Jan 29, 2010

T-Shirt Rug

I just finished my first t-shirt yarn project. See    t-yarn  entry.  So here's my rug made in a simple single crochet.  I used about 9 or 10 t-shirts and it measures about 18"x30".



It's kind of bright, but I like bright things.  The little yellow bits you see in the first red part are bits of Sponge Bob, who once decorated that t-shirt.


I'm going to try another couple of rugs, one in stripes and one in granny squares, and maybe a circular one.


Good night, sleep tight.

Farming-A Full Time Job

One thing you can count on, if you live on a farm, there's always things that need doing.  Does the list get shorter?  Yes, but then, because you don't have enough to do, more things crop up.  We had the automatic waterer freeze up yesterday.  Ran for parts, got it fixed, I hope.  Checked out the window this morning and it may be froze up again.  Have to run out to see.  I have a llama with diarrhea and he's getting weak.  I've got all of my critters on an herbal worming schedule, but maybe he's not getting what he needs.  I gave him some Kao last night and he loved the peppermint taste.  I haven't gone out to check yet this morning, but have some Panacur to get into him.  Then I need to clean out his bedding as best I can and put some fresh straw down.  We have to run to the Credit Union today and go get some Sulpha to have on hand for the animals.  One of our does may be due to kid in a week or two and we need to clean out the birthing pen.  Everything is frozen so solid.  We won't see temps above the single digits for a week or two. BUT-the sun is out and everything looks beautiful out there.  I'm going to pile on the clothes and get set for a great cardio workout!


Go with God and God go with you.


From Glory Farm,


Rhonda

Jan 12, 2010

From Ewe to You #2

So now that the fiber is carded, it looks like this-



I decided to dye this batch in two tones.  I failed to wet the wool before I put it in the dye.  Here's the fluff going into the pot.



Next, I dry it again and end up with this, a little darker than I wanted.



Now the really fun part-spinning it.



Once it's spun, I set the twist by putting the yarn in hot water and soaking for a couple of hours.  This caused the dark dye to bleed a bit more, evidently, I hadn't washed it out as much as I should have when it took the dye.



I put the yarn in an old pillowcase and put it in the spin cycle in the washer.  This takes out all of the excess water.  Then I rewind it around my "winding chair".  I sometimes wind it around my niddy noddy to dry, but this chair works so well and each round is one yard.



The yarn turned out in shades of green and made about 95 yards.


Here is the finished product-



It's single ply  yarn, occasionally I make a two ply, but I prefer the single ply.


So there you have it.  Mistakes and all.


From Glory Farm.

From Ewe to You

I decided to do an entry on my passion-spinning.  You'll see that I did some things wrong, but I thought that I'd post this anyways.


We started with a sheep and we sheared her.  I didn't take pictures of that whole process, but suffice to say, I still need practice.


Here is the raw fleece, unwashed-



I wash it with Dawn and Borax, then wash a second time with Dawn, rinse until the water runs clear.  Don't agitate too much as this will cause felting.



I put the fiber into an orange bag and let it partially dry-



Then I spread it out on a screen to finish drying and fluff up a bit.


Here is the washed wool-



Next I fluff it some more, or if it's slightly felted, I hand card it a bit and then put it on my drum carder.



I think I'll finish this post in another entry.  I have a few more pictures.


So on to post #2.

Jan 29, 2010

T-Shirt Rug

I just finished my first t-shirt yarn project. See    t-yarn  entry.  So here's my rug made in a simple single crochet.  I used about 9 or 10 t-shirts and it measures about 18"x30".



It's kind of bright, but I like bright things.  The little yellow bits you see in the first red part are bits of Sponge Bob, who once decorated that t-shirt.


I'm going to try another couple of rugs, one in stripes and one in granny squares, and maybe a circular one.


Good night, sleep tight.

Farming-A Full Time Job

One thing you can count on, if you live on a farm, there's always things that need doing.  Does the list get shorter?  Yes, but then, because you don't have enough to do, more things crop up.  We had the automatic waterer freeze up yesterday.  Ran for parts, got it fixed, I hope.  Checked out the window this morning and it may be froze up again.  Have to run out to see.  I have a llama with diarrhea and he's getting weak.  I've got all of my critters on an herbal worming schedule, but maybe he's not getting what he needs.  I gave him some Kao last night and he loved the peppermint taste.  I haven't gone out to check yet this morning, but have some Panacur to get into him.  Then I need to clean out his bedding as best I can and put some fresh straw down.  We have to run to the Credit Union today and go get some Sulpha to have on hand for the animals.  One of our does may be due to kid in a week or two and we need to clean out the birthing pen.  Everything is frozen so solid.  We won't see temps above the single digits for a week or two. BUT-the sun is out and everything looks beautiful out there.  I'm going to pile on the clothes and get set for a great cardio workout!


Go with God and God go with you.


From Glory Farm,


Rhonda

Jan 12, 2010

From Ewe to You #2

So now that the fiber is carded, it looks like this-



I decided to dye this batch in two tones.  I failed to wet the wool before I put it in the dye.  Here's the fluff going into the pot.



Next, I dry it again and end up with this, a little darker than I wanted.



Now the really fun part-spinning it.



Once it's spun, I set the twist by putting the yarn in hot water and soaking for a couple of hours.  This caused the dark dye to bleed a bit more, evidently, I hadn't washed it out as much as I should have when it took the dye.



I put the yarn in an old pillowcase and put it in the spin cycle in the washer.  This takes out all of the excess water.  Then I rewind it around my "winding chair".  I sometimes wind it around my niddy noddy to dry, but this chair works so well and each round is one yard.



The yarn turned out in shades of green and made about 95 yards.


Here is the finished product-



It's single ply  yarn, occasionally I make a two ply, but I prefer the single ply.


So there you have it.  Mistakes and all.


From Glory Farm.

From Ewe to You

I decided to do an entry on my passion-spinning.  You'll see that I did some things wrong, but I thought that I'd post this anyways.


We started with a sheep and we sheared her.  I didn't take pictures of that whole process, but suffice to say, I still need practice.


Here is the raw fleece, unwashed-



I wash it with Dawn and Borax, then wash a second time with Dawn, rinse until the water runs clear.  Don't agitate too much as this will cause felting.



I put the fiber into an orange bag and let it partially dry-



Then I spread it out on a screen to finish drying and fluff up a bit.


Here is the washed wool-



Next I fluff it some more, or if it's slightly felted, I hand card it a bit and then put it on my drum carder.



I think I'll finish this post in another entry.  I have a few more pictures.


So on to post #2.