Enjoying a more relaxed lifestyle on the Canadian Prairies it is possible to take a 5 mile horseback ride and not meet a single neighbor. Privacy and freedom of movement not enjoyed by much of
the population any more! Against this backdrop I spin, dye and knit various fibers, always eyeing that pet Llama and scheming...
CLICK on his sidebar pic about half way down the page and read about his first haircut!
CLICK on the second Llama pic for the story of his latest shearing!
CLICK on Caulisheep for pics from our farm
CLICK on "What addiction?" pic for Clara Parke's article on interesting ways to hide yarn!
CLICK on "CLASSIC POSTS" in Category Archives for the Best of the Lazy Knitter
****ALTERNATE BLOG ADDRESS if you have trouble loading this page:
My original watercolors of Spinning Wheels, Spindles and Fiber Tools are now available as 4 x 5" blank note cards and mini-cards! In sets of 4 at my Etsy Shop
Click the pic for Clara Parke's article on how to hide your stash...
I Love My Llama
Click on this pic and read about his haircut!
Click on this pic for photos from our farm
Why I Love Wool
DID YOU KNOW? Unlike synthetic fibers, wool is fire retardant. Up until recently, the blankets firefighters used to rescue people from burning buildings were made of tightly woven wool. This is because wool will only burn if it is held on a flame and immediately stops burning if the flame is removed. Synthetics only need to be exposed to high heat before they combust (they don't even need an open flame) and will continue to burn even after being removed from the heat source. This makes synthetics HIGHLY DANGEROUS for infant bedding and clothing (if they're around smokers) because burning synthetics will actually melt right onto skin and continue to burn even after the flame has gone out.
Wool can be stretched up to 1/3 longer than it's resting length and still snap back into shape!
Wool is a 100% renewable resource that does not require chemicals or consumable energy to produce!
Superwash wool can be machine washed and dried without worry, making it easy care - perfect for infant wear & blankets!
With all the advances in sheep breeds (like Merino and Blue Face Leicester) plus the greater availability of specialty fibers like Alpaca, the days of "scratchy" wool are over!
Books I Recommend
Lovely children's books! All the illustrations are made of felted wool! Unique gifts!!
Chronicles of the Lazy Knitter: Beautiful Blue Ripple Afghan
Beautiful Blue Ripple Afghan
It's nice to end the week on a happy note! DD #1 has finished her afghan. It's a blue-themed ripple pattern she's been dabbling away at since February. She used Red Heart acrylic and some acrylic mill ends from her own stash. She prefers synthetics for totally abuseable blankets. I'm sort of glad she's not as obsessive with her projects as I am, that she can put it down for a week or two and come back with renewed interest. I think it helps keep her tension consistent because she's always working on it in a fairly relaxed state. She really does beautiful work - I casually glanced over the piece and couldn't see any mistakes on any of the peaks - impressive! I wish I could say the same about MY last attempt at this type of stitch! LOL! She's already sleeping with it in the summer deck, our glassed-in bug-free use-it-only-in-the-summer room. She's also started another afghan, this time for me, in some high-end cotton yarn from my stash "Anything but blue!" was all she asked! LOL!
6/19/2010 4:43 PM
Doris wrote:
Nicely done and a finished project. I wish I could say the same. Pat on the back! Reply to this
6/20/2010 3:53 PM
Ginger Klein wrote:
You are so lucky to have a crafty daughter! My family is totally 'receivers' of goods. I'd love to be gifted with hand mades... Reply to this
That is beautiful! She did an amazing job! Love the pattern!
Reply to this
Nicely done and a finished project. I wish I could say the same. Pat on the back!
Reply to this
You are so lucky to have a crafty daughter! My family is totally 'receivers' of goods. I'd love to be gifted with hand mades...
Reply to this