What did you do today????

I helped shear these guys.....

By the time I took the photos, we'd done over 20 - these guys were still waiting their turn.  Quite the set up getting fiber samples, giving vitamins by syringe, separating the fiber (blanket/seconds), trimming toenails and the obvious shearing...its a multi-person job!  Everyone has a position and a job to do, from hoisting up the legs, to oiling the shaver.....and if you don't do it well, you're in trouble! Alpacas are a fairly calm animal but in a situation like this - they do tend to kick and they will "spit".....especially the ladies - they're the worst!! Nothing a sock over their nose/mouth can't fix though - you just have to be real careful to stand to the side when you're putting it on!! LOL!! :)

Look at all that luscious fiber!!!! WOWSERS!!! Sooo much fun - I'm sooo happy that they invite me back every year to help shear.  This year I felt like a real pro!! :)  I do miss my boys but it was great to see them again.  Brutus has grown like a weed.  Popcorn is still small and he's still so darn cute!!  It was such a fun day!!  Had to leave early as I had to meet Brayden at the rink for Spring Hockey but it was still great to get in the few hours that I did!! I sure do love these little guys!!

Happy Easter Weekend!!

Happy Easter everyone!! I hope you've all enjoyed the weekend and got to spend time with those that you love and deserve to have you in their company!! :)  We've laid pretty low around here and enjoyed a quiet weekend with my Dad who arrived on Thursday to do some "man stuff" with my boys and then we were joined on Sunday by Nancy for some brunch and a nice visit.

On Friday night I went and enjoyed a crop with the ladies and got a few images colored for future cards.

That was a fun night and it was nice to catch up with everyone and meet some new people as well! :)  It was also fun to play with my copics again as it had been far too long!!!

On Saturday, I enjoyed making art yarn with a bunch of talented women in a class taught by my GF Melissa!  It was fun and although I will certainly use a few of the techniques in my spinning - I highly doubt that art yarn will have a place in my future!!  Don't laugh at these - they're filled with techniques and obviously, color was not something I'd planned!!!

I did make my first art batt as well, which was fun....we used different fibers and threw in some sparkle, which does not show up at all in the pictures!!!  Still, in real life, it's pretty and I can't wait to spin it up.  Might try core spinning with this one to make it last!!! I'll keep you posted! :)

Clearly I need more practice with these techniques - but it sure was fun to play outside my box and try different things!! :)

On the knitting front, I finally blocked my Oaklet Shawl:

This morning I finished up my Boneyard Shawl by Stephen West but it is outside blocking so that will have to wait for a later post!  I have enough yarn left over from each of these projects that I think I'll make some fingerless gloves.  :)  Stay tuned!!

Anyway - I hope you all had a fabulous Easter Weekend!  He is risen!!!  Thanks for stopping by!

April...already??

Happy April everyone!  WOW - spring is almost here!!  The snow is gone from the yard and although it is a yucky brown right now - I know that things will be greening up soon!!! We have a new member on the farm this month - a friend is boarding her horse here.  So far so good....he's a lovely little guy.  I can never remember his name so I just call him Jeremy! It's actually something like Jairmaire - but I can never pronounce it properly.  DOH!!!  Brayden is quite interested in earning an income so he would like to be responsible for feeding it.  As he can't even remember to feed his OWN animals, we are skeptical and I can only imagine who will end up doing it for him (raises hand)!  Anyway, he's been looking after his own animals with great care this week -so we'll see how long this lasts!

On the yarn front, I attended an event that the Kalamalka Spinner's and Weavers hosted in Vernon last weekend.  I went as a vendor and had a super great day selling yarn and chatting with all the ladies.  I really like the vending atmosphere, it's soooo fun to see someone actually purchase something you've made.  Even better is when they take that purchase and turn it into something like this:

This was made by Anne, a member of our Shuswap Spinners and Weavers group.  Isn't it beautiful???!  Then I sold a skein of sock yarn to another Anne in our group and she made these on her sock knitting machine:

I apologize for the blurry photo but I was in a rush and these were taken on my iPhone!! Anyway, if you've ever seen one of the sock knitting machines in action - it's quite something.  She can knit a pair of socks in about 20 minutes...a far cry from the DAYS it takes me to knit a pair.  I'd love to invest in one of those machines but they run around $2,000 so it will be a while before I get one of those!!!  In the meantime, I've had my eye on one of these:

I really want to try my hand at weaving!!  I was fortunate enought to borrow a loom from my good friend, Gudie, so I will definitely TRY before I buy to ensure I even like the process!! :)  I think it will be fun though and can't wait to get started.  First, I have to get a few things OFF the needles!

Finished objects:  So....I just finished up a test knit for a designer and made these:

...and I also made these for my friend Donna's birthday:

I will be making a pair of these for myself as they were sooooo soft and squishy - I just loved them!  Yes, Donna - I did NOT want to part with them just so you know! LOL!! :)  Happy Birthday!!

Then, I also made these for the YOSS (Year of Stash Socks) monthly challenge:

So you can see, I've been busy!  I am also currently working on the Boneyard Shawl by Stephen West and the Oaklet Shawl by Megan Goodacre.  I hope to have these off the needles soon so I can get to my loom! :) 

On the Brayden front, we have been busy with Spring Hockey and waiting for soccer to start.  He is also involved in swimming lessons with the school and is enjoying those - even though he has a great fear of water.  I'm hoping these lessons will help a little in getting him back in the water and knowing that he CAN swim when he puts his mind to it.  Hopefully we can get him back on the tube this year behind the boat!! I've booked him for Hockey School in Sicamous this year.  I think he'll be super excited when he gets to meet Shae Weber and Cody Franson!  Hopefully we can find a spot to camp close to Sicamous so we won't have to drive so far in the heat of the summer! :)  We'll see.

Well, I think that's all for now - Have a great week and thanks for stopping by!!!