The Day of Praise

Today we received an AMAZING wedding present...one of our alpacas delivered our first cria! She is a healthy 17 pound perfectly conformed girl with such spunk and presence, it takes your breath away to see her in person. Though stills can't do her justice, you have to see what perfection she is. (I wonder if I'll wax poetic over my grandkids someday--taking bets, anyone?)
Born today at a10:40 a.m., our Praise.


She's full of fun and energy right from the start. This is less than 10 hours after birth.All the ladies in the neighborhood had to come say hello and offer kisses.


Look at that presence! Here I am world!

We decided to name her Sonny's Peruvian Pinto Praise, or Praise for short. Her sire was Blazen Son, she's full Peruvian, she's a multi-colored pinto, and we feel so blessed to have had a healthy baby and a girl to boot! There really was no other name for her. Though I did toy for a while with Sugar Cookie and Cutie Patootie. Okay, now I am just embarrassing myself. Sigh!
Blue skies,

Lark

Pack, Pack, Pack, Breathe

Breathe in.

Empty old house.

Clean it.

Throw reception early for dear friends.

Breathe out.

Days pass.

Breathe in.

Gather backpacks full of first aid kits and bug spray for summer adventures, get bathing suits, remember shoes for the wedding, where is that birth certificate?

Breathe out.

Put children on planes.

Breathe in.

Remember to pack wedding dress, birth certificate, rings, knitting for the plane.

Believe that soon, breathe in and breathe out will be together again.

Wishing you blue skies wherever you go this summer,

Lark

Shoes for the dress

Went looking for shoes to wear with my wedding dress this past week. I just couldn't see Candies slides with high heels and my Celtic dress. Wanted a simple white espadrille or something like it. But I think I found something better.

Birkenstock's just never fail me. I am hippie in my soul...

Blue skies,

Lark

Stellaaaaaaa!!!

Well, I know you are thinking of Mahlon Brandoh right now, but all I can think about is my little Stella Moona! Thank you all for your comments of encouragement. The internet at the hotel was really crappy, I think they had an old 286 with a 256K modem or something. But everyone was very friendly there, calling each other Miss Charlotte, or Miss Kim, which I found charming, so I forgive them.

Stella, cutie patootie, She took a second place at the Nationals! Woot, as my kids say. She was first in conformation, an excellent thing. But her fleece is so fine that the judge put her in second place because the fleece is not locking. After switching her to second, she said we were tied, and that the comparison had to go to fineness to break the tie. But we still tied on fineness, so the judge had to go to lock. And that is where Stella lost the first place. But we knew that going into it, so we are thrilled to know that she was first place for conformation! Fleece is the easiest characteristic to improve with breeding.

Plus, we had at least seven really well respected judges and breeders come by to take a look at her. They were all impressed with her coloring and luster. And the last breeder I met today as I walked around looking at females, said when I introduced myself, "Oh, I know who you are, someone told me about you and your little shorn girl. Where is she? I want to see her." As soon as he put his hands on her, he said, "Wow, she really is fine."

It's really fun to know we have such a great girl to start our farm.

Now, Carol has tagged me but my exceedingly long week is catching up and tomorrow I have to be interested and oh, yeah, awake at work. So it's beddie bye time for me.

Blue skies,

Lark

Nerve and Nerves

Well, we're here in Louisville, or Luhvahl, as the locals say. We had the nerve, the Nerve, the NERVE to bring our tiny but adorable Stella Moona out into the great wide world at a National show. The National Show.

Which explains why it's one plus a.m. and I have not slept a wink. I keep thinking about everything I've learned here, everything I've seen and wondering about what will be revealed tomorrow.

Today, I ran into a wonderful fiber judge who is not here officially judging for Stella's class. Which meant he was able to look at her fiber sample (which must be taken from a particular region on the animal), and to look at Stella in the flesh too. He was quite impressed with her, and confirmed her coloring as Dark Rose Gray. There are twenty possible colors, well, make that 20 official colors. DRG is a very rare and sought after color right now. So our tiny little nekked Stella is not just sweet but potentially valuable.

Tomorrow morning, I will enter the show barn, feed and water her, take her for a walk to stretch her out, wipe her with a rubber mitt, then wipe her face with a damp washcloth so she's ready for her closeup. Before 2 p.m. tomorrow, she may earn a ribbon at National, a very prestigious thing.

This is the thing that is keeping me up tonight. A case of the nerves. The wonder and marvel of this being my life unfolding in a new direction. As Katherine of It All says, "Yes, kittens." I wanted to share this case of nerves with y'all (another L'ville phrase).

I keep telling myself, "you can't go swimming if you don't get wet".

Blue skies, she wrote late in the night

Hands and Rings

When I was younger, I was uncomfortable with my hands. They were unlovely, to put it plainly. Large knuckles, short nails. Rings never looked right. But time passes. As I've grown older, my hands have become a bit of a pride. I love the confidence I get when I attempt something new and achieve a reasonable outcome. My hands have knit, sewn, cooked, washed, loved and loved some more.

When My Good Man and I went looking for wedding bands, we were underwhelmed by the lack of spirit we saw in them. Any ring will speak of the bond, but we just couldn't find any hint of the passion of life.

So we went looking for a goldsmith. I sketched out a few ideas for him, in a rudimentary way.

I also gave the goldsmith this stitchery I did a few years ago. I went out one day and bought all 248 some odd colors of DMC perle cotton and just started stitching. It's just an image from my head, but it celebrates the western landscape. We wanted to capture the joy our alpacas have given us, honor the land, and have it all in a ring representing our love. I have always admired wide rings, maybe because I have hands that fit my 5 foot 10 frame.As we look for a ranch property, I am beginning to think that it might look like this stitchery. Almost as though my heart envisioned my future a few years ago and my fingers made the dream tangible.

And here is the result of this collaboration between my head, My Good Man's heart, and a talented goldsmith. I think they capture the passion of our hearts beautifully, don't you?

This week, as we attend our first alpaca show with our own alpacas, we hope that others will like the images on them too. In addition to using them as our own wedding bands, we are hoping to sell these to other alpaca ranchers, in gold, silver, or platinum. I love the idea of sharing the love. Crazy thought, eh?

Blue skies,

Lark

Shearing Alpaca

Last night My Good Man and I went to see Stella Moona, one of our alpacas. We met the shearer there, the brother of a former co-worker who knows summat bout shearing pacas. Scott did a wonderful job, and was very helpful in explaining how the process would proceed, how I should help, where to place myself, how to hold her. My Good Man did the photography.

Here she is before shearing. Sweet but kind of fluffy, not a good thing for a Suri alpaca. We are shearing her to show her for conformation. And to keep her cool for the summer. Her fleece is exceedingly fine, which is why it looks so fluffy.

While Scott buzzed off her locks, I had to hold her head. Her feet were stretched front and back to keep her and Scott from injury. At one point, Scott told me to hold her ears to stretch her neck out so the skin there would be taut. I didn't want to just grab them, but he told me they make the best handles. Ouch!

And here she is after shearing. Looks a little put out, standing there all nekked and in the altogether, eh?
Blue skies,

Lark

Remember Meadowlark?

Thanks to everyone who posted about the dress. I love it!

I posted a while back about Meadowlark, my new Majacraft Suzie I bought secondhand. She arrived and sat while we worked on the kitchen. When I opened the box, I was so excited to try her out. But something was very wrong from the first treadle. So I brought her to the dealer here and discovered that she had been dinged during shipment by a forklift through the side of the box! Seriously dinged. Dinged such that she cannot be repaired without $275 in parts.

Thankfully, the seller, a marvelous woman, had insured her for the purchase price and I have decided to buy new rather than repair. I just worry that a repair might not be the same as new, and I want a wheel that can sing her song with me.

So, here I am, wheel-less again. I wonder if I can make it to Estes Park this year. I have never been and would so like to go. Has anyone been? Do they have wheels to try and buy there?
I'd like to buy local, but there are some makers who are not carried locally. And I only have room for one wheel in my life.

Blue skies,

Lark

The Dress

What do you wear for a second wedding?

You're past the ball gown, Cinderella stage. Or maybe you were the sleek, slim sophisticate in a skimming chiffon slip dress. Well, no longer feeling the need for a ball gown, and no longer being sleek and slim, I wanted something more, well, me.

First, we were going to get married here in my garden. I have a lovely old willow tree with a huge 3 foot trunk that graces the yard, roses and a grape arbor, you know--do the whole backyard party thing with a few (80) of my closest friends and family. I thought sundresses and sandals and chocolate-dipped strawberries and lots of champagne on a lovely western June evening. But, things evolve.

Now we have decided to fly to Michigan for the wedding, so My Good Man's Mum can be there, and my family from New Hampshire. My children are scattering to various adventures and commitments from there, so we will return to a newly remodeled, though quiet love nest for the summer.

So, even though the wedding will not be in the garden, instead in a small chapel outside Detroit, I still wanted a dress that said 'me'. This is my compromise, which really is none at all, because it's soft and fluid rayon, with an off-beat style, yet the white makes it bridal, a symbol of the purity of our love. I know my Mom won't care for it being white, but I feel brand new in this love, and white it shall be.

Blue skies,

Lark

What we expect vs. reality

The television has spoiled our sense of time.

Martha makes fluffy cheesecakes from eggs she gathers at the beginning of the show from her chicken hutch encircled with a fence she's thrown together from willow-branch-prunings in a kitchen where the perfect pan is always available (and clean, no less!). Extreme Makeover bulldozes the old and builds a new home in 54 hours or some ridiculous time. Home Depot (secretly becoming Home Despot, as in wielding tyrannical power, in my heart) sings the siren song of "you can do it, we can help."

So that when we begin to work on our own spaces, we expect huge, wondrous, miraculous changes without despair, wailing or gnashing of teeth. If you will then indulge me further, I beg your forgiveness. Please forgive me for being proud of this kitchen countertop. I think it sets off the "hand placed 2 and 1/4" plank by 2 and 1/4" plank by yours truly and My Good Man's Excellent Friend hardwood (think: hardwon ) floor excellently.

This, as my blood blisters from mis-directed hammers and snugly clamped boards attest, is hard-gained, but OH, so satisfactory. And my 47-man camera, grip and costume crew so nicely stayed out of the picture!!!
And while I was hammering, what does Artistic Child do? The dishes at our house. With the aid of creative eyes and a camera, the painful task is ameliorated. (Sorry, use of unusual vocabulary words is becoming a competitve sport about the abode).


Well, maybe you had to be there to find Joy in the Process....

Blue skies!

Progress (or another step closer to fiber)

I will, I Will, I WILL get back to fiber content on this page one day. Thanks to each of you who have kept on reading, and commenting, and forgive my lack of responsiveness as I trek yet again to the lumberyard....

For now, you can see the progress of the new kitchen.


This is bar none the most amazing thing...to make improvements to a house BEFORE you move in, that you will enjoy before passing it on. How novel a concept. Every other home I have owned has been retrofitted and spiffed exactly one week before selling. Not quite sure what that says about me.

I think it speaks more to the fact that I was raised in the military, so I have this need to rearrange my living room every six months, just to feel "at home". The military life as a kid teaches you lots of things, such as:

The immediacy of friendships--be kind now, tomorrow you may be moving.

Happiness is where your people are--housing is something to keep the rain out.

Travel light--memories weigh less than possessions.

So do forgive if it seems odd, but I feel like a princess or editor of a home improvement show or even like someone in a magazine makeover layout. But the opulence of doing something just for me and mine to use and enjoy--call Webster's: there is a new definition for decadence.

Blue skies!

Early Wedding Gift

My Good Man has given me an early wedding gift. Remember how I told you my company had been sold again? I have been thinking of leaving and starting a fiber-related business of my own.

To ease the transition from full employee to full-time business, I looked around for something more creative and found an opportunity where I will write web content, marketing materials and catalog copy for a company in the paper crafting industry. Think rubber stamps, altered books, a new box of crayons in essence.

The opportunity is part time, and the early wedding gift I am getting from My Good Man is the encouragement to take it. Three things:
1. I will be covered on his insurance after the wedding.
2. I will have time to pursue my fiber-related business. (As my kids say, does it begin with an 'A' and end with a 'paca' Mom? Smart girls!)
3. My Good Man is creating a fiber studio in our new home for my use. If this is a dream, I don't want to wake up.

I only have one question:

How do you wrap undying gratitude?

Blue skies!

Meet Meadowlark

I want you all to meet Meadowlark.Yes, this is a picture I pilfered directly from the Majacraft New Zealand website. But since she began life there, I figured they wouldn't mind. I can't find my digital camera amidst the construction zone right now, so this is as good as it gets.

She joined me in spirit the weekend I was in California, meeting alpaca ranchers and sheep farmers. Her name is after the meadowlarks which have such sweet evening song out here in the west country. She arrived last week, but has not yet been out of her box.

She spent the first years of her life on a sheep farm, owned by a lovely woman, Sherry Carlson. I had the very distinct pleasure to meet Sherry in February on a visit to her farm. If you want to see the most AMAZING sheep, visit her website http://www.wensleydalesheep.com/index.htm

Unfortunately, her fleeces are sold, but she does have a waiting list and I am officially on it.

There will be an end to the construction. There will be an end to the wedding planning, culminating in a day of great joy. And then there will be time for me to listen to Meadowlark's song. Blue skies!

What HAVE you been doing, hmmm...?

That's a most excellent question.

First, no knitting to speak of. Well, not true, I've actually redone one short row heel three times on a sock. Just can't seem to get it smooth enough to suit. I am sure it CAN be done, but maybe just not by me.

Second, preparing to take this lovely little creature, our Bay Black suri alpaca Stella, to the show in Denver. That means:

- wean from mama

- train on halter


-make arrangements for transportation, lodging, registration, etc.

Look at that face! She is STINKING cute, stinking I tell you!


Third, been helping settle teens into registration for summer and next fall, planning for summer adventures (one is off to Montreal for an immersion experience with a multi-lingual friend. She's to be their nanny for ma petite chou Angelique, a darling 6 year old). The other is off to paint with Judgie in Florida (my father trained at the Art Institute of Boston in Watercolor).

Four, oh yeah, remember ordering the kitchen post? Well, it's here. And there. And pretty much all over the house. Picked paint and lighting fixtures this week. Installation begins next week.

Five, remember I will have to prep my house for sale or rent to raise it to the standards that pretty much anyone else would require at a minimum, she snorted.

Six, the place I work has been sold AGAIN. Fourth name change in five years of employ, no stress there, none at all, she snorted again!

Seven, lest we forget, we need to squeeze a wedding in somewhere here. Okay, how does the 23rd of June sound? Great. Where? What time? Who officiates? Guests, attire, yard work prior....

My life is full AND wonderful AND happy. Pass along some love to someone you know today. Heck, just smile at a grocery clerk. It's spring, the sun is out, life is good.

Blue skies!

Love! and patterns

Okay. I've done nothing recently. EXCEPT:

-Pick cabinets, counter and flooring for a new kitchen in My Good Man's home which desperately needed renovation to be resold, but which we have decided to inhabit when ready.

-Shepherd two teens through the process of accelerating in school (they WANT to go to summer school to be more open for electives in the fall <>) One is skipping a grade.

-Go to awards banquets where they have won leadership and go-getter awards (which I must say makes this single mom feel pretty dang good about herself, even if they do have messy rooms)

-Take a toe up sock class with a wonderfully fun teacher (thanks Tan!)

-I have completed the Bubble Wrap fingerless mitts. I can share the pattern if anyone is interested.

Today, be sure to spread the joy you have in you with everyone you meet. Not just those you love. You never know the power positive energy may have on the balance of another's life.

Blue skies!

I signed up for this

My Good Man just sent me an email:

I just heard on the radio that a woman was seen on the highway by police to be knitting while driving; that wasn’t you was it? The policeman jumped in his car and chased after her. He finally got along side of her and rolled down his window and shouted to her “PULL OVER” she shouted back; “NO SOCKS!”

At least he knows what I do in a day, what floats my boat, what to buy me for gifts....

And if I could, I'd sign up with him all over again!

Blue skies!

Bags of Color

Do you ever just get the urge to mess with color? I get such a creative rush out of looking at color everywhere. Even these brushes from my studio excite when empty. So many possibilities.



Speaking of color, I just had to share my joy in this new screaming orange-pumpkin-terracotta-red rock sandstone-audacious barbeque sauce leather bag. Probably the most fun purchase I have made for myself in a long time. Technically, it is a satchel, but it is my new knitting satchel. Consider this the before picture. There will be an after picture when all modifications have been made. Shhhh... it must remain a secret.



The felted tote that wants to be a dachshund bag and evolves even as we speak is shown here. I cast on 54 stitches with doubled Brown Sheep wool on size 10.5 29" circular needles. Then I knit 18 rows. Picked up stitches at the short end, all along the cast on edge, and finished by picking up stitches at the other short side and am now knitting in the round. It seemed bland to just do stripes, so I am doing a checkerboard using fair isle colorwork. This thing is 3 sts to the inch, so it works up quickly. I plan to line it after felting so that there are no loose yarn carrys to catch.
The bottom was done in garter stitch.



Next up, something in intarsia, methinks.

Blue skies!

Knitting and Life

Sorry to have been silent for so long. Today, I delivered a Bubble Wrap Cap in a deep chocolate brown alpaca to my good friend from work, Jaimee. He was so excited to receive it! It has been very cold here and he has a shaved head. Of course, as I finished it Friday evening, My Good Man said, "Hey, when do I get one of those?" So, guess what I am casting on tonight.

I have fussed and fought with ideas for a felted tote recently, as I have a great quantity of Brown Sheep wool that has decided it will never be a sweater. I think I cast on no less than 15 times, each time sure that the envisaged size, shape, final form and handles were exactly what the mind dictated. My Good Man watched as I kept casting on and ripping out, knitting 10 rows with a vengeance, then sighing and pulling it off the needles. Finally, as we watched the SuperBowl, I began to make progress. Now, we shall see. I have picked up all the stitches round the base of the bag and am knitting up from there. It's going to be a tote. But my youngest suggested I make a dachshund bag, you know, long and squat. So we will just see where it goes. I think Elizabeth Zimmerman called this knitting empirically.

Can't argue with the Sensei of the Needles, now, can I?

Blue skies!

Show your Wallpaper!

This is in response to:

1. A prompt from Carole to show my wallpaper.

2. Not having a new pattern ready to post yet.

3. Being sick for the last two weeks.

This is taken in the backcountry of Utah by a co-worker's friend. If you are still, you can hear the quiet as you look at this. It gives me a peaceful place to rest in the chaos of the day.

Blue skies, Lark

Arrowhead Challenge Mitts

The SnB group is having an anniversary party! We were asked to create an item using less than $10 of yarn and the Arrowhead Lace pattern. I decided on fingerless mitts. These are made in Frog Tree Alpaca worsted weight, size 7 needles, my own pattern. Recognize the yarn? I had an extra ball left after making My Good Man's mum's Forest Canopy Shawl for Christmas. It's only a 69 yard ball, and I had some leftover. Not knowing how far the yarn would go, I opted for shorter cuffs. I think I would make them two rounds longer.

At the celebration, you are to bring a bag with your gift and take a bag that is not your gift. Then we will open them, gush and swoon and ask for patterns.

Unfortunately for me, I have to be out of town all week for business and will miss the party. However, I will contribute these.

The other way we are celebrating our blessings is to bring a new package of panties in our size to contribute to the local women's shelter. People always donate clothing, but don't think to donate underwear, and it is desperately needed. All year round.

Blue skies!