New Baby Alpacas

We have two three new baby alpacas (crea).  Both born earlier this month, within a week of each other.

 This Cocoa Bean (Momma) and Tootsie Pop (baby girl)

 This is Twinkie (baby girl) daughter of Licorice Whip

Kissing cousins

Just as I made this post, I received information that we had another arrival.  This little girl was late to the party, but better late than never.  She is the daughter of Cupcake, and we are going to call her "Candy Sprinkles".  Such a great year for us . . . 3 new alpaca babies, and all girls.

I've found a dyer for our yarn.  I met her at the Salt Lake City Knitter's Guild.  Sarah Marsden of Intrepid Tulips.  Check out her website.  She does beautiful, hand-dyed yarns, and she agreed to experiment with some of our worsted alpaca yarn.

 This is what the original, raw yarn looked like, when I passed it off to her.

This is what I received back from her.  She selected the colors, and I think they are just beautiful!  I'm so excited about the way she painted the yarn, and how it took the color.  I have enough to make a striped sweater and some smaller items, such as scarves or hats.  Now to find the perfect striped pattern.  Perhaps I'll have to gather some inspiration and design my own. I hope we'll be working together again.  She gave me some great suggestions for having future fleece processed.  She is such a wealth of knowledge, and I can't wait to learn more from her in the future.

The first of two Robinhood Sweaters is complete.  It looks rather blue in the pictures, as they were taken at twilight.  However, the yarn is actually a medium gray.  This sweater/jacket is for Zeke.  He is so excited as it has the perfect fit, but he'll have to wait until Fall to actually wear it, as it is close to 100 degrees in SLC.  He has also requested a gray/blue striped scarf to wear too.  I don't think it will ever be cold enough to wear them both together.

This is the second of two Robinhood Sweaters, a work in progress (WIP).  This one is for Hayden, and will work up much faster, as she is only 2 years old.  It is nice to change the color I am knitting with, as these chunky yarns and large needles are a bit hard on the hands.  I'll be happy to return to knitting with a finer gauge yarn on smaller needles.

This will be my next knitting project "Poncho Sweater", designed by rix-strixerier.  I've ordered the suggested yarn Rasmilla Luksusgarn and Mohair by Canard Brushed Lace.  Both came from a foreign website in Sweden.  It was rather tricky placing an order, when you cannot read the language,  and you need to convert the currancy, but it all worked out fine, as I have received the yarn, and can't wait to get started on it.  It is my plan to wear this garment when I go to the movies, as it is always freezing cold in movie theatres, even in the Summer.

There has been a lot of chatter on blogs and Ravelry about Wollmeise yarn.  Many have called it their "desert island yarn" . . . meaning if they were stranded on a desert island, this would be their choice as the thing to have with them.  It does produce the most beautiful sweaters, with fabulous stitch definition.  It has been floating around in my head, and I'm hoping to get a sweater's worth for an upcoming project.

Our little twins are really growing.  I just can't resist sharing a few pictures with you.  Thanks for stopping by.  Leave me a comment, as I'd love to know where you are all from.  Happy Knitting!

A Special Day

Another special day has come and gone in my life.  My darling twin grandchildren were blessed last Sunday.  It was such a beautiful day.   I just can't resist showing you how cute they were in their little knit blessing outfits.

They may not look really happy here, but they were perfect little angels during the service.  They were alert and curious about what was happening to them, and they showed off their little outfits to perfection.

Their parents hosted a nice little BBQ in their backyard afterwards.  All of my children and grandchildren were there, along with lots of family friends.  A Grandmother couldn't ask for anything better!

 It was a warm, sunny day, so these little blankets were just perfect to keep them warm in the air conditioning.  The blankets and outfits have all been wrapped in tissue paper, and placed in a box with a pretty satin ribbon.  They are all ready to pass on to them, possibly for one of their children.  Knitting for your grandchildren is the best!

We all spent the Saturday before, helping them get their yard in order.  Who has time for mowing the lawn, when you have brand new baby twins.  Of course, everyone took a few breaks to have fun.  These little wiggle cars are the perfect way to go for a ride.  Even our grand-dog (Blaze) got in on the fun.

I am still working on the sample for my next "Knit Night" KAL.  I'm trying to find the perfect stabilizing insert for the shoulder handle.  It needs to be flexible and soft, but with enough structure to support some weight.  I'm making a trip to the hardware store, to find the perfect thing.  Perhaps a short length of hose, some pool noodle-like pipe insulation, or even a curved piece of wood.  We'll see . . . .  My husband is usually a genius and helping me solve these issues, so I'm sure he'll have some great ideas.

Kristen was the winner of 2 rolls of HOOOKED yarn, to knit her KAL project from.  It is a great cotton, shoelace-like yarn, that provides great stability.  She guessed from the picture above, that it would eventually be some kind of bag.  Congratulations Kristen!  Your yarn will be waiting for you at the September Knit Night.

 . . . . and ta da, this is what the KAL will be.  "The Tolt Folded Bag", but Veronika Jobe.  It is the perfect cotton tote, to carry all of your summer needs.  It is light-weight, yet big enough to hold your sunglasses, a bit of cash, the sunscreen, lip balm, and a crushable hat.  You can see why I need the perfect handle liner.  It will stabilize the bag for carrying on your shoulder, as shown in the picture.  HOOOKED is the recommended yarn for this bag, but I thought it was also the perfect T-Shirt yarn project.  Creating your own T-Shirt yarn would be a practical and inexpensive method for creating these bags for all of your friends.  They knit up quickly on extra large US 15 needles, so you could knit a bunch, in no time at all.  The method for folding and sewing this bag together is genius, as it creates the perfect shape.  I can't wait to get mine finished up and ready for use.  Mine will likely be all worn out, but the time our KAL begins in the Fall.

Remember how I mentioned in my last post that I was starting a "Robinhood Jacket" for my grandson?  Well . . . I thought I would share my current view at lunchtime.  Here it is.  I'm parked in my car at a Park near my work.  I've worked for an Engineering Company for the past 15 years, and I've found this to be my favorite way to spend my lunch hour.  I eat my lunch, and spend the rest of the hour reading a good book, and of course . . . knitting like a "mad woman".

Zeke's jacket is coming along.  I've had to add a few sizes to the pattern, as the largest size provided is a Toddler 3/4.  Zeke is 5 years old now, and looks more like a 7 year old.  He is so excited for it to be finished, even though the temperature here in SLC is nearing 99 degrees each day.  He has chosen a light blue yarn to go with this charcoal heather, for a striped scarf.  It should all come in handy when he starts Kindergarten in the Fall.  I'm sure it will even be great for Winter wearing in the snow.  It is a really bulky yarn and will likely make a good coat.

 

This is a really poor picture, but you can see that I have finished the body and have started on the hood.  Two sleeves, a tassel and 10 toggle buttons, and it will be finished!  Then I'll be starting a second, in a smaller size, for my darling little grand-daughter.  This time in Purple.  It is always fun to knit with an unexpected color, that an adult likely wouldn't wear.  I can't wait.

I've heard that it is difficult to leave a comment on this blog.  I have tested it, and it seems to be working fine for me.  Please leave a simple comment here, when you visit, so I'll know if something is wrong with it.  Thanks for visiting and Happy Knitting!