL! Oh, and her husband is the tallest man in the world! Lisa is about the same height as my 11 year old and her husband towered over my husband and my husband towers over me! I am not short! And, I am considered tall for a woman! When we met up at the Llama barn I almost walked past them because he was so much taller than Lisa, it threw me off! LOL! I heard them say "maybe not" as I walked by so I turned and asked the gal standing next to this towering man if her name was Lisa. Imagine my shock when she said "yes"!



My only regret over the day was how cold and wet it was! I brought some alpaca fleece along to show Lisa and her husband but it was just too wet out. Oh well, they will be near by for a while so we can have them come by our ranch and visit with the alapcas in person some day soon!

At the festival I picked up a sweet little booklet to aide me in using my drop spindle. I am able to spin on my wheel but haven't been able to master my drop spindle yet. I really want to learn so I also picked up another book on spinning the following day as a gift to myself for Mother's Day.



I managed to talk Lisa's husband into buying a drop spindle at the festival. Now I need to master mine and then I can help him out with his! I figured I'd introduce him to the spindle since it is a much more economical way to learn to spin and to find out if he even likes to spin instead of investing in a wheel right off the bat.

Until next time!

Drop spindles, fleece shows, planting gardens, VT squares, and more...

Wow, I have been busy, busy, busy! I haven't posted in awhile due to this very fact! I have gotten five going on six VT squares completed. I am now working on making a square on my fine guage loom and I am using my graph with the VT logo. It is tougher than I thought, but I am plugging away at it. Hopefully, once I get that down, the next one will be easier for me.

My hubby and I went down to the twin cities this past weekend first to visit my husband's mother in the hospital and then we went on from there to a small town east of the twin cities called Lake Elmo, MN to a Llama, sheep and Alpaca Fleece festival. I was in my element there! I bought a drop spindle I am anxious to learn to use. I have a lot of fleece out in our garage crying out to me to be spun up into yarn. I'll have to tackle that today.

We have been busy, busy, busy getting our new garden ready for planting. My hubby was out late last night raking all of the dead grass roots out. We need to get this garden ready since it's starting to get kind of late now. My hubby keeps saying we should have decided last fall where we wanted our garden and dug it up then. Would of, could of, should of.

I've added new products to the Looming Angels T-shirt shop. Looming Angels are making a difference, one person at a time. By choosing to be a part of this group, our Looming Angels have taken a stand to help the needy when they can. This t-shirt shop is dedicated to the LOOMING ANGELS who have chosen to make a difference in someone elses life due to a time of crisis, or they just need a helping hand because they've lost so much. At this shop Looming Angels will find products that not only advertise this new and growing group to others and hopefully grow our numbers even further and reach more people in need, but they will find products that will show the world they are making a difference....one stitch at a time!