We made the last day count!

Adam and I were up early, got chores done, ate breakfast and then discussed what to do for the day.  Adam had been quite intrigued by my knitting machine so today he wanted to learn to knit.  The first thing he noticed was a cone of my acrylic yarn in maroon.  After looking further, he found another cone in a bright gold / yellow.  The colors of the Minnesota Gophers.   And soon the plan for a scarf was underway.  I started a simple 1×1 rib and let Adam knit away.  We had a minor catastrophe after about 160 rows and had to start over. 

Adam's scarf

But soon Adam had knit 250 rows and declared his scarf long enough.  I bound off the stitches and he had a scarf to wear when sledding this winter.  For his next project, he decided to try cotton dishcloths. 

Adam knitting

This is a rather complicated process.  I showed him how to cast on, knit the first row, put a special bar called a comb across the stitches, add weight to hold down the stitches on the needles, set a dial, knit the second row, push in 2 buttons and then begin knitting. 

Adam knitting

The machine has a little counter that gets tripped with each row.  Adam had to watch the counter and at rows 15, 21, 106, 112, and 126 he had to adjust a couple of the buttons.  Then I showed him how to bind off the stitches.  With each dishcloth, he learned more steps and needed me less to help him.  Before long, he could do all the steps without my instruction.  He only needed help if he messed something up.

Dish cloths

By the end of the day, he finished 8 dishcloths – mostly by himself!  He also learned to change yarn and re-thread the machine.  

In mid-afternoon, his Mom, Peggy and brother, Jonathan came.   Adam took them to the barn to see the alpacas and feed them the remainder of the green beans and cucumber peelings.  I looked towards the barn and see Peg and Jonathan in with the alpacas.   Adam had given them a lesson in scooping poop.

Cleaning the alpaca pen

Adam came back in the house and left them to finish the job!  He wanted to prepare for his next demonstration.  Adam then showed his mom and brother that he could knit a dishcloth.  The student had become the teacher!

Jonathan knits

Adam got a dish cloth started and showed Jonathan how to knit and follow the pattern. 

On his own

Jonathan was nearly done, when he had a wee problem and we had to start over. 

Completed dish cloth

Jonathan finished his dish cloth on the second try and I bound it off for him.  He declared it a success!  Adam also showed his Mom how he learned to card fiber.   And lastly, he packed up his overnight bag and took his Lucky Charms cereal and they were off on the long drive back to Wisconsin.  

We had a wonderful time with Adam on the farm.   He was a great helper and a quick learner.   And it was amazing to watch him absorbs new skills and then show them to others.  Thanks for all your hard work, Adam!

Adam’s back

Yesterday we met up with Adam again and he came back to spend another couple days on the farm.  This morning we harvested my indigo plants in the garden.  Cut them off a few inches above ground.  They will send out new shoots and be ready to harvest a couple more times – depending on weather. 

Indigo dyeing

Next we stripped all the leaves from the stems.  Stems go into compost, leaves into the pot.  After a couple hours of cooking, adding ammonia, cooling, adding dye remover and letting the dye vat sit, we added the yarn and kept the pot at about 120 degrees.  Adam seemed disappointed to see me squeeze the dye from the yarn.

Just out of the indigo bath

We had talked about indigo being the color of blue jeans.  Adam said, ‘Looks like we picked bad indigo.’

Indigo coming through

But before I could even get the water squeezed out, the yarn was turning blue.  Once most of the water out, I gave the skein to Adam.

Give the yarn some air

He swung the yarn in the air.  The oxygen makes the indigo turn blue.  He said it was amazing.  It is one of the coolest things I’ve done in the dyeing arena.  Amazes me every time!  Once dry, they will get a vinegar bath and then dry again. 

In the meantime…

On the mower

the lawn needed mowing.  Adam got right on that job.   Our yard if mostly flat, so it is nice and safe for mowing. 

This is our shearing table.  Every year when we shear, someone remarks that it would be so much easier to sweep off the fiber between alpacas if the table were painted. 

Painting the table

Adam was on the job.  With some paint leftover from when we painted out dining room, the shearing table is now a nice color called ‘Goose Feathers’! 

While the indigo was cooking, was supper was being made and during a few other down times, Adam was back at the ball winder.

Winding yarn

He took 4 of the skeins that he wound last week (and I dyed) into balls. 

Balls of yarn

Now they are ready for me to knit into mittens!  After supper, Adam showed us his album of photos from his trip to Australia.  They are extra special when he tells about each one.  And now, it is time for ice cream!  YUM!

Finishing up WiPs

Soap.  Done!

Soap Rack

I felted the last scent of soap yesterday and got it labeled and ready for sale today.  I have Honey Bar, Jasmine Neroli, Vanilla, Stud Suds, Lemon, Patchouli, and Lavender.  You can find them all in my online store  or at the farmer’s markets and craft shows.

Yesterday I also dyed all the yarn that Adam had wound into skeins. 

Newly dyed

Five skeins of variegated  – red, teal, purple, black and green.  These will probably become mittens, headbands and/or scarves.  They are larger skeins that were the end of cones. 

Multi-colors

Five skeins of multiple colored yarn.    These are smaller skeins, so a couple may go to the sale rack.  The others will become headbands or maybe wrist warmers.   Adam wound all 10 of these skeins!  He was a great helper. 

I also got these labeled, listed and on the sales shelf!

Wrist warmers

These are 100% alpaca felted wrist warmers in a large size.   I call them my manly-man wrist warmers.  Great for ice fishing, hunting, shoveling s*** (you know, that S-word we won’t mention just yet!)

A half day and gone

This morning after chores, Darryl and Adam headed out to cut down a tree that had died a while ago. 

Load of wood

This is the load that they brought to the back yard.  We’ll use for a camp fire.   They also delivered several loads of green branches to the compost pile.  (no pictures, I just stay out of their way sometimes!)

Parking the Ranger

After that job was done, Adam got a little lesson in backing the Ranger into the barn and parking it. 

More soap felting

Today’s soap scent was Lemon Lift.  Again Adam did 3 bars felted in brown fiber.  He also put the labels on yesterday’s batch. 

Winding skeins of yarn

He started on this project last night and continues now.  See the cone of yarn on the floor?  That is being wound into the skein on the skein winder.  This is the first step in preparing the yarn for dyeing. 

Soon this day with Adam will end.  His Mom is picking him up to spend the next week camping with her, his brother, and his grandparents.  But wait, there will be more!   He’ll be coming back here next Saturday night to finish up his stint with us!  We need to rest to keep up with him!

Day #2 for the hired hand!

Well, today actually started last night!  Regular readers may remember this:

Skeins of yarn

This pile of yarn is destined to be wrist warmers, but first…

Winding into balls

The skeins must be wound into balls.  On the left, the skein winder is whirling so fast you can’t even see the black yarn on it.  But on the ball winder in front of Adam, you can see the ball taking shape. 

Balls of yarn

Soon Adam had wound all 22 skeins into 22 neat balls.  He said I could save this job for him to do whenever I needed to.   This morning started another work day.

Feeding the alpacas

Morning chores included feeding the cucumber peelings to the alpacas.  They like their veggies!

Washing windows

Next was a big job!  Washing windows – and we have a lot in our house.  Darryl did inside and the high ones.  Adam did the low ones. 

Cleaning screens

Even the screens got a cleaning.  As fast as Darryl could take them out and put them back, Adam had them all vacuumed clean.  What a great team they were today.   Adam is honing is felting skills.

Felting Soap

Here he is working on the last bar of today’s batch of soap.   Yesterday the scent was Stud Suds, today was Patchouli.  Though it may look the same, each day’s scent is different. 

Completed soap

And here is the finished product for today – drying outside.  Adam did the 3 bars felted with brown fiber.   He’s got the skill and nearly the speed to go pro!   After lunch, it was back to the garden.

Tomatoes and cucumbers

I found another bucket of tomatoes and three cucumbers on the floor.   I saw Adam coming from the garden with….

A sack of potatoes

this sack of potatoes he and Darryl had dug.   Soon we were off to the Becker Farmer’s Market.

Farmer's Market

Adam helped me set up for the market and hung out with me for a couple hours.  Then Darryl came into town and brought him home where he mowed the back lawn.   When I got home Adam was busy at the carder.

Carding fiber

Adam had set a goal to card 2 more batts of brown fiber and 2 batts of black.  We needed more black for the soap we will felt in the morning.  And that is it for Day #2.  Whew!  I’m tired.  Adam is still going!

Day #1 for the hired hand!

My nephew, Adam, arrived last night at about 8:30, so today was his first day of working on the farm.  Here is his day in pictures! 

Doing chores

First job of the day was to do alpaca chores – feeding and cleaning up the poo pile. 

Carding Fiber

Next Adam carded some fiber to use for felting soap. 

Felting Soap

Then the newly carded alpaca fiber is wrapped around bars of soap and with agitation, the fiber shrinks and felts onto the soap.  It works like having your washcloth already on your soap.  Adam did a very nice job. 

Hooking up the cart

After that, Adam and Darryl hooked up  the cart of hay to the Ranger.  This is hay the alpacas didn’t eat and is destined to go to the neighbor’s horses.

Ranger

Look who is driving !   But just on our driveway! 

Ranger on the driveway

They are heading out the driveway to bring the hay to the neighbors.

Mowing grass

Then Adam mowed the weeds and clover in the pasture. 

In the garden

 A short time in the garden produced a bucket of cherry tomatoes and some dead potato bugs.  I don’t think squishing potato bugs was on Adam ‘favorites’ list.  And all that was before lunch. 

Cleaning steps

 There were lots of weeds in the step of our retaining walls and they had to go.  After lunch Adam was on the job, pulling or cutting out the weeds. 

Clean steps

 Then some sand had to be added to fill in the holes left from pulling the weeds. 

Cleaning the bird bath

 The birds will be happy to have a nice clean bird bath.   And Adam got a nice cool shower from the neck up.  Then it was time to go to the farmer’s market.   

Farmer's Market

 We spent the afternoon and early evening at our booth at the farmer’s market.   And that was Adam’s first day on the job at the farm!  Let’s see what tomorrow will bring!

Let’s do the alpaca shuffle

We’ve had some shuffling of alpacas here of late.   Honie and her daughter, Caramelita, who are owned by Sawtooth Star Alpacas moved to Glacial Ridge Alpacas to be with the other alpacas of Sawtooth Star.   Carley and Annie spent a while at Rum River Alpacas, but they are back home now. 

Annie M

They were visiting to get bred by Lockhart’s Duke and that appears to have been successful for both females. 

Carley

In the meantime, Georgie and Spotsie were home being bred by our Vagabond.

Georgie

If all goes well, each of our females should deliver a cria in spring of 2012.

Spotsie Dotsie

Now we’re looking for new homes for them with other alpaca breeders, so I can concentrate more on the fiber side of the industry.  You can see their sale pages here.

Tonight our ‘hired hand’ arrives.  My 12-year-old nephew traveled to Australia last month and in exchange for help with the tuition for his trip, he will spend some time working on our farm.   Stay tuned to see his adventures.

Our next show

First, I want to thank all of you who stopped by to visit us at Braham Pie Day last week.  It was HOT and HUMID, but the pie was yummy!  We had a great time chatting with everyone.  Even in the heat, people were fun and friendly.  We look forward to going there again next year. 

Next up, the St. Michael Daze and Knights festival.  The craft fair is on Saturday, Aug 13, from 10 AM – 4 PM.  We will be there with all our alpaca products!   We hope you will come for the parade, or the midway, or food.  Whatever your reason, please stop by and see us in craft fair area.   We look forward to meeting you and making new friends.

Works in Progress

Nearly done:

Nine pair of wrist warmers

The cream and green pairs are complete.  The mustard yellow just need the frilly edge and seams sewn.  They will be listed soon!

In the middle:

Ten cat toys

These will be cat toys.  The felted outside just needs to dry a little longer.  Then I will stuff with cat nip and a jingle bell and sew up the hole. 

On the horizon:

22 skeins of yarn

This will become wrist warmers some day soon.

This Friday, Aug 5 is Pie Day in Braham.  We will be there!  Please come and check out our booth. 

Next Saturday, Aug 13 is the St Michael Daze and Knights festival.  We’ll be there too!

I’m starting to sign up for fall craft shows, so keep an eye on the Events page  of my website so you don’t miss out.