Unexpected Death

I found out Friday, as I was setting up a booth for Skylark Yarns at an alpaca show in Illinois, that my oldest brother Gary was found dead on his front porch. An autopsy is being performed, and the funeral is this week in New Hampshire. I am sad, and cannot believe my generous and kind-hearted older brother is no longer with us. I am choosing to remember his smile and laughing blue eyes.

The skies may still be blue, but I can't see them.

Rim Trail

The second day of our weekend, and the anniversary of my arrival on the planet, we chose to visit Bryce Canyon National Park. This spectacular place is just ethereal. Wind and water have eroded the surrounding layers, leaving hard sandstone forms called Hoodoos. They remind me of the sandcastles tops you make at the beach by dripping wet sand onto your castle turrets.

In keeping with my new mantra from a very wise woman, Eleanor Roosevelt, "Do one thing every day that scares you," I decided to walk the rim trail with my daughter. Now understand this. Miss Eleanor did not say "Do one thing that scares the living daylights out of you, so much so that you can barely stand your knees are knocking so much." But I did it for the love of my daughter. She asked, expecting a No, and when I surprised her with a Yes, her delight was so evident I could not back down.

The trail was scary but exquisite in it's views. We saw a lovely arch/window that the park folk call a grotto. Can you see it in the center of this photo?

When they named it the Rim Trail, they really meant it. See the lower left corner of this photo? That's the rim. But I did it. And it was exhilarating. And I only teared up once, when the trail narrowed to 2 feet, with a 300 foot drop on one side, and an 1800 foot drop on the other. Daughter held my hand. It was empowering for her, and totally necessary for me.

This lovely place draws visitors from all over the world. In fact, we met folks that day from Japan, German, and the Netherlands. It's the kind of place you can't say, hey, stop in if you are ever in the area. But it's magnificence will humble you if you take the time to seek it out.

Blue skies,

Lark

Weekend in the West

Every fall, our school district gives the kids an extended weekend. This year, we decided to show My Good Man what the West is really like. We headed south to the sandstone that is so distinctive.

But before we got to the spectacular Bryce Canyon, we stopped at Cove Fort. This historic place was built of volcanic stone on the outside, and limestone on the inside. The walls are four feet thick at the base and taper down to two feet at the top of the 18 foot high walls. Originally built as a wayside to protect travelers from harm, no battles were ever fought here.

The interesting thing about the fort is how you can almost hear the travelers gathered around the tables in the kitchen/dining room. Can you imagine what an exciting life a child would have had here, hearing stories from visitors hailing from all over, and new ones every night? In the days before radio, tv, and internet, that musta been sumthin'. And I love the view outside the walls, which pretty much remains untouched today. Gotta love the openness out here.

Oh, KIP'ing took place too. More tomorrow on Bryce. Blue skies!

Marvelous Mim

Last night I had the pleasure of hearing (or is that seeing?) a very talented lace designer and friend, Miriam Felton, present at the local knitting guild meeting. To a very well-filled room of interested folks, Mim held forth everything from her reasons for becoming a knitter to her favorite needles. She showed us where her inspiration comes from--which is of course, the natural beauty of Utah. She has long been fascinated with positive and negative space and how light and dark interplay to create a sum of more than the parts. She showed a lovely trunk show of her exquisite pieces. Mim is very approachable, passionate about her work, and wanting to convert everyone to practice the joy of knitting lace.

You can find Mim's work in the November issue of IK, as well as a book due out in January called Sensual Knits, and on her web site. There you can find out more about her teaching schedule. She's fun and unpretentious. I know you'll love her style!

One more thing: anyone there last night is welcome to use the following code (SLKG10) for a discount on purchases made at Skylark Yarns. Blue skies~

Mitts with Style and Color!

Just in time for the cool weather, I spent the weekend fine tuning an easy new pattern for these Lace Rib Fingerless Mitts, worked here one skein of our new Pearls yarn, as hand dyed by Anne of Wooly Wonka fame. This lovely understated blue colorway reminds me of the Skyline Drive. We decided to name it such. Anne's got a GREAT color sense.

This yarn over dyes really well, according to Anne. (Sadly, my dye space is not yet set up.) So she's played with it and created two other colorways, Purple Haze and Sage Hills.

I should have the pattern posted to the site tonight, free with a skein of Pearls. I LOVE to knit.

Blue skies,

Lark

A new baby

We have had another alpaca born this week. A boy, great big 19.4 lb boy, with great mahogany coloring.

Straight, healthy, lustrous. Just the way we like 'em! Oh, and stinkin' cute to boot!

Blue skies!

What Love Is

Every morning, my new husband rises out of bed before me to prepare for his day. He's an early riser, someone who could have the job of waking the birds. Later, much later, I head to the shower, blind with sleep, about 5:30 a.m.

So, here's the thing: my Good Man is very meticulous about leaving me a fresh towel each morning, within reach of my hand as I open the shower door. It's not that the towel isn't there on the towel rack behind the door. It's that he places it on the hook just outside the shower for me. I just realized this week what love that shows. For him to consciously think of me, and care for me even when he is off to work in such a seemingly insignificant way is extremely humbling. You know what? The realization has me scrambling to find ways to "love" him consciously. It truly is the little things.

I think that is what many marriages today miss, and why the divorce rate is so high. Imagine if we were to look to the comfort and care of our spouses first, to expect more FROM ourselves on their behalf than we expect FROM them. I know. It's a hard concept to grasp, and popular culture doesn't want us to find it because it sells no product if we fill each other's needs at home.

I say: buck the trend. Do it for no good reason. The results might surprise you.

Blue skies!

Alpaca Day

This Saturday is National Alpaca Day. Since these amazing animals are playing such a big role in my life right now, I thought you should know that this is a great chance to get up close and personal. If you are local to Salt Lake City, here's a place you can go to see some Suri alpacas.

The farm belongs to Jill Bergman, a friend of mine and fellow Suri breeder. I hope you can get down to see it. Here are directions and an idea of what the day will hold at Jill's. If you are not local, check out this link to find a farm near you that will be hosting an open house.

When you get into Alpine, turn right on 200 North
Go one block and turn left on 200 East (becomes Grove Drive)............Will be a sign .............(one mile)...............
1251 Grove Drive .......They'll see it!

As far as what kinds of things I'll have going on:
Kids Activities (Blow-up slide, train, face painting, pin the tail on the alpaca)
Raffles every hour (win an alpaca.........................stuffed of course!)
Take a picture with an alpaca
Alpaca Products
The Suri Video
Name that cria
A Master Weaver
A Spinner
A Potter (hmmmmmmmmmmm...................)
Food
Music

Blue skies!

The beauty of failure

I was attempting to create a photo for an ad that would show off Cheryl's lovely Diamond Illusions lace stole and our sterling silver alpaca jewelry. This photo doesn't work for the intended purpose, obviously, but dang, isn't she beautiful?

Sometimes, there's really beauty in failure. Sometimes, it's quick to show itself. Sometimes, we have to look really hard for it. Sometimes, it takes years of eroding falsely held beliefs before the beauty appears.

Today, I am savoring the beauty of this 'failed' photo. Hoping you find beauty in your failures. Blue skies.

There and Back Again

We did it. We married. We honeymooned. We are slowly integrating back into the reality of work, school, and life in general. (Translation: Still bliss, but with dishes!)

Because I do like to keep busy, I thought to myself "Hey, moving, prepping houses, getting married, heck, why not start a business?" Actually, I've been thinking about doing it for over a year now, and I can proudly say we are open. What KIND of business? Well, yarns, jewelry, and alpacas, of course.

Last weekend at the Great Basin Fiber Arts Fair, we unveiled our work. Here is one of our first patterns made with our new Luminescence yarn. It's an alpaca /soy silk / bamboo blend. Incredibly soft and lustrous. The Poet's Shrug, as seen on my nearest willing model.

And my very talented friend Cheryl designed two wonderful patterns for Skylark Yarns as well.


This is the Moonlit Eve vest pattern, which is a comfortable and beautiful and so well-fitting!There is also a lovely lacy stole designed by Cheryl, but you'll have to visit http://www.skylarkyarns.com/ to see it! I hope you'll visit and let us know what you think. For your trouble, use the coupon code GBFAF20 at checkout, and receive 20% off your order!

So see? I have been busy doing stuff besides what you THOUGHT I was doing all summer.

Blue skies,

Lark

Soundtrack for yesterday

Out of the tree of life, I just picked me a plum,

You came along and things really started to hum,

Still it's a real good bet the best is yet to come....

~~And~~

Blue skies, smiling at me, nothing but blue skies do I see....

Wishing all of you the bluest of skies from honeymoon bliss somewhere in the middle of America with My Good Man, now Husband,

Lark

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