Fairy Webs

Fairy Webs are fun to make. I haunt thrift shops and junk shops to find bits and pieces for my favorite fairies. They have lots of fun swinging on the dangling pieces and climbing over the twirls. Lots of jingles, pretty glass and feathers adorn their playgrounds.

Visit to TMMA Farms in Oxford, Florida

David and I visited TMMA Farms near Oxford, Florida, yesterday, and I got to feed Grayson, who was born New Year's Eve. We called him "nye" for a bit, but he might become a great herdsire; so he needed a more dignified name. Doesn't Grayson give you images of a great English home?

The farm is home to 32 alpacas right now along with 2 horses, a pony, four pigs, a turkey, dogs, cats, and numerous chickens.

http://tmmafarms.com/ or on facebook.

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 We also met Annabelle with the long floppy dark locks and Angel.

 This delightful one was born a few days after Christmas. She shares the nursery with her mother, Grayson and his mother, and two who are very pregnant.

 David made friends with some of the females.

 Here I am feeding Grayson his bottle.

 This is Grayson and his mother.

 A few of the females watching intently.

The turkey may be getting used to us. His wattle changes to red when he's alarmed. Can you see his ear?

Swatching and testing

Yarn that is very thick and very thin presents a problem for crocheters wanting to show off the beauty of the fiber. Do I want a tight weave and possibly lose some of the thin contrast? Can I use a very open stitch with a big hook to show every nuance? Should I just go ahead and knit it and forget about crochet?

I pondered these questions as I began work on my 2015 Challenge piece for the International Freeform Fiberart Guild -  a Yahoo group with affliate versions on Ravelry and Facebook. (Here's the link for the 2013 challenge, 2012 and previous, and 2014.) My Challenge pieces have been types of work that I've not done before; new stitches, new combinations, new inspiration, NEW. I like new, but, if you know me, you already know that. This year will be no different in that respect.

So, when Mama Jude of Mama Jude's Plant Dyed Stuff showed me the big hank of thick and thin blue yarn, I was excited to try this type of yarn. The sections are short, and I tried a swatch crocheting only the thin sections leaving the thick sections in great loops. It was beautiful but not what seems right for the 2015 theme: Ocean - the color of water. So, I changed to a size 30 hook and did some single crochet with it. Nix on that. Finally the size 15 knitting needles felt right, and I began a 30 stitch cast-on; after 20 stitches, I stopped and knit one row. Nice, but not quite right.

Back to Ravelry to look at uses of thick 'n thin yarn. The stitches used in  By Day, By Night scarf are interesting, and I've used them twice, but wait. My So-Called Scarf (found on Ravelry but the link doesn't work) produces a herringbone-like appearance; perhaps that will work. Ahhhhh. Slip one, knit one, PSSO. Answer phone. Where was I? Oops. Not there. Dang. dropped that stitch.

The herringbone stitch pattern pulls the yarn in so that my 20 stitches were suddenly 10 stitches short of my goal. After five rows and five interruptions, I decide that is a good look. But I also liked the crocheted shell pattern that I saw; maybe I should try it. Transition from knitting to crocheting and proceed with double crochet shells.

A combination of herringbone and shells! Mama Jude's indigo dyed thick 'n thin yarn has found a pattern.

(Note photographs and specific discussions of the work itself are deferred to post publication in June.)

Donna's Freeform Cowl

My chosen-sister Donna's neck is always cold, especially when she is awake in the wee hours and sitting at her computer. So, I made her a collar/cowl to help keep her neck warm in her favorite color, purple. She prefers non-wool fibers; so I've used acrylic, silk, bamboo, cotton,