New arrival - handwoven rugs!

We are really excited to have our first shipment of handwoven rugs from our alpaca fiber. Ingrid's Handwoven Rugs in Paint Rock, Texas created these beautiful 2x4' and 3x5' rugs. We selected one for in front of our desk in the living room - it is so soft and warm!

The rugs are woven from the "seconds" or fiber from the neck and legs of the alpacas. This fiber is less desirable because it is typically shorter when compared to the fiber on the body of the animal that makes up the blanket.

Felting

My fiber artist friend, Megan, asked me about felting. Last spring, Jeremy and I attended a workshop to learn how to felt and made this purse and some other felted pieces that we used to make flowers. The flowers ended up as embelishments on this purse and as pins and magnets we have given to friends.

This felting was done through a process called wet felting where warm soapy water is applied to the felt and then it is massaged until the fibers begin to bind together. More soapy water, more massaging - the end result is a very strong material and very clean hands and wrinkly fingers. For more on wet felting.

Some people felt by using their washing machine, but we have never tried this method. We have been told to proceed with caution because of the wear on the washing machine. Others use a needle felting process, that uses a form and needles with little barb-like hooks on the end. We have also never tried this method.

A great kids' project is to felt a bar of soap. The end product is a bar of soap that has a soft covering that can be used in the bath. This project is easy and fun.

A Fiber Artist's Work

My dear friend Megan is working with some of the alpaca fiber from the April shearing. We are really excited to see her finished product - a scarf that a co-worker has commissioned.

Megan has a studio in Boston and does fantastic knitting projects in addition to her day job.

I am hoping to commission a wrap or shawl from her with some of Manny's fiber.

The fiber is here!

After much anticipation, our fiber arrived! Jer's parents brought it to Manhattan and we finally got to see how the processed fiber looked in yarn and roving.

We have all neutral colors - all natural. The colors range from Scout's dark brown to Manny's fawn to Blue and Carl's white.

We are really excited to share the fiber with our friends who knit, spin and weave.

We have eggs!

We finally have eggs! Jeremy found five eggs in the coop - one actually in the nests on Sunday night. We are still trying to figure out who is laying which colors. Two more eggs on Monday; we may soon have a dozen!

Chicken update

When we first considered getting chickens, Jeremy and I had several "chicken chats" where we would talk about all the details. Our chicken chats continue - we just speculate about their behavior, when the hens will begin to lay, why it seems we have so many roosters, etc. This has been quite the adventure.

We have one gigantic Rhode Island Red rooster. He has these amazing iridescent tail feathers and a developing crow. The first few crows where like a teenager with a changing voice - "Errr Errr Errrrrrrr!" at about 7 a.m. I was saying a prayer of thanks that our neighbors were very supportive of the chicken adventure and even said they missed the sound of crowing in the morning. We are very lucky indeed.

We have two batches - the group we bought at Tractor Supply Company (my favorite store) because we could not wait for the mail order and the mail order. Both batches were a straight run which means they are not sexed. The mail order company said to expect about 50/50...we have tried to count, but they are too fast! The rooster types will find a home in our freezer before winter - that is, if we can find someone to help us do the dirty work. I don't have good memories of chicken harvest from my youth.

We have affectionately begun to call the Big Boy rooster "Lunch." My niece, McKenzy, was sort of amused by this name and kind of horrified. Right now, no one is worried about harvest, they all come running when we bring the cart of weeds or the enamel pan of what used to be compost feed.

Now, we are on egg watch...still waiting...maybe waiting into September...you'll be the first to know when the eagle lands.

Long time - no blog!

Needless to say, life has been busy this summer. My last post raved about our beautiful yard which has most recently been subject to the usual scorching hot days of Kansas. We do have some beautiful sunflowers. These hearty, natives thrive in this kind of weather. I wish I could say the same!