"Earlham, IA...."

Continuing with our trip to Des Moines, Don and I arrived at our hotel mid-afternoon. We checked in, unpacked, and went next door, to the Raccoon River Brew Pub, for a late lunch. We had been there before on an earlier trip to Des Moines, so we knew it was good. :)

Before leaving, we'd both made email arrangements to visit someone in Earlham, IA, a small town west of Des Moines. For myself, to visit a farm where they raised Icelandic Sheep, and Don, to visit the last remaining stone house that a distant Quaker relative had built. I'll get to that part of our visit in tomorrow's blog entry.

I belong to a number of fiber related online groups. Prior to our leaving for Des Moines, I'd posted a question on these groups about visiting shops/farms around the area. I heard back from Lorraine, and was invited to visit their farm (http://hedgeapplefarm.net/). They raise purebred Icelandic and Icelandic X Suffolk sheep. As you might remember, I had been introduced to Icelandic Sheep roving by Joan from Maine, when she sent me some samples of it to try spinning. I LOVE it, so was happy to hear that I could see some "in the flesh/wool", so to speak.

So, back to Wednesday afternoon. After lunch, I called Hedge Apple Farm, and we made plans to visit later that evening. Below, we're out in one of the pastures seeing the sheep. Lorraine, on crutches, her husband, Scott, and their oldest son. The rest of their younger children, were giving Don an "up close and personal" guided tour of each individual sheep in the field. :)


Our "checking out everyone" prior to going over the electric fence.


Each of their children had their own sheep, and knew everything about them. How they could all keep track of each sheep's name, was a wonder to me. :)


A close up of the newest additions to the flock.


I personally, love the variety available that "natural" shades of wool provide.


These were the more curious sheep that stayed closer to us after entering the pasture.


I never did find out if they used to milk this goat or if she was more or less a "guard goat". She was very friendly though, and wanted her share of being petted.


Inside their house, Scott brought out bag after bag of processed wool roving. I bought more Icelandic, a Mohair /wool blend, Romney (1 colored cross and 1 white), and some Navajo-Churro wool. I am looking forward to being able to spin the various wools to see which ones I enjoy (hopefully, all!).


I'm checking out the white Romney in this photo. It was 1 continuous "rope" of roving, so I have a basketball sized ball of Romney, the rest of the wools are in 4 oz. "bumps", I think Lorraine called them. :)

"Kool Aid Dyeing....."

I wanted to insert my first experience with dyeing some of my hand spun yarn before going on to our Des Moines trip. I'll continue with that tomorrow.

Before leaving on our trip, I had ordered a "skein winder" from Crazy Monkey Creations, in Colorado Springs, CO. Of course, it did not arrive until after we'd left. I have been anxious to skein up some of my 2 ply yarn from off of the bobbins, so that I could know exactly how many yards of it I had spun, and also to try dyeing it.

My first thing to do on Monday, was to transfer the 2 ply yarn from the 2 bobbins that I had plied them onto, to the skein winder. I had spun 530 yards of white 2 ply yarn (1060 yards of singles, which translates into 3180 feet of spun singles!) . I kind of was impressed with the numbers. :)

Here is my new skein winder and my first 2 skeins of correctly measured and tied skeins......


When dyeing with Kool Aid, there are 2 ways you can go about it....stove top, or microwave. I chose the microwave. You soak your wool to be dyed in water, then transfer it to a container that you have already mixed the Kool Aid into and fill with water to cover the wool. This was my 1st batch to be dyed. It is called Berry Blue (unsweetened!). The bowl is then heated on high for 2 minute intervals, let sit for 2 minutes, and this process is repeated until the water in the bowl is clear and all of the dye is soaked up into the wool.


I didn't process this 1st dye batch long enough, as you can see by the still blue water, but it was sufficiently long enough to dye the wool a beautiful blue.


My 2nd dye color was Lemon Lime. In this photo, you can see the wool soaking in water while I mix the color in another container.


After the color is mixed with water, the soaked wool is then laid into the container and covered with the color mixture. If you are planning on trying this method, DO NOT follow my example of using your hand to push the wool into the mixture......I had a slight green tinge left on my skin and nails after doing this. Of course, the directions I followed also said not to do it, but I "was in the moment", I guess..... :)


After heating this batch for the appropriate time (meaning the water was clear again and all of the dye was in the wool), it is taken out, washed with soapy water, rinsed, and hung to dry.


Notice the water is clear?


My 2 finished, newly dyed skeins of 2 ply yarn. I'm not sure what I am going to knit from them as yet. Any suggestions?

"On the way to Des Moines, IA.......Iowa City Stop....."

We're home from our trip to Des Moines, IA, where we attended a family reunion for Don's mother's side of the family. More on that in a later blog.

This blog entry (10 PHOTOS!) will be of our stop in Iowa City, IA, where Don attended college, and if you remember, we stayed on our drive home from Colorado, a week before the floods hit portions of Iowa, Wisconsin, and other states in the Midwest.

This is the Days Inn where we stayed and which I had posted a photo of in the June 18th blog entry. You're able to see the height/depth(?) that the floodwater's reached along the length of the building. All of the downstairs room doors were open and we were able to see that the interior was all gutted down to the studs of the walls.



This is basically what we saw along the entire business strip.......trash bins, sand bags, and piles of trash taken out of the ground level floors of businesses.


This is the University of Iowa's Library, which is located along side the Iowa River, but up and back from it. Notice the line of sand bags that had protected it.


Another view of the library with the English Philosophy Building in the background, where Don as a freshman gave a speech in Rhetoric 101 to his wide-eyed landlubber Iowa classmates about "growing up on an island". I'm sure that by the time he was done they envisioned something more tropical than suburban.


This is next to the power plant, which is directly on the river. Barely able to be seen, across the river, is the dorm in which Don lived for part of his time while attending U of I. That would not have been flooded because it actually is built up on quite a high bluff.

Across the Iowa River, the Hancher Auditorium (tallest building) and administrative offices/practice rooms (lower building, where Don practiced piano), were hard hit by the flooding.

The following 2 photos are of City Park. As you can see, all of the flood waters have not totally receded as yet.



This is the view of Danforth Chapel, with it's protecting wall of sand bags. While Don attended U of I, he also had helped with sand bagging behind the Union, which is very close to the chapel.

This was our parting photo of a house along the Iowa River, not far from where we stayed.


The damage caused by the flooding is unbelievable. Water is definitely a force to be reckoned with, and I think we normally take this for granted, until we see it's power first hand, or the aftermath of what it has done. This is just one small part of what the flooding did this year........truly amazing!

"Spinning Icelandic Roving....."

I think I may have mentioned before about receiving a sample of Icelandic Wool from Joan out in Rangeley, Maine. If not, then simply told, an offer was made on one of the Yahoo spinning groups that I belong to, that if anyone would like a sample of Icelandic Sheep roving, to write and Joan would send it. I was lucky enough to receive some. I kept putting off spinning it because I wanted to be able to spin a consistently thin "single". I felt it was time to "bite the bullet" and just go ahead and DO IT! I am very happy with how the single has turned out. I "think" I may have attained my goal of a single, that when plied with another single, will give me the correct size for a 2 ply sock yarn.


The "blur" of the flyer whirling around. Shown in the background, are 2 bobbins of 2 ply yarn that I am going to dye.....using Kool Aid. :) I will try that after I get it wound into skeins (my new "skein winder" was shipped yesterday). I'm pretty sure I will be able to use that yarn to knit socks, although they will be a bit thicker than the usual ones.


More whirling of the "flyer".......


This photo gives you a good look at the roving (lying across my leg) before it is spun. It is "drafted" first (fibers are pulled out of the roving and fed bit by bit to be spun). The size of the yarn single depends how much much roving is drafted at a time.


Joan had sent me this "Moorit" color and a Grey, both are natural colors and not dyed. I have been in correspondence with her ever since I received these samples and have just ordered a "raw" fleece from her. She has a moorit colored one, which she will "skirt" (means cuts off some of the really dirty stuff), then ship. The process of washing and carding this raw fleece to be able to spin it, will be as close to the beginning of the "making yarn" as I will be able to get. Madison does not allow sheep as backyard pets........"yet". :)

"Lettuce and Loopers....."

After the tomatoes in the Aero Garden, I planted Romaine Lettuce. I harvested it last night for the first time. I should have begun earlier, but kept putting it off. I have planted lettuce in the many gardens that I have had over the years, and in the greenhouse last year as well, but had never harvested it for some reason or other. So last night was a first! It was delicious! Charlie and Lonny had given Don and I a gift certificate to Vom Fass, a shop of which I have written about before, and we'd brought home a couple of different oils, along with a salad dressing mixer/container. I mixed a dressing, using Sesame Seed Oil and Balsamic Vinegar, salt/pepper, which, I must say was quite good! (as if you could go wrong with those ingredients!) Now, if only we'd had some of those cherry tomatoes, too. :)


This is the other "loopers" rug that I wove for Copper (she has 2 beds). :) Originally, I had thought to weave a rug for the bathroom, which is why I chose these colors, but think having it for her bed works best for now.

"Patrick and Friends....."

After I left my parents house on Saturday, Patrick worked with Sandy at some "chores", then packed up the dogs and went to visit with a couple of high school friends. His friend Chris, lives in Chicago with his wife and son, and was in Michigan visiting his parents. They live on Birch Lake, which is very close to where we lived at our cabin on Lilly lake. Another friend, Kyle, also drove up from South Bend. These photos are courtesy of Chris, who emailed them to Patrick yesterday.

Pictured below from left to right are: Chris, Patrick, who is holding Chris's son, Ryan, and Kyle.


Chris, Patrick, and Ryan. Ryan is certainly a "chip off the old block" when it comes to looking like his father, eh? :)


Perhaps someday Patrick will have a child of his own (I am NOT in a hurry for grandchildren!).......he is wonderful with children.


Sometimes they just don't grow up. :) Boys will be boys.......


Patrick, Chris, and Kyle......

"My Parents Home...."

This is a photo that I took the morning after I arrived in Michigan of my parents home. It is out in the country and has 1 acre with it. It was built back in the early 70's on what was then, either an asparagus or strawberry field. They planted all of the trees, etc. This is not the house that I grew up in....I grew up in town. :(


A full view of the "ranch". :)


Not much has changed in here since the 70's when it was built. Nice carpeting, eh? :) Notice the color variation from where things sat all these years. Each bedroom has the same shag, but of a different color. Sandy and I actually were amazed at how well it has held up. Now everyone can understand just why new carpeting (one kind throughout the house) is going in today. :)


Patrick, along with Morgan (pictured), and his young pup, Odie, came down on Friday to help with going through some of the things as well. His truck was fully packed when he left on Saturday. :)


I mentioned yesterday that the house was now completely cleared out of all that is to be cleared out. We did leave some tools in the workshop, and some other things in the garage, all of which will have to be taken care of if the buyers do not want them left, but that will not be a big chore. It is such a relief to have it finally finished.