my8kidsmom gets crafty

Store Update!

2010-11-16T08:40:00.001-05:00

Sorry neglected blog. I have been focusing on the Farm Blog but I just updated that one and needed a place to post this picture for Ravelry. I would love if you would follow me over there ;)

Sneak Peak…

2010-10-15T19:31:00.001-04:00

All the fiber club packages are packed and very nearly ready to send out! I am so excited!

Just in case you are interested there is a new soap in the Farm Store.

and a bit of Jacob in The Etsy Store….

not to mention the new Alpaca/Cormo/Silk blend :)

Store update!

2010-10-14T10:48:00.001-04:00

stores.countingsheepfarm.com

Is it over yet?

2010-09-21T13:33:00.001-04:00

I love doing Fiber Shows…yet…they really suck up a lot of time! I am looking forward to knitting just because I want to, not because I have to get a sample done for the booth.

I did manage to get two projects finished though:

The shawl was knitted using my Brown Trout colorway. I should completely out before the shawl was even finished :)

My lovely October Leaves Fingerless Mitts, knit out of my African Plains colorway.

Another lovely envelope came in the mail the other day. I have Minions!!!

I am almost forgot…

2010-09-07T14:09:00.001-04:00

My lovely envelope from the Lucky Charms Mini Swap:

In the case of a Zombie Apocalypse…

2010-09-07T13:10:00.001-04:00

I will at least have soap! This soap has my favorite scent so far. It is manly yet still soft enough for a woman. It will be listed in the Farm Store soon.

This is a rebatch of some soap that didn’t hold it’s scent after curing. I am all about the smellies :) I can’t wait to see how it will look after it’s unmolded. I decided to try layering colors for effect.

This beautiful disaster will have to be rebatched also I am afraid. Failure to plan = failed soap :( I didn’t check to be sure I had enough lye and ended up two ounces short. I thought I would practice swirling and as is life it looks pretty great. Too bad I have to re-do.

I finished up some custom dye orders this weekend (fitting for labor day wouldn’t you say?)

And now I am busy updating the farm store :)

http://stores.countingsheepfarm.com

Where in the World is My8kidsmom?

2010-08-28T14:05:00.001-04:00

Sorry I haven’t been blogging regularly :( I have been crafting like crazy though!

I have been working on new colorways and trying out new yarn bases.

I spent a couple of days working on old and new soap recipes and even tried my hand at hand-milled soap.

I have fulled a bag that I knitted up, now I just need to add the embellishments.

Spun up some yarn…

and nearly finished a pair of fingerless mitts I had been working on.

Getting Crafty with Cake And Lace

2010-08-18T14:25:00.001-04:00

This past weekend we had an open house for our two oldest boys. I know, I know it’s late but that’s life here at the Peck household. Technically Joey graduated last year but he still had math to finish. He became very sick and was diagnosed with colitis. Since Joey’s finished in December we decided to do them both this summer. On a whim I decided to try my hand at cake decorating!

How’d I do? :)

I am also busy getting ready for the Michigan Fiber Festival where I will be working in a booth with Allison from Great Lakes Pygora and Ewe Spun Woolworks. Since Allison sells beautiful pygora in one ounce packages we really needed to have a sample to show what one ounce will do.

I spun it lace weight and knitted it as a single using the ostrich plume pattern.

Family

2010-08-09T22:31:00.001-04:00

Peaches and cupcakes oh my!

2010-08-09T15:39:00.001-04:00

There are bushels of peaches sitting on my kitchen floor and cupcakes to be made for a graduation party….but don’t bother me, I’m knitting!

(Don’t worry I am on my way to get back to work!)

A good day…

2010-08-05T14:21:00.001-04:00

I feel like I have been burning the candle at both ends juggling all that needs to be done. Today I am at home waiting for someone to pick up a lamb and I am getting so much done it is refreshing!

I am knitting up a sample of lace from handspun pygora and it is heaven.

I had some downtime and used it to download the lovely Liesl pattern that I will use this linen yarn to knit up.

And although all the yarn this shawl was knitted to display was sold I am finishing up the knitting it and am very nearly finished!

Finally, here’s a sneak peek at what’s in the dye pot.

Oh, I even had time to make some blackberry cobbler!

Hello World!

2010-07-30T08:30:00.001-04:00

Last year was our first year doing fiber festivals (I say “we” because Great Lakes Pygora/Ewe Spun Woolworks and I have a partnership called Wooly Friends and we travel to fiber shows together) and we made a lot of mistakes. This year we feel a bit more confident and a bit more ready to meet the world.

A lot of my knitting time right now is spent on samples for the booth but I pick patterns that I can wear and enjoy so it doesn’t take any of the joy.

I have cleared out some of the extra debris in my fiber room and now I am focusing on fiber batts. I just love to spin these things so I am just as happy spinning them myself if they don’t sell!

My first weaving project is off the loom and looking very much like a first weaving project but I am still pleased as punch! This is going to be a bag.

The dye business has grown enough that I am now dyeing 4 days a week or so! I am very thankful :) The farm store is being update weekly unless I am close to another fiber festival. Please stop by and check it out!

I have a loom!!

2010-07-10T23:54:00.001-04:00

I have been waiting, even praying (yes, really!) for one of these :)

It is a Structo Artcraft Loom. I haven’t had a chance to do my research to find out when it was made but it’s at least vintage.

I spent most of the evening attempting to warp it.

I am not quite done but all things considered it’s going pretty well. I will share pics when it’s done.

In between all the drama…

2010-07-08T16:01:00.001-04:00

With all that is going on here at the farm…illnesses, a sick lambs, sick kids…I still managed to get a few things done :)

a lovely sock

applique on a quilt top (almost finished!)

even some dying!

Tour De Fleece Day 4

2010-07-06T22:13:00.001-04:00

TDF Day 3

2010-07-05T22:34:00.001-04:00

TDF Day 2

2010-07-04T22:05:00.001-04:00

Boy, I needed that….

2010-07-03T23:55:00.001-04:00

Vacation that is….I took my four youngest children to Florence, KY for a mini vacation. We had a wonderful time!

We visited the Creation Museum, Newport Aquarium and the Cincinnati Zoo. All in all it was a lovely time and a fabulous rest from the treadmill.

Waiting for me when I got home was this wonderful swap package! (notice the Golding spindle? my first!)

I also got my order from Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab (I have a thing for these perfumes)

And finally since the first day of TDF is today I spent an hour spinning camel on my drop spindle :)

Time to myself

2010-06-25T21:32:00.001-04:00

I spent the day all by myself today for just a few hours at the Fredrik Meijer Gardens.

Getting crafty in a whole new way…

2010-06-25T06:40:00.001-04:00

I spent the day testing the skills I learned in my photography class this week…

All the pretties…

2010-06-15T15:57:00.001-04:00

Just added to the Farm Store!

Remember me…

2010-06-11T12:35:00.001-04:00

Today is the 5 year anniversary of the day we lost our son and were forced to live the rest of our lives without him. I hope you will take a moment to read the following excerpt of his journal, which we found after his death.

The War
How I see it.....
Todd Louis Peck II, February 2005
My intention in this journal is to record as best as possible the spiritual warfare surrounding my recent relapse of cancer so that I may later remember the lessons learned and perhaps share them with others. In fact, sharing the lessons is actually the bigger of my two reasons. My greatest hope is that through my fight and this record of it, others will be equipped and encouraged to take the fight to the Enemy. I believe that all of life is a war fought over the souls of each individual and everything that happens in life somehow fits into this war, whether we know it or not. So when hardships and trials come they ought to be viewed as Enemy attacks and dealt with accordingly.
In war, the purpose of any attack is, of course, to gain some sort of advantage that will in some way bring you nearer ultimate victory. Rather, that sought after advantage is the destruction of some threat which the other has or the gaining of a position that leaves you a better position to threaten the other. The point is always to somehow harm the other's overall position in the great scheme of things.
Thus, this relapse of cancer that God allowed was and is inteneded by the Enemy to somehow gain him something. That something, in this case, is porobably to neutralize what the Enemy's high command perceives as a danger to their war efforts.
That threat may or may not be me (thought I like ot flatter myself that it is) but the fact is that, for whatever reason, I seem to have been chosen as the main point of attack. I therefore, as a soldier in the King's Army, have responsibility to stand and fight to make sure that the Enemy gains not an inch. For it is my (and every soldier's) duty to even turn this attack to the advantage of the Cause and the glory of the King.
This whole thing reasches far beyond me, however. It reaches into my family and into my church and community. I am just on fect of what is a large and complex battle being fought in this small theater of operation called West Michigan. The full extent of this larger fight I will not ever be able to fully comprehend this side of Heaven. Nor will I likely ever understand the extent to which my own standing or falling will influence the larger picture but I will stand!
Indeed, I am resolved to not just stand, but advance! I may be a small part of a huge batle but I will press my influence to its limits for the sake of the Cause.
Lord, have mercy if I should be cut down (i.e. if I allow the Enemy to get the better of me) fo rthe greater the effort, the greater the defeat in the case of failure. But by the grace of God, I shall not fail! As He wills, so may it be. Amen.

The dreaD PIRATE PENELOPE

2010-06-09T16:28:00.001-04:00

a new colorway for the phatfiber july box. whatcha think?

Stop the world!

2010-06-08T13:09:00.000-04:00

I want to craft…I mean really how can one enjoy life if all one does is drive one’s stupid car?

I have been incredibly busy BUT I did manage a few things:

Here is the beginning of the quilt I have been yammering about….I do have some more bits added so I owe you a new picture. When I have time….really

My first attempt at rebatching soap. I kinda like it! Normally I do the old fashioned lye soap (that was I sell in the Farm Store and I am completely sold out) but I thought I would try something new and a bit faster. I need to get the soap restocked in the store. Don’t worry I won't sell this ugly thing to you!

and I finally got my drop spindle full!

Happiness in a box :)

2010-06-07T13:04:00.001-04:00

I received the most lovely swap package in the mail on Saturday!

phatfiber sneak peek….

2010-06-03T12:23:00.001-04:00

Scallywags!

and I haven’t decided what to name this one….

any suggestions?

The Farm Girl Fiber Festival!

2010-06-01T18:08:00.001-04:00

I spent the past Memorial Day weekend as a vendor at The Farm Girl Fiber Festival and boy was it a blast!

I bought this:

and this:

the hubby bought me this:

(those are authentic farm wife toes complete with the farmer’s tan!)

and I won this:

Now I am off to the vet. This little guy

landed on the African Grey’s cage and lost a foot for his efforts. He is doing just fine but tore off his bandage…

The Wonder of it all…..

2010-05-26T20:24:00.001-04:00

I love how this:

becomes this:

I never get tired of seeing the transformation caused by reskeining yarn.

Speaking of things I love….

I love that the flowers are blooming

I love that I am the proud new owner of a dragonfruit plant….(thank earthnut!)

I love how tall the grass is in the sheep pasture

and I love this new cow!

Dyeing mania!

2010-05-24T10:05:00.001-04:00

Fireworks

More Raspberry Beret (Slightly more subdued b/c of the base used)

Desert Bloom (I think this one is a new favorite!)

Raspberry Bush (man, I am all about raspberries!)

These are going up in the Farm store and the Etsy store today.

I still have the quilting bug. My latest project is a Mckenna Ryan quilt. I will share pics soon, promise!

It gets a little crazy at times….

2010-05-20T10:41:00.001-04:00

It is a little busy here with the kids, the farm, homeschooling and the businesses. People ask me all the time “How do you do it?” My answer is always the same. Sometimes I don’t! Sometimes the house is a mess, the kids have macaroni and cheese three days in a row and I spend a lot of time multitasking during the homeschool hours. Today I am desperately hoping to get the house in some kind of order, dye and reskein some yarn and dig around in the gardens. We will see how much of that I actually get done. My biggest problem is my horrible lack of organization. I need an intervention!!

Well on to the crafty stuff!

This incredibly yummy merino yarn will turn into my new Apple Blossom colorway.

Remember the beautiful red shawl I am knitting? Yeah, well….I am knitting.it.wrong. Turns out I was supposed to be using size 15 needles. I really should have double checked before I started and completely dropped the ball on that one. At any rate I get to keep the nearly finished one and the new one will work up so fast on size 15 needles! Besides, this yarn is really nice to knit.

On the Rav group we are doing a knitalong using the lovely Subversive Skull Cap as our pattern. We have just cast on and would love to have you join in. (Did I mention there will be contests?)

And! there is another update coming for the Farm Store. I have also added a few items to the Etsy shop.

Okay not so crafty…

2010-05-19T16:51:00.001-04:00

Maybe this post is pre-crafty :) I have to send post some photos on Rav but you know you can’t directly upload them :)

This is scoured Icelandic fleece that I am selling. A little over a pound…

Crafty People are Often Crazy….

2010-05-17T12:37:00.001-04:00

Well, at least I hope I am not the only crazy one!

I have a couple things to show off…first I am most proud of my new sign for fiber festivals:

Most of the fiber festivals I vend at I do so with my partner of Wooly Friends so I am excited to quilt a sign for those shows too. Next I will be working on the new bags I designed. I am super excited about those!

Speaking of Fiber Festivals, I will be at The Old Farm Girl Festival May 28th & 29th so I have been dyeing up a storm.

I have also been knitting a bit.

The Farm Store has been updated, I hope you will stop by and check it out! There’s new soysilk, bfl and silk, and lovely yarns.

Have a great Monday!

Getting Batty!

2010-05-07T21:01:00.001-04:00

On the 15th I am heading to the Michigan Fiber Fiesta and then at the end of May I get to stay close to home for The Old Farm Girl Fiber Festival. I am extra excited about this one because I will be bringing Mercy (our Icelandic bottle lamb) and Nutmeg (one of my English Angoras).

The drum carder got lots of use today in hopes that I would be able to get ahead for the fiber shows.

If you happen to be near White Cloud on Memorial Day weekend stop by and see us!

Hello??? Anyone out there???

2010-05-06T21:46:00.001-04:00

I dyed a little today. (I chuckle inside everytime I say something like that!) I am getting ready for fiber festival season and my first show is May 15th. Are you going?? It’s in Greenville, MI.

Purty huh?

And just in case you were wondering I have made some knitting progress.

I love the pattern but I am not overly thrilled with heal. It’s seems a little unrefined, almost like it doesn’t got with the flow.

Sorry I have been MIA for so long :( Hope someone is still reading this blog……

HOt Swapity action!

2010-04-24T22:32:00.001-04:00

Score! Check the extra fabulous packages I received!

First the Phatfiber Unbirthday swap.

Here are the goodies up close:

Then the Fibery Goodness Swap.

Beware the groove…

2010-04-15T14:20:00.001-04:00

For awhile there, I had completely lost my groove! We moved one of our restaurants, the work at the farm seemed to increase and I just felt a bit overwhelmed.

I am happy to say however that the groove is back!

I am knitting a shawl for a local dyer (Mohair in Motion) and in exchange I got this beautiful Mohair/Glitz yarn.

It’s a bad picture but you get the idea.

It’s a lovely 80 degrees in my neck of the woods today so I was able to steal some time to spend in the gardens!

Here is the small bit I got weeded. I am looking forwarded to warmer weather so I can add some more plants. In the meantime I will spend some time deciding exactly what I want :)

There is plenty of weeding to keep me occupied while I was for the danger of frost to pass. This picture above is a climbing rose surrounded by weeds :(

I missed it. IcantbelieveImissedit!

2010-03-11T18:06:00.001-05:00

I have been a contributor to Phatfiber since April 2009 and since then I have not missed one box. Unfortunate circumstances being what they are however I didn’t get my samples in on time. (You can read why here.) To make myself feel a little better I am offering 20% off when you use the code “missedout” at the farm store.

Welcome Caitlin May!

2010-02-26T16:14:00.001-05:00

It’s been a string of bad days….

2010-02-24T17:13:00.001-05:00

So I think some lolcats are in order….

Feel better? Me too…

Just When you think it can’t get any worse…

2010-02-22T15:58:00.001-05:00

It gets better!

My day started out with phones calls to Dish Network

(…why exactly are you charging me $220 for equipment that a. I no longer have and b. it is worth maybe $25.00??), ATT

(…how is it that I am not authorized to register online for an account that I own?),

and the bank

(…remember the overdraft protection you were supposed to put on my account? it isn’t there and you still haven’t returned my last two calls…).

and then this lovely package arrived and somehow the day seems much better.

It came from my swap partner on the Ravelry Books & More Swap…just in time and absolutely fabulous!

2 Skeins of Gloss Lace from Knit Picks…

Tea (I heart tea), a magnetic ruler, cards for handmade items and a dpn needle holder…

Smooshy Sock yarn and Maelstrom sock pattern by Cookie A (I heart her too)

French Girl knits!

Finally a lovely handmade bag (which I triple heart!)

Thanks so much!!! Kamcole!!!

Zombies with Jazz Hands…

2010-02-18T13:11:00.001-05:00

I got a comment about this picture I posted yesterday so I thought I better explain….

This is my copy of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. I bought it a couple of weeks ago along with How I Became Stupid to add to my February list for 52 Books in 52 weeks.

I wanted to like How I Became Stupid and I really thought I would but in the end I just think it is rather….stupid. I am halfway through and can probably finish it quickly but I just don’t know if I want to waste that much of my life.

PP&Z, however I love!! The first line is nearly as fabulous as the original:

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains…

I have been a bit crafty and got a few batts carded up :) I am going to list them in the etsy store tomorrow. The dye job from yesterday is ready to be rinsed and hung to dry.

I was gifted this lovely yarn by a friend and I am going to attempt to make the Ivy League Vest. The yarn I am going to use is technically fingering weight and the recommended yarn is DK but the gauge on the pattern matches my yarn so I think I can make it work. Wish me luck!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-02-17T18:02:00.001-05:00

getting crafty all over the place….

2010-02-16T16:34:00.001-05:00

I got crafty with some yummy soap…

Some worsted goodness…. (only one skein left so back to the dye pots!)

And an alpaca blend:

…the colors didn’t come out as vivid b/c I was starting with a natural colored base (as opposed to white) but I am still pleased.

Plus I have been diligently working on this overweight body and I have lost 13lbs so far!!

Getting all kinds of crafty!

2010-02-09T19:51:00.001-05:00

So I have been feeling fat, old and just plain ugly in general….so I decided to get a bit crafty with my hair!

Being the unusual gal that I am I decided to forgo the normal blond highlights for red :)

And, look what the mail brought me:

It’s life….

2010-02-03T13:56:00.001-05:00

What can you expect? There have been some rough days lately but it will get better -it always does.

On a happy note I have lost 12 lbs so far and I will be running a 5K in April! (Don’t be so surprised I used to run 50lbs ago! I can do it again.) Yesterday I went on a maiden jog (yeah, not quite up to running yet, especially with the ice) and I made it through two miles!

I have been boxing up my phatfiber samples and hope to have them in the mail tomorrow …and I got some knitting in!

I finished a scarf for a swap using my Starry Nights Alpaca and I am halfway through my Peaks Island Hood.

No, honestly…. I am not a Wedding Photographer…

2010-01-28T14:59:00.001-05:00

I am just saying taking pictures of the barnyard and wedding photographs are really very different. Very.different. But in a moment of weakness I said yes and yesterday I played the role of Wedding Photographer.

There are a few things I wish I had done differently but all in all the photos are lovely.

The editing software made up for the times the flash wouldn’t behave and God heard my cries of please don’t let me ruin these pictures…

One of my favorite moments was when the little flower girl walked in to the auditorium and announced:

I am going to take your picture!

“Oh, okay….” I said , “where’s your camera?”

“I am using yours!”

How could I turn her down?

What’s in your bag…

2010-01-21T11:08:00.001-05:00

I was going through my stash to upload more on Rav when I noticed my knitting bag. I was amazed by how much my bag reflected me.

I have everything I need to be organized yet I don’t keep up with it! My bag is a mess! I keep searching for the perfect bag, certain that that is the missing link to organization.

If you look closely you can see that I have a couple of non-knitting items…my Hillsong cd for instance.

Oh the pockets!! They are filled with my favorite sock dpns and just general I don’t know what to do with this stuff. I am a hoarder and I have several needles in the same sze “just in case”.

Yep my knitting bag is a mess! Just like me!

What’s in your bag?

Getting Phat in January!

2010-01-20T16:02:00.001-05:00

As usual there are goodies galore!

Pictured above: Desert Garden, Gale’s Art Fiber, Vivid Creation Fibers, and Vibrant Fibers.

Color Bug Yarns, Moonwood Farm,Bohemian Knitter Chic and From Ewe to You

Giffordables, Sandy’s Palette, Fiber Fancy, Bitsy Knits and Silver Sun Alpacas

and finally, WC Mercantile, Knit It Up, Kira K Designs, and Comfed Out Kaiser.

NO Fear! Cast On!!

2010-01-13T15:56:00.001-05:00

As my stash looms over me and my WIPs threaten me with certain doom I find myself losing my knitting mojo. After all I have been knitting on the same projects for a month now. I needed a break! So I decided to cast on! (Gasp!! Yes-cast on!) Using my stash of course I casted on with abandon! In fact I am nearly finished with Ziggy and lovely hat knitting in an unconventional way.

No Fear! Cast on! You’ve got stash to use up anyway!

(If you would like to cast on with the group this weekend, click here for more details. Who knows you could be the next Crazy Cast On Guru…)

Starry Nights!

2010-01-08T17:39:00.001-05:00

I am so happy with how it the dye job turned out!

I also dyed up some Romney, BFL and Soysilk for some more Farm Fresh Batts.

I’ve got my groove back!

Warped Weaver

2010-01-07T11:44:00.000-05:00

Packed far away, among the forgotten treasures from 2009 is this rigid heddle Harp Loom.

I have found my weaving skills to be basically non-existent. I am self taught by nature and almost everything I know (or think I know) I learned on my own….but this…not so much. Classes? I’ve looked into those. I will have to save up.

At any rate I am pulling the old girl out again to see if I can’t at least finish what I started.

It has begun….

2010-01-05T19:01:00.002-05:00

The stashing is underway and although I had great intentions to get this pile under control…

as is usually the case, good intentions do not equal job done. In fact today was pretty much a wash as far as getting things done EXCEPT(!) I did get this dyed!

…..and the farm store is being updated :)

A few things accomplished….

2010-01-04T19:32:00.001-05:00

A few more yarns stashed on Ravlery for the 2010 Stash Down Challenge…

A few rows knitted on my rectangular shawl…

and a few yards of handspun made from this batt….

Join us for the 2010 Stash Down Challenge!

2010-01-01T12:47:00.001-05:00

Is your yarn stash getting out of control? Do you have so much fiber waiting to be spun you are considering insulating your home with it? If so this challenge is for you!

What is the 2010 Stash Down Challenge? It is lots and lots of fun that’s what it is….however, there is a catch. To participate you must join The Counting Sheep Farm Ravelry Group. Not on Ravelry yet? No problem! It’s easy to join! Just hop on over to Ravelry and sign up. It is worth it I promise.

So if you haven’t joined the farm group come on over! You will be able to earn points that will be used for discounts at The Farm Store and have the opportunity to enter the random contests!

Get ready to stash down!

The 2010 Stash Down officially starts Monday, January 4, 2010.

Handspun!!

2009-12-31T13:24:00.001-05:00

My last handspun of 2009!

This is from a Twilight (or New Moon? I can’t remember) themed batt by River Poet.

This yarn was spun for White Cloud Alpacas and is from these batts:

and finally, this lovely fiber I received in a swap (it’s corriedale if memory serves…)

The last handspun of 2009!!!

And in parting there is a 20% off storewide sale at the farm store. Just use the code “LC2009” ; it’s good today only.

Inspiration

2009-12-29T17:45:00.001-05:00

Can you imagine the batts, hand dyed fiber and yarn I am planning to create using this as my inspiration??

Oops…I almost forgot!

2009-12-28T12:43:00.001-05:00

A Farm Store update is in progress!

Stash!!

2009-12-28T12:08:00.001-05:00

So I have been on Ravelry for quite sometime but I have never really taken advantage of the stash. I am not sure why but as I look at my ever increasing stash I thought it might be a good day to give it a try! I am proud to say I am stashing 5yarns today! (Yeah, I have a lot more…but it’s a start!)

Website Update!

2009-12-21T15:27:00.001-05:00

I am very excited to have my website up and running! I am even more excited to have my niece over on Wednesday to help me tweek it! In the meantime here are a few of the goodies you will find:

Exciting news!!

2009-12-17T15:21:00.001-05:00

The new online store is now live!!! There is still tweaking to be done but I would love to hear feedback. (and a few sales wouldn’t hurt either! )

I am spending the next hour or so carding up some batts and they will be in the store tomorrow.

And for all you phatfiber phans here is a sneak peak at the beginning of my January Samples:

Hope you have a great holiday! If you are interested take a peak at the farm blog. Marilla of Moonlight and Laughter just sent me the best Secret Santa package!

I Have Been….

2009-12-11T10:08:00.001-05:00

Knitting

Spinning

Drum Carding

and Rug Hooking….

a tHANK yOU, lONG OVERDUE

2009-12-09T20:59:00.001-05:00

As you well know, I love to swap! I received a beautiful package from maiziemama on Ravelry but my internet has been down and I have been unable to post it…

She sent me a beautiful batt and some beautiful roving, tea (I love, love, love tea) and Knitting on the Road by Nancy Bush.

Nice stuff!! Thanks much!

On the crafty side (or actually not so crafty come to think of it) I am spending most of my time attempting to set up my very own online store. Not the easiest thing I have ever done…we’ll leave it at that.

And for my faithful fans….

A moment in history! (Okay that is a bit cheesy) You are viewing a picture of the first bamboo dyed by yours truly! AND…most likely the last…getting this stuff rinsed out is not fun. I prefer to only do un-fun things if I am forced to…

Oh! OH! oh! I am now officially on google wave!!! …..anybody want to tell me how to use it?

Will life ever slow down???

2009-12-09T13:25:00.000-05:00

It’s been a bit busy round these parts lately…on Monday my daughter’s parrotlet died. We bought her a cockatiel b/c she thought she wanted a bigger bird and her mom bought her a cockatiel (in my defense we were both pretty grief stricken at the time). Anyway to make a long story short we ended up traveling an hour and a half to Lansing to get another parrotlet. We took the new birds to the vet for a post purchase exam only to find out the cockatiel is very sick…so today is the first day this week I haven’t been to the vet (I hope I didn’t just jinx myself)

At any rate I am working diligently on my very own website!! It is totally done and pretty yet so I will share the link later but soon I hope to have everything from both etsy shops moved to the new store :) The yarn pictured about is dyed in the Fright colorway.

And finally, the last and most fabulous part: Swaps!!

This is my loot from the Fibery Goodness Swap on Ravelry:

I am in the process of putting together my Secret Santa package for the phatfiber group and will share pictures of that later.

I am so excited!!!

2009-11-25T20:13:00.004-05:00

I still owe you part 2 of the Tyler gets Phat blog but I wanted to take a minute to congratulate my dear friend Linda and her blog partner Sandy from the Cemetery Divas. They were nominated for the Kreative Blogger and in turn nominated me! (Thanks Linda!)

Now the part where I tell you 7 things about me and nominate 7 other blogs!

So....7 things about me huh?

Yes, I really have 8 kids. My husband's first wife died of breast cancer and he came complete with 4 kids :) The oldest would have been 22 this year (he died of lymphoma in 2005) and the youngest is seven.
My husband and I own The Counting Sheep Farm and we breed Cormo and Icelandic Sheep (my daughter breeds Finns). Our farm is also home to 6 horses, 30 chickens, umpteen cats, 7 English Angora Rabbits,a Dexter cow, a llama and a LGD (Livestock Guardian Dog) (Shameless plug: the blog is here)
We milk our cow (Mama Cow) by hand and I use her milk to make cheese and soap.
I have a Congo African Grey named Tyler whom I adore (and everyone else is sick of hearing about) that says "Come here Paul" when he wants me to hold him.
I homeschool
I knit, sew, spin, rug hook, attempt to weave, scrapbook, and attempt to play guitar (hmmm....am I forgetting anything?)
I owe everything I am and everything I am able to do to the precious Savior who gave His life to save mine.

Now for the 7 blogs I nominate:

Farming in the Shade: Lona tells about the daily goings on at the family farm as they try to make a living working the land.
A Holy Experience: Thanks to Lona's introduction Ann makes me cry about once a week. She has a way with words that is almost painful in the reading it is so real.
Juniper Moon Farm: Shephard Susie all I want to be and more. She inspires me to not give up.
A Walk through MoonWood: Another farm blog :) Roo talks about living the dream in a very honest way.
Craftlit: Oh Heather, you have taught me so much! I am sure you have been nominated for this award a bigillion times but...
Alpaca Farm Girl: Maybe it's the farm girl in me but I love this blog...especially the latest post.
Danido Crafty: Hand dyed yarn, yummy patterns...what more do you want? Chocolate? Yeah...me too.

In which Tyler gets phat.....

2009-11-18T19:14:00.004-05:00

or the Phat Fiber Box is here! Part One

Who is Tyler you ask?

No, silly, this isn't Tyler. This is Twila. She is the little girl that hovers over the box hoping to take all the beautiful yarn.

This is Tyler. Tyler is my 10 year old African Grey and he is very, very naughty.

But he has good taste!
He said "Do you want something?" (which generally means he wants something) and picked up Mama Jude's sample. Sometimes there is accounting for taste.....

At any rate, here is the first half of the wonderful findings in the box. Click on the picture to visit the etsy shop represented.

Uh-oh, I don't have a link for this last pic...can someone help me out?

A day in the life.....

2009-11-12T13:59:00.002-05:00

....when I finally woke up this morning about 10 am I discovered that my children had done all the chores, cleaned the kitchen, and had breakfast waiting on me. Can you believe it was a wonderful mile high stack of pancakes? AND they only had 100 calories and no fat???? Yeah me either. This is really how my day went.....

I woke up at 7:30 and watched my nephew while the older kids did the animal chores and milking ( they do chores in the morning which is great, then I do chores at night. I have found my hands hurt if I milk twice a day.) The house was a disaster and I don't think I ever had breakfast until 11:00.....if you can call pb&j and 11:00 breakfast :)

The to do list was long:

Clean out the refrigerator
Wash 2 Icelandic fleeces
Make my first batch of soap
Attempt to beat my fiber room/craft room/office into some semblance of order

Obviously the list doesn't include the laundry, meal preparation and general housecleaning that is also necessary.
The fleeces got done and so did the soap! And I even got back into the dyeing saddle and overdyed this:
I only did one batch because I wanted to see how it would behave with the dye since it a blend of Alpaca, Cormo and Silk. I am guessing the silk is really going to pop.
The fiber room/craft room/office is still left undone. My biggest problem is that my stuff has out grown the room. Call it what you want, it's too small.

In search of the perfect mitten......

2009-11-06T19:26:00.002-05:00

I honestly love this mitten pattern. I honestly consider myself an intermediate, even close to advanced, knitter........
and I honestly can't knit these mittens to save my life. I have now ripped them out (completely) twice. I.WILL.NOT.GIVE.IN.THE.MITTENS.WILL.NOT.WIN!

The colorwork is turning out fabulous. The chart is very straightforward. These mittens would be perfect if my hands were a foot long. Anyway back to the drawing board......with smaller needles....

I have some yummy batts to upload to the farm store. And I have a bit of an announcement to make: I will be moving the inventory from My8kidsmom Hand Dyed Yarn and Fiber to Counting Sheep Farm. My goal is to simplify life a bit and to minimize expenses. My8kidsmom will still be the brand name for my hand dyed yarn and fiber, it will just be all in one fabulous etsy shop!

Just in case......

2009-11-03T19:26:00.002-05:00

you were wondering.......

what I have been up to......
now you know!

Batty!!!

2009-10-29T08:25:00.003-04:00

This is the batt I made using the fiber from September's Phat Fiber Box. If you are interested in batts I do have some for sale at the farm site.

I am really pushing it with my samples this month, I meant to have them out a week ago! I do plan to send them off today.........

Sorry Jessie

But if you are interested check out the farm blog and you can see what's going in the box!

Busy, busy busy.....

2009-10-23T20:19:00.002-04:00

I am so terrible at this catchy title thing......but I have been busy :)

I got the last yarn package in the mail and now I have everything I need to do my Christmas knitting. This yarn and pattern is for my 13 year old son, Josiah.
And Allison's shawl is coming along nicely....despite the fact that I have had to rip it out and then after getting back to where I was I realize I messed up the border.......
But all is well I did have to tink and then re-knit but I cheated and just ripped out the border. It was a little tricky but worked out nicely. I treated it like dropped stitches.
I have some fiber back from the mill (you can see it here) that I will be packaging up for the phat fiber box and then I will be dyeing some samples in a new colorway: Spiced Wine. I just need to decide.....yarn or fiber?

Wordless Wednesday the Phat fiber way!

2009-10-21T15:16:00.006-04:00

I love packages!

2009-10-15T14:28:00.002-04:00

My KnitPicks package came today full of yarn for christmas knitting. Each of my children picked out a pattern for mom to knit for the them with the understanding that it may not be under the tree ;) As you can see Tyler liked going through the package too!

The Chart Keeper is for me :) Do you have any idea how long I have wanted one of those???

And this is the latest project, The Every Way Wrap. I think Tyler found a mistake.......

The Etsy store is updated too!

Help! The mess has taken over!

2009-10-13T20:44:00.004-04:00

The vacation only lasted a week but you know......I am still recovering from it! My office is a disaster, I have winter squash waiting to be put in the freezer, apples needing to be put into applesauce and the house desperately needs some deep cleaning. The dye pots are being neglected and my Phat Fiber box from September is still sitting here waiting to be properly ohhed and ahhhed over. I don't think even Calgon can fix this!

I did get my8kidsmom.etsy.com and countingsheep.etsy.com up and running though and even have an update to do tomorrow.

And......my bird loves me, so life isn't too bad :)

As promised here is another find from Northern Michigan Lamb and Wool: Merino Wool hand dyed using red onions skins by Vibrant Fibers. This is beautiful stuff, let me tell you! I am thinking hat maybe????

Back from vacation!

2009-10-05T12:27:00.003-04:00

And I am still recovering!! After TN I headed to West Branch, MI for Northern Lamb and Wool and bought many wonderful things including this:

Don't worry more details and fabulous stuff about NL&W to come, I promise!

My phatfiber box was waiting for me and was fabulous as usual. It is time for me to get started on November boxes but I am still a bit exhausted from vacation!Yep, I owe you more details on the box too. Until then here is a pic of the guy who is taking up all my time :) My sweet family paid for Tyler, a rehomed African Grey!

I need a vacation......

2009-09-18T14:53:00.003-04:00

Honestly, I am trying to think of something clever to say to entertain and put you in awe of my cleverness but I got nothing.........

I do, however have my samples packed and ready for the Phatfiber October box. 100% Mulberry Silk hand dyed by me.Some romney top has been dyed, braided and labeled in preparation for Northern Lamb and Wool.....
and a few samples are ready for a knitting convention I was asked to contribute to......
but as you can see I am still working on it. Everything needs to head to the post office tomorrow because they say I am leaving for vacation on Monday. (I ask you, if you are bringing 5 of your kids and driving 11 hours.......is it still a vacation?) I am coming back home EARLY Thursday morning so that I can get home in time to milk mama cow. I just couldn't bribe anyone to milk for me 4 nights in a row.

In parting, above is a pic of my handspun for the spin to knit along on Rav. Have a great days guys......I think I am going to take a nap.......

How crafty can you be?

2009-09-10T17:05:00.003-04:00

This is why I can't get anything done! I have been rug hooking at night.......

Doing hand embroidery for about 10 mins each day (these towels are for my kitchen).....

Sewing when I get the chance........

And spinning at least every Monday. Too many irons in the fire? I haven't even listed the dyeing or the quilting (not to mention the cheesemaking, the photography......) Yeah, I get bored easily :)

On Ravelry we are doing a Mitten Spin toKnit Along. I chose this lovely pattern. If you are of a mind, come by and join us!

hOt sWapPin AcTIon

2009-09-09T23:10:00.004-04:00

Stupid title huh? Well, it's been one of those days. My brain is fried! Let's tour my swap package anyway! Above you see the spindle :) I haven't tried spinning with it yet as it has been a little crazy but it sure is purty. (She also included felting fiber and needles)

4 oz of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Roving,

Awwww, a cute tape measure......

Yummy candy and yummy lip gloss

Ooooh shiny stitch markers......I can never have enough. I think I am addicted. No really......
And this, courtesy of my sis, is my hand dyed superwash roving in the Tiger Lilly colorway, spun and knitted. Not too shabby huh? ( This colorway has been sold out but there's plenty more in the shop!)

Well, I should be in bed but I have cheddar cheese curds draining for another 15 minutes or so.....
Good night all!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-09-02T17:53:00.002-04:00

What ya doing?

2009-08-31T06:06:00.003-04:00

Sewing! Sorry about the bad pics. They do reflect my bad mood though. My sister had to put down her 3 yr old German Shepherd Saturday. It was really sudden (she had a really fast growing cancer) and we are all devasted. My sister and her family for obvious reasons, me b/c Yindy stayed with me whenever they went on vacation. I spent many hours working with "Princess Yindy" and I planned on keeping her when they left the states for fulltime missions. Sad rant over.....

I also got some silk dyed :)

Phat Fiber!

2009-08-26T17:33:00.006-04:00

I am always excited when the phatfiber box shows up!!! It is full of lovelies! Click on the pic to visit the contributor's store :)

Lots of yum!!!

I got 1st!!!!

2009-08-17T09:17:00.002-04:00

Back from MFF and I am throughly exhausted but still tickled pink over my new ribbon!

Paint and supplies.....

2009-08-13T19:34:00.003-04:00

.....$112.00

A house that feels like your own......priceless

It's not quite done yet but so far so good!!

If you happen to visit the Michigan Fiber Festival I will be working in the Great Lakes Pygora booth. Stop and say hi!!

If all the world's a stage......

2009-08-06T12:22:00.003-04:00

then could I be a ballerina for a while? I am tired of being the fat lady who sings....just sayin'. This losing weight stuff is for the birds.

I thought you might like to see my dye studio! Yep, it's my back porch ;) It's working really well right now but I am hoping to have the basement ready by winter so I can sling my dyes down there.

If you haven't had a chance to enter the farm contest, go check out the blog and enter!

I don't know why Tia is in such a bad mood. She can eat whatever she wants!

I have been busy!!!

2009-08-03T21:43:00.003-04:00

Another update at My8kidsmom.etsy.com!

And an update at Counting Sheep Farms! There's a contest too, visit the farm blog for more info.

And finally I washed wool, alpaca and mohair.......

and dyed roving and locks! :)

Finally the Cormo is here!!!

2009-07-31T09:59:00.005-04:00

Many of you know that aside from my dyeing business, my family and I run The Counting Sheep Farm. It started with 5 free Jacob sheep. We know are proud breeders of Cormo (one of the first in Michigan) and Finnsheep. We are adding a third breed and are very excited! We just received our first wool harvest back from Zeillinger's Mill, and we are very pleased! The picture above is some of our Jacob roving.

This (above) is Finn Roving from my daughter's sheep, Alex and Sweetpea.

This beautiful roving came from Leah (pictured below) our Cormo/Border Leicester Cross.

This is beautiful Jacob roving from Mariah (pictured below).

And this is a beautiful, scrumptious, soft blend of Cormo, Alpaca and Silk!

Kara (the foster mom pictured below) is the one of the donators to this beautiful combed top. If you want to read more about this interesting pair, you can find there story here.

All the fiber listed can be found at our Farm Esty Store.

Etsy Update!

2009-07-29T19:50:00.002-04:00

Back from Charlevoix!

2009-07-28T20:45:00.002-04:00

And can you believe I didn't take a single picture??? I was having way too much fun! I did well at the show and came home with lots of ideas!

This is my favorite purchase. The picture does not do it justice but it is a clay wall hanging. I am going to use it as the theme for my living room and dining room!

This is a needle punch kit from last year. I finally got a hoop!

It's that time again!!!

2009-07-23T13:02:00.001-04:00

Phat fiber time!!! Lots of lovely non- wool goodies!

I received:

Stitchmarkers from:
DesignsbyTami from DesignsbyTami.com
Maudeandme.etsy.com
A lovely button from www.desertgarden.etsy.com
Fiber Gift tags from www.fibergifttags.etsy.com
And a Sun Conure!!! Okay not really....this is my husband's new baby Pippen. Isn't she a doll?

And now for the fiber roll call:

Silk Hankies!! from infinitespirals.etsy.com
Mohair!!! (remember me and mohair got thing goin') from Farmgirl Chic
Bamboo!! Do it Natchwoolie!
Milk fiber/alpaca/bamboo batt from Gifforables
FOUR samples from Natural Obsessions! (Silk, Milk, Tencel and Bamboo)
A lovely batt from Maude and Me.
Beautiful Hand Dyed Fiber from Enchanted Yarn
100% Bamboo from Beesybee Fibers
Shimmah! Batt from Strike My Fancy
Hand Dyed Bamboo from Alaskan Sass
Hand Dyed Bamboo yarn from Christina Marie Potter
RECYCLED Yarn from Jag's Funky Fibers
More Bamboo! www.moonlightandlaughter.etsy.com
Sheep's Milk Soap from www.holidayyarns.com
Plant Dyed Yarn from Mama Jude
Evinrude knitting pattern from Pogknits

Wow! What a list! As usual I will spin it all up so you can see pics of each fiber. Sorry I don't have it done yet but I am leaving tomorrow for Castle Farms!!! If you are planning on visiting, come see me at Booth 21.

Let me know if you get any of my samples! I would love to know how you liked it!

Slightly under the weather and quite out of my mind......

2009-07-20T19:15:00.002-04:00

Well, I am feeling better but the mind thing........yeah that's a problem.

Anyway after being laid up for a whole week I am feeling a bit behind and I am frantically getting ready for the Fiber Festival at Castle Farms this weekend and get a box of samples shipped to the Phatfiber gurus.

Here is one of the many dye jobs I managed to get done this weekend:

Tour De Fleece Day 6

2009-07-09T22:10:00.001-04:00

Cotton this time!

Charlie likes to join in the fun. Don't worry, he doesn't sit on the wheel while I am spinning!
Oh and there's another my8kidsmom giveway at Phatfiber! Check it out!

Tour De Fleece Day 3 and happy swapping!!!!

2009-07-06T19:19:00.006-04:00

The joy of swapping!!!! I got a lovely package in the mail from my partner in the Books-n-more swap on Rav. Thanks Tootsie319!!!! (See the yummy stitch markers? Yeah, I like those!)

Two skeins Berroco Inca Gold, yummy soft!

3 balls of Kid Merino from Crystal Palace Yarns, you guys know I love me some mohair blends!

2 Mystery Novels, Kathryn was kind enough to make sure they were clean :)

Hand made dish cloths!!!! LOVE(10000)!!!

More goodies, the second novel, coco, tea and chocolate (dark, my fav!)

A Vogue Mag, All About Florida and.......Knitting Lace of Estonia!!!! Fabulous loot huh?

Alright on to Tour De Fleece:
I finished the bobbin I started last night and chain plied it.

And then started on a wonderful batt from giffordables.etsy.com.

Tour De Fleece Day 1

2009-07-04T22:09:00.003-04:00

Happy July 4th and happy tour de fleece!!! I spent the afternoon with family and the evening spinning. On the bobbin is about 1 oz of my own hand carded creation, a blend of wool/silk/alpaca and firestar. As usual the picture doesn't do it justice.

And here is a bit of Soysilk that I had to finish spinning and plying before I could "officially" start.

And just for fun, a couple of pics of my silly bird :) I poured myself a glass of coke. To my surprise he used his beak to pull himself up and.....

helped himself!!! Silly bird, no more Coke for you, you can't have all that caffeine you know!

Say hello......

2009-07-01T17:09:00.001-04:00

to Charlie!! My new parrot! Those of you who know me, know I have wanted a bird since I was a girl. He is a beautiful 2 year old Meyers Parrot :)

I'm a Yarnie!!

2009-06-30T19:40:00.003-04:00

I finally took the plunge and became a yarnie on Ravelry! Now you can stash my hand dyed yarns!

So, who is doing the Tour De Fleece?
I am!! I am on three teams: Phatfiber, Spin or Dye Swapping and of course I have my own team! We would love to have you! All that is required is that you join my group and then either spin from your stash or fiber from my shop.

I have been busy carding some lovely batts with my drum carder. Here's what I have come up with so far:

4 oz of alpaca/silk/firestar

1 oz alpaca/angora/silk/firestar

kid mohair/wool/silk/firestar
4 oz of alpaca/silk/firestar/mohair

I am gearing up to begin spinning like mad!! So do you plan the project to knit before you spin or just spin and see what happens?

July Sneak Peek

2009-06-27T11:33:00.003-04:00

The Phatfiber July box is fast approaching. This box is no wool so I thought you guys might enjoy a sneak peek!

My samples this month include hand dyed mohair alpaca and silk and natural angora, with a little firestar thrown in for bling! The resident bunnies were happy to donate to the cause!

Another Phatfiber Phrenzy!

2009-06-24T10:32:00.010-04:00

I am a bit behind but now it's time to share the loot! First up the stitchmarkers! (I adore these things!) I wish I would have gotten a better pic but here are the stores that contributed:

Vickie's Stitch Markers (Hers is the one attached to the cute fish!)
The Twice Sheared Sheep
babydragonjewelry.etsy.com

oh and I just realized I totally dropped the ball and forgot to take a pic of these goodies:
Phabulous bag from SLV Folk Arts and Fiber Festival
an aw-thats-so-cute charm ( button?) from Earth Wood and Gems
Phab beads from Laura Murphy
and a crocheted sample from Quite Nice, which is, well.....quite nice!

Now on to the fiber! As usual I spun it all up into one phabulous phunky yarn!!!! I got all fiber this time so I am in love with Jessie more than usual. Just sayin.......

Moonlight and Laughter batt of South African Wool/Merino/Angelina called Sunshine on the Shore....
here it is on the bobbin (ignore the pink stuff.....)

Pacos batt of Alpaca/bamboo/merino/silk/giltz in the Mermaid colorway.....

Merino Wool roving from BunkyBobo's Hand Dyed Yarns in Hot Spur.

Mohair Locks!!!! from Goat Goat Sheep!

I love me some mohair so I blended it in a bit with the Merino. ,ut I didn't use it all; I am saving this stuff for some farm fresh batts!!!

A cormo/wool/angelina from Bohemian Knitter C hic...... a girl after my own heart (I am biased, being a cormo breeder I am fond of cormo!) Really this batt is phab! I didn't get a good pic of it being spun but you'll see more of it later.....

100% Corriedale Wool from Northern Lights Fiber Co. in the Breaking Clouds Colorway....
Here it is being spun up and look! As promised, on the end of the bobbin you see bohoknitterchic's batt.

More Breaking Cloud so you can see it loveliness!

More Mohair!!! (Did I mention I love Mohair?) This is from WondersMohair. As with the first mohair I spun a bit but saved the rest ;)

Superwash Merino/Silk/Firestar batt from Corgi Hill Farm. This colorway is Ocean Ltd. Edition.

Shore and Sand from Liberty Fibers, Merino Silk roving.....

On the top of the bobbin you see the above sample, on the bottom of the bobbin is another sample from Northern Lights Fiber Co. in Pretty Posy. It is a yummy merino/silk blend (oh my yum!!!)
Superwash Merino, Whirling Tides from nikobee (sorry the picture really does not do it justice.)

Oh no!!!! I lost the tag to this one! I think it is Delightful Designs (???) Can someone help me out? This was a nice fiber!
Milk fiber in the Sable Island Colorway from Extreme Spinning. This was another spin a little/save a little fiber :)

And a beautiful Merino/Tencel blend from it's a colorful life. I ran out of room on the bobbin for all of this one but it was a very generous sample. It will go to live in a batt someday soon :)

And finally the fiber that wouldn't fit on the bobbin but will also go live in a farm fresh batt:

1,000 Petals Silk Noil
Moonwood Farm 100% Bamboo top

Now go show some phatties some luv!!!

A Tour of Stonehedge Fiber Milll!

2009-06-23T12:26:00.010-04:00

My local Spin Guild took a road trip yesterday and drove to East Jordan to drop off fiber and tour Stonehedge Fiber Mill!

This is Chuck, Deb's husband. He and Deb are at the helm of the mill often keeping late hours to get your fiber or yarn back to you! Chuck told us that he had still be up the night before at 3:00 am!
This beautiful fiber in the beginning of the Shepherd's Wool yarn in the Antique Rose colorway.
and here is the yarn itself........(this is the mill ends)
Stonehedge Mill is also where Mountain Colors Yarn is plyed and labeled, bet ya didn't know that!Here is Twila, my 9 year old daughter, she likes to tag along on the fiber outings!

Angie and Deb's daughter at the plying machine :)

We can't forget to say hi to Chase, the resident dog!
Alright let's get to the tour! This is where the fiber begins it's journey. First it is picked through by hand to open it up and remove any undesirables......this is a very clean Icelandic fleece.
As the fiber is picked through it is place in this bin.

After a good going through it is washed in mesh bags in the giant sinks then hung to drip dry a bit.....
then it is moved to the racks to dry the rest of the way. (In this picture is Deb and one of our guild members Christine.)

After going through the commercial picker it is moved to this spot, weighed and put through.....
the carder where it comes out looking like liquid smoke!

This contraption is placed on the machine if batts are preferred over roving.

Here is the fiber being carded before coming out of the machine.

Then we headed into the next building to see the rest of the process. This machine is being set up to spin the fiber into singles.
This is the fiber being spun into singles for the mill's yarn: Shepherd's Wool

and here are the singles on the bobbins waiting to be plied.....

the plying machine doing it's job......

and the final process: tying off the skeins.

Of course, the trip wasn't complete without a trip into the Mill's Yarn shop!

Back on the road again, we traveling to Grayling to Little Acres farm where Dawn was kind enough to share her wares!

This beautiful fibers are a blend of wool, alpaca and mohair. For those of you who are allergic to mohair, I must sincerely tell you how sorry I am! Mohair is one of my favorite blending fibers! For those of you who are interested Dawn is a seller at many fiber festivals including Northern Lamb and Wool, Michigan Fiber Festival (and a few more I forgot!)
Back at home my hand dyed skeins are dry and I am trying to decide to skein or not to skein and I am racking my brain for names for the colorways!

This one looks like seaweed to me.........

Marigold perhaps?
This one is Bob White for sure!
And for you Phatfiber phans here is a sneak peek at July's samples :)
It no wool this time so we have farm fresh batts for you with silk, firestar, angora and alpaca blends!
Oh and I have to give a shout out to my girls on Ravelry! Look ladies I am almost done!!!

The Loopy Groupies Swap!

2009-06-17T17:49:00.004-04:00

So The Loopy Groupies Group on Rav did a summer swap.....and today I got my yummy package in the mail!

It included a note that said "I hope your family likes picnics." We LOVE them!!! Check out the goodies:

Of course the lovely picnic blanket pictured above. Some yummy chai scented soap......

Emergency chocolate.......
Chai tea, 2 flavors (how did you know I was a fiend for this stuff Natalia?).........
Beautiful Mitts designed by Natalia and knitted in Cherry Tree Hill Supersock from The Loopy Ewe..........

Yum, more chocolate! Dark this time.........
and a darling tea bag holder!

A special thanks to my little Twilly for modeling the goodies. Isn't she a cutie???

Thanks again Natalia!!! You made my day (especially since the morning was spent at the Gastronologist's office for my not so healthy son :( They are doing a colonoscopy on Monday to see if it is Chrons or Colitis. Your package was a nice cheer up)

Remember Me.......

2009-06-12T09:43:00.002-04:00

I am posting this to all the blogs so I apologize in advance if you read all four :)

This week (Thursday to be exact) is the 4 year anniversary of the day we lost our son and were forced to live the rest of our lives without him. I hope you will take a moment to read the following excerpt of his journal, which we found after his death.

The War
How I see it.....
Todd Louis Peck II, February 2005

My intention in this journal is to record as best as possible the spiritual warfare surrounding my recent relapse of cancer so that I may later remember the lessons learned and perhaps share them with others. In fact, sharing the lessons is actually the bigger of my two reasons. My greatest hope is that through my fight and this record of it, others will be equipped and encouraged to take the fight to the Enemy. I believe that all of life is a war fought over the souls of each individual and everything that happens in life somehow fits into this war, whether we know it or not. So when hardships and trials come they ought to be viewed as Enemy attacks and dealt with accordingly.
In war, the purpose of any attack is, of course, to gain some sort of advantage that will in some way bring you nearer ultimate victory. Rather, that sought after advantage is the destruction of some threat which the other has or the gaining of a position that leaves you a better position to threaten the other. The point is always to somehow harm the other's overall position in the great scheme of things.
Thus, this relapse of cancer that God allowed was and is inteneded by the Enemy to somehow gain him something. That something, in this case, is porobably to neutralize what the Enemy's high command perceives as a danger to their war efforts.
That threat may or may not be me (thought I like ot flatter myself that it is) but the fact is that, for whatever reason, I seem to have been chosen as the main point of attack. I therefore, as a soldier in the King's Army, have responsibility to stand and fight to make sure that the Enemy gains not an inch. For it is my (and every soldier's) duty to even turn this attack to the advantage of the Cause and the glory of the King.
This whole thing reasches far beyond me, however. It reaches into my family and into my church and community. I am just on fect of what is a large and complex battle being fought in this small theater of operation called West Michigan. The full extent of this larger fight I will not ever be able to fully comprehend this side of Heaven. Nor will I likely ever understand the extent to which my own standing or falling will influence the larger picture but I will stand!
Indeed, I am resolved to not just stand, but advance! I may be a small part of a huge batle but I will press my influence to its limits for the sake of the Cause.
Lord, have mercy if I should be cut down (i.e. if I allow the Enemy to get the better of me) fo rthe greater the effort, the greater the defeat in the case of failure. But by the grace of God, I shall not fail! As He wills, so may it be. Amen.

I miss you so much Todd!!! I can't believe it's been 4 years. You would have been 22 this coming August. I suppose time doesn't move the same way in heaven but 4 years without you is an eternity to us.

Phattie Yarn

2009-06-11T20:38:00.007-04:00

Monday was our Spin Guild meeting. I have such lovely ladies to spin with!

As is my usual practice, I brought out my phatfiber box for everyone to ooh and aah over. Then I spun all the fiber samples into one glorious yarn!

First up: Foxyie Batt from The Fox Hop, made up of Supewash Merino, Bamboo and Firestar.

Oooh.....this is me, I am really am getting to be a big girl :( Weight Watchers, help!! (I have gained 30lbs in the past year!)

Sea Roses Batt from Extreme Spinning.

Flowers and Showers Superwash BFL from WcMercantile.

Daylilly Merino and Mohair blend from Infinity Yarn and Fiber.

Lilac Merino Roving from WoolyHands.

Yummy Alpaca from Silver Sun Alpacas.