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By Dan, May 9, 2011 8:44 pm

We had the pleasure of making our way to the annual Sheherd’s Harvest Sheep and Wool Festival this past weekend. I thought about taking pictures of the festivities and animals, but I’ve already done that and, really, how many sheep photos does one need? Of course, what I’m about to show you presents the same question – how many photos of fiber and wool does one need? Apparently, not enough:

This sea of wool contains two fibers I have never spun before, and am looking forward to making some yarn out of them. The top left bowl of white, cloudy happiness is 100% angora – the kind of fiber that, when touched, just feels like pure warmth as opposed to anything tangible. The same can almost be said about the bottom left bundle. That’s 100% yak down. All in all, though, I feel I was a bit restrained, and that’s mostly due to the fact that I’m still working on piles of fiber from festivals past.

So, here’s to another year behind the wheel!

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By Dan, May 1, 2011 11:01 am

I’ve finished a few more spinning projects and thought I’d share them, matching them with a corresponding early Spring photo from our yard.

Approximately 835 yards of 2-ply yarn, spun from about 18 oz. of alpaca, silk and wool fiber. I’ve matched it with some delicate wild ginger coming up through some rocks.

The sparkly bits in this luxurious blend of alpaca, bison, wool, ramie and tencel remind me of the wee shoots of new growth on a patch of moss. I spun approximately 170 yards of 2-ply yarn from 2 oz. of fiber.

And, this 70/30 blend of alpaca and silk, spun from 4 oz. of fiber and yielding 190 yards of 2-ply yarn, is paired with one of the first flowers of Spring (at least in our yard) – Hepatica.

Apart from some stubbornly cold temperatures, I think it’s safe to say the spell of Winter has been broken.

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By Dan, April 1, 2011 8:01 pm

Now that I’ve started to make spinning a more regular part of my routine again, it’s finally time to share some of the finished yarn that I’ve spun in the last couple of weeks. It’s been fun mixing up the types of fibers, the colors, the amounts, feeling my hands and feet work  together in the old familiar rhythm.

These first two projects are from fiber sent to me by Ted. (Thank you!) A cozy 50/50 blend of merino and yak, this fiber was dyed a rich, deep, wine color that is hard to capture digitally.

There are approximately 290 yards of 2-ply yarn, spun from about 4.2 oz of fiber. I see a new scarf for next season – something I hope I won’t have to wear for a good long while, but when the time comes, I’ll be ready (and my neck will be nicely wrapped).

This next skein is another interesting blend of merino and tencel. Tencel gives the yarn a silky drape, but the wool adds some loft and warmth. There are approximately 295 yards of 2-ply yarn, spun from about 4 oz. of fiber.

Speaking of exciting packages, delivered to our doorstep was last month’s installment of Hello Yarn fiber. Adrian always has such an amazing way with color, and “Scorch” was no exception.

This is from 4 oz. of Bluefaced Leicester, spun and navajo-plied to approximately 340 yards. Virginia has already started on a pair of socks, so those will be making an appearance in the not-too-distant future.

Tonight, while a loaf of bread rises in the kitchen, a whirl (and clack) will be heard emanating from the living room. Hope your Friday night is as exciting as mine.

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By Dan, March 13, 2011 3:32 pm

Recently, we both faced large projects in need of finishing — Virginia, a sweater pattern; me, a pound of roving. There were days when it seemed like neither of us would actually finish. But, even with projects that seem to drag the most, there’s always a possibility of finding that nugget of inspiration to push you through to the end (even if what motivates you is just getting it off the dining room table).

Virginia’s project, a pattern in Berocco #228 called “Nopareil,” was knit with some beautiful Blackstone Tweed.

Sometimes projects take on a more generous amount of inertia, making forward progress more of a slush. From what I overheard, this also must have been aided by choices made by the designer, in terms of construction, details and a collar that would not end.

Still, all in all a nice sweater.

My own project was spinning up a pound of roving. If you have been a regular follower of ScratchCraft you may have noticed a drop in the number of spinning-related projects. I have started to kick things back in to gear, but got a little ahead of myself when deciding to tackle a 16 oz. blend of Pygora, Wool, Mohair and Silk.

All told, I spun approximately 1050 yards of 2-ply yarn. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a lovely fiber making a lovely yarn. But, if you aren’t spinning regularly, 16 oz. can feel like it’s taking forever (must be some sort of fiber equivalent of ADHD). At any rate, it’s done, and I think Virginia already has a sweater idea brewing.

My motivation to finish came with the arrival of my installment of fiber from Hello Yarn. This is “Scorch.” I knew that in order to dive into this luscious 4 oz. pile of goodness, I had to free up the spools.

And, now I can — tonight, in fact.

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By Dan, February 20, 2011 12:26 pm

I’m sitting here Sunday morning, hunkering down as the second snowpocalypse begins outside. I was up early, warming up the house with baking bread. Specifically, I was attempting to make buns, being once again discouraged by the mile-long list of ingredients in the store-bought varieties.

These appear to do the trick (we’ll be testing them out later today as they sandwich a black bean burger with sautéed onions and mushrooms), and they were super easy to make. I modified an existing recipe to work with the ingredients I had on hand. The recipe is as follows.

Combine and heat to about 120 degrees :

• 1/2 cup Fage
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 Tbsp butter

Mix together in a separate bowl:

• 1 Tbsp active dry yeast
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp salt

Then, add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, including 1 egg. Mix thoroughly, then slowly combine about 2 to 2 1/2 cups white flour and knead until dough is smooth and elastic (I used my KitchenAid stand mixer for about 2 minutes). Take dough and pull apart into 10 to 12 pieces, which you then roll into a ball then place, slightly flattened, on a baking sheet (or, in my case, a silpat covering a baking sheet). Let rise for 30 to 40 minutes and bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 15 minutes (or until golden brown).

One of the biggest satisfactions of making food from scratch is the total control over the ingredients. I’m not sure why sandwich buns need high fructose corn syrup, or any of the other “enhancements.” These may not have the shelf life, but chances are they will be long gone before they expire.

Still on the topic of essentials, I’m happy to say my spinning wheel has been getting some use (not quite the 15-minutes a day I had hoped to accomplish in the new year), enough to finally finish some lovely 3-ply yarn.

This is spun from some handdyed Corriedale that Virginia picked up for me from cloudlover (at last year’s Shepherd’s Harvest festival). I navajo-plied the yarn, yielding approximately 370 yards from a little less than 5 ounces of roving. I believe a pair of socks are being planned with the yarn.

And, speaking of socks, Virginia has been working on several pair (as usual), one of the most recent are these:

Knit following one of Charlene Schurch’s four-stitch reticulated patterns in her book Sensational Knitted Socks. These are made with two colors of Jawoll “Aktion.”

Well, I’m off to make some lunch, and to draw in some energy for the piles of snow that will need to be shoveled over the course of the next 24 hours.