# FAC - April '09



## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Happy April everyone. I certainly hope everyone is having much better weather than we are. March came in like a lion and went out like one too :grump: 4 inches of fresh snow fell yesterday and maybe more coming today  Oh well! I know we are on the downhill slope and it won't last.

This is the monthly Fiber Arts Chat (FAC) thread. Here is where we catch up with each others busy lives. If you are new to the group or have been reading for awhile and never posted this is a great place to introduce yourself. If you have been one of the MIA oldies this is the place for you to reconnect. We have so many new members here and a whole group of new sock knitters :goodjob:

Tomorrow I'm having my surgery. I have done as much fiber prep as possible, think therapy. My inkle looms are both warped, my cards are warped and I did get them all untangled. And I have a ton of fibers ready to be spun. Now I need to get through the first few weeks of doing basically nothing. I'll be in a case from the elbow to the tip of my thumb and the base of my fingers once I get the stitches out. Then I hope to have some use of my fingers at least. Then I should be able to play with fibers. In the mean time I plan on doing a lot of sleeping and healing. I still haven't heard what time my surgery will be. The surgery centre was closed because of the flooding in Fargo and will open again tomorrow.


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## bergere (May 11, 2002)

Now spinning some light silver grey Coopworth. Pictures to come soon. VBG

Good luck on your surgery Marchwind!


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## weever (Oct 1, 2006)

Good luck, Marchwind!


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## MOgal (Jul 27, 2002)

I'll be thinking about you tomorrow during your surgery.

My work continues into June this year so I won't be around much for the next 2 months. UGH. That also means no gardening to speak of and no fiber stuff. I'm suffering withdrawal.

Take care.


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## Annie in MN (Oct 15, 2002)

Wishing you a speedy recovery, March!


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## betty modin (May 15, 2002)

Take good care of yourself Marchwind. You'll be in my thoughts and prayers tomorrow.

We've good a chilly start to spring here as well. Just had a sprinkle of snow on the deck this morning, but the forecast is for a major winter snow storm between now and Friday evening-high winds and snow in the passes, with snow down as far as I am. With my little, light-weight car and the fact that studded snow tires had to be off by this morning....I'm hoping for a day of snowed in fibering!

One of the little sixth grade girls at school brought her knitting into show to me yesterday. Her grandmother taught her how this past fall when she came to help with the family-her mom is an EA at the school and is undergoing chemo for a brain tumor that was found when she lost conciousness getting ready for work in the fall. Hil was so proud that she had made a scarf for her mom for Christmas. I wanted to sit right down and teach her how to purl so she could move on to the next step, but I had to admire it and teach reading instead. I was sorely tempted though..
It made me miss working with fiber and kids. I'm trying to think how to do a fiber arts class with the kids. Maybe I'll talk to our family resource person and see if I can offer a class once the weather gets nice enough for me to want to drive back down the mountain for an evening group-or stay after work for an afternoon one.

Hopefully we'll all have seasonable weather soon, and spring will brighten our hearts and open our doors. betty


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## MacaReenie (Mar 1, 2008)

Here are prayers going up for March today!!!!


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## shepmom (May 29, 2003)

Wishing you a Speedy Recovery March.

WIH that snowy pic is definately best viewed from a cozy, warm indoor setting. Brrr, makes me cold just looking at all that snow. I do love snow but at this point in life photos are just fine. smile


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## NEfarmgirl (Jan 27, 2009)

Hope things will go well for you Marchwind--quick recovery as well! We are supposed to get a storm this weekend so guess I will be forced to stay in and work on something!


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## Nellie (Oct 18, 2006)

Praying for you today, Marchwind!


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## mamajohnson (Nov 27, 2002)

Prayers for your recovery March!

Today I sat down and unraveled a sweater that had 2 holes in it! I got two huge balls of yarn out of it (and lots of iddy biddy pieces ALL over the room!)
Anyway, it was fun, and I love being frugal with stuff. I was not able to make myself toss that sweater, even though I couldn't figure out how to fix those holes! So, I was real happy to figure out that I could unravel it and keep the yarn.

I am still knitting on my first pair of socks. I am doing both at the same time, and have managed to turn the heel on both of them, I am in the process of working down to the toe (not sure what you call that step!)
I have to say, they are not really gonna look that great, but I will get them done. It just seems that every time I sit down to knit someone calls and then I am tied up on the phone (it is mostly my DH who gets bored on the road!) 
I have not figured out how to hold a phone and knit at the same time... hmm... maybe I need a headset!


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## Shazza (Nov 20, 2004)

Speedy recovery MArchwind.
We have had a bit of a cold snap...from 30 degrees celcius to 18...hence I have a cold now and can hardly talk.  First cold for a long time. I have made 2 sets of mittens over the last week..the pattern on Bevs site when you knit 2 at the same time...they are really cute. Will put pics up soon. Went and bought heaps of vege seedlings for the vege garden this morning and the kids have helped to plant them all. Almost cold enough to put the wood fire on tonight. Ahhhh I much prefer Autumn/Winter to the heat we've had.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

surgery went well or so i am told. today is the first day i feel human again. that first 24 hrs is h*ll. i couldn't get on top of the pain until almost midnight the first night. it's fine now and i've already started to cut back on the pain meds. it was odd i swear my hand felt like it remembering the surgery, i was having all sorts of odd pains and twitches that first night. it's all behind me now :bouncy: onward and upward as they say. it will be a week or so before i'll have much use from my fingers on my right hand the throbbing is still pretty bad. so, i'm down to one hand and one finger typing for now.

thanks for all the prayers and good wishes and thoughts.

now i'll be living vicariously through you all for awhile. i'm going to try to go to my guild meeting today.


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## MacaReenie (Mar 1, 2008)

Soooooooo glad to hear it went well, March. Working in a pharmacy, we always tell folks who have surgery to take the maximum dose of painkillers the doctor writes for them the first 24 hours. It's easier to keep pain at bay than to reduce it when it comes on full force. Also, your body needs that time to heal. If you're in pain, your body is more focused on that then the healing. More prayers going out for a speedy recovery for you!


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## ~NY_Cowgirl~ (Sep 25, 2007)

Glad it went well! Hope you have a quick recovery!


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## shepmom (May 29, 2003)

Don't be too stoic. I learned that lesson too well.
Glad to hear from you that you have started the mending process. smile


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## weever (Oct 1, 2006)

Glad to hear you're past the hard first part. Now it just gets to be a different hard--trying not to do too much too fast.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

i made it to my meeting :clap: it was nice to just sit and chat with fiber people. i was actually able to help a new member with a niddy noddy. nobody knew how to wind onto one so i was able to help with that. some members and i made plans to go and visit with another member and to see her sheep. she has shetland that have some of the softest fleeces. she is very much into preserving the old british type of fleeces. she was spinning the fleece from her ram and i an tell you it was unbelievable soft and crimpy with no guard hairs. just beautiful. i have talked to her about one day getting a couple of wethers from her.

wihh if you only knew how long it took me to type this and the other message  how does the end f the month look for a visit?


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## ajaxlucy (Jul 18, 2004)

Marchwind, I'm so glad to hear that you're up and around and able to do things. That Shetland fleece sounds so lovely! What is the old British style of fleece that you mentioned? I didn't know that old traits were being lost from such an ancient breed.

Our Shetlands are just lambing now. So far we have three ewelambs, all dark brown at birth, but I'm sure they'll lighten as they get older. I really need to get a digital camera and learn how post pictures.

I sympathize with you over the slow typing, btw. Working a keyboard with one finger is about as slow as texting.


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## IowaLez (Mar 6, 2006)

Marchie, I'm very glad everything went okay for your surgery, and I hope you get back to normal as fast as possible. My thoughts are with you. Take it easy while you recover. I have been down with a cold, and hadn't popped in here for a while...everybody here is so busy!

I am spinning up some dyed BFL roving in the Redwood Forest colorway, and I've decided to send a bunch of my fibers out for processing. I've been dying wool, and sorting silk and etc., getting it organized. I dyed some BFL wool a bright hot pink, and Liese's Precious, the last of her wool, a bright crab apple red. 

Today some bareroot fruit trees are going to arrive, and I have 6 hops rhizomes to pot up until we can plant them out...and yesterday we had a blizzard and we have snow again. But in a few days it will be in the 50's again and melt all this stuff away. I went to an apple grafting class at Seed Savers' Heritage Farm, and came home with 6 new trees with antique varieties grafted on them this weekend. Soon we'll all be busy with our gardens, and less time for fibers... Happy Spring!


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

Here's what I have been enjoying in my house during this on again/off again Spring weather. Maybe it will help cheer you up as much as it does me.










I hope everyone feels better soon! 



Lezlie, what varieties of hops have you got there? We grow some bines at my house too. Do you brew with them?


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## MOgal (Jul 27, 2002)

Oh, a brief reprieve! We are scheduled to finish this first project at work a few days early and I could have around 10 days off before I have to start the second part. How wonderful! 

March, so glad you hear how well you are doing with your hand. I can empathize with you as far as the inconvenience of it as I have broken my left hand in the past. Fortunately, I'm right handed but even so, it's tough not being able to use them together. 

Lezlie, I'm so jealous that you got to take a class in grafting trees. That is something I would really love to learn to do, especially since two of my trees are throwing root suckers that I could use as root stock. Right now, I'm sweating bullets that the blooms I have on our trees won't be nipped by the cold in the next few nights. The peaches, plums and the Asian pear are all fully in bloom but the apples are not so far along. I'm just hoping that we get some fruit or DH will be fussing about the dearth of apple butter next year. 

Gone-a-milking, that amarillys is beautiful.

Well, I've been home about 20 min and need to go feed the critter babies. I need to be in bed by 9 or I'll be useless tomorrow.


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## Shazza (Nov 20, 2004)

Love the flowers... Glad to hear all is well MArchwind.
Just wondering when is the next Fibre swap planned for?


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

Ohhh, my baby is a Gretsch Electromatic....











That fern was so little in this pic, too. Its from back in the day before my life was dominated by Kimberly the Ginormous Fern...LOL.

The lesson here folks is : a guitarist will always pull up and post a pic of their axe, at the slightest provocation. LOL. Anyone wlse have a guit? (I know bluesky does....) *grin!*


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## IowaLez (Mar 6, 2006)

G-A-M, your amaryllis is gorgeous, what a pretty bright color! I got 6 kinds of hops, Cascade, Nugget, Centennial, Willamette, Chinook, and Horizon. And yes, I brew beer at home, I love IPAs and Porters and Stouts, beers with lots of flavor. I've only been brewing since early December, we got all the equipment for it as our mutual Xmas gift. I brew from kits, in 5 gal batches. I am North Wind Brewing- it's kinda fun, on brewing forums everybody has a name for themselves...

MOgal, the grafting class was fun and it's not hard to do. You can even buy this little hand machine that makes the cuts for you. I did one tree or two with that machine that the class teacher brought, but otherwise all you need is a really sharp knife that is only sharpened on one side. I was surprised, there were about 20 people in the morning class, and their license plates were from MI, WI, MO, KS, ND, IA, and IL! Some people came a "fur piece" to learn. One tree we grafted is a Hawkeye Delicious, which is from the original Red Delicious tree in southern IA. When I learned the history of this variety it was so interesting and amazing! And I didn't know apple trees could live 160 years or more. Wow! 

And yesterday the 32 pounds of seed potatoes showed up, and today our bareroot chokecherries and plum trees will arrive. When the Culligan water man came with our salt a few days ago, he had never seen a seed-growing set-up like ours in our basement, 1000 watt hps plant light moving on a lightrail above the bench, all full of flats of seedlings. There is not one single hydroponic store in IA with this kind of gear, whereas in CA it was on every street corner, so I wasn't surprised he was surprised. I had to laugh, tho.

The snow we got has all melted and it will be warming up this week and maybe we can harrow the garden plot. Hopefully I can begin to give these babies some real sunlight soon.

Have a good day, everybody!


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

Susan, So glad to hear your surgery went well.

We started a knitting group at work (named it Cheaper than Therapy) and are working on infant hats for the March of Dimes. I'll bring my wheel to one of the meetings


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Cyndi what a great idea and name.


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## bergere (May 11, 2002)

OK... Picture!!
This Coopworth comes from a Shepherdess in Mid/Eastern WA area. It is very fine and soft compared to the other Coopworth fleece I have dealt with. The photograph shows the first ply being spun up and the Roving next to it. Color is soft silvery tone, spins up a slightly different shade than the Roving. This will end up being a 2 ply yarn in about 3 to 4 weeks.


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## Nellie (Oct 18, 2006)

Could y'all pray for me? I've been really sick. I think it's a secondary infection from the flu that's been going around. Dh can't handle me being sick. 

I keep writing stuff then erasing it. 

This is on top of all the other health problems.


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## mamajohnson (Nov 27, 2002)

Nellie said:


> Could y'all pray for me? I've been really sick. I think it's a secondary infection from the flu that's been going around. Dh can't handle me being sick.
> 
> I keep writing stuff then erasing it.
> 
> This is on top of all the other health problems.


My prayers are sent Nellie! You will be better soon!!!!
Now, be sure to eat right, rest lots and drink all your liquids! That will help your body heal.


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## mamajohnson (Nov 27, 2002)

My first pair of socks is nearly done! I have one sock ready to start the toe and the other sock is almost ready for the toe, just a couple of more inches of knitting and it will be toe-ready! (pictures and much laughter coming soon... dh already told me they look like they will be uncomfortable with "all those little bumps and holes" in them.  )


ok now, I just have to share with ya'll something I discovered last night!!!!!!!!

Our homeschool group has a spinner/knitter/sheep owner!!! :clap:
I talked with her at length last night, and will be going to her farm next week to look at her animals and she is going to show me how to work the spinning wheel!!!!:bouncy:
And... she has a crossbred little angora doeling that may need to come home with me. She did tell me that when they get crossed up like that you don't know what the fiber will be like... but if she is cute she may just end up in my truck.  (have I ever mentioned that I love goats?)

So, now I have someone local that can help me learn to spin!
I am SOOOOOO excited!


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Thoughts and prayers coming your way Nellie! You really do need to take care of yourself.

MamaJ woohoo!!!!!!! Lots of pictures expected.


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## weever (Oct 1, 2006)

Hugs to the sickies (it is awful, especially with a non-supportive spouse)...

My claim to fiber fame (ha!) today was making wet felted wool balls...gonna try them in my dryer as an alternative to those nasty dryer sheets. (Of course, soon it will be nice enough to hang clothes on the line, but...)


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## weever (Oct 1, 2006)

In the dryer--instead of dryer sheets. Dryer sheets coat up the lint trap and lead to troubles...and there are some pretty nasty chemicals used in them. 

But you can also play with the wool balls, use them for stress relief, or give them to your cats. Wonderfully versatile...


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

A quick and easy way to make wool felt balls (wet felt) is to take the amount of wool and scrunch it into a basic ball shape. Then stuff it into the toe of an old pantyhose and tie a knot just above the ball. repeat as many times as you want and then just toss the whole thing into the washer and dryer with a load of clothes. When they are finished cut away the pantyhose and you have wool felt balls.


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## Nellie (Oct 18, 2006)

Thanks for the prayers, ladies. I'm feeling much better today. 

Felt balls.... ok, I wanna know.... how many of you country ladies even OWN a pair of pantyhose????? 

<wondering how to make felt balls without pantyhose...>


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## Nellie (Oct 18, 2006)

MissMenagerie is going to castrate a buckling tomorrow, and as I looked up at her just now, and said, "We should make some felt balls," she giggled, and said, "I could bring you home a pattern tomorrow..."


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Nellie here is a youtube link [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ydfz8JG_3UA[/ame]


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## Nellie (Oct 18, 2006)

Thank you Marchwind.  Hey, how are you doing?


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## weever (Oct 1, 2006)

Nellie's feelin' better... 

I own pantyhose. Never wear them, but I don't throw them out, either. They're good for making felted wool balls.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Nellie I'm doing well, going a bit stir crazy but well. I go to the doc.on Monday. I'm hoping they will take the stitches out. It will be my first look at what they did. I should take my camera. Then they will put me in a real cast. I have a few odd aches and pains to see about. It is so frustrating when you can't see what is going on.

I'm glad you are feeling better. Take care not to over due before you really are well enough.

Have fun making felt wool balls.


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## betty modin (May 15, 2002)

You all have been very busy! I've been slowly working on a lovely fawn shetland fleece-spinning it up as 3 ply at 12 wpi for a sweater for myself. I've finally worked out the pattern for it, and have started it-now I'm ready to alter it... ah well, it's fun to play with fibers. It's a variation on a sweater I've made before-done in one piece with a yoke. I've got a sheep motif planned-and am needing to decide this evening if it'll go around the yoke or as part of an 'all-over' pattern. I'm at the point of needing to start the motif if it's going to be an all-over pattern. I've got the neck line to plan before I get to the sleeve addition...but am considering a shawl type collar instead of the crew collar I did before. I'll figure it out as I go along I guess. I should finish the spinning by the weekend...

The weather is alternating between early spring and late winter...snow, rain, sun, chilly nights. Even the animals seem a bit confused. The teeny, tiny tree frogs that live and breed in every puddle and seasonal pond are so loud at night, that even through closed windows I can hear them at their nightly orgies. The elk are everywhere-in meadows all along the high prairie where I live. They were bedded down just half a mile from home this afternoon on my way home from work. We have a large main herd here (about 125)-and it breaks up into smaller groups of cows, young males and pregnant cows this time of year. The play havoc with any fencing...they go where they want to go and are pretty much left alone by everyone as they tend to know private property from the National Forest during hunting season!

The shearer is scheduled to come on Sunday to shear my four little shetland ewes, and then up the road to a co-worker's to do her two little sheep as well. Naked sheep should bring on the last spring snow-it usually does anyway. Hopefully I'll get the large branches that fell across the the driveway to the barn cleared up for his truck before he gets here. A friend has offered to help.

The garden will wait this year until late May or early June. Hopefully I'll get some garden beds built this year-that's the plan at least. It's not unusual to wait-since it's usually that late before the soil warms up enough for seed germination for much beyond greens at this altitude. The garlic is up though, and I noticed that the rubarb is too. The fruit trees appear to be waiting for the arrival of pollinators for this year's blooms. Last year they bloomed about a month before it was warm enough for those pollinators, and I got less than a box of apples from three trees,and 2 plums from another. At least it looks better than that at the moment.

I've got the incubator warming up and have a dozen eggs for it. I decided to do my own this year-something I haven't done in years. I also plan on getting some bantams for show again. I'm missing the fun of the show circuit-we'll see what I can find.

May your weather be seasonable and your chores easily done, betty


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## IowaLez (Mar 6, 2006)

Hi Everybody,

I hope most of you are getting some Spring weather. Here we have had some real nice days, T-shirt weather in the sun. I haven't touched my spinning for a week, we are busy getting the market garden in. It's half an acre in size. Yesterday I finished planting 32 pounds of seed potatoes, and today I get to plant 320 linear feet of onion sets. Already got the leek and onion plants in and watered. We are rushing to get planted because it is supposed to rain on Sat and Sun.

I have 14 flats of baby plants that I've been putting outside in the sunshine each nice day. I get real tired running them up from the basement and back.

By evening we are exhausted, and we eat dinner then go to bed. The farmers all around us are fertilizing and harrowing their fields now. The soil finally dried out.

Marchie, I hope you're doing okay. Take care, everybody, 

Happy Sinning and knitting! Happy Spring!


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## MOgal (Jul 27, 2002)

Lezlie, I know it was a typo but got a really good chuckle from the last line of your post. Did you have any particular "sin" in mind for our happy sinning?

I have had this week off and will be off next week as well. There is a small, very informal group of knitters, crocheters that meets on Monday evenings and I visited with them last Monday. I plan to go again next Monday if I haven't overdone it in the garden. One of the ladies has begun spinning with a drop spindle and I thought I'd take in my Ashford for her to test drive, maybe also my Schacht but it's a little fast for a beginner. 

I finally got to start some plants and will be hauling some of them to the hoop house today before they get leggy. I just put in an order for some soft fruits now that I know I'll be home next week to get them planted when they arrive. We had 3 frosts last week but the jury is still out on damage. The Asian and European pears, the peaches and our one surviving plum tree were all in bloom. The apples had not really started showing color as they have now, thank goodness. The asparagus is up a little, not quite tall enough to pick yet. 

Betty, can you hear the elk bugling from your house? While camping in South Dakota some years back, I thought I heard one early in morning. DH told me I was nuts but the ranger in the camp office told me it was possible because elk were in the area. Our whitetail deer don't make any noise to speak of but our local wild turkeys are calling. This morning I heard a mourning dove just outside our bedroom window and the barn swallows have returned to look for nesting sites around the house and barn. 

We expect rain tomorrow and Sunday too, Lezlie, so I need to get out and get busy. 

Hope you are continuing to heal well, March.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

I guess I haven't really posted here in awhile, I thought I had. I went back to the doctor early last Monday morning. My stitches came out :rock: I can't remember how many I counted but it was a lot. I gave my doctor a hard time because my scars don't match. He did the surgery a little differently, at least how he accessed and took the tendon. Now I have on my bright green (I was thinking spring) cast. I have this on until the 28th when I go for my second surgery to remove the pin. Then it is right to therapy as soon as I come out of the OR. I go back to work on the 13th of May.

Yesterday I got out my inkle loom to begin weaving on it. But for the life of me I can't find my shuttles nor can I find the yarn I need for the weft  There is one more place I need to check. I also realised that I made a booboo while warping. 

I got my birthday fleeces that my son gave me. They are interesting. One is almost pitch black and soft but short, maybe too short. There is a lovely white that is very soft but short too. I also have a beautiful gun metal gray/silver and a longer white. I've washed bumps of each one to work with. I think that short white is way too short but it is so soft. I carded up a few batts yesterday on the drum carder but it was a struggle to get it onto and off of the drum. I carded up several batts of the gray and was actually able to spin up some of that. It is interesting to spin without a thumb on your drafting hand. Long draw would be a good thing here. Anyway, the gray is very pretty but a bit course, soft but course. I'm not sure I would want to wear it next to my skin but maybe socks would work well or mittens. I'll re-examine it today and see how it plys and washes up. 

I'd like to get into the garden and work on the fencing and pulling of things there if I can. Lezlie your garden sounds very ambitious. Are you sure it isn't too early to be putting all those babies out there in the ground? I know you are much warmer down there but Il know we a blizzard in April or even May isn't a complete u known or even freezing temps. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. Can you post pictures of all your hard work? I'd love to see it. Gardens are so beautiful.

Mogal enjoy your time off before you get deep into your job.


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## Katherine in KY (May 11, 2002)

I haven't posted in ages, but I see everyone is busy with both fiber and outdoor activities. March, glad your surgery is over and you're on the mend. I've been at my parents for the last month doing caretaking which gets tiring after awhile especially because I'm far from home. I hope to go home this weekend for a few weeks to get my garden planted, then back to help my parents get ready to move to smaller quarters, something they probably should have done years ago. I brought my wheel but haven't used it much. I have done a lot of spindling, mostly in doctors' offices, and I've been knitting a vest using some handspun California Red. The red fibers throughout give the yarn a kind of tweedy look.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Katherine it is good to see you. I'm glad to hear things are well with you if only busy. You are an amazing woman who does so much for your parents. I bet it will be nice to have them in a smaller place, one they can perhaps maintain on their own.

Your spinning and the yarn sound beautiful. Will you try to take some pictures when you and a chance and post them for us to see. I don't think I have ever seen Calf. Red spun up or used.


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## IowaLez (Mar 6, 2006)

Hey Gang!

How did everybody else fare in last night's storm that crossed the Midwest? Is everybody okay? 

We had wild 60 mph winds when the first bad front came thru Friday, it blew down all 120 feet our new bean trellises so we're going to stake them down when we get them back up and repaired. We had flash floods and mudslides in our county last night, we got at least 4 " of rain between 4pm and 9pm that pounded our pretty garden plants, but no hail, and the 3 tornadoes were well south of us. Got a little water in the basement, but it won't hurt anything. Today the garden plants are a bit drippy and sad, but things are perking up. The leeks and onions look really happy. It had gotten so dry here the farmers were banned from open burning of weeds around their fields after some fires got out of control and created havoc.

I spent the evening spinning up some pretty mohair while watching the weather news and the sky. We had 5,000 lightning strikes an hour all around us and even the cats got a bit scared by the loud thunder and almost constant lightning. Since our house was struck by lightning last Summer before we were in it, we have decided to get a lightning rod and ground the house better. 

I hope everybody is having fibery fun, and Marchwind, I bet you're a better spinning teacher than me. I hope you enjoy it, WIHH.

Have a nice day, all!


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Wow I didn't hear about the storms Lezlie. I'm glad to hear you are all safe and that your little garden survived. We had a cold from come through a few days ago. When I left WIHH and CF's house yesterday at about 4:00 I passed a bank that said the temp was 37 degrees. It snowed last night, just a dusting but it was still on the ground this morning. I don't know what the temp is now, my computer says 45.

Tomorrow morning I go for my second surgery to remove the pin in my thumb. I get this green monster off my hand :dance: Then I will have a removable brace and begin therapy.


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## MOgal (Jul 27, 2002)

My last day of "freedom" for a while.

Leslie, all we had was rain, just a good slow, soaking rain. I've just come from the vet's office and saw 5 turtles. Three were plain old box turtles, one was a little "slider," the kind that will sun itself on a submerged log and the biggest was a decent sized snapping turtle. I love to watch turtles, even the old snappers and really get upset when I see someone has killed one or does it as I follow them. Won't get on that soap box. 

No fiber stuff to tell about except that I had hoped to get my last sheep's last fleece washed while I was off. This is the first spring since '94 that I haven't had a sheep to shear. My lambie pies were born in '93 and the last died Sept. '08. 

March, glad you are making such good progress with your recovery.


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## weever (Oct 1, 2006)

Must be spring. Much less chatting than usual. 

I have a knitting related giveaway at my blog right now (through May 1): http://shadysidefarm.blogspot.com/2009/04/bloggy-giveaway.html

Getting ready to send my first samples of sock yarn to the phat fiber box. Maybe I should take pics and blog about that?


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

I'm home and well! My second surgery went well but the incision is a bit bigger than they had hoped it would be. The green monster is off my arm and now I just have a removable brace. I went to therapy right after surgery to be fitted for the brace and to get my instructions for the next few weeks. Most of what I need to do is work on getting my wrist flexible again. The only thumb movement or exercise they want me doing is just the tip of my thumb  no pinching. So I still can't really spin, but soon. I told my therapist about how last time I used my fiber arts for much of my therapy and how well it worked. He was very enthusiastic.

This morning I get to take a shower without my cast and without any covering :rock: I plan on scrubbing my arm well to get all the yuck off of it.

Mogal I hope this season of work is more fun for you and less stressful. But I suppose with more and more emphasis being placed on test scores.....


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Good luck WIHH with the clean up. I thought today was going to be such a nice day too. It was beautiful and sunny early this morning, now look at it.

I have lots of those habitats around my place. Shall I do an anti-rain dance for you and CF :banana02:


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## betty modin (May 15, 2002)

I'm beginning to think that gardening weather will have to wait for June around here. The past week started out chilly, got cold enough to snow almost down to my elevation-new snow on the mountain out my eastern windows-and then warmed up enough to rain for this weekend's Tree Planting parade and festival. (At least we had a dry spell for the parade. I do love a small town parade.) 

Just east of the Cascades from here 30 newly-shorn sheep froze to death when the cold snap caught them this past week. So sad to think of those poor naked creatures in the cold. I'm grateful for my nice, snug little barn when it's time to shear each spring. It seems to snow at least once in the week just after shearing-no matter how late I wait.

I'm on the first sleeve of the sweater. I'll knit both sleeves, and then knit them into the yoke and by that time I'll have the neckline figured out-or have to wait until I do to finish it. I knit a little sheep into the right-side bottom edge of the sweater, and have decided to do little hearts around the bottom of the yoke after the sleeves are knitted in. The sheep pattern is too busy for me to wear and enjoy in multiples. 

May spring gardening weather arrive soon. May you have seasonal weather and abundant crops. betty


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Betty your crazy weather sounds about like ours. The day we sheared the sheep it was about 80 degrees a day later it snowed and didn't get warm again until yesterday. Warm is a relative term here too. But of course yesterday I had my guild meeting so I missed being outside. Today I drove to Minneapolis for a day trip to visit my best friend and her daughter. Today the weather was glorious and I spent most of it in a car. But I had a nice long walk around Lake Harriet with my friend.

So very sad about those poor sheep 

Make sure you take pictures of that sweater Betty it sounds adorable.


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## Katherine in KY (May 11, 2002)

I'm home at last for most of May. I was hoping to get my garden all planted and mulched, but we've had nothing but rain the last week. That forced me to stay inside and clean 
My little guild is having a fiber fair next weekend which I hadn't planned on going to, but with the bad weather predicted for much of this week I'm going to try to pull together some stuff to sell. Last year I sold a lot of dye plants, but all I've started this year is indigo, and those are all for me! I just hope I'm home when it's time to harvest them.
Betty I agree with March about your sweater; do post a picture. And what a shame about those sheep. I wonder how often that happens.


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## bergere (May 11, 2002)

My Kitchen garden sure could do without the hail we have been having ....seems like once a week. Weather has been strange here too, sadly. Oh.. and wish I could get rid of that stupid gopher!

Just finished the last bobbin of plyed yarn, now I just need to get it on the skein winder, tied off, soaked/washed in Ecualan wool wash and then set.
Was pleased when I ended up with near equal amounts of singles when plying this time. Crossing my fingers I can guess right on the next yarn I do, too. LOL

Am thinking of doing the blue BT with the Tussah silk next.


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## Shazza (Nov 20, 2004)

Why dont you shear sheep in the Summer like we do? 
How come we are still writing in April facs


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## weever (Oct 1, 2006)

You don't shear before lambing, Shazza? Hmmm...

We are still writing in April's FAC because in the northern hemisphere it's still April.






Just kidding, o'course.


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## Shazza (Nov 20, 2004)

No we dont shear before lambing...we do crutch them early Spring, we as in the norm cos usually we miss the window to crutch as lambing is upon us. A shearer here will not shear a ewe that is heavy in lamb. 
LOL I knew I was a day ahead, but not 5.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Shazza thank you!  Weever is right though it is still April until I say otherwise, lol!!!! The new FAC is up. Please post there, here is the link http://homesteadingtoday.com/showthread.php?p=3792933#post3792933


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