Success!

These little guys sure are good at hiding! But we finally found a few within viewing/photographic range. They had a baby too! But we didn't see the baby, it was in the bush. Oh baby in the bush. It was crying though. Which made us feel bad so we backed off and watched from afar for a little longer.
It was a really nice weekend with great weather. Although 3 nights of camping at primitive camp sites with sandflies was enough. I was glad to come back to my kitchen, bed and shower (oh and personal space). I also didn't get much knitting done, so I was glad to come home to that too! Winding roads and knitting do not agree with me. Knitting by flashlight in a prostrate position isn't my bag either. Sitting on my couch with a beer nearby in decent light, that's my preferred knitting position.
Oh and I've put a cute youtube clip from march of the penguins. The little baby call is similar (although more calm) to what we heard this weekend.

coloured wool

IMGP8365.JPG, originally uploaded by .ily.

Here are some of the fibers that I pandered to the women at the guild last saturday. I personally like to stick with the browns/blues and earthier tones, but I thought that maybe everyone doesn't have the same taste as me. And I was right, the brighter shades were a hit!
I can't wait to see some of them spun up!
I'm also taking part in a fiber swap for the next few months. I got my package out yesterday, along with my U.S. ballot (hurray!). I'm hoping to get my swap package next week!
This long weekend (Labour Day) blue and I are off to the west coast in search of fiordland crested penguins! Hopefully it won't rain too much and we'll be able to get some hikes in along with some great photos.

yarn so soft

The yarn for my february lady sweater arrived a while back and then a week or so later I ordered the right needles. Now the sweater is well under way and I'd say I'm about halfway done. I'm in love with the yarn -malabrigo, merino worsted. It is so soft and fluffy, like a cloud (or what I would imagine a cloud should feel like). It is also a single and I love knitting with singles. Before I knew much about the construction of yarn I knew that I loved singles and didn't really stop to think about what made them so special and fun to knit with. For the yarn novice (aka me a few months back) a single is just one spun piece of yarn not plied with anything at all.

Last Sunday a group of us guild members went on a fiber buying trip to a farm south of here with more fleece on shelves than I could have imagined! It was beautiful. All the natural colours! Here are some pics of the combed corridale and merino.Then in the shearing shed there were boxes upon boxes of raw fleece and the lighting was lovely and diffuse. I opted for a few houndred grams of prepared merino (in brown, silver, and silvery brown). I am planning on plying it with hand dyed merino.The raw fleece was so nice and soft. This box was calling my name. But I'm not really into fiber prep at the moment and I don't have room to spare in my house (you buy one sheep's worth of fleece at a time - that's a lot of fiber!). Maybe next time I go I'll be ready to tackle washing and carding the whole sheep's worth of fleece.

my first sale

hand dyed merino, originally uploaded by .ily.

Last night the weavers and spinners guild had a fiber destash night. So I bundled up all my hand dyed fiber I've been hoarding over the last few weeks. Unsurprisingly I arrived late and the announcements were already being made and everyone had placed their items to sell on the table. So I snuck in and sat by a friend and immediately the women around me started fondling and claiming their braids of fiber. I only had amassed 5 so it didn't go far, they barely made it out of arms length before getting snatched.

I was happy that my goods were so well received and even happier to be able to make a little profit off of them. I realized it was the first time that I have ever sold anything that I have made. (I'm pretty sure it is anyway.) Out of all the crafts I've ever crafted, I've only ever given them away. So now I have a little pocket money... to go and buy more fiber of course! It's a vicious cycle I tell ya.

On my way to the guild I realized that I hadn't photographed any of the ones I was selling. This fiber photo is my first acid dyed roving and it turned out so lovely that I had to keep it.

When I got home last night I cooked up another special request batch of fiber and will try and get another 2 done to take on Sat for the continuation of the fiber sale.

3 dogs, 2 horses, 1 bunny, and some rat babies

Yup rat babies.
Blue and I are housesitting this week and that is the role call. The rat babies were a surprise. Turns out they live with the bunny, or rather next to the bunny. We went out to feed her the first night and almost as soon as she had her food and we shut the gate this little rat came scurrying out towards the food dish, saw us and then ran back to where it came from. We looked around and waited quietly (after I gave out a little girly scream, but it was only a little one) and then a few other little rats peaked their heads out. I must admit, I'm not really into rats, but was a little curious about them and their relationship with the bunny. Are they friends? Does the bunny willingly share her food cuz I'm pretty sure she could scare them off if she wanted. Maybe they keep her company. She's so fat and soft.The puppies are wonderful too. They are all very nice and entertaining. I'm not allergic to them either which is a bonus. That and they don't seem to really shed much (perhaps one of the reasons I am not too allergic). Here are 2 of them: kiwi & hamish.