BYFC - Random Tip #2

Would you really like to knit a sweater, but are too intimidated to try?  Make a teddy bear sweater first!  You are probably going to make a mistake or two, but if you have to rip it out and try something again and maybe even a third (or fourth) time, you are only ripping out a small amount of knitting, not a crying amount whole month  of knitting.

There are quite a few patterns on Ravelry and other places online.  You can try raglan sleeves, drop sleeves, top down or bottom up, sweaters in the round or in flat pieces...

I wanted to try a cable sweater and picked this fun one for Chocula Chip.

Tiny sweaters are also a great way to test your handspun yarn for suitability in a bigger project...but that's a tip for another day ;-).

Bluegrass Yarn And Fiber Crawl - Random Tip #1

Today starts the 2026 Bluegrass Yarn and Fiber Crawl.  Of the ten days of the tour, our farm stop is scheduled to be open on both Saturdays from 11:00 to 4:00 and also Wednesday afternoon/evening from 4:00 - 8:00.  I am happy to schedule other times as well, but please email first as this is a working farm, so who knows what's going on each day.

My focus for this year's crawl is education.  There are shopping opportunities here for sure, but I enjoy teaching and encouraging more than selling, so if Auntie Reg (the boss) isn't here, let's go out to the barn or sit on the Wool House porch and have a good time talking sheep and wool and fiber arts and teach each other some fun new things.

I know most readers of this blog are not local or not in a position to travel out here so I thought it might be fun to post some random tips each day that anyone might find helpful...or at least interesting even if you aren't a fiber or sheep person.  The tips will mostly be geared towards folks just starting out, but you never know everything :-).

Today's random tip is about angle of twist.  If you are having trouble with either over spinning or under spinning your yarn, use a color of wool that isn't a solid color.  Let's zoom in.

This is Kaala and her gray is a mix of light and dark and those dark strands show up as you spin, making it easy to see what you are doing.  As you add more and more twist, the angle (shown here in the dark diagonal line) changes.  

In general a 45 degree angle is a good starting point, but you may want to spun looser or tighter depending on what you want your finished yarn to do.  You might want to add in more twist for a stronger yarn for a pair of socks or less twist for a softer feeling yarn for a scarf.  

Bonus tip today!  Don't set your roving down on top of a dried up marigold flower.  Free seeds included with each purchase ;-D.

We've Almost Got The Band Back Together

When they demolished Stella's little shed behind her bee yard I asked that they save the quilt square I painted for her birthday back in 2011.  I hope it's safe somewhere...but it never made it down the hill :-/.    

So I painted a new one.

Again with purple coneflowers blooming nearby.

Hanging next to a hive of happy bees flying in and out, working hard.

Now all we're missing is Stella...

...but I hope she's hanging out in the B Garden sometimes.

 

The 2026 Bluegrass Yarn And Fiber Crawl

This summer feels like it's crawling, but in reality...or altered reality...it's time once again for the Bluegrass Yarn and Fiber Crawl.

There are over 20 farms and yarn shops participating in the crawl this year so there is something for everyone!  Our farm will have some retail offerings with yarn, roving and raw fleeces, but what I'm hoping to make the feature of our stop this year is education.  

Would you like to learn how to spin - spindle or wheel?  Maybe you bought a raw fleece in the spring and need to learn what to do next?  Interested in how yarn is "grown"?  Thinking about starting a fiber flock?  Just want to come out and meet some sheep...and get mugged for cookies?  

Our crawl hours are July 25 11:00 to 4:00....July 29 4:00 to 8:00...and August 1 11:00 to 4:00, but our farm can always be open at other times if you make an appointment. 

Come see us!  And the sheep would love if you brought some cookies ;-).

How's Your Tour Going?

I got off to a slow really slow start, but I haven't given up and neither should you...in case you are thinking about it.

Sometimes it's nice to be reminded that spinning is fun, especially with your friends :-).