Yummy Wool and Chunky Turkey Stew

Would you believe that these locks are unwashed raw wool? I am in Love.... These two fleeces are beyond yummy. The tight little curls on the left are BFL. The silky relaxed locks on the right are a BFL and wensleydale cross. Both come from coated sheep and are lovely.

Yesterday I washed about 12 pounds of fleece and started dyeing the locks. Will post dyed locks pictures soon. I let the pots rest over night and will finish today.

What's for Supper? Chunky Turkey Stew .

I browned the chopped turkey, onions, celery with some leaves in a large stew pot. Then I added, chopped carrots, green beans, chunked potatoes with the skins left on, chicken stock, and few shakes of black pepper. Let simmer all day and ready for supper. Gotta - Love those one pot meals. So I can get to the important things, like dyeing fiber and playing with wool.

Calm before the Storm

I'm watching a bright red cardinal eating seed off my deck railing, as I spin. The wind is beginning to pick-up and the snow will be here in a few hours. Just a few flurries are falling now. The weather channel says high winds for tomorrow and into tomorrow night along with snow and freezing rain. We all know what that means. I don't even want to think about a power outage. The temperature has been in the teens for the last few days. Yes....we have a generator, but not my favorite thing to do.

One bobbin down and 3/4 of the other bobbin to go. Should have it plyed by the end of the week.

Take those Scraps for a fun Spin!

Loaded with color and lots of texture - scraps from the drum-carder are a fun spin. I can't seem to part with the teeniest bit of fluff. Once a week - I add more fiber to the spindle. Such a simple pleasure. Spinning and watching each little bit... add something new to the handspun.

Thought I would leave you today with a picture of my spinning buddy.

Spin....Spin...Spin

Holly - Days wool spinning batt.

Fairy Princess - Sparkly milk fiber spinning batts.

Fawn Alpaca - Silky smooth spinning batts.

In the http://giffordables.etsy.com/ shop, for your spinning pleasure.

Homemade Venison Chili

Nothing like some homemade venison chili - to warm you up on a cold winters day. This is what I made for supper last night. Of course - I had to bake some big biscuits to dip into that chili.

Thought - I would share my recipe :

2 lbs. - venison - (corn fed from the farmers fields, has the best flavor)
3/4 cup chopped celery with some leaves
medium onion - chopped
couple of good shakes - of chili powder to taste

I - brown all this together.


Then... add:

One large can of diced tomatoes
One small can of tomato paste
Two cans of dark red kidney beans
1 to 2 tbs. of brown sugar
Add 2 to 3 cups of water and let simmer all day.... til supper.

It will reduce and the flavors come together. Will be quite tasty.

December Phat Fiber Samples

A wee peek at my samples for the December Phat Fiber Box. Carded over 50 of those little buggers. Shades of cranberry and blue spruce. Corrie, romney, mohair, silk noil and a generous dollop of emerald firestar for that extra sparkle! I just have to tag them and send them on their way!

Folk- art Dolls & Phat Fiber

Mother and Daughter Dolls are in the http://giffordables.etsy.com/ shop now.

Sisters the Best of Friends are also in the shop. Wearing their vintage jewelry and dressed for the Holidays.

Home for the Holidays

November Phat fiber Box - Yarn from my box.

http://www.fiberfancy.etsy.com/ - Wrapping Paper War, handspun.

http://lightbrownhare.etsy.com/ - a wonderful sampler of yarn .

http://vibrantfibers.etsy.com/ - Mom's Harvard Beets.

http://bperry042.etsy.com/ - Peacock, handspun superwash.

http://northernlightsfiber.etsy.com/ - Under the Mistletoe.

http://twosheepshop.etsy.com/ - Plum Pudding sock yarn.

http://sweetpeafibers.etsy.com/ - Smashing pumpkins, sw merino.

Really enjoyed the November Box.

First Snow

The First Snow of the year fell this weekend. I guess it had to happen sooner or later. By the time the sun was up for a few hours, the snow had melted. Flurries by the end of the week, or so the weather channel says. We'll see.

I'm knitting a really interesting deer hat. I will post a photo after a little more progress. It seems to be the hot ticket for the hunter in your life. In my case it's for my daughters boyfriend.....a Christmas present. Taking way..way..longer to knit than it should. I have a zillion needles, but do you think I could find one the right size? I finally had to settle for one I found over at the Michaels store. The needle is the right size circular, but the length is a little too long so you kinda adjust the stitches from what you have just knit to swing around to what you are trying to knit. It eases the tension on row you are working on. I would have ordered one in the shorter length, but I really wanted to get started on this hat. I had this compelling urge to cast on immediately. My hands definitely do not like knitting with this circular .......may have to order some needles tomorrow.

Home for the Holidays - November Phat Fiber Box

Peek into the November Phat Fiber Box.

Yummy fiber samples from:

Farmgirl Chic - http://www.farmgirlchic.etsy.com/ -Sugared Cranberries and Sage -
mohair, corriedale/bl wool, angelina.

AMBROSIA AND BLISS - http://www.ambrosiaandbliss.etsy.com/ - "BLUE STAR FLAG" - wool, corriedale, and angelina.

Spincerely yours - http://www.spincerely.etsy.com/ - Golden Candleberry.

Moonwood Farm - http://www.moonwoodfarm.etsy.com/ - Cranberries - Handpainted Milk protein fiber.

H.A.Y. - http://www.hamptonartisticyarns.etsy.com/ -"Grandma's Red Cabbage"- hand painted merino.

WOOLYHAND - http://www.woolyhands.etsy.com/ - A Second Helping - wool mill ends, corriedale, icelandic, flax.

Cozy Cove Farm - http://www.cozycove1.etsy.com/ - "Triple Berry Treat" - Alpaca, bamboo, merino.

MAUDE & ME - http://www.maudeandme.etsy.com/ - Portland - New Zealand Merino.

FROM EWES TO YOU - http://www.fromewetoyou.etsy.com/ - Dyed Mohair.

The Counting Sheep Farm - http://www.countingsheepfarm.etsy.com/ - Custom blend : alpaca, cormo, and silk.

All the fiber samples are delicious. Now just need some time to spin some of these beauties up.

Yarn samples in future post.

Also if you have not seen the PhatFiber Gift Guide blog post, check it out over at http://www.phatfiber.blogspot.com/ . Lots of lovelies for your spinning and knitting pleasure.

Beloved Old Slippers - The Challenge

" Favorite slippers" says hubby. Worn everyday for a little over two years, they earned their keep. "Maybe I can save them". So into the washer and dryer they went. The holes in the soles seemed bigger now that the slippers were cleaned.

So, I started to think of a way that I could save them. I know... Why bother? I think part of it is the challenge to see if I could. I scrounged around in the Wool Cave til I found more of the same yarn. No red, but green would do and give them a Holiday look. I started to cast on for new soles. I think I'm going to cut off the old soles with about a 1/4 inch left and attach new soles after I felt them.

I already have a new pair to replace the old ones, but I'm having fun reworking the old pair. If anyone has any ideas as to how to get the job done, let me know. Would love to hear any ideas you all might have .

The Twins.... Oh so Yummy...mmmm

Twin Turkeys were cooked for the feast on Thanksgiving Day. My worry is always - WILL THERE WILL BE ENOUGH? Thirty-two pounds total weight .... packed full with mom's delicious recipe for stuffing.... just enough room to squeeze them in. As I hoisted one bird to settle in on the oven rack, I wondered if there would be enough room for the other one. I grabbed hold of the other bird and it just made it in. NO room to spare. The oven rack started to bow a little in the middle from the weight of the birds and the stuffing. The rack will hold up. Will the rack holdup? Yeah.... all looks good. The aroma of pies and turkey filled the air inside our home and out. Each time someone came in you would hear the familiar - "I can smell that turkey cooking. It sure smells good. I could smell it outside".
Everyone had plenty of turkey and all the trimmings that went along with the festive dinner. Some even had room for dessert. Fat and sassy, ahhhh... patting full bellies..... content to just sit watch a little TV or snooze.

Happy Turkey Day !

Tom and I want to wish everyone

Happy Turkey Day !

GOBBLE.....GOBBLE......GOBBLE.....

When you run out of Wool - The Poodle has Some

These days my beautician skills are used on the pets, and family. Which comes in handy considering the cost of hair cuts these days.

She is too old to go to the groomer and sure is glad I'm done with her haircut.

Well I have a nice pile of fluffy clean poodle curls. So....

I handcarded them in with some merino, angora, and a pinch of sari silk. I decided on the merino so that the short curls would have a better chance of binding together with the wool, when spun.

Really like how this is turning out so far, and a fun spin. Will post pic's when I finish spinning this up.

Wee - Peek into the Wool Cave

Just a few skeins of handspun, hanging around. After the massive cleaning, can still use the room as a guest room. Temped to bring the carder and wool back down to the house, but have resisted so far. We'll see what happens when the cold and snow start blowing. Then I'll have to make that long... nasty.... trek.... up to the building ;)

Who needs stink'in curtains when you have all that handspun laying around. DH had to add reinforcement to the rods to hold the weight. Note: no handspun was harmed in the hanging rods in front of windows. There are room darkening shades to keep light from fading the skeins:)

Baaa.... WILBER YOU ARE SUCH A HAM !

He is a beauty. A Rambouillet, ready for shearing! A baby still, almost a year old.

Isn't he just too cute! Since all the county fairs are going on right now, I decided to share a few pic's of the animals at DD's - boyfriend's family farm.

Spinning With The TDF

Watching the race as I spin along. I have two projects going at once and I switch off to keep it interesting. Today I'm still working on the lace wt. spun from the June Phat Fiber Box samples. I added more of my sample to get 4 oz total. That's usually enough to make a project. Sometimes socks, scarf, mittens, hat, etc. Lov'in all the samples and different textures.

Almost filled to the hooks, but will squeeze a little more on then on to the next bobbin.

What to do when it's HIGH 90's!!!

Shhh... kitty is sleeping like a rock! Too hot to do anything but go swimming and play in the lake. Stay cool everyone.

THE WOOL CAVE

A few days ago I mentioned "The Wool Cave", and Pog from http://pogknits.blogspot.com/ mentioned that she wished she had one. Be careful what you wish for....;) It used to be my son's former bedroom and I can remember thinking once the boy moves out, I can turn that into a nice guest room, for when my mom visits. Sounds like a great idea, right? Well.... the boy grew up and moved out. Gone was the closed door which hid mountains of sweat socks, magazines and other assorted objects that caught his interest at the time. I washed, painted, hung new mini blinds, made new curtains, magazine rack for mom to choose from and reading light. It was refreshed and new, and ready for the first visit. Well all worked out well, and mom did have her guest room, but due to dad's health issues the visits dwindled down to few and we traveled there to visit them.

When it happened.... I don't know, but it seems that one day I tried to get into the room and had trouble opening the door. Yes...there used to be a bed in there somewhere? At that point my DH dubbed the room "The Wool Cave". He is good hearted about it but, I feel the guilt! "I'm going to clean it!!!" "Really! I'm going to do it". "Don't bug Me"!! Boy does that sound familiar! Now, I sound like the boy whose room this used to be. Well... today's the day I"m straighting this up! I opened the door to THAT room this morning and thought oh... this is going to take a while and you know it Friday and the sun is finally out and no more rain... and the weekend is coming... I think I need to enjoy the flowers and my garden. Monday will come soon enough and I"ll start in on the room then. Til then I leave you with a shot from my garden. Have a good weekend everyone and enjoy :)

"What's for Dinner Honey?"

Hubby said as he walked into the kitchen door. Why... a nice big pot of juicy wool! I don't think it was what he had in mind for supper. I was on a dyeing binge yesterday. One of those days when everything was just clicking along. In fact it went so well, I decided to dye some more today only this time some milk fiber. So far.....it's looking good.

I had intended to sell these BFL baby doll locks (nice small tight ringlets) in my etsy shop http://www.giffordables.etsy.com/. Now that I see them, I may have to play with them myself.

Sometimes you just can't let go of some of the things you make up to sell. I'm going to think about it for a while. Didn't finish that second bobbin of the fall roving I was working on the other day because I was too busy dyeing. Maybe tonight. Talk to you all later. Have a good one:)

Spinning Samples From the Phat Fiber Box

Spinning more samples from the Phat Fiber Box. http://www.maudeandme.etsy.com/

and http://www.abstract/ Fiber.com are two of my favorite samples from the April Phat Fiber Box. Oh... so soft merino and such wonderful shades to work with. Well I usually like to have enough to make a project out of, so my goal was to get at least a 4 oz. total. So I went for a hunt in the WOOL CAVE (son's former bedroom) and found the perfect wool top, that I had kettle dyed a while back to give me the 4 oz. I wanted. All were fall tones. I know it's summer - but I am drawn to the richness of the fall colors. I decided not to card them into a batt, but strip off sections in all four colorways. I equally divided them to spin in a set rotation. When the bobbin was full , I started the second bobbin, but I altered the rotation slightly. It sure is a fun spin, watching all the colors change. Oh... here are some rich green shades... , here comes the orange..., now its reddish hues..., I guess I'm easily amused. ;) Have half of the second bobbin filled and will post the finished hand spun soon. Til then hope everyone is "Enjoying The Spin".

Gitt'in Big

Babies are getting big! Those are flowering crab tree leaves on the grass, but some other stuff I don't want is also there. They really love to eat that creeping jenny in the yard. The water plants are also starting to grow, so they are enjoying munching on that. Soon they will stop coming up on the lawn. Yeah !!!

Yarny Goodness

Handspun turned out great. Fingering wt. - 2 ply -963 yds - 5 7/8 oz. Shades of pewter and grey with hints of color throughout the skein. Should halo nicely.

What Comes Next ?

I decided to add some POP! to the batts that I had carded and thought these samples would be perfect. I evenly distributed the three samples and carded them into the four batts . I really liked how they added a hint of color when I was spinning.

Fun With Samples

I finally had some time to play with a few samples from the April Phat Fiber Box. I decided to combine-three wonderful samples from the April Box. Wooly Hands-(Lilac- Merino), The Fox Hop-(Fexie Batt), and Infinity (merino/molair blend-New Growth ). I had carded about 60 % of Shetland in three different shades with 40 % pewter grey angora. Talk about soft....

They Are Back.....

Everyday day the goosies bring the babies (getting big now) up on the lawn, to nibble on the creeping jenny that grows in the grass down by the shoreline. I don't have the heart to shoo them off into the water til they eat.

GOOSIE'S

Look was is on my front lawn. Everyone says "Oh they are so cute!" yes they are, but can you say goose s**** and lots of it if you don't keep and eye on them. I let the babies eat and when I get a little close they are off to the water.

May Phat Fiber Box

The May Phat Fiber Box is full of goodies!!! Fiber to spin and yarn to sample. Stitch markers, a pattern, needle keeper, and even a treat for the puppies. I'm spinning up some of the fiber samples and will post progress pic's soon.