First Wash

 Some of the new Texel got a bath.

 I like to wash locks one at a time. It sounds like a chore doing it this way but it works for me.

 I get a little production line going and a handful is done in a flash.

It was done so fast I decided to wash a handful of the really dirty Shetland I had leftover from last year.

The sun was at its best today. Everything dried in a flash.

By the time I set up the carder, it was all ready to go.

One big batt turned into four nice nests. They are all being put away until the TdF.

The Texel is not very soft but it spins like a dream. I think it might make good socks so I'll spin it white and dye some fun stripes later.

Delighted!

 This is the real deal. This is soap made the old fashioned way with oil and lye. The whole idea of it scares me to death but I'm determined I am going to do this one day. Delighted Hands sent me two bars from her recent batches and I couldn't have been more surprised-and delighted.

 Real soap doesn't have to be wrapped in plastic. The air cures it and makes it hard and mild. Look at the swirly tops. You can't do that with soap of the melt and pour variety. I really need to learn to do this.

She told me that one of the bars wasn't quite ready yet, meaning it needs to sit and cure for a spell. Supposedly you can touch your tongue to under cured soap and get a zap that tells you the lye is still active. There wasn't much zap left in this one but it was a good learning experience to feel the slight difference between the two.

Thanks so much Delighted Hands. They are much appreciated!

A Bad Batch

I had this great idea to make a gardener's bar of soap after The Mister and I came in muddy handed after doing some spring planting in the flower beds.

I went looking for a recipe that had some grittiness to it. I found one that involved corn grits. Bad idea.

I don't know if it was the grits (that sunk right to the bottom) or the cocoa powder I added to look like a dirt dusting but the whole thing was a icky, sticky mess. I'm also sure the tomato powder didn't help. It might have been this particular base. It was the new-to-me Crafter's Choice brand. It took forever to set up. It was no fun to work with-at least not in a loaf mold for layers.

As nasty as it was to work with, it does produce amazing lather and smells wonderful.

I don't usually use bar soap in the kitchen but it has been rather handy having it around. Good thing. I've got a lot of it to use up.

Plum Crazy Part 2

 At 7 am Sunday morning I was on my way to yet another ice rink. This one was about an hour or so away.

There, once again, I spent about four hours assembling all the scenery. This time it wasn't the wind that was the problem, this time it was the sun. It was brutal.

Inside everyone was cool and collected, outside I was blistering on the asphalt. So were the lamposts. The hot glue was melting so I had to duct tape the things back together more than once.

 It was the usual panic and pandamonium in the locker rooms. There are teams that put makeup and costumes on outside. They have the right idea.

 Daughter, our coach, handled things like a pro up until she learned she had to skate in the program due to a last minute absence. We got to be on the ice together for the first time ever. Grandson lives a few miles from the rink so his Mom and Dad brought him out to cheer on the team. At two years old, he didn't exactly have a great time but it was nice to see him in action. Somebody needs to give that boy a stick and a puck.

It was our last competition of the season and we ended on a high note. We won first place. Since I skated in this one, I got a gold medal, too. Well earned, if I say so myself.

That medal felt great hanging around my neck but I would have sold it for a cold drink during the hot hours I had to knock down and pack up all that scenery. Luckily, I didn't have to. Daughter came to the rescue. Bless her. That Coke and a little bit of shade was the best thing that happened to me all weekend.

MDSW 2015: Plum Crazy

 I made it but it wasn't easy.

We didn't get there until about 2 so we were exiled to the overflow lot. It was a long walk to the fairgrounds. Very long.

The place was all decked out. The yarnbombers had been out in full force.

This year they were handing out the festival guides while gently asking for $5 donations. That's a deal. The festival was bigger and better than ever. I would have needed two whole days to take it all in. Next year.

The first place we went was to see the critters. It was a warm day. The poor woolly things looked miserable. I hate to see sheep panting.

It was too warm for my handknit socks or my shawl. The Mister wore the shawl and got lots of compliments. Next year I'll make him one. Ha.

My first purchase was food and drink. I had been in the ice rink all morning and I was starving.

 Next we took a stroll through the main exhibit hall and the barns. Somewhere along the way we saw this shiny metal spinning wheel. How crazy is that? I also have to confess I spent more time looking at handmade soap than I did yarn. The yarn mojo just wasn't with me this year. It was too warm.

New to the fest were the buffalo folks. I'd love to have brought some of their fiber home but I would have needed a home equity loan. Pretty but pricey.

 Then we headed up the hill to the garment and skein competition. This shawl won best in show. How gorgeous is this?

The teacher in me always gets a kick out of the poster competition. Don't you just love that sheep?

The Mister is fascinated by the auction. He wanted to bid on something this year but it's out of our league. You've got to know what you are doing. We don't so we just watched in awe. It was quite a show.

All the way to the fairgrounds, on our long walk, I promised The Mister I wouldn't buy anything I couldn't carry around because there was no question of going back to the car. Then I made the mistake of peeking into the empty fleece sale. Look at all those orphan bags of fluff waiting sadly for their furever home.

Yep. That's The Mister heading up the hill on the long walk to the car hauling 5.5 pounds of Texel on his back. I've never worked with Texel before so it's going to be this year's TdF adventure.

Texel is not particularly soft wool but it looks like it's going to be fun to wash.

The walk wasn't all bad. We were on some kind of trail by the spooky farm museum that's across the road.

Here is an artful pose of my basket of goodies and the shawl I slaved to finish in time then never wore.

 What I wanted and walked my legs off to find was some plum colored fiber. This will be next year's shawl. I was all jazzed up about the early morning birth of the new princess so I had pink on my mind and this is as close to pink as I want to get.

 Then for some inexplicable reason I bought some Malabrigo sock yarn in these dark, dreary colors. It seemed like a good idea at the time but next to the socks I made from last year's sock yarn haul I have to wonder what I was thinking. I could have done better.

 On the long way home I began to spin for next year's shawl. It seems like a long way away.

Fiberlicious

 The crazy Corriedale fiber is ready to be plied. I've been spinning like crazy in hopes that I get to bring something fun back today from the MDSW. I think I've worked out a plan to get there for a bit.

 The never ending Loop batt is also ready to be plied. That's a mighty lot of singles in one place.

 They are both getting chain plied and I can tell you right now I've lost my touch.

It's been a while since I've tried this juggling act of the spinning world. This should be interesting.

Over Extended

I usually post about my cross stitch progress on the first of the month but today there is more important things on my mind. Do you know what tomorrow is?

It's my favorite day of the year. It's the first day of the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival.

I really need to go be amongst all that spectacular woolly stuff but there is a little problem this year.

Somehow I didn't realize that this is also an ice skating competition weekend. I have to be in ice rinks both Saturday and Sunday.

I may be able to squeeze in an hour or two after hauling all that scenery to Northern Virginia. It was a six hour ordeal setting it up and knocking it down the last time out so I'm not too hopeful. I do get to skate again in this competition so it's not all bad but it's not the same as being surrounded by acres of woolly goodness, now is it? Sigh.