Migrating north

Winter is withdrawing it's hold on our land and spring is taking it's place.

Only a few snow patches are left here and there.

I've been enjoying the change this year.

This means that each day we notice that more and more birds are back from their winter in the south. We've seen the first robin the day before a snow storm last week. I wonder how do they stay warm if their nests aren't ready yet?

The Canada geese are also flying overhead and might stop overnight but they continue on the next day.

We've also seen one heron that will make it's home in a marsh close by.

But today, it was Frankie the llama that had a special visitor.

A sand crane landed in his pasture.

It's a little difficult to see but it's on Frankie's right hand side.

 

Our guess is the poor bird was exhausted from a long flight and just landed somewhere and decided to stay put for a rest.

Even with this huge thing following it around, the crane stayed and rested.

 

Frankie got so close one time, he actually got a chance to sniff this peculiar visitor.

The crane stayed less than an hour and then took off.

 

I've dyed the last bit of the Romney fleece I had purchased last year.

I plan on using some of it on some felting projects...more on this in another post!

 

 

I glanced out the window earlier this week to see Alicia and Tenellie snuggled together, side by side.

I thought this was a good time to stop being busy and just feel the beauty of such a simple sight.

It made me feel warm inside to see mom and son snuggled tight together just feeling the morning breeze and enjoying a quiet moment together.

 

To me, there is something very zen about this picture.

I will come back to it when I need to slow down my heartrate and remember to breathe.

 

I wish you quiet moments in your very busy day!



Spring Colours

Hubby went ice fishing last week with family for a good ol' boys fishing time!
I took advantage of this to spend time with my dye pots and catch up on a few neglected chores.

My mother came to spend a few days with me as well and that always means shopping. My mother is an avid shopper with much more stamina for malls than I've ever had.
If it wasn't for her, I think I would rarely set foot in the mall! 

 But it does us good to spend some time together.

I dyed lots of fibre and looking at the colours, the coming of spring must be having an effect on me because most of the tops are very springlike!!
Many of these will be listed in my Etsy shop over the next couple of weeks.

I also had some fun with lace weight yarns.
I stumbled upon a different way to dye my skeins and I quite like the effect.

 

And some sock weight yarn.

Some of these will go to the market with me this summer, others in my Etsy shop and to the LYS.

 

The alpaca fibre is getting longer and longer on the animals.
I keep looking at the girls we bred last summer and wonder if any of them are pregnant or if it's all that fibre making them look so round and chubby.

How I wish I had x-ray vision to see what is going on in those bellies.

But shearing time is not that far away...and that might give us a better idea once the fibre is off.

But look at Carmella's coat!
Full of hay, she loves to lie in it and obviously roll in it too!

You know who will be picking all of those little pieces of hay out? Yes, that would be MOI!

 

My mother suggested I go out there and brush her but I don't think that Carmella would be too keen on that idea.

I must get back to my Alcyone scarf and finish it soon. I also need to find myself a mindless knitting project for those times when concentration is out of the question!
I'm thinking a hat or fingerless mittens...

Fresh start

Now that the children are all grown up, we are reorganizing the house to better suit our own needs.**

This has pushed us to do more painting and we now have a freshly painted bedroom.

I will need to keep a single bed in this room for some of our visiting guests but I would also like to use the room as a store for my yarns, fibre and garments.
Yup, a Lonely Oak/Zenitude store opening soon eventually!

But back to the freshly painted room.

A daybed would be ideal, but I'm cheap and won't spend $500 for a new one. So the search is on for something suitable in the right price range.

I'm also looking for some shelving, maybe a entertainment unit would do, to store the inventory. 

I already have a wonderful table that will be great as a desk.



I'll let you know how we are progressing over the next few weeks months.

 

There is still some knitting going on.

The Strathcona scarf is  coming along.

I've modified the pattern a bit because I don't have a whole lot of yardage with this alpaca yarn.

The yarn is also a sport weight.

** About reorganizing the house to better suit OUR needs...that should probably be MY needs. Seems that I'm claiming most of the house for myself. The lower level is not a man cave in our house but it's my studio, dye room, tv room, storage room... And now this bedroom will also be all MINE!
But, hubby has the sheds and the garage to call his own...seems fair to me! :o)

Bits of this, bits of that

Today's post is about little bits of this and that.

I recently purchased the Island e-book. A collection of patterns designed by Jane Richmond.

The patterns are inspired by life on Vancouver Island.

 

I will probably make four of the five patterns included in this book.

 

Arbutus is the first pattern I started with.

It's a cowl with three tiers in the front.

They stack up onto each other making the cowl less cumbersome but still very warm. It gives the look of a wrapped cowl without all the fuss.

 

The yarn I used is yarn that I spun from Alicia's alpaca fibre. Dyed Poppy Red, it feels light and thick and just so soft.

 

 

I've also casted on the Strathcona scarf from the same book. More on that when I can take pictures in a good light. 

 

Remember my Blue Antler cardigan?  When I saw that the designer team of the Antler cardigan had a test knit going on for a new pattern, I voluntered right away.

Here is the beginning of Lush.

I have enough projects on the go and must not be tempted to cast on for anything else!!!

 

Lately, Mia, the cat  has decided to use a half wall as a perch. She can look out the front door from there and out the window as well...perfect observation point!

 

 

But she does sleep on her watch! Not much happening around here I guess.

 







 

Tomorrow, I'll be at the Callander Community Center with yarn and fibre in tow from 10-5.

Come and say hi if you are in the area!!

Alpaca fun run

It's been a while since I've posted anything about the Lonely Oak alpacas.
The three babies are growing well and we will be weaning them in the next few weeks.
They are eating pellets on their own now as well as hay.

Early on saturday morning, hubby led the alpacas to the barn and closed the gate.
What's going on?

We've had a good snowfall on Friday and after cleaning out the driveway

hubby headed for the pastures!!??

I'm not sure if he's using his snowblower because he loves to or if the alpacas really need a path.

But regardless, hubby will make a circuit for them.

You see, alpacas do not like to go into any deep snow. They won't venture out very far in even a few inches of snow. So they tend to stay by the heated water trough or by the hay feeder.

 

So, hubby will make them a wide 'trail' to use.

I was so happy with this picture of Makushla. I rarely get a pic of her with her ears up. She's always so serious looking, for once she seems amused!

 

 No one goes in the barn, all 12 alpacas are staying out to observe the
snowblower make that snow fly.

Hubby is all done and the gate is now opened. They all come out to check it out.

Hummmm, pretty nice.

Which way should we go?

 

Let's see what Coco thinks.

Let's go east first.

And off they go!
They're doing the loop!

And back to the beginning.

It must feel good to run full speed.

Winter fun!

Smitten!

I'm back from a busy weekend!

The 2-day craft show in Sturgeon Falls was crazy busy. It was great to talk to so many people, people I went to high school with, neighbors of my parents, relatives and friends from the past.

I brought a lot less home than what I left with which is always a wonderful feeling.

My wonderful mother helped me for the whole weekend, it was so much fun to have a partner with me.

The market for alpaca products is still very new in Canada and many don't yet know about the wonderful quality of the yarn or fibre produced by these animals.

Five times warmer than sheep's wool is an important feature in northern climates. Hypoallergenic is also an important bonus in this day and age where so many people have sensitivities and allergies of all kind. And the softness of the yarn will win anyone over.

 

I met one young woman that told me her hubby wears his alpaca socks all year long on the farm, even in the hot summers. Another talked about never having cold feet on the long hours spent ice fishing on the lake since she wears her alpaca socks. Others had purchased them for a bed ridden relative that was always cold and were looking for another pair.

Great feedback from satisfied customers is always good!

 

 

Even though the alpaca products play a large part of what keeps me busy now, I still love to make soap...guess I always will.

I made some gift-ready soap bags this year.

Perfect for teachers, hostesses, friends or a Kris Kringle gift.

 

My aunt had a table across from me selling her fudge made from a long time family recipe. My grandmother was well known for her sucre à la crème as we call it in french. (It translates to creamed sugar and believe me you'll feel the sugar high with just a small taste of it.) Memère used to make sure there was lot's of it on the table at all times and every wedding had sucre à la crème at each place setting for the guests. Now, my aunt is keeping the tradition going for others to enjoy.

This is not a chocolate fudge, although she had some of that too. It's a butter, cream and sugar treat.

I bet you could not just eat one! Mmmmmmmm!

 

Next to me was a talented young woman selling super beautiful mittens made from colourful felted wool sweaters. Such an eco-friendly idea.

The name of her business is Northern Smittens, what a great name!

Her new Etsy shop can be seen here! Let her know if you want anything and Josée will be very happy to ship it to you.

(picture used with permission from Josée)

 

Well, seems the week will be busy, I have a few orders to fill and then I'll get ready for the next show on Dec 2nd.

Enjoy your week!

 

TdF Day 3 and The three amigos

Day 3 of TdF:

Up bright and early this morning, with only the cat and dogs to keep me company. The sun is bright and very warm, what a great day to be alive!!!

More spinning. I completed the blue mohair but decided not to ply it today since I need to change to my Plying head to do so. I am instead starting with a merino top I hand dyed and could not let go to my shop.

These are the tops that I would like to use in the shawl I will knit myself. I started on the greenish-yellow and blue on the back right corner.

I have about half of it done now. I'll surely be spinning a bit more today.

It's so nice to be spinning again. But I must pace myself or I won't be able to spin for the duration of the Tour de Fleece / Tour de France!

On the farm front:

The three crias are inseparable. Playing, sleeping and resting together is the norm.

(Tenelly, Carmella and Fernando)
There are bunnies everywhere this year. I don't have a garden so they are just great fun to have around. 

And my alpaca yarn is now here!!!

It's almost ready to label and sell.
Here is Makushla's contribution.

And Aurelia's contribution.

And Ginger's contribution

As for Alicia's contribution, I had that done in roving. More on that another time.

Son was here for a wonderful breakfast first thing this morning. Dear hubby is taking me out for dinner, then cake at daughter's house. I can't ask more anything more on my B-day!

Versatile Blogger Award Nomination!

Nominated by Puddlepuck Grange, thanks so much Debi!!

In turn, I nominate the following bloggers:
http://araigneestangledweb.blogspot.ca/
http://wanderingcatstudio.blogspot.ca/
http://my5acredream.blogspot.ca/
http://saradairyfreeanddelicious.blogspot.ca/

Rules to follow if you wish to participate:

Nominate 15 fellow bloggers. (I came a bit short of that number!)

Let them know that you nominated then.

Share 7 random facts about yourself.

Thank the blogger that has nominated you.

And finally....Add The Versatile Blogger Award picture to your blog post!

7 random facts about me....

• I still love peanut butter and jam on my toast.
• I collect pottery, especially the kind made by local artists.
• I love yoga, actually I crave it like a drug but I've been putting it off lately and my mind and body are paying the price for my laziness.
• I now have 11 alpacas with one more baby on the way.
• I spoke very little english when I met my hubby at 17.
• I don't like chocolate.
• I love cotton candy.

R & R

My mother was in need of some rest and relaxation.

There is nothing like animals to make you forget your troubles.

She met Fernando. We had just weighed him...he's now over 17 lbs.

And then, she was eager to meet the cria that shares her birthday.

Carmella is not venturing too far from her mom yet.

Some extra pellets to eat always make the alpacas happy.

There was enough to share.

I've added a few more merino tops to my Zenitude shop.

On the knitting front, I've put my socks aside...I don't like how the heel turned out and I'm afraid I'll have to undo it. So it's in the bottom of my project bag till I get the energy to do it.

Hope you had a wonderful Sunday!

Alpaca scarf

The winter sun is warming up the house nicely today. Spring is just around the corner. But I am not yet tired of the snow...there's so little of it!

Hubby picked up some beautiful canna lillies for St-Valentine's. I will be able to plant the bulbs outside this spring and maybe get them to bloom again.

The Purl Bee website is one of my favorite sites. I just love so many of the patterns that they publish,  both for knitting or sewing.

Last week, they posted a new pattern for a scarf and I had it on the needles that same night. I had the perfect yarn in my stash to knit this scarf. I've been knitting on it every day since.

The stitch is simple to knit but looks so interesting...almost like a waffle stitch. I can't wait to see it blocked.

The yarn is 100% alpaca from a local farm nearby, Misty Haven Alpacas. It's a DK weight and creamy white....just so soft. Perfect luxury for this scarf.

Have you noticed my new knitting 'basket'?

This is a salad bowl that we've had for many, many years. We use it a few times a year when we have large family dinners. So it ends up being stored away most of the time.

But now that I've found a new use for it, it will be in the living room from now on with my current project, right next to my chair.

I love multi purpose items, don't you?