Wordless Wednesday

Visiting with the Alpacas

I'm pretty lucky here with my new knitting friends.  They all like to organize meetups in different places other than the coffee shop.  The last time they were knitting with the Alpaca's, I had just moved here less than a week, so I couldn't go.  This time I was free :)

We went to Peaceful Prairie Alpaca Ranch, which is less then 10 minutes from my house.  The ranch owner is such a really nice person and I not only met my first alpacas, I learned a few tips on cleaning fleece.  She is awaiting some roving and yarns to come back from the mill and I'm hoping to get some.

Enjoy the photos!  They are such animated animals! I need to learn to walk slower when approaching the fence, some stayed and looked, but a few rain away skeered.

This is the view the owners see everyday.  Lovely!


These two saw us approach the fence and walked over to greet us.


All hanging out, wonder if they are talking to each other ;)


Lunch time!

Then nap time! You can barely see the bump above the sleeping one.  Each corral has one, the animals sleep around it, stand on it if need be.  From what I am told, it's their linus blanket....safety area.


Dude, don't bother me, can't you see I'm eating ;)


Hello there!


I fell in love with this one's fleece's marbling. (not sure what you call it)


Close up here looks like a giraffe pattern.


She also has a few sheep.


and some chickens.



And a wee black baby :)


Love this face...


But my favorite is this one ;)


After visiting, we sat in the sun and knit for a bit.  Despite it being almost December, I did get a sunburn on my face/neck area. Can't wait for the next visit, such a peaceful place.  So peaceful I went home and took a nap afterwards ;)

Eye Candy Friday

Had to leave some plain ;)

Ten on Tuesday

10 Things you are thankful for.

1. My family, those close and far away.  It's been quite a year of change, but we're hanging in there. Although I don't get to see many of them for years at a time, I miss them.

2.  My home, although it's a lot more to clean, it's bright, sunny and I feel like a grown up in it ;)

3. The area we now live it.  It's so wide and open and the scenery is so enjoyable, let alone the weather :)

4. Knitting/Spinning/quilting - I love to create and my hobbies help to relax me.

5. New found friends! Due to Ravelry, I was able to find out a lot of information about our new location and where the knitting meet ups were.  Once I got here and started attending, it was like meeting old friends.

6.  Having a job. Even though it's part time and the pay...well...let's just say that first full 2 week paycheck was quite the shocker. Jobs are not plentiful around here, none currently in the field I've worked over 25 years.  I am enjoying the change though.  I'm still working/helping people, it's just crafty stuff now.

7.  McIntosh apples-hubby found some here!!

8.  chocolate, all kinds ;)

9. Hair dye, I'm way too young to go all gray ;)

10.  Most of all, health!  Despite the aches and pains of getting a wee bit older, both hubby and I are still cancer free!! 6 yrs for him and 3 for me!!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Spinning and Sock Sunday

Just a quick post to show you I still spin and knit socks.  Just haven't finished any pair yet, but hope to remedy that soon.

Some mixed BFL in green, about 1.75 oz spun so far.



bag o'bfl awaiting it's turn on the wheel....weeeee

Now onto sock news....

Last time you saw these was in June, I was knitting them 2 at a time and was in deep denial but had hope so onward I went.  Until I got to my usual 7.5" of knitting for toe ups for me.  They look a bit small in the width department, but again, I was denying it.  After trying them on and realizing even after the heel turn, they would be horrible to get on...to the frog pond they went.  I cast on more stitches and changed needle sizes and now see below...


Whiz Bang sock part deux!  Fits great and right now knitting the leg until the yarn runs out.  Oh yes and knitting them 1 at a time now.

Since I love this colorway and I spun it myself, you can see why I salvaged this project :)

Well off to work for me, going to be an interesting week.  I'll be working on Thanksgiving evening and on Black Friday for the first time....hoping it won't be too crazy!

What's Up Wednesday

Finally have 1 room that's totally finished. The others all have one or more things to do, but it's ok. The only room that has a deadline is the guest room as college guy comes home next month for a week.


View from the front door.  Make a note of the colors you see here....


View of front door from living room/kitchen area.  Make note of the tiles...story on that later...


Had to retouch photo a bit, but here is more of the study. This room alone has 1/2 the amount of windows I had in my last house. We have a total of 18 windows.....I got estimates on shutters and blinds and thank goodness for sales! I don't normally like white blinds, but they work here.  In fact, due to the sunshine here during the day so far, no need for heat...yet.


2 out of 4 couches/loveseats in this house.  It was a former model home, so it all was included.  Some we like, some we didn't, thus the work in progress.


Perfect place for my table runner I think.

I do have a bookcase and bench that was originally ours in here.  Each room so far has something that we previously owned which is good.

This room has no tv and will become a nice place to sit and read/knit or talk.

The story I hinted at was when this house went on the market, I showed it to hubby. One good thing about previewing houses online, you definately can weed out a lot.  He saw that above tile and a few other rooms and was like...nope.  Well, had the one we decided to buy next door to this one not been already sold, we'd never viewed it.

So, we decided to view this one and once we got into the kitchen/living room combo, we knew it was home.  It wasn't the furniture being included that sold it,  or the entire YELLOW walls of the house either.  Next part was wheeling and dealing.....with success...obviously ;)

Now if I can get the dining room table cleared from bills, etc. I take some pic's soon to show you the main part we hang out in.

I will repaint it....one day...for right now, I'm trying to embrace my nemesis color...pale yellow ;)

Ten on Tuesday

This week is 10 Things to make with fresh Cranberries:

1. Homemade cranberry sauce- yum! Easy, peasy and good!

2. With leftover cranberry sauce, make Pork Loin with Cranberry Sauce-double yum! (I have tried PW's recipe for cranberry sauce, but I like the ocean spray one better.

3. Make a garland with popcorn. (haven't done that in ages!!)

4. muffins

5. Relish

6. Crisp

7. scones - need to try this one!

8. Jam - may have to try this one too!

9. Coffee Cake

10. New England Cranberry Duff??? What?? worth a try I think ;)

*disclaimer- I've only used the top 2 recipes, but since I usually get 2 packages on sale, I'll let you know how the other ones go!

Local Fibers

I think I've stumbled upon Alpaca raising land ;)  I know of at least 2 local Alpaca farms and hope to find more.  I haven't visited one yet, but my local knitting group often has field trips to one of them which I hope I can make next time :)

Found the local spinning source and came home with these beauties!  One of the owners told me I'd be back again one day for weaving.  That's usually the next step after learning to spin....eek!  Um..not right now, but I won't say never ;)


2 oz. of Dark Fawn....so soft!!



Yummy, like butterscotch!


2oz. of Tri-Color

It matches the Dark Fawn pretty well (doesn't look it here though)  so I'm sure I'll be either plying them together knitting something coordinating.

One day.....

Off to start my Holiday Snobby Spinners Swap yarn!  It was start spinning or unpacking the guest room....would like to ignore said guest room, but my son is due home next month....maybe 1 hr of guest room stuff, 1 hr of spinning, then 1 hr of knitting.....who knows ;)

My Funky Junkies Cowl!

It arrived just in time for the cold weather!




Close up of the goodies!

Cute stitchmarkers and some yummy soap!

Close up!

It's Funky Carolina MCN in Spooky Castle




Goes great with my coat and a few of my hats too! I love it, so soft!

Linda was a great partner.  Did I tell you she spun this yarn while recovering from an injury too!

Now it's time to spin for another swap!  Only have 2 rooms to sort a bit more, then only the garage is left and hubby has that mostly done....if he finds another box of yarn I'm ded...dead... ;0

Funky Junkies Cowl Swap 2011

A few months ago, I joined a cowl swap in the Funky Junkies spinning group.  We just had to spin the yarn and knit the cowl.  Sounds not too bad huh.

Well add moving into the mix and it makes it a wee bit more difficult.  I managed, but it wasn't the brightest move on my part ;)  I finished by the deadline though so that's good :)

Here it is in fiber form


Spun up




Funky Carolina Superwash Merino
Ground Flowers Colorway
4 oz.
approx. 217 yds
13/15 wpi
Sport/dk/worsted weight




Then knit up into the Gray Gardens Cowl.

US 8 circular
No mods :)
Used 133 yds of my handspun

Here is the I-cord bind off.  I'll use that one again!


I-cord cast on.  That was a bit fiddly, but easy to do, I'm sure I'll use it again.

I had 84 yds of yarn leftover which I sent to her :)

Although it's almost gone....

and it's barely 10 am....It was so nice to wake up to this!



and this....



View of the back of the house from the upper patio


Ha! Snowcovered tumbleweed....guess it'll be a bit before it's dried out enough to start tumbling again ;)


Birds on a fence, they love it there!

I'm sure it's just a taste of whats to come, and even though it's almost gone...very lovely!

PS. it's so nice not to be essential personnel at the time being, and to have the day off!

Hat Trifecta

Whew, just in time I finished my 3 hats for Hats for Sailors!  Luckily they get to wear any color on their off time on the ship.

As some of you know, my son will be an active duty Navy man in another year and a half, so the ships are kinda partial to me ;)

Turn a Square
Cascade 220 in Grape
US 7's
Only mods were not knitting stripes.



Hopefully someone will enjoy this funky hat.  I need to seriously learn to knit tighter during the decrease sections.  Maybe a smaller needle for them as I had to tighten them up.


#32 Bulky Beanie in Malabrigo Rios leftovers....from these
US 10.5
Malabrigo Rios in Paris Nights doubled

I had used 2 separate skeins for the socks, so I combined the leftovers for the hat.  Used them all up and actually had to dip into the little leftover ball from last years hat.


I so didn't want to part with this soft one!  I am actually going to knit my son one for when he comes home for the holidays as it's pretty windy here.

and...
Starving Artist


Dream in Color Groovy in Cloud Jungle (you'll see this colorway in another FO sometime soon ;)
US 10's
No mods, but if it was for me, I'd be knitting the crown decreases earlier.

In this view, it seems to fit ok...


But a bit huge in this picture.  Of course if I slouched it, it would fit better ;)

Hopefully next post will be from my Funky Junky Cowl Swap.  That's been my sekrit knitting. ;)