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: Purchases From Wine Maker's Sister
Purchases From Wine Maker's Sister
Just to pour a little fuel on the fire, here are a few more things I purchased from Wine Maker's Sister ...
I purchased 2 of these Elizabeth Zimmerman commemorative mugs - one for me, one for a prize. She had such an abundance of pithy sayings! Part of the Commemorative pack included note cards with some of them on them, they will also be a prize. There are 18 fat Ladybug stitch markers (2 sets of nine) which will also be prizes. The sweet little sheep stitch markers however, won't be, they're all mine! It's fun to see your enthusiasm - I mean, who doesn't love a chance to win free stuff, eh? I wonder which will come first, my Blogaversary or Comment #1499 & 1500? Hmmm... I guess that's up to you! Cheers all!
12/16/2010 6:06 AM
Monika wrote:
You always find the cutest things! The stitch marker are too cute. When is your blogiversary? Reply to this
12/16/2010 8:22 AM
Andrea in TN wrote:
great prizes!!! Are you sure you can't spare a few sheep? You have a whole herd. Andrea in TN Reply to this
12/16/2010 12:03 PM
Kimberly wrote:
Those stitch markers are adorable. I will have to go look at the sheepie ones. And you can never have enough mugs! How do you find all these shops? Reply to this
12/16/2010 12:48 PM
Gloria Patre wrote: Hi Kimberly! All the items I bought came from shops of PhatFiber
Sampler Box contributors. Just go to etsy.com and type "Phatfiber" plus whatever
you're looking for in the Search box, like "PhatFiber stitch markers" and the
stitch markers that come up will all be from PhatFiber connected shops. There is
also a PhatFiber Group on Ravelry which is also a great way to get to know the
contributor's shops and what sort of stuff they make. They're (we're) a very
friendly bunch! Thanks for asking!
12/16/2010 1:43 PM
Samm wrote:
You're an enabler! I just ordered an EZ mug and some stitch markers and.... Thanks for the link to this etsy shop. It's great! Reply to this
12/16/2010 2:36 PM
Wendy wrote:
I always lose my stitch markers. (I think they go into the couch. Or the kids use them to play games with.) Maybe I'd hang on to these better. LOL! Reply to this
12/16/2010 4:52 PM
Julie wrote:
Aren't Phatfiber contributors just great? It is very nice to have you on bord! Great giveaway, BTW! Reply to this
12/18/2010 9:03 AM
Ellen Porcari wrote:
Monica, you get so much more done than I ever could. I love that you have prizes, but I think your blog is lovely even without them. Merry Christmas and Happy Blogiversary! Reply to this
12/19/2010 12:38 PM
Mickey wrote:
The mugs and markers were very clever. I created a necklace for someone with a very small sheep that I had picked up at my lys. Carefully drilled the sheep front to back to enable it to be used as a center in a necklace. Carefully strung green grass beads and topped them with 6 shades of blue sky with a few white cloud beads. Very artistic, done on one of those felt boards that hold all your beads secure. Fastened clasps on either end. Was rather proud of myself till I picked it up and the dear sheep put 4 hooves in the air. I neglected to account for the weight of the sheeps head. The recipient of the necklace, a wonderful person with a wicked sense of humor, saw no need to change the necklace ( I was thinking of glueing a bead or coin to the feet). She happily put the necklace on claiming to have to only "dead sheep" necklace around. Isn't in great to have friends like that. Reply to this
Okay that's some seriously cute stuff! Whatba great easy find
Reply to this
You always find the cutest things! The stitch marker are too cute. When is your blogiversary?
Reply to this
great prizes!!! Are you sure you can't spare a few sheep? You have a whole herd. Andrea in TN
Reply to this
Those stitch markers are adorable. I will have to go look at the sheepie ones. And you can never have enough mugs! How do you find all these shops?
Reply to this
Hi Kimberly! All the items I bought came from shops of PhatFiber Sampler Box contributors. Just go to etsy.com and type "Phatfiber" plus whatever you're looking for in the Search box, like "PhatFiber stitch markers" and the stitch markers that come up will all be from PhatFiber connected shops. There is also a PhatFiber Group on Ravelry which is also a great way to get to know the contributor's shops and what sort of stuff they make. They're (we're) a very friendly bunch!
Reply to this
Love the saying! Could use some markers. Where do those little suckers go?
Reply to this
You're an enabler! I just ordered an EZ mug and some stitch markers and....
Reply to this
I always lose my stitch markers. (I think they go into the couch. Or the kids use them to play games with.) Maybe I'd hang on to these better. LOL!
Reply to this
Aren't Phatfiber contributors just great? It is very nice to have you on bord! Great giveaway, BTW!
Reply to this
Monica, you get so much more done than I ever could. I love that you have prizes, but I think your blog is lovely even without them. Merry Christmas and Happy Blogiversary!
Reply to this
The mugs and markers were very clever. I created a necklace for someone with a very small sheep that I had picked up at my lys. Carefully drilled the sheep front to back to enable it to be used as a center in a necklace. Carefully strung green grass beads and topped them with 6 shades of blue sky with a few white cloud beads. Very artistic, done on one of those felt boards that hold all your beads secure. Fastened clasps on either end. Was rather proud of myself till I picked it up and the dear sheep put 4 hooves in the air. I neglected to account for the weight of the sheeps head. The recipient of the necklace, a wonderful person with a wicked sense of humor, saw no need to change the necklace ( I was thinking of glueing a bead or coin to the feet). She happily put the necklace on claiming to have to only "dead sheep" necklace around. Isn't in great to have friends like that.
Reply to this