whackadoodle coconut

my husband and I met up with some friends this weekend and they has asked about spinzilla and wanted to know how it all works.  I had briefly explained how it all works and figured that since I was likely to start from nothing on this journey it might be helpful to know how this all works. Step one: Sheep.  if you want to spin yarn, you will need to source some fiber.  but, where does it come from?  the easy answer is from sheep.  however, living in a non-spinning centered (or sheep herd centric) city, I choose to purchase prepared fiber.  I used to have a shop near by to purchase fiber from, now I order from an online vendor. the possibility also exists to find locks from sheep to prepare and then spin. like these. Step two: Prepare your fiber. I have several methods to choose from.  I own a pair of carders and a pair of combs.  I will either card or comb my fiber until it is the way I want to spin and then I'll spin.  I don...

I will be working up a series on my first experiment/learning curve/opportunity/skills testing experience working with wool.  I have worked with a variety of wool in the past from locks and prepped fiber, but this will be the first working with a fleece. The short version - a friend of mine, who I haven't really talked with in a long while met up at a Christmas party. She had mentioned that she had a fleece and wanted to know what I could do with it.  Well of course I could spin it in to yarn and then make something with it. After a bit more talking and she explained that it was a fair sheep and that she didn't know what condition of wool I needed to spin.  I told her I would take a look and let her know.  Fast forward to last night and she gives me a gallon bag of white fluffy stuff and said she had 4 more bags full. At a quick glance, I'm not too sure if this wool is anything like I have spun or prepped in the past.  But it is worth a try.  The bag sh...

it's been a busy last month.  a little crazy, but I've made it to August. phew!  I hope to capture the last two months in a short list. 1.  began teaching Women's 101 at our local shop - 37 future gun owners and lady shooters 2.  recruited new members for CCLSC.  we had 3 new shooters join our club.  my game warden and I have a lot of fun activities to do for the rest of our first year. 3.  certified in another NRA class - PP in the home.  this particular class was challenging for me and I passed and earned a 94% on the test. 4.  wrote my first article for the Austin Sure Shots magazine and my first On the Firing Line radio show. 5.  taught my first shotgun clinic for my hub's company picnic. 6.  purchased a set of combs for spinning wool.  this was a coolest. I'm super excited about it.  I have a pair of cards already and I'm not too sure if these produced the kind of preparation I was hoping for.  I have...

well, a lot of things actually.  in this case, what do I do when the hubby's down for a week with the sick?  I'll show you. a few bags of 1 ounce measure of sheep hairs.  these have been shorn, dyed and cleaned through ready to card and spin. this is what they look like once you've pulled them out of the bag and have them ready to card. yes like a dog brush. I know you will ask.  these are 112 flat carders that are used to "brush" or "tease" the wool so they are ready to spin. think of it as separating the locks so they can be drafted easily onto the wheel. I actually had to learn a new spinning method to do this. really unsure at this point if this is working.  looks like it is, but that really isn't a guarantee of anything. we'll see when I get ready to ply, then wash and finally knit something with it. so you all know, I do more than pew pew pew in my time.  this has been a huge undertaking. I am one step away from s...

over the long weekend, I took some well deserved relaxing time to spin some fluff (a whole 2 ounces in one weekend!), knit a mitten and then rip it out, because only a small child could wear it (and I am not a small child nor have the hands of a small child), dye some yarn with kool aid. The easiest of them all much to my surprise, as I write this was dyeing yarn with kool aid. 1.  buy kool aid ($3.00 worth, okay I got a little out of control picking colors) 2.  wrap 100% wool yarn into skeins (I did 4-1 ounce batches) raw wool wound into skeins   3.  soak in water and vinegar, you don't really need the vinegar, but I wanted really deep clear colors 4.  I did the coloring in two ways and found this way to be easier and I could forget about it and come back later.  Also, the fiber absorbed all the color and didn't have any rinse out. - place skein into a 4 cup measure cup - measure 1 cup of water and add kool aid packets in desired colors, ...