Fall on Drummond Island

A quick trip to Drummond Island, Michigan earlier this month-up on Saturday back on Tuesday.  We had planned to stay another day but a "monsoon" blew in on Monday night and we decided not to sit in the cabin all day. Otherwise it was a beautiful weekend with a bit of rain on Monday and some of the best lighting I have ever had there for photography. We hike and fished; didn't catch anything and just puttered around.  It was a good time.  I knitted Nolan a sweater on the way up and later a matching hat for myself.

Luxury Nests

The baby goldfinches in our yard will have posh nests this spring. I gave Andrew a bunch of my shorter angora fiber that I took off my french angoras this spring and he put it in a dispenser for the birds.  Two pairs of goldfinches were busy yesterday gathering up fiber for their nest. One of them got so exuberant that she was covered with the stuff.  It was so much fun to watch and they seemed  delighted and almost playful as they flew back and forth all day collecting their treasure.

Discovering the fiber

Off with the first batch

 Getting pretty exuberant with the "harvest"

 The male "supervising"

 Picking up another batch

This is mine! Go find your own!!!

From Bison to Yarn

DH has an interesting job as a forest ecologist/prairie management coordinator.  Last week he was seeding one of the paddocks at his workplace where the Bison roam and found a small section of shed Bison down.  Bison lay on the down in the winter months and as it gets warmer of course they shed it.  Click here for some interesting information about Bison fiber which is considered to be a luxury fiber.

 Shed Bison down-this is laying flat in one side of our sink so you can get an idea of amount. It is all matted into a piece that feels like thick felt. The down had no odor or oil and contained some lighter, probably sun bleached areas.  It was mostly dusty with bit of earth clinging to it.

 As soon as you wet the fiber it is easy to pull apart. Washed fiber/24 hours to dry.

 Carded fiber. This particular bit of fiber was mostly very short to medium in length.

 This preparation of Bison was hairy with a varied staple length.  It required a tight twist to keep the yarn from separating.  All of the hair and varied lengths has resulted in a more rustic looking yarn.

25 yards of heavy weight yarn/rewashed to set twist. Very soft (not scratchy yarn).

 

 

Mass Production

My girl Vesper sure can grow the fiber. Here she is after being groomed yesterday; surrounded by the fiber that I pulled out of her.  And as much as there is on the grooming table there is still three times that much on her body. She's the best wooler I've ever had. Sits very patiently while being groomed and is just an easy going  doe. Crazy up and down temperatures and weird weather is inducing molt in my rabbits and I don't want to take their coats all the way off because I think we are still going to have some chilly temperatures.  I'm saving all that I get this spring to mix together and handspin into yarn of 100% angora.

Rabbit to Yarn

I took off Castanea's baby coat last night because the fiber was getting on the sides of her cage and I didn't want waste anymore of it or have her get wool block from licking herself. She sat quietly in my lap while I removed the fiber and played with Daisy in the house afterward. Here's a few photos of the before and after, the fiber pile, and the yarn. She a beautiful copper color. I will probably use the yarn to accent some fingerless mitts for myself. It is very nice and has a gorgeous sheen which is what distinguishes satin angoras from other angoras.

Great Lakes Fibers

Calling all fiber enthusiasts.  My sister in law has opened a new shop in Huron, Ohio not too far from Cedar Point.  We really enjoyed our visit to Great Lakes Fibers yesterday. Lots of lovely yarn, rovings, and beautiful garments available. Even got a dozen fresh eggs and a "chicken tour" from a very cute little boy (my nephew). Saw the alpacas and their herding dog Draille. Great place for an afternoon outing with the family or the individual fiber enthusiast who would like to learn more! They are located at 3614 Hull Road in Huron, OH . Like them on Facebook or shop their website.

 James and his hen.

 The dyeing area

 Cute decorative dolls from Peru

 Felted items

 This alpaca wants to be a part of the action aka getting his head patted.

 Yarns and garments for sale

 Colored locks

 The proprietress and her cocker spaniel

 Relax and look at some of the cool books on hand

 

 Triangle loom

 More yarn

Draille, the Pyrenean Shepherd

Knitting Help

I knitted a Convertible Center Row Lace Headband/Neckwarmer for myself this past week. I used a double strand of lace weight angora/alpaca blend. My plans are to use it as a neckwarmer with the new black leather coat that I got for Christmas but I also like the way it looks as a headband.  In any case my new little buddy Tafari loves to sit on my shoulder and he is very curious and wants to get his little beak into what ever he can find that is nearby. He loved playing with the yarn that I was using for knitting.