In transition

This is my Marigold one year ago. She and her sister were born here to Ginger. For those who may remember I raise Nigora goats for their wool. Marigold is the one close to her mother.

This is Marigold after being combed a year later. I have to say, she did not like being combed one bit! I was able to get a lot of her wonderful wool to spin into yarn.

As you can see she is still a lovely red underneath. Too bad the wool I combed wasn't the same color. Her wool fades to an off while like her mother.

This is Ginger and Daisy. As you can see they have a way to go as far as combing goes.

Ginger is a cross between an Angora goat and a Nigerian Dwarf goat. She is considered an F1 Nigora. I bred Ginger with an F2 Nigora and Daisy and Marigold are the result. I was curious as to what their wool would look like. They are very different from each other. Marigold's wool is like her mother's but Daisy's wool is shorter, straighter and very light and wispy. I am looking forward to spinning her wool to see what it is like. If you look on the left you can catch a bit of Max, my
Great Pyrennes guarding his flock.

Raising goats is fun! They each have their own personalities. My three are sweet and like to have their heads scratched. The nice thing about this breed is that they are small and I don't have to have a big farm to raise them on.

Until next time.
Linda

My new toy

For some time now I have been wondering how I can speed up my dish towel production. I heard a friend of mine say recently that she had an electric spool winder. She let me take a look at hers and I decided that it was just what I needed to speed up my production. I looked on line and saw they can be pretty pricey. On to Ebay and etsy. I found a man who sells on both for a good price so I bought one.

It takes a bit of getting used to. So far I have wound three spools now just 27 more to go!

Linda

All done

While I was weaving the Elegant Placemats I wondered if this yarn would hold up as fringe. I suspected it wouldn't. So after weaving one placemat I decided to weave off the rest as a table runner with a hem. Last night it came off the loom. I washed it on the gentle cycle and air dryed it. Just as I suspected. The fringe looked terrible. It will get hemmed and ironed and look great on my table. I really like using this weave structure and I know I will be using it again.

A couple of years ago my husband suggested I have some inexpensive items for sale in my booth so I started weaving mug rugs. Many people have bought them including children who like them for their doll houses. My supply has gotten low so this week I am weaving up more. I didn't take any pictures of those.

People have asked me why I weave. Hmmm, I had to think about that.
The short answer is that I really enjoy it! I can't imagine me not weaving. It is relaxing and challenges my mind when figuring out a new weave structure. I have gotten to meet some well known weavers over the years and attended a few classes. Currently I am a member of the Appalachian Arts Craft Center. The weavers meet on Tuesdays and weave things for the shop. It is so nice to be with like minded people. They are a fun and happy group and being there makes all my problems disappear for a while. If you are ever in the area stop by! The center is located in Norris, Tn. and we are there from ten am to two pm.

Linda

Color?

I like to weave colorful things and use yarn with texture. A bit of sparkle is an added plus. Recently I decided some neutral placemats might be nice to offer in my booth at shows. I chose a huck lace draft using 3/2 cotton. They are called Elegant Placemats. I got the pattern from a free download from Handwoven Magazine. When I started the first one I wondered if the lack of color would bore me. Not at all. I like watching the pattern emerge as I go along and once I get into a rhythm they weave up quickly.

The weather here has been nice even though it has been very cloudy. It makes me want to get outside and plant things! Today I transplanted a rose tree. I am hoping it will bloom in the new sunnier location. While walking around the studio yard I saw a tulip in the middle of the lawn! it got transplanted too. In a way it is hard for me to decide where to be. Inside weaving or outside planting things and tidying up the yard. But the reality of it is this nice spring like weather won't last long. One day I will wake up and it will be summer. We have already turned on the air conditioning because it is so humid. That is the wavy of it here in the south. One day we can have spring like temperatures and the next day hot. So enjoy the nice weather for however long it lasts. Weaving can wait. Well, for a little while anyway.

i am here again

Well, I figured out how to use the tablet, kind of, and I now have internet at home so here goes. I had thought of giving up on the blog but then I thought I would give it one more try.

One year ago two little does were born here on a cold 27 degree day. We had rain, snow and sleet. In a break in the weather my doe gave birth to two cute Nigoras.

The red one I named Marigold and the white one Daisy.

Here they are one year later.

Mom is in the back. Aren't they sweet? I am hoping they shed like their mother and I won't have to shear.

I have been weaving rugs this winter. Here are six I took off the loom recently.I used a very thick yarn for weft for all except the one in the far back. For that I used nylon strips from Great Northern Weaving. Now I need to machine hem them and I will be done.

II 

Until next time.