Zen And The Art Of Spinning Wheel Maintenance

The first thing I tell someone who's having trouble with their spinning wheel or weaving loom is that while these tools are definitely specialized, they are at heart, basic tools, and when they aren't functioning well, probably just need something adjusted or simply fixed...

...and then I spend Two Weeks of the Tour de Fleece fighting with my own wheel, not having the most fun, whining about the trouble I'm having, stressing that I need to start saving for a new wheel...

Luckily our small, but mighty Ravelry group is full of experienced and helpful spinners...who still had to suggest to me twice that maybe my drive band was just slipping, and sure enough, five minutes later I am back to spinning with a well working wheel.  

Do as I say, not as I do.  

Sigh...

This is an odd picture, but I was working with blazing too hot, too bright sun and this spot in the shade worked perfectly for a yarn shot.  Neither the wheel or Bea are in prison.  They are both just trying to stay cool.  The fence is for Pinot...who is enjoying the AC in the wash room.

Love this light silver and it's so soft, lightly spun and fluffy - Sara yarn - and I think I might just go ahead and spin the rest of what I have left of his roving and make a souvenir from one of the sweetest sheep ever.

This is what a touch of Cotswold will do for your yarn.  Drape a shawl would die for :-).

This picture just struck me funny.  Do you see two eyes, a silver wig and my poor downtrodden wheel sticking her tongue out at me?

I probably need to go sit in the AC with Pinot ;-).

Pedaling and Treadling Along

My Tour has not been amazing this year, but some spinning is better than no spinning so I'm pedaling on and enjoying what I'm doing.  If you are discouraged by your progress, keep going.  The back of the pack is not the worst place to be ;-). 

I wanted something fun and easy to work on yesterday so I headed up to the fleece loft and pulled down an old favorite, Hershey.  As I looked back through the archives this morning to find my favorite picture of him, I see that he's a frequent choice for a fun spin during the Tour.  It's good to have friends who are comfortable to hang out with.

I posted a cell phone picture on the Ravelry group last night and had a comment about how white he'd gotten so I pulled out the big camera to capture the tiniest bit of gray still shining through.  I think the yarn, with the fibers twisted to compress the colors, will look at least a little gray...

...but nothing like his original lamb fleece...which was definitely a Hershey chocolate :-).  What a grand old sheep.

I mostly love scrolling back through decades of old blog posts, but in doing so I always know I'll shed some tears so some days I just can't.  Today was no exception, but I also came across this picture, which is one of my favorites.

This was the day Hershey and friends arrived from New York back in 2013 and that's my friend Julie waving from the road.  So glad to have these old pictures.

Tour de Sheep

 

My Tour de Fleece is more of a Tour de Sheep this year.  So far I've spun 10 sample skeins.  Let's see if I can remember them all...PPPP, Henri, Petunia, Boudreaux, Woody, Buddy, Rebecca Boone, Count Chocula, Miss Ewenice and Hershey :-).

I have really enjoyed pulling out these old friends.  I'd forgotten how soft Boudreaux was, how luxurious Hershey was, how...everything Miss Ewenice was.  She's been gone 10 years now.  I have some Renny set aside for tomorrow.  I can't spin Ewenice without spinning some Renny :-).  

Hershey

Hershey had a lump on the side of his jaw.  It started small and we thought maybe a bad tooth.  It didn't respond to antibiotics and continued to grow so the vet came and drew off some fluid for a biopsy, but the results came back inconclusive.  

X-ray showed something that wasn't involving the jaw and as it was growing quickly and starting to affect his ability to eat, we decided to go in surgically in hopes it was just a weird pocket of infection...but knew that it was most likely not.

The surgery was scheduled for yesterday and luckily we were able to do it on the farm.  Shipping one sheep into a clinic is very stressful.  I'd told Hershey what we were going to do and that we were going to try to fix him but even if we couldn't, it would be okay.  

It was a very aggressive malignant tumor...and we did the hard right thing.  And it will be okay...eventually.  

Hershey

May 2013 - October 2019

I picked this picture not only because it was one of my favorites, but also because it's been so long since he's been chocolate colored (his first shear only) that it's fun to remember why he was named Hershey.  There is a lot fun to remember about Hershey.

Now for a head's up.  The next two posts are not going to be any easier to read.  I'm posting them all in a row tonight and separately because they all deserve their own posts and I don't want to drag it out over three days.  

It will all be okay...eventually.

Work In Progress

Sadly not new pictures of my only knitting WIP...which is a basically just a work with no progress :-/.

Just a pretty fleece and a bunch of drop spindles on the porch.  Yep, it's that time of year.  Time to be getting ready for the fall fiber festivals.  I have two coming up - the Millersburg Chautauqua Days festival this weekend and the big Kentucky Wool Festival the first weekend of October...which isn't far away...but it sure feels like it today.  96 degrees this afternoon. 

'Nuff said.

Happy thoughts, happy thoughts...this is Hershey.  Remember when Hershey was...Hershey colored?  2013 :-o.  How did this happen?  

He's a beautiful silver now.  This is only 1/3 of his fleece.  It was too big to wash all together.

It sure looks pretty and cool and relaxing on the porch this afternoon...  Luckily now that "August" is finally here (after two months of July apparently) the evenings cool off pretty nicely.  The Wool House Crafters meeting tonight shouldn't be too awful.  Auntie Reg made chocolate cake so that will make it all better...until tomorrow...when it's 96...again.  No break until at least next week. 

'Nuff said.

A Good Day

Like most [days], best celebrated every day :-).

Snow Day

Baaxter's not looking too excited about it...although I think he actually likes snow.  He stays out in it a long time and likes to eat snow off the gate rungs... 

Hershey doesn't mind the snow either as he is well, um, insulated ;-).

So is Chocula.  Snow will sit on top of the sheep's backs for days, never melting, much like on the roof of a well insulated house.

"I'm well insulated, too, which is good because my mom is still locked in the Pepperpot Cafe for breakfast and I can't go snuggle up with her."  

"That stupid Pepperpot Cafe is set up right where I always sleep.  That's MY spot."

Thelma and Burrnie

The snow ended around noon and then the sun came out.  A very pretty afternoon :-).

And a new puzzle.  Enjoy!

Christmas Stills

Petunia

Liddy

Mrs. Pepperpot

"I heard there would be cookies."

Hershey

Tessa and Tara

Woolliam

Bullwinkle

PPPP and Renny

Baaxter

"Where are the cookies, lady!"

We actually had a Christmas cracker party...and I tricked Maisie into eating one.  I made sure I was out of there before midnight so I didn't have to listen to what she probably had to say ;-).

Merry Christmas!

Hank Appreciation Post

Hank and Comby, getting ready for the early evening shift.

Which is a bit hard to do when your close talking co-worker won't leave you alone ;-D.

Spud cracks me up.  He and Hershey love to hang out with Hank.  Marcel did, too.  

Hank can smell trouble.  That's not even the direction the wind blows.

A not Biscuit and Muffin puzzle ;-).

Enjoy!

Almost As Sweet As Baby Lambs

I glanced out the back door yesterday morning and saw sheep in the driveway.  Oh great :-/.  Wait, just one sheep, not shorn (waiting until hot weather is here aka yesterday and today :-o).  It's Jester!

"Yeah, it's just me."

And he tootled around for a good while, grazing in the yard, and in the meantime, I posted this to Instagram and headed off to Lamb Camp.

Momentary panic that I'd left a gate open and the sheep were loose. Not that that has ever happened before 😆. Jester has apparently moved from the Del Boca Vista retirement village to the yard. #theybrokethemoldwithhim #oldsheep #17yearsold

A post shared by Sara Dunham (@thecrazysheeplady) on Apr 19, 2017 at 7:54am PDT

Remember this.

My view coming through the gate when I got home in the afternoon.  Glad I had my camera handy.  I just love this scene - colorful sheep, horses to my left, Jester back out looking around.

And there's Hank and even Amelia, right above Jester's head.  I think that's Hershey getting a drink.

A peaceable little kingdom :-)

And then I see the T's walking across the driveway in front of the barn.  Unlike Jester, they do NOT have run of the farm...unless I leave a gate open.  

You just can't make this stuff up.

Sigh...  

April Showers

The chickens love Del Boca Vista, especially when it's raining.  Jester is a good sport about it.  Just realized I never shared that we put Ford down a few weeks ago.  Sigh...  Jester was pretty upset about it for awhile, but he's doing okay now.  He's had to watch a lot of old friends go over the years.  There are a lot of old friends...and some sad decisions coming up :-(.

Front row:  Chocula, Burrnie, Levi  Back row:  Murphy and Spud

Chocula

Liddy and Murphy.  I don't really think of Liddy as being super small, but I guess she is.  Or maybe Murphy is just super big, which is also true.

In case child services comes after me, I had to pick up a new sheep arthritis prescription for Woolliam at the "people pharmacy" today.  I had to sign off on my "relationship to the patient". Since there wasn't a check box for sheep/pet/animal...I checked off that he was my "child". They'd put it under Murphy's name I guess because he was the most recent animal on the ugly vet bill this month.  He's fine now, but gave us all quite a scare.

  Maisie: "I stay inside when it's raining."

Not sure why Hershey, of all sheep, felt like he needed hair extensions.  Kids...