Skirting Some Fleeces

Well the first picture isn’t a fleece :P. Try as I might each year to remember to get a photo of a Magnolia tree flowering, when I drive by there are cars behind me so I can’t stop to get a picture. I love Magnolias because they are generally the first to bloom before the rest of the trees are even budding their leaves, so they mean spring to me. However this year other trees bloomed or spouted leaves first, then yep we had two nights of freezing temps in a row. Guess the Magnolias aren’t fooled. 🙂

The second picture is a grey (kind of looks like a light black but I’m sure when it’s washed it will be a medium grey) Polypay fleece. I also have a white one to skirt also, which is picking out shorter pieces from the longer pieces (basically I’m separating the saddle fiber from the neck, belly and legs and second cuts fiber) and picking out as much of the vm (vegetable matter) as I can, you can see a big piece of straw, and there are also lots more vm scattered in it, and lets not forget any sheep poop by the back end. I started skirting this a week ago but the weather wasn’t really warm enough and this table wasn’t quite doing the job because it has a bench that I had to bend over to reach the fleece and the wind was blowing more than I hoped, so that wasn’t doing it for me. So with less than a 1/3 done, I put it back in the bag and took it back in the house and will bring them both out when it warms up a bit and no wind (I don’t feel like chasing pieces of fleece all over, lol) so I can lay them out proper and skirt them. I don’t have to have them skirted and ready to ship until August, I just don’t want to do it in the heat of the summer. I’ve had these 3 years maybe 4 so the lanolin is pretty set into the fleeces, good luck to the mill that gets these beauties :P.

Hope everyone is having a good start to your spring and that you avoid the storms I am seeing coming on the weather reports.

New Knitting Jewelry :)

I treated myself to, what I have come to call my stitch markers and progress keeper, knitting jewelry :P. I order these from Adore Knit , she makes really cute stitch markers and progress keepers. I found some Snoopy things I didn’t have (big Peanuts fan) and she had some really nice tape measurers, I always misplace mine (even tho I should have one in all of my project bags). I really like these. I also splurged and bought a really cute knit/purl bracelet, you can see it on the back of and behind the dark tape measure, my photo skills lack some serious ability, but you can see them on her site, she shows them much better than I did. It is really pretty so now when I say knitting jewelry, it really is! She included a gift pin for my project bag and I had to show off the super cute netting bag with the hearts she put some of the stitch markers in. Thanks Steph!!

I was hoping for a little bit longer spring before summer temps came. We’ve been in the lower 80’s during the days and 60’s at night this week, tho the weather man says it should be back in the 50’s and 60’s during the days and 30’s and 40’s at night next week. The poor birds must be really mixed up!

Handspun Yarn and a Baby Sweater

My son is using his EEW 6.0 electric spinner. He is having a blast with it and it’s better with each skein spun, these were before washing. He is enjoying it and Ev said it was even peaceful to just watch him spin. :). I’m so glad he enjoys the things that bring peace in my life.

The 2nd picture is another flax baby sweater I’m working on for a long time friend whose daughter is expecting a son :). I have a city apt inspection coming up next week and they always stress me out, they shouldn’t but they always do. I’ve got other things I need to be knitting on, but I needed something I didn’t have to think about to much to keep me occupied until after next week and this did it. The yoke is the only thing I need to pay attention to and even that is not to bad, the rest is just mindless knitting on circular knitting needles :).

It’s been a bit windy for the last few days, but it’s Spring! I have finally seen the male robins as they’ve arrived back in the area, but unfortunately it’s when I’m driving and I can’t stop to get a picture, sigh. If I see one when I can get a picture I will post it. :). The females should be arriving in about 2 weeks.

General Conference Weekend

I love General Conference Weekend. It’s the 1st weekend in April and Oct every year. It’s listening to wonderful spiritual talks by our Prophet and Apostles and other leaders of our Church. The peace and council help ground us and remind us of how much our Heavenly Father and his Son Jesus Christ love us all. We are all brothers and sisters and knowing that helps in a sometimes chaotic world. We are here learning lessons of forgiving and serving others like our Savior did so that we can learn to be like him, not always an easy task, but necessary.

Hope you will join in listening to this General Conference. If you miss any of them and want to go back and listen they will be on the Church’s website.  https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org  Today they are central time 11am to 1pm and 3pm to 5pm, the same times tomorrow (Sunday.)

Wishing you much peace and may we ever be grounded in the Lord.