Pretty Wool Roving for Spinning

Earlier this spring we sent several clipped fleeces from our pretty Finn sheep to the wool mill to be processed into roving for spinning. I'm so happy that it came today! I immediately dug into one large bag of light-colored wool and put in on the spindle to see how it feels. It is lovely.

I usually process the wool myself, but it is such a lot of work! Now I have enough roving already prepared that I can spin enough yarn to make a sweater I hope. That has been a goal for some time - to make sweater from hand-spun yarn with wool from our own sheep. Perhaps someday I'll get fast enough at washing and combing that I can make a sweater completely "from scratch" so to speak.

We have plenty and enough to sell. I'm working hard right now to prepare to be a vendor at the spring Fiber Festival at El Rancho de las Golondrinas, a living history museum near Santa Fe. The museum shows life as it might have been in the colonial period on the Camino Real - the Royal Road from Mexico City to Santa Fe. It is a fascinating place. You can read about a visit we made to the museum a few years ago in this post. The festival is on June 4th and 5th.

After the festival is over, I hope to get back to my more normal routine and continue working on the hope chest. Thanks for your patience.

Wordless Wednesday

Antique Store Crocheted Edgings

I recently visited a small antique mall in Albuquerque where I immediately sought out the linens in all the booths. I've mentioned before that I love to stir through piles of antique linens and wonder about the lives and stories behind the needlework. On this day I found several "antique" pillowcases with crocheted edgings. I put the term in quotes because I don't think they are antiques, used yes, but probably not antique. The fabric and thread did not match in age. Possibly someone crocheted on the edge of pre-owned pillowcases. These pink pillowcases were worn, but the thread is pretty new and not laundered as often. But I thought the edging pattern was pretty and so I took a picture with my phone. I can deduce the pattern quite easily so I'll probably use it on something for the hope chest.

I can see that the person who crocheted this edging used a single thread to hand sew a foundation on the edge of the pillowcase, creating the spaces for the initial row of double crochet stitches. The initial crocheted row is simply a (3 dc, ch 1) in each space around the pillowcase. The second row is (2 dc, ch 1) in each ch-1 space from the previous row. It may work out to be (2 dc, ch 2) rather than the ch 1. I'll have to experiment to determine that. The third row looks like (sc, ch 4) in each space from the previous row. The final row is also (sc, ch 4). It is a pretty pattern and I'm happy to have stumbled on it.

Here is a second edging. The initial foundation and the first row is the same, and I think it was crocheted by the same person, but I'll have to work on figuring out the pattern...

The initial foundation and first row is again the same in this third example. I'll have to experiment with this pattern also.

Family History for Kids: Simple Family Photo Book

The Simple Family Photo Book is probably the easiest of the projects I've made. I just collected photos with ancestors or family members as children doing unusual things. I tried to find those that I thought would be interesting for the kids to see. I used the "add text" feature in my photo editing software to add a simple caption to explain each photo. Then I printed the photos and placed in page protectors to make a simple book that can be read to my grandchildren. As with the other books, I think I want to make it into a board book so that it can be as sturdy and long lasting as possible.