Best Of Show – twice blessed

The summer is winding down now…much to my chagrin, and the county fair has come and gone for 2009.  I was blessed with not just one, but two Best Of Show ribbons this year.   Along with the Best Of Show ribbon, I also won a State Ribbon which allows me to enter it into the State Fair next year.  It also is an automatic First Place, blue ribbon. This is the first time I’ve gotten a Best Of Show, so this was very exciting for me.  I won one for my spinning in the “Best of Blend” category.

Best of Blend category

The fiber is 80% Superwash Merino, 10% Cashmere and 10% Nylon from Zen Yarn Garden.  Roxanne dyed it in beautiful shades of rich browns, rusts and golds.  It spun up sooooo nice.  I did a Navajo ply to preserve the beautiful colors.

My other Best Of Show ribbon was for my handspun, hand knit sweater that I did using my Finn sheep’s wool.  I used the Mr. Greenjean’s pattern that I got from Ravelry for free.  For the link to the pattern and to Casey (below) you’ll have to be logged into Ravelry to see the linked page.

Handspun and handknit from my Finn sheep

So if you haven’t joined Ravelry yet…better go sign up.  Ravelry is great!  Today is Casey’s birthday.  He’s the programming genius that took Jess’ idea of an online knitting notebook that she could share with her friends and making it into a fantastic community for fiber artists.  Check out the groups that I started on Ravelry, A Gathering of Lace that includes a separate thread for each pattern in the book (lots of help) and the other group is Plants to Dye For, a group all about natural dyeing.  And last, but not least, a group which is a KAL (Knit A Long) for a beautiful lace shawl pattern.  The pattern is called Vernal Equinox and the group is Celebrate Spring KAL.  You can find my shawl on my projects page.  I won a blue ribbon at the fair for this shawl.  It is a great pattern, well written and you almost can’t put it down once you start.

 

New fiber addiction…I learned to weave

I have a new fiber addiction…weaving.  I have a “new to me loom” that arrived on June 20th.  It’s a Leclerec, Nilus II 60″ loom.  I don’t start small, as someone mentioned.  In the picture you can see my very first weaving project, a scarf that I’ve finished.  It took me 2 days to warp the loom and just a few hours to weave the scarf.  There is a definite learning curve when warping a loom.  I had taken 3 semi-private weaving lessons from a lady in our spinning group, read about a dozen different books on weaving,  but actually warping the big loom by myself was an education, one that I’m still learning.  Each loom is different and no matter what they tell you in the books or how someone shows you on another loom, the way YOUR loom is warped could be totally different.  That’s what I’m still learning even now that my second project made it on the loom.

I learned to warp back to front, and had “Learning to Weave” open to that section and followed along with Deb’s instructions, eyeing the pictures and determined to figure it out.  My loom’s raddle is designed to fit in the beater bar groove where the reed is.  Well, when I tried to use the raddle on the back beam, it’s base is narrow and it won’t stand upright to use that way.  First lesson learned…  There were several other “lessons” during the warping and weaving of this project.  However, the lessons didn’t stop there.

My second project is dishtowels that I’m still working on.  They are almost half finished weaving.  It took me 2 days to warp the loom full of more insights on what NOT to do when dressing a loom.  I was determined that I was going to spend as much time weaving as I did dressing the loom.  I started weaving last Tuesday, so I definitely accomplished that goal.   I’m doing four dishtowels, in black and white,  using the pattern from “Treasury of Handwoven”.

There were plenty of  “firsts” for this project.  First time following a pattern, first time weaving with cotton, first time using a boat shuttle.  There were plenty of other lessons learned too, like making sure you have enough heddles on each shaft and they are all on the left side of the loom before you start threading.   I had other snafus while getting this project on the loom, but they all worked out.  I think the lessons we learn by making mistakes are the best ones taught, well I hope so…I don’t want to make those mistakes again.

I’ve done some spinning for the Tour de Fleece on Ravelry.  I’m on “Team Monkey Farts” and I did have one entry so far of a finished 4 oz. of Rambouillet that I dyed at a workshop that Elizabeth had at her house.  Can you imagine about a dozen fiber loving ladies having a blast for a few hours, dyeing fiber, yarn, sock blanks and thank goodness not the house?

Rambouillet I dyed at a workshop

Here’s the finished spinning which I attempted to do in thick singles to make the Amanda Hat pattern.  However, when swatching yesterday I got the gauge suggested in the pattern but the fabric wasn’t right.  I tried doubling the yarn, then  a smaller needle  in pattern but wasn’t satisfied that this yarn was spun to really work for this pattern.  I’ll probably use this for weft or figure out something else for it.  It’s funny but the colors match almost exactly of some yarn that I’m currently knitting a pair of socks for my daughter’s Christmas present.  I dyed this roving before I started knitting the socks and wasn’t even trying to match the colors…it just happened.  Funny how that happens.

My goal for the Tour de Fleece is to try and spin 2 oz. per day while the tour is on.  I know I won’t be able to spin every day, but if I can work on some of my spinning and not let the weaving take over, I will have accomplished something.

There has been a few knitting projects that I’ve finished up recently too.  I’ve done two pairs of socks since my last post.  One pair was knit in a personal best time, just under a week for the pair.  The colors dominated so I let them be just plain socks, the Classic Sock pattern from Folk Socks.   I knit them one at a time on Magic Loop, which was different for me.  I usually knit 2 at a time, but  for the stripes to really match up on the socks I couldn’t use both ends of the yarn at the same time.   I managed to enter them in the June Challenge in the  “Sock Knitters Anonymous” group on Ravelry.  Who knows, maybe I’ll even enter them in the fair this year.  They are wool socks and I don’t anticipate wearing them before the fair the first week in September.

The second pair of socks were knit 2 at a time on Magic Loop for a class I taught at my LYS.  I used the Twilight pattern from “2 at a Time Socks”.  I love the cotton yarn by Opal that I used, they go perfectly with blue jeans.  I’ve already worn these but they haven’t been washed yet, so well see how they come out.

I’m a firm beliver in machine washable socks, I don’t do handwash, especially when it comes to socks.  I’ve had a couple of pairs shrink up due to this.  One pair was mine, which I rehomed to someone with a smaller sized foot.  The other pair were some I knitted for DH using some Henry’s Attic wool that I had dyed.  I’ve learned to only knit socks that contain some amount of nylon to make them truly superwash socks.

Twilight Socks

On the farm news, Bella Vita Farm & Fiber no longer has CVM sheep.  I am concentrating on only one breed now, the Finns.  I don’t have the space, especially in the fall at breeding time, to keep more than one breed.  My CVMs went back to Ohio to live at Yellow Creek Cottage with my friend, Chris Spitzer.  She maintains one of the largest flocks of CVMs in the US, averaging between 150-200 sheep in her flock.  I will continue to do the National CVM Conservancy website and be involved in the breed in that respect.

Please be patient while I update my website to reflect the changes made here at the farm, as of June 20, 2009.  This year I am only going to be shearing once in the spring of 2010.  I want to let the Finn fleece grow for one year instead of shearing every six months.  I’m not sure if this will be a permanent change or not.  We’ll just have to wait and see.

Last, but not least, I did a podcast interview for “The High Fiber Diet” on June 20, 2009 when Coggie came to our farm with her husband and her friend Deb.  I enjoyed their visit and hope they come back again soon.  Unfortunately Bamms couldn’t come due to the horrendous storm the night before that did quite a bit of damage in Holland, MI where she lives.   Make sure to listen to the podcast and check out the show notes to see pictures of Bella Vita Farm & Fiber’s animals.

 

More lambs, some dyeing and knitting too

I promised more lamb pictures, so the first day outside I got some pictures for the blog to share. The first one is of the last lambs that were born, one ewe (on left), MsViv named after my girlfriend and her Rav ID and the little ram, who doesn’t like his picture taken, called Whisper.  He has just a whisper of white hair on the top of his head, unlike his sister who sports a white spot that looks like she’s wearing a white bow in her hair.  MsViv was happy to pose for the camera today and I got several different shots of her.  Whisper stuck to close to mama and wouldn’t let me get a picture…at least yet.

Today the main pen was cleaned out and the mamas and their lambs were no longer confined in separate nursery pens or lambing jugs as they’re called.  So once the mucking was done the little ones were put into the big pen that goes out to the barnyard.

I tried to get a video of them sproing around but they mostly just hung out with mama, so I got some regular shots.

The twins that were born about a couple of weeks ago are growing up pretty quick.  They officially have names now, Tinkerbelle for the little white ewe and Smee, for the little black ram.   They enjoyed getting out into the sunshine today too. Tinkerbelle only hung around for the one photo, but at least she stood still this time instead of a blur.  Smee seems to like the camera too, and I got a few shots of him.

All the lambs are about the same size, despite being about a week apart.  Dot was so big towards the end, I thought she might have triplets…nope just two good sized twins.  They were as big at birth as the week old lambs that Bella had.  They are all becoming pretty close chums and having a blast and they are so fun to watch.

Tuesday night I went with my friend, MsViv (not the lamb) to a dye workshop at Elizabeth’s house.  We came, we dyed, and we had fun.  I did 4 oz. of Rambouillet combed top and a skein of sock yarn.  We met a bunch of new fiber friends, had a girls night out and have something great to show for it.  Well, I think it’s great…but I’m prejudice.  I’m not exactly sure what I’ll spin or make from this, but it’s probably going to find its way to the loom at some point.

I dyed the Rambouillet with the colors boysenberry, wild rose and avocado green.  I was thinking flower garden, predominately iris because that’s what I have blooming now at the front of the drive.  I should have gotten some pictures before the blooms started to fade…oh well.

The sock yarn I ended up dyeing in various shades of pink, and I don’t really know why because I’m not a pink person.  My daughter is very much a pink girl, so who knows…Christmas maybe??

I  recently finished a pair of socks for same daughter’s birthday present and that’s the last thing off the needles.  I’ve got another pair of socks that are ready to bind off but I’m waiting until I can show my student for my 2 socks at a time on Magic Loop how to get her socks off the needles and do the Kitchner stitch.

 

First lambs are here, finally!

Our first lambs for 2009 at Bella Vita Farm have finally been born!  After two days of showing signs of lambing, Bella finally produced twins, one ram and one ewe.  They don’t officially have names yet, but the white one is the little ewe and the black one, of course, is the little ram.  Mama was a bit nervous about this impromtu photo shoot.  After all, the lambs are just a little over 24 hours old.

I went out to do a barn check yesterday about 6 AM and nothing seemed to have changed from midnight the night before.  I grabbed a cup of coffee and watched the news for an hour and went back out around 7 AM and he was already about halfway cleaned up.  About 45 minutes to an hour later the little ewe made her appearance.

They both were up and trying to walk and find the “milkbar”.  Mama took care of everything, both presented normally at birth and the ewe, even though this is her first time lambing, has proven to be a good mom and very attentive to her little ones.

Here’s a couple of more pictures to show their “closeups”.  Sorry the pictures are a little blurry, like I said these little lambs are already pretty active.

Only one other ewe is due, and should be lambing in the next week.  Dot had twins last year, so she’s already been there…done that and is a good mom.   More cute lamb pictures to come, so stay tuned.

 

Not sleeping on the job…

I’ve been busy, not sleeping on the job, mind you.  The spinning and knitting projects have been flying off the wheel and the needles pretty regularly around here.  I finished knitting two shawls in the same amount of months.  I dyed the yarn and called it Blue Dawn, for this shawl.  My inspiration was a bottle of Dawn dishwashing liquid that sparkled such a pretty blue with the sunlight streaming through the kitchen window.

Vernal Equinox shawl

The pattern is called Vernal Equinox, so I started a KAL on Ravelry called Celebrate Spring.  I dyed the yarn on the first day of spring, March 21st and I had the shawl knitted in 11 days.  I was sucked into the lace vortex, often called “the black hole” where you are entranced for hours creating lace….beautiful lace.

This was my first large lace shawl, so you have to forgive my little encentricities, I still have bragging rights.  I really enjoyed the pattern, it was very well written and the pattern made sense.  It was easy to read my knitting and know where I was in the pattern and the WS purl rows made it a nice knit.

If you are on Ravelry, the pattern is free, at least at the time of this writing.  It is available on the designer’s blog as “clues” for a mystery shawl.  There are 7 clues altogether, 1-5, 6a and 6b.  If you want to find the entire pattern in one place, go to the KAL group “Celebrate Spring” on Ravelry and you’ll find all the links to the clues in one place.

The other shawl I finished recently is the Revoltuni Shawl, which is also free on Ravelry.

Revoltuni Shawl

I knitted this shawl with my handspun that was dyed by AllSpunUp (Etsy).  This was the first time I had ever done a single spun and knit with it.  I think it came out pretty good.  I did have another skein, but alas…to many other projects calling for my attention.

I enjoyed the process of spinning and knitting this project a lot.  I took photographic evidence that I was up to something.  I’ll share a few perhaps here today, but it might come back as an entire blog post, so stay tuned.

I’m not the biggest fan of zigzag knitting, but this shawl begged to be spun and knit.

Here are the energized singles in their bath.

Energized singles

Pretty cool, huh?

Well, that ain’t nothing yet….

Myrtle Ribwarmer

The current spinning project

 

Fresh from the Garden

Fresh garden carrots

I picked the first veggies from my garden today and there’s still snow on the ground here in the frozen tundra, most people refer to as northern Michigan.  They are actually last years carrots that overwintered under the early snow we had that never melted…well until now.  Most of the carrots were treats for the goats and sheep….oh yeah, the chickens got some too.  I managed to save about a colander full for us to eat.  I dug them up today and this is about the fourth rinse to get them clean enough for a picture.

I started my tomato seeds a couple of days ago,  for this year’s garden,  in my little greenhouse starter kit, you know the seed tray with the dome.  I have the warmer seed mats and set them on my glass coffee table that’s pushed up by the window to get the morning light.   Yesterday I started some seeds for my natural dye garden.  I started some madder (Rubia tinctorium), some Dyer’s Greenwood (Genista tinctoria), and some Coreopsis Tinctoria, Tall yesterday in the other little flat.

Abby watches intently

I spent the morning plying the merino/silk yarn that I’ve been spinning.  My Australian Shepherd puppy, Abby, is checking out my progress.  I managed to get two skeins, one 350 yds. and the other 280 yds.  They will be appearing on my Etsy shop in the very near future.

I’ve been spinning up several different yarns to start out my new addition of Bella Vita Farm & Fiber’s handspun yarns.  So far I have some alpaca/merino, some mohair, some Corriedale, some merino/seasilk,  some Romney, and some Romeldale, and now the merino/silk.  Different colors,  different weights, and of course different fibers.

DH brought a box home for me that I can make a light box to take pictures of the yarns and get them posted.  The merino/silk is still drying in the bathroom.

My next spinning project is going to involve some lushcious BFL fiber, some of which is the Spunky Eclectic fiber club for this month.  I got a 4 oz. bump of fiber club and then got crazy and bought a pound of the natural dark BFL that coordinates with the club fiber.

Most of my day was spent putting together the dreaded tax information for our annual CPA appointment tomorrow.  The expenses are still outweighing the income on the farm, but I hope that this year changes things around…not that I’ll get rich, but Uncle Sam does want to see us make some profit.  I think we have 5 years to get out of the red…we’re 3 years down and two to go.

I finally finished “Knit Two” and I want to leave you with a quote from the book.  It’s where I consider myself to be as a knitter, spinner, dyer…heck, pretty much life in general.

Intermediate
“You’re getting better — smarter, quicker, faster — and yet you know just enough to realize how much you still have to learn.  Now is when you are ready to take chances.  To figure out just how far you want to go.”

 

Babies are arriving at the farm!

Well, spring is right around the corner, we have our first babies born at Bella Vita Farm.  Our goat, Sipsey had twins around noon today.  She had a doe, we named Idgie and a buck, named Buddy.  I’ll give you three guesses where the names came from.

Sipsey's twins, a doe and a buck

I went out this morning about 11 AM to do a barn check to see how Sipsey was doing.  She didn’t have any signs of emminent labor when I did chores at 9 AM.  I knew she was going to kid any day and the barn checks had started late Saturday.  I got about 30 feet from the barn door when I heard the cry of a baby goat.  I rushed in to find the doe already on the ground and mama cleaning her up.  I hurried back inside to suit up in my overalls and barn coat to stay the course.  When I came back out the little buck’s head and one hoof presented.  His other leg was folded up and the shoulder was stuck.  I went back up to the house and hollered for help to hold mama while I repositioned the little guy and helped him out.

I stayed with them long enough to help dry them off, make sure they could get up and latch on the teat.  Then it was time for mama and kids to bond.  I put the guys to work cleaning off the milking stand from the winter’s pile of stuff and I went to town.  I had an order to ship out and stopped by to get another pair of knitting needles.  Nothing worse than a bad kink in your circulars right before the join.

I’ll leave you with a little collage of the farm’s other animals.

The rest of the Bella Vita Farm gang!

 

Inspirations in life, gifts to be shared

Today I received a wonderful accolade for my blog, the Kreativ Blogger award from Purlingolden.  I am eternally grateful for your kind words, but more for the hope that I might be making a difference.  I was unveiling a completely new look for my farm website and while waiting for the files to upload to the server, I checked my email to find this award had been bestowed to me.  In the true sense of multi-tasking, I was also corresponding via Ravelry messaging some ideas I have for articles that I would like to write for Spin Off magazine.  Two of my goals of 2009 were to redo my website and to submit at least one article for possible publication.  Well, I have now made efforts to achieve both.  My objectives are, and continue to be, share what God has given me with others in order to enrich as many lives as I can.

The real gift of this award is not about me or my blog, but what I got in return.  It was much greater than any award, it was the inspiration that I recieved while reading Purlingolden’s blog.  I “met” David while reading one of her blog posts.    I am enjoying his music while I write, but moreover I am enjoying his thirst for life, his quest to share his music, his passion and his love for God and others.  You see, 12 years ago David was given 6 months to live.  He is a testament to faith, medicine, the support of loved ones, and the gift that he gives to the world and continues, God willing and the creek don’t rise, for many years to come.

This is the cover of David’s latest CD “Love”.  For Valentine’s Day and the love I wish to share today with you, I give you “Love”.  You can hear David’s music on his website and learn more about a very talented musician.  You’ll come to love his music and the man.

In return for the Kreativ Blogger award, I must pass this award to 7 others and share the inspiration they have given me to all of you here.  I do this with joy of knowing that I am saying, “I love what you are doing” with your blog, your life inspires me.

1. Creatively Dyed
   I love the inspiration you give me, sharing your love for God, your hard work in your dyeing business.  Every time I think I’m working as hard as I can, I think of you.  If Dianne can accomplish so much, I can do better than this.
   
2. Knitivity (KnitterMan)
   Your humor has kept me laughing many times.   I appreciate your candor, your wit and I’m reminded that some of the best medicine is humor.
3. Pandosu (A Few Stitches Short)
   When I read your blog, I am always left with inspiration.  Your designs are amazing.  You deliver me outside myself and keep me thinking in the deepest and emotional fathoms of my mind.
4. CoggieTM (Coggie’s Yarn Tale)
   Thanks for sharing your podcasts, “The High Fiber Diet“, with the world.  I especially enjoy learning about shepherds, their flocks, the fiber their animals produce and where I can buy locally.
5. TheLoopyEwe (Sheri at the Loopy Ewe)
   Your success is mind boggling with The Loopy Ewe.  You still impart a personal gift, a handwritten message, special gifts for your customers.  You always make me feel special!
6. Boogie (Boogie Knits)
   I admire your ability to DO IT ALL.  You manage to run a successful dyeing business, Spunky Eclectic, raise young children and homeschool them too.  I luvr your red hair, it makes my red hair pale in comparison.
7. DianeMuholland (Needles on the Move)
   You have taught me a lot on your blog and your published articles in Spin Off.  I am grateful that you impart your knowledge to others.  I hope when I grow up, I can be like you.

I want to leave you with a quote from the book I’m reading, “Knit Two” by Kate Jacobs.

Beginner — Seeing a pattern doesn’t mean you know how to put it all together.  Take baby steps:  don’t focus on the folks whose skills are far beyond your own.  When you’re new to something– or you haven’t tried it in a while — it can feel impossibly hard to get it right.  Every misstep feels like a reason to quit.  You envy everyone else who seems to know what they’re doing.  What keeps you going?  The belief that one day you’ll also be like that:  Elegant.  Capable. Confident.  Experienced.  And you can be.  All you need now is enthusiasm.  A little bravery.  And — always — a sense of humor.

 

Aran knitting tradition, history and the Inishmore

It’s almost Christmas 2008, and the present for my husband is the promise of a hand knitted sweater, just for him.   Not just any sweater,  but the beautiful Inishmore designed by Alice Starmore.

Inishmore sweater knit and photographed by allinred on Ravelry

My husband loves history, and I was curious about the history and tradition in Aran knitting and more specifically the Inishmore sweater design.  I started doing research on it and decided that it would be a nice addition to the Christmas package.  The story and the history behind the Inishmore design and Aran knitting.

This idea kind of started brewing when I read the article in Knitty.com, Knit Like a Man,  about the Inishmore and Christmas presents for men.  I really took to heart the last paragraph, NO SURPRISES.  So in my attempt to really make my husband a part of this project, I decided to put this piece together for him and why not share it?

With the picture to refer to, we’ll discuss the stitch patterns in this sweater.  The center, double zigzag is also known as marriage lines, usally considered symbolic of the ups and downs of married life.  After just celebrating our 27th wedding anniversary, I can embrace this one.  The zigzags on either side of the center are used to represent the twisting cliff paths along the shore of Inishmore.  The cables in the Aran stitch patterns as seen here, represent the fisherman’s ropes.  The horseshoe cable seen on either side between the regular cables,  symbolizes the hoofprints of the horses used to drag the boats above the high water mark.  The stitches found inbetween the middle zigzag pattern, and throughout the sweater represent the mesh of the fishing nets, wealth and success.

Alice Starmore, the designer of this sweater and 19 other fabulous patterns in Fisherman’s Sweaters, was born in Stornoway, Scotland as Alice Matheson.  Alice learned to knit at the age of four and was creating her own knitting designs by the age of five.  She made needlework her professional career in 1975, when she produced a collection that was sold in a London boutique.  You can learn more about Alice and her knitting designs on her website, Virtual Yarns.  Her professional scope has widen to include fine art and her first solo, major exhibit, Mamba, was shown at An Lanntair, Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, summer of 2008.

I promised you a bit of history about the Aran knitting tradition and it’s history, I haven’t forgotten.  Aran knitting orignated in the Aran Isles six miles west of the Ireland coast.

The Aran Isles are comprised of several islands, the largest being Inis Mor (Inishmore), the middle island is Inis Meain (Inishmaan), and the smallest is Inis Orr (Inisheer).  I have provided a larger map, with Galway to the North and Ireland to the east.  The Aran Isles, also known as Arana Naomh, is situated at the mouth of the Galway Bay, about thirty miles off the coast.  The islands are part of the county Galway, where fishing is the main industry.

Tradition has it that the original Aran sweaters incorporated patterns that could identify a drowned fisherman if lost at sea.  The patterns were indeed handed down generation to generation and many incorporated these traditional patterns into the knitted sweaters that the men wore.  However, this legend is from the play,  Riders to the Sea, by J.M Synge’s, where the sister of a drowned man recognizes him by the dropped stitches in the socks he is wearing.

The most distinctive features of Aran knitting are the heavily embossed stitches and the intricate patterns, and usually knit in the natural off white yarn.  The sweaters were knit with wool that was partially scoured (washed), the wool retained much of the natural oil, or lanolin and made the sweaters more water resistant.  The the traditional name for the Aran wool is ‘bainin’, pronounced ‘bawneen’, and is the Irish word for undyed wool.  The original sweaters were knit with a wide range of natural colors, and although the word for the wool describes the texture of the wool, rather than the shade, today we regard the cream as the authentic color and most popular color for all types of Aran garments.  The lighter color, especially the cream, shows the stitches off in the greatest detail.

The Aran stitches are very distinctive and traditionally Aran sweaters will incorporate as many as eight patterns in a sweater.  The stitches have a symbolic meaning, and the most noted authority on teh mystery of the symbols is the eminent knitting historian, Heinz Edgar Kiewe.  I was able to find a couple of examples of the Aran stitches and their meaning online.  Meaning of Aran stitches and Aran Sweaters and stitch patterns have displayed some of the more popular Aran knitting stitches and their meanings.

If you are a member on Ravelry, you can find the Inishmore pattern and see the projects tab on this page to see all the versions of this pattern done by knitters all over the world.  If you aren’t a member of Ravelry, I’d like to invite you to join.  For more information about Aran knitting or pattern designs, here are a few books that are either in my library, I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing through interlibrary loan or seen multiple references to.

Fisherman's Sweaters by Alice Starmore

Traditional Aran Knitting by Shelagh Hollingworth

220 Aran Stitches by The Harmony Guides

 

A fibery Thanksgiving story…and what love truely is…

Shaun McCaslin and children

This is a Thanksgiving story about a love for family and how the fiber community came together to fulfill a dyeing mother’s wish, to knit a mother’s love into sweaters for her husband and children.

This article appeared in the Akron, OH newspaper today about Elizabeth McCaslin and her family, her beloved sheep and the fiber community that pulled together to create lasting legacies for her family.  A person, whom I can only describe as an angel here on earth, Chris Spitzer, is the kind of friend that few of us have a chance to have.

Elizabeth, Chris and I are all connected by our love of raising CVM/Romeldale sheep.  This breed is the rarest breed in North America today, and we are all involved in with the preservation and conservation of a breed that produces some of the finest fleece you’ll ever have the chance to spin or knit.  CVM

CVM headshot

is the abbreviation of the full name, California Variegated Mutant sheep and the Romeldale sheep are the breed that the CVM originated from.  You can learn more about the CVM/Romeldale sheep on the website, National CVM Conservancy, Inc. These beautiful sheep are listed by the American Livestock Breed Conservancy as “critical”.

Anyway, back to the story about Elizabeth and her family.  Elizabeth’s illness progressed over a period of time.  The cancer affected her voicebox and she wasn’t able to talk during the later part of her illness.  Often times she couldn’t sleep and would email Chris and they would “talk”, or Chris would go to visit and Elizabeth would write her notes.  Elizabeth’s husband Shaun said that Elizabeth never complained about her pain or her illness, even in emails that he read after her death.  The hardest thing that Elizabeth had to endure was trying to comfort her young son, Liam, age 3, after a troubling dream.

Liam

Elizabeth would go into his room where it was dark and hold him.  He didn’t know it was her because she couldn’t talk to him and calm him with a mother’s reassuring words.

Here’s a picture of Liam wearing the sweater that was made from Elizabeth’s sheep.  She wanted his sweater to be a soft baby blue…just for him.

Chris had visited Elizabeth on September 14, 2008, to pick out the roving and pick the colors and particular sheep’s fleece that each of her family would have for their sweaters.  Elizabeth wanted Liam to have his with baby blue, for her baby.

Aryn, had to have a very special pink sweater made for her.  Again, Elizabeth’s loving touch was a part of the process for Aryn’s sweater.

Aryn in her special pink sweater

She does look very pretty in her sweater during a hike with her father and brothers.

I don’t think the hat was part of the outfit provided by the spinning and knitting group, but nonetheless, it looks very good on Aryn for this lovely fall day.  Aryn, is age 5, and although she will probably remember some things about her mother, she will always have this sweater, a pillow that was made for her, a shawl and some of the extra fiber that was left after all the gifts were spun, knitted and finished for the family.  It was suggested that prayer shawls be made for all the children, since they would soon out grow their sweaters.  Tucked inside with the shawl was a poem that read, “If you are feeling sad or lonely, upset or blue, wrap me around you, because I’m storing all Mom’s hugs for you.”

Cade, age 8,  was involved with the initial spinning of his sweater.  He and Elizabeth had started spinning some of the roving that was to be incorporated into his sweater.  Cade also wanted some of his favorite sheep, “Cow” to be included.  I don’t have a separate picture of Cade, but you can see him in the family picture above.

Last, but certainly not least, is Elizabeth’s husband, Shaun.

Shaun and Liam

Elizabeth chose a very strong brown and a complimentary variegated gray and brown for Shaun’s sweater. He does look very handsome in the colors Elizabeth choose for his sweater.

The pictures in my blog were taken the last week of October, about a week after Elizabeth’s death,  during a hike to Hocking Hills.  Everyone wanted to wear their special sweaters for the hike.  I’m glad that they got such beautiful pictures and were kind enough to share them.

It has only been about a month since Elizabeth passed away, and I know that the family still misses her terribly and making the best of their lives.  Unfortunately, the medical bills were over $100,000 and they did not have medical insurance to cover these expenses.  If you would like to send a card to Shaun and his family, you can mail it, addressed to Shaun McCaslin, 7433 Guilford Rd., Seville, OH 44273.  If you would like to make a donation to the family, you can send it to this address or you can make a donation using Paypal, via the website for the National CVM Conservancy, make sure to include a note that it is for Elizabeth’s family.

I know that today I am thankful for God, for my family, for my health, and for good friends, especially fiber friends, like Chris.  I hope that I make it to heaven, ’cause I know that Chris, the angel that she is, will be there too.  Special thanks go out to the Medina Spinning and Weaving Guild, who a helped get the word out and distribute the roving.  Thirty-five people came forward to help with this project, and none of them knew Elizabeth, but were willing to help put together this project for the McCaslin family.  These caring people came from not only the Medina Spinning Guild, but also, Algonquin Mill Spinning and Weaving Guild, Malabar Farm Spinning & Weaving Guild, Lorain County Spinning & Weaving Guild, Misler’s Mill, and the Nutty Knitters from Bath, OH.  I am thankful for all of these wonderful, caring individuals, because without all of these helping hands, this project would not have been possible.