Busy Times

The countdown has begun for Angela and I to be ready, one week from tomorrow, for The Fiber Event. Angela has been crocheting, painting and sewing like mad. I have been dyeing like crazy (48 skeins so far) and have soap, several hats and a few bags to finish.

While off yesterday I cleaned out the chicken run. That's one item crossed off my list of chores for Spring. Next is taking care of the bunny hutch and mulching some plants with what comes out from under the hutch. One good about bunny poo is it can go directly around the plants without being composted.

I began my orchard last fall by planting a semi dwarf Nectarine. I've watched that tree all Spring for signs of life. I was finally rewarded with tight pink buds and pale green leaves that look like hand folded in prayer. With the warmer temps the buds have burst open. The blooms aren't very big and are a very delicate shade of pink. The fragrance reminds me of pear blossoms.

After things settle down I'll be shopping for blueberry bushes and more fruit trees. I'm so excited to finally be growing fruit on my tiny urban homestead.

Disclaimer : While the photo is not my tree they look exactly alike. =)

The Yarn From Last Week's Dye Day

I left the Library early one day last week to have a "Dye Day". My co-workers suggested I come up with a new name/phrase as an alternative to me saying "I'm dyeing on Wednesday." or "Sunday is Dye Day". They also feel it is a bit disconcerting to hear me say the reason my cuticles are green, blue, fuchsia etc. is because I dyed yesterday. [smile]

The balls in the photo are all approximately 44o yards fingering weight wool. This wool is from Corriedale type sheep and is pretty soft and felts great. I think each skein is enough yardage for a pair of socks or a scarf.

There are ten more skeins waiting to be finished this weekend and I will post photos of them next week. I hope to have at least three dozen skeins of various weights ready for the Greencastle show.

Tomorrow I'm ordering sock yarn that is superwash wool with a little nylon added to the mix.

My inventory has a dozen skeins of worsted weight wool and half of it is already dyed.The worsted weight is approximately 220 yards so I am dyeing those two at a time so there will hopefully be enough of similar colorways to make a project. There are two skeins waiting for the ball winder I think would make a awesome felted bag ... photos coming soon.

The next order will be more of the Merino/silk blend. It comes out very soft with just a little sheen. One of my favorites!

If the weather warms up enough before the show I really want to do some Indigo dyeing, yarn and Shibori. I saw on the Fiber Event workshop list a class will be offered in Shibori so it would be neat to have a few pieces available. I have planned to have some ready for market and the fall Quilt Guild show we are vending in November. Praying for above 65 degree days so I can get the Indigo vat going.

We are still requesting prayers for Angela's health. She was diagnosed with viral pneumonia on January 17th and is still sick. This is too much for anyone but if you have all the other health issues that Ange has it's very serious. I'm still having coughing spells and feeling snarfy so if you want to add me to your prayers I would appreciate it too!

Better get a wiggle on. I have to go to Bloomington to pickup a gift certificate for a friend's birthday. It comes from a greenhouse and is my traditional gift to her. I was in Bloomington last Saturday but forgot to get it. Last Saturday it wasn't raining like crazy. @@

~ Penny ~

P.S. Picking up the new chicks tomorrow!!

Yikes we are in for a busy year!

Angela finally received a confirmation email that we will be vendors at The Fiber Event this April.

I've attended all the fiber festivals/shows offered in Indiana and in my opinion this is by far the best festival. So we are excited to be included in their list of vendors.


This week's mail also brought the application for the Bloomington Quilter's Guild fall show. This guild only has a show every three years and is always a welcomed opportunity to greet acquaintances that we only get to enjoy every three years. It is also a very profitable show.

So now our show line up is 1) The Fiber Event, 2) The Indiana Fiber & Music Festival, 3) Orleans Farmers Market, 4) The Woolkeepers Show, 5) The Bloomington Quilter's Guild Show. It makes me tired simply looking at the list. lol

In the midst of all this good news Angela has pleurisy and pneumonia. She isn't feeling well at all and if you feel so inclined could use some healing prayers.

Thanks everyone for the compliments on my hats. I ended up selling all them and have an order for another purple one. Better go finish my errands and start crocheting. It is freakishly cold here in southern Indiana and people are going to need those hats! [smile]

I've Jumped on the Hat Band Wagon

Angela sold over 200 crocheted hats this summer at Market! She makes super cute hats for babies, lil girls, big girls, teenage girls and ladies too .. but no boy hats. When a few folks began asking for boy hats she didn't want to make them. You can't really frou-frou up boy hats. After being asked a few more times for lil boy hats I found a pattern and tweaked it to make it my own. It has ear flaps and I add a big pompom on top.

As time past a few requests came in for my hats in girlie colors .. pinks and lavenders etc.. I resisted but Angela said do it so I made a few hats. A few weeks a go someone ordered an adult ladies hat in hot pink in cotton so I made one. Can you say bright? I added the white band and white pompom to make it pop .. I think it worked. LOL

The hats in green and purple are a wool blend that is washable. I have nearly finished a wool hat for my neighbor Nicholas. The loose ends need to be woven in and I'm making a four inch pompom for it. I think if you are going to the trouble to make a pompom it should make a statement. [smile]

We are having Angela's and niece Hillary's birthday celebration today and I have to make a run to Papa John's so I had better get a wiggle on.

Handpainted Yarn

I thought I would share a photo of some of the yarn I have been offering at Market. Most of the yarn is Merino or a Merino/Silk blend. I mainly used acid dyes but also a small amount of Kool-Ade in some cases to get a particular colorway. Some of the yarns are indigo dyed and vary in blue tones.

Angela took photos of our offerings to send with our 2011 show applications. We are planning to attend two shows before Market commences next Spring.With Market beginning just a few weeks after the last show we will need to work hard over the Winter months. [smile]

It's been A While ...

.... since I last posted. A lot has happened in the last two weeks.

June 4th & 5th Angela and I vended at the Hoosiers Hills Fiber Arts Festival. No photos. =( We called this our "nursing home" set up. She had pleurisy and two cracked ribs. I have pinched nerves in my neck and my usual aches and pains. We decided this booth was definitely not photo worthy!

It was not a very busy show. We made some money but I think the best part was making new contacts. We were invited to participate in a three day quilt show next March at Rising Sun, Indiana. The show is held in a casino so that should be interesting. Our sister Debbie has begun saving her nickels and quarters for the trip. (wink)

This upcoming show has motivated me to try my hand at fabric dyeing. It is something I have always wanted to try but have never gotten around to doing. Plus, Nicholas, my 14 yo neighbor across the street, and I are going to play with Shibori. It will be my first time dyeing with indigo ... can't wait!

Angela and I went to the Midwest Eye Institute on June 7th. Her neurosurgeon wanted her to see a neuro-ophthalmologist in case the pituitary tumor was putting pressure on her optic nerve. After many hours of testing the doctor reported no pressure on the nerve and said the surgery was a go.

Now we wait to hear from the surgeon when she is scheduled for brain surgery. This is a very big deal and as always we covet prayers.

Daddy and I have spent two of my days off putting together a chicken run for the girls. While making the hoops that will support the netting to cover the run I commented now that we know how to assemble hoops we could make a hoop house to cover my little walled garden. I got "the look". You know the one ... that "Are you crazy??" look. LOL I suspect Nicholas and I will be making the hoop house. =)

We are celebrating Father's Day this afternoon and Mom just called to tell me she and Daddy haven't had electricity since 4:00 a.m this morning. We had some wicked storms last night. (sigh) Hope we can sit outside under the maple tree and catch a breeze or two!

Have to pick up a loaf of bread for Mom so I had better get a wiggle on.

Truck Envy and Shows!

I was recently reading Jenna Woginrich's blog and she has purchased a red truck causing me to have instant truck envy! By the way if you haven't read Jenna's book "Made From Scratch" you should visit your library. I enjoyed the book well enough that after requesting my library purchase it I bought my own copy. She is a young writer, very enthusiastic about homesteading and living a sustainable lifestyle ... plus she is driving a fine looking red pickup truck!

For many years I drove a red and white full size Ford Ranger. It was, and still is, my very most favorite vehicle. I only gave it up after my mechanics (Daddy & my Uncle Jerry) said they could no longer revive it. To say I was sad is putting it mildly.

Trucks are just so darn useful to have around the homestead, even a very small urban homestead like I'm working to make. You can haul lumber to make raised beds, use the tailgate in place of sawhorses to make the raised beds, haul compost to fill the same raised beds ... you get my drift.

I would love to have a small or mid-size truck with an extended cab. Just enough space to put my groceries and the usual necessities that one always carries around with them behind the seat. A large enough bed to carry home the cat food, bunny food, chicken feed and bales of straw and hay. I will be needing materials to build my chicken coop next spring and wouldn't it be sweet to not have to finagle another way to get those materials home from the tractor supply! A truck would also help make vending at shows easier. Pop on a camper shell and load that puppy up then off we go!

Speaking of shows Angela has signed us up to do a show next month so I'm not planning my open house after all. This show is sponsored by the Orange County Homegrown Assoc. and will be Saturday, November 14th at the Orleans Elementary school at Orleans, Indiana. We are also planning to vendor at "The Fiber Event" April 9th & 10th 2010. This show is at Greencastle Indiana and is probably the best fiber show Indiana has to offer. After Christmas Angela and I will be spending much of our time making items for this show. It will take a lot of product for a two day show!

My home computer is being the spawn of Satan so I had to come to work to order new business cards and do this update. I'm suppose to meet Angela to do a few things and it is getting late so I had better get going!

~ Penny~