Socks & Yarns

Isn't technology wonderful?! After discovering that my blog with my socks didn't post, I dug up the photos and I'm ready to post them. The white and orange socks were done with some old Kool-Aid that had hardened like a rock. So I soaked the yarn in vinegar water overnight then crushed the Kool-Aid between my fingers while sprinkling it over the socks, microwaved the yarn for 5 minutes, rinsed it and presto! speckled yarn! I wish the picture was clearer but since I'm an amateur photographer, that is the best I could do on this pair.


This pair of socks was made from hand-dyed, hand-spun yarn and then hand-knit using a 2x2 ribbing. I love knitting with hand-spun yarns. For some reason they are more scrumptious than boughten yarn. These are of a lovely red, orange, yellow roving that when spun blended the colors quite well. I really like them and I'm going to have to make some more roving so I can have a pair of socks just like them....well, almost like them as this type of yarn is hard to duplicate.

Now I want to show off my 2 large hanks of hand-spun yarn that I just finished. I forgot to include the smaller hank of 196 yards, but overall, I've had a good spinning week. The coral hank is 348 yards of a wool/silk blend. The other hank is from Shetland and is 398 yards. I hope the photo does them justice as I am very anal about my yarns looking almost like mill plied yarn. Let me know what you think. I just like uniformity. However, I have a friend whose yarn looks like the expensive yarns with twirls and curls and all. I just can't seem to reproduce her yarn.

Carpe Diem

I know that I posted a blog with pictures of the socks I mailed off. However, it isn't here anywhere so I must have not saved it. That's what happens when I get in a hurry. I'll have to dig out the pics and try posting them at another time as they aren't saved on this computer.

As of this evening, I have completed 942 yards of yarn this week. I first completed a wool hank of 196 yards that was from hand dyed red, purple, and yellow roving. I spun the singles on a drop spindle then plied it on my wheel. That was the last of the 1 pound of that roving that I had. Then I managed to get 398 yards of Shetland spun and plied. It is hanging on a hanger drying at this time along with the 3rd hank of yarn that was a beautiful coral color of wool and silk and it made up into 348 yards. Altogether this week, I have managed to ply 942 yards of yarn. That is a first for me. I did get another bobbin of Shetland on the ball winder so that it is ready to ply also. It will be almost as much as the hank of Shetland above.

I've got to take the 2nd 2 hanks above to the county fair tomorrow. I just love doing things the last minute. In fact I perform better at the last minute pushed on by the stress of missing the proverbial boat. Before I leave with the hanks tomorrow, I will get a picture of all 3 hanks so that you can see my accomplishment. I'm glad that I made getting this stuff plied a priority.
Just wait until you see it in tomorrow's post.

Too many rams

Wow! It has been almost a month since my last post. I truly didn't aim not to keep you entertained with farm happenings.
We recently spent some time sorting our spring crop. Boys in one area, girls in another. I was a bit surprised as all the bleating afterwards only lasted about 24 hours. I guess we must have done it at the right time.
If anyone reading this post is in the market for a ram lamb, or a lamb for the freezer, here are some choices. I tried to capture the essence of their fleeces so that if you are looking for something to shear, you will know beforehand what you are getting. I especially would like to find a home for the brown ram lamb as he is a beauty and hate to butcher a colored lamb just because he is related to one and all. As you can see, he is starting to fade, but the color genetics are there to pass on to his progeny. His sire is also the sire to the other 3 ram lambs I have available.

Two of the ram lambs are twin brothers and have pink noses and pink skin under the fleece. Their fleece is very crimpy and at only 3 months old, already has almost 3 inch locks. If you look below, you can see how their fleece falls and how curly the crimp is.
These are two very nice rams. I'm located in South Central Indiana if you are interested in these lambs. Tomorrow I will post pics of the two Angora bucks that will be for sale November 1st.

I've got to get pictures of the socks I'm about to mail off. They are beauties!! They are for a lady in California that likes orange and I really hope she likes them when she gets them. You be the judge. Until tomorrow....
kate