Oh My!

I have had so many Oh My's this year, it is what has kept me from posting. Let see if I can re cap quickly. Oh My, my studio rolled down the hill, Oh My I had a terrible allergic reaction to poison sumac, Oh My I got mixed up in the yarn and dye sales for Marion, Oh My we got chickens,pheasants and peachicks, Oh My we have finally gotten a start on the "new to be studio", Oh My it that time of year again when Jeffery died.
Well, I guess that about sums it up!
I haven't posted in ages and everytime I have felt guilty and almost posted, I didn't want to sound depressed. Well for the most part, I have been. I just can't seem to get to a point where I can take a deep breath and relax and enjoy life. I don't know if it is a left over grief thing, just shitty luck, or maybe the way things will be for a while? Everytime we seem to take one step forward, we get 3 back. Hubby's work is awful, haven't been this strapped for money since we were kids. Of course lost a good part of our savings when we had to close up Jeffery's business. Still can't talk about that. I can't seem to get a place set aside for my fiber stuff. I am getting to the point I have mostly lost interest in it for now. I have gotten the birds, they have given me alittle sanity. I could just sit out with them all day. We still have Penny and Jacky, both are doing well. I am fairly healthy as is hubby. Maybe just a cycle I am going thru. I feel like I need to withdraw and take care of me, and yet I feel like I am giving in if I do :(
So here is the poopy post I have been trying to avoid. Now that it is done, I will take some pictures of the birds and "new to be studio" and come back and hopefully sound alittle more content!

Lost My Friend

As many of you know I have old Great Danes. Sunday our little boy took his last breath on our deck and died. I am just crushed. It was a sweet sorrow as we knew we were going to have to make that decision before long as he was just getting to heavy and weak to haul around with the towel around his hiney. But he just adapted so well to anything that came up just so he could be around, it was hard to call an end to that spirit. The sweet boy he was, he took that decision out of our hands.

Sunday evening we had been outside trying to get some things done and when we came in he was on his bed kinda choking and had thrown up foam. I thought he must have gotten something stuck in his throat as they had just eaten. I calmed him and he seemed to settle then he was having trouble breathing and had a gurgling noise when he would inhale, then his jaws would close tightly. As I look back I think he may of been having a mild seizure. We called the emergency vet, closest being 45 miles away. They could only tell us to bring him in. We got on the floor and he seemed to calm way down, couldn't lay on his side with out having troubles, but is he laid on his tummy, he was doing okay. We decided to take him in, in the morning and I would stay with him on the floor that night to make sure he was okay. So we got him up to go outside to go potty, and when he got on the deck he laid down and died. It was just a few breaths and he was gone. He was home and in his mom and dads arms which is where he would have wanted to be anyway, not in a vets office.

Loosing an animal is always hard, I had many extra years with Petey than most do with Danes, and we cared for him making sure he was included and as comfortable as possible in his elder years. But the hole that is left is huge! I still have his sister and our Rescue Jacky, they are morning too. Monday they both went out on the deck and laid where he had died most all day. They are still not eating well and are looking around every corner for him. It is just lonely without him :(

Petey was my best friend, there thru Jeffery's death cuddled with me for months, made me get up to take him out when I didn't want to, made me get up to feed him when I didn't want to and let me sleep longer than I should when I needed too. He was there when all the grand kids were born, checking them out on the floor when they would come over, deciding it was something he wasn't really thrilled about but it was okay he would just lay down and ignore "it". Then as they got older, maybe they were okay, after all they would play when they came over! He was with me when I lost my Dad, again silent but caring. He was always the funny one, his ears would cock from one side to the other when something puzzled him. He was the one that would chase the ducks into the pond on the golf course and then realize when he got in there, dumb dog couldn't swim! He also ran right into the swimming pool one evening while we were sitting out side, he was trying to beat his sister to the ball! Again, damn dog couldn't swim! He was a very sweet boy by nature, even though in his day he was 180 lbs.! I remember one day when I had him and his sister in the back of the SUV, I was facing the truck and both of their leashes in my hands, they took out of the truck and pulled me right out of my shoes! Right on my butt! They just looked at me like,what your problem??

I miss him terribly but I have many good memory's. I see him in his sister, I see him in the way he trained our little rescue as to how to act in this household, I see him on his bed with his blankie over his head, I see him on the deck sunning himself, I see him laying on his bed waiting for his treat like maybe, just maybe, this time she might forget me!

Most of all, I feel him in my heart loving me.

How Long Has It Been ??????

OMG, I had a lady from my list ask me about my blog, I dropped by and took a look at my post, I am shocked! What in the world have I been doing??

I made a promise to myself I would keep up on this, this year. I haven't done a good job! I should have something to show for it shouldn't I?

This is the "to be studio".

That's what I have been doing.

It is an old mobile home that was left here on our lot. Let me tell you, it was not a pretty site! I have put up wall paper, painted,ripped out walls,gutted the baths. Torn off siding and am residing. Put in new windows, am putting in new floors, un packing, organizing, and trying to get something done to put on my Etsy store :)

I was pleased with my organization, till I decided to rip out the front wall dividing the master bedroom ( the rest of the storage that hadn't been gone thru) and my room and decided I couldn't possibly finish putting stuff away till I had everything un packed! So now I have a huge mess again. But when it is done it will be done!! So far I have the living room, kitchen,laundry done. Baths are storage for my fleece. You know how usually you end up having more than you thought you did? I didn't :( I actually need to purchase much more wool to get me thru the season till next shearing.

I love having the kitchen to do my dyeing. I removed all the cupboard doors, painted the cabinets lavender and cream, crackle glazed them, and they are presentable now. One of the nice things is I don't worry about my mess or spills. I have a cupboard above the sink that has all my dyes where I can see them. Pots underneath the sink where I can grab them. Very good lighting now that we have them all installed.

I have the living room area for my looms, which aren't set up yet :( The dining area is my sewing quilting area. I have a wall for blocking my knitting, a wall for yarns for weaving, and yarn hanging everywhere. As you can see from the pictures, it is still a work in progress. After I get thru all the stuff I have strung from one end to the other, I will take finished pictures!!

My last post was when I had first gotten the Texel. I have had more time to work with it and have been dyeing it in the grease. I have been experimenting with that method with several of my fleece and am having good results! Here are some pictures of the Texel

Here is some Border Leicester I dyed in the grease

Here is some Salish Cross I dyed in the grease

This is Cotswold dyed in grease

I picked up 150 lb more Texel over the week end! Hubby made me the nicest skirting table right out my front door and to the right of my "to be studio". It is waist high so I don't have to lean over, we cover it in a nylon type chicken wire so it won't rust. Everything falls right thru! I am saving all the skirted parts of the fleece to put in the bottom of the holes of the Leland Cypress that we are planting at the beginning of the drive.

Now that I have at least posted something to my poor blog, it's time for me to catch up on the blogs I subscribe to. I'm sure everyone has been much better at keeping current than I have!! My desire is to post here at least once a week. Lets see if I can get it done thru the rest of April!!

New Fleece!!!!! What is it???

I have been soooo bad about keeping up on my blog! I actually have been bad about keeping up on everything! But I had time to find some pretty fleece :) Priority's you know!

Look, hardly any VM and it's not coated!

Interesting huh?

Let me tell you all the good things about this so far. It is low in grease, hot tap water will wash it. It has good crimp, and lock length, about 4" average. It is a beautiful cream color when washed. It spins into a soft,springy yarn.

So below is what it looks like after it is washed

Isn't it a pretty color?

Here it is combed for spinning

Here is a sample skein

So I'm impressed. IMO I think it is as nice or nicer than Cormo or Polypay. I am in love!

It goes on my Etsy site this week :)

So if anyone would like some raw or washed, let me know. It will be 10$ a lb raw, and 12$ washed.

I know you are going to love it when you get it!!

What is it?

Texel