The Loopy Groupies Swap!

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.......

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

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.

And it started out as such a nice day.......

Or Life Sucks, Might As Well Dye......


Corny? Yep you bet...... I won't even go into how the good day went bad, lets just talk about the good stuff!!

This is Fuffala, one of my English Angora bucks, he's about 4 months old so hasn't learned to sit very well for grooming yet. Yep, that's a harness you see on him :) After their grooming the bunnies get to romp around and eat fresh grass but I gotta have some way of keep them from running away (or becoming something's dinner!)

This is Nutmeg, another buck. He's close to year so grooming him is a breeze. Isn't he a doll? His face isn't as fuzzy because he had some matts to cut away from around his face. Good thing I don't show!


I did get another update up, two in one week! This time it's all Superwash Merino. You can find it in my etsy shop of course :)


And finally, just to prove that I do attempt to finish things, a pic of my in progress Pillar Socks. I am doing two at a time one circular. I am using two different colors because I am putting together a Christmas box. I am putting one of a pair in the box so people can see them and try them on, then when they decide which they want I will knit the other one for them.

Wordless Wednesday

This is how I go when I go like this.......

I have been perfecting my drum carding skills and there are a couple of things that I have learned along the way that for some reason I didn't get before. (Probably because I am more of a skimmer than reader....ya' know I don't really read the directions)

So anyway here are the top five things I have learned about drum carding:

1. A drum carder will not fix a bad fleece....
I don't care how much you spent on said drumcarder if the fleece is coarse it will not
become soft; if it has no crimp no amount of carding will give it crimp.
2. A drum carder can only remove so much VM......
Some vm will come out yes but if the fleece has lots of vm, drum carder or
not better pass it by......
3. You can't just feed the fiber through the carder as is, there is a bit of prep
required.
In other words this clump:

and this clump: need to be teased and opened or all you will have are clumps on your drum.4. Make sure the drum carder you are using is intended for the fiber you
are feeding through it.
i.e. Don't use a coarse cloth carder to card cormo!
5. Read the instructions!!
Treat it with respect and it will give you many years of wonderful use, so make sure
you understand it's care and routine maintenance.


Oh and here's a bonus: Don't loan your carder out!!! Just don't do it.

Nan's Alpacas

As I mentioned before, Sunday I was invited to spin at an Alpaca Shearing at Nan's Alpacas and Wildlife Habitat. Wow, that place is beautiful!!!! Betty, the owner, is a lovely lady and gave each spinner a lb of Rose Grey Alpaca Roving! Of course I had my camera in tow and came away with some lovely pictures.


If you haven't been to a local farm shearing yet......GO!!!!!

Speaking of farms be sure to check out our farm website and blog. If you are interested in Cormo, Jacob or Finn fiber we have some coming back from the mill in a couple of months, we have newsletter you can sign up for to stay updated.

The dye pots have been simmering this week and here's a sneak peek at tomorrow's etsy update:

Thanks for putting up with the shameless self promotion! I love you guys!!! Oh and just to keep you in the know: Twist Collective is up!