Fleece Judging workshop

The day started with a demonstration of shearing. While I've seen shearing before, I was more than pleased to watch as the instructor showed how to get the crud out of the way so that what winds up on the board when the sheep is done, is good useable fleece. Some folks I know don't skirt fleeces at all, and I hope that now the shearers and the producers will be clearer about the value of skirting everything obnoxious instead of rolling it into the fleece.





See, not a sheep turd in sight. And while I do appreciate the free manure washing a dirty fleece provides for the garden, I don't like the price I have to pay for it, ie. premium wool prices.

We learned to look for breaks, cotting, inconsistent staples, how to estimate clean yield, how to evaluate what was appropriate for the breed. And the instructor was clear (we needed someone with his experience to say this a number of times) that vegetable matter (VM), shit and pizzel stains were not wanted in a 'crafter's fleece' and producers should not expect to get spinning grade prices for fleeces that were dirty and full of VM. Bless you Morris says I. I've picked too much crud and VM out of too many otherwise lovely fibre to want to do that ever again. A little care by the producer and all will be well and I'll happily pay top dollar for their fleeces.

Here are the participants learning to judge fleeces laid out on long tables.

Knitting lace & listening to Pavarotti

I've begun my Fiddlesticks pattern lace project, after having learned how to install a 'lifeline' to avoid having to rip back to the beginning. Thinking at the moment that I should have a lifeline at every chart change on a knit row. This proves surprisingly easy to do with the aid of my beloved Knitpicks Options needles and a simple needle threader from the sewing box.

I have done a lace pattern swatch for another project I'm considering, but will need to check with the person I plan to make this for whether she wants a rectangular or triangular shawl. The one I'm making now is triangular, and the swatch is for a rectangle shawl from Victorian Lace Today.

What I am not doing is going anywhere near writing project work. All I can manage it seems are brief blurbs here or in my journal. I'm somewhat okay with that, and thoroughly enjoying the knitting time as well. It is very hot today and it seemed just the thing to sit on the sofa, listening to radio and engaging with the intracies of my first lace project. When I get weary of that, I'll work on the baby kimono sweater or any of various socks in progress.

After decades of listening to opera in general and Pavarotti in particular I was saddened to hear of his passing this week. A search of my iPod, which contains all the music I own, proved that I need to collect many more albums in order to have even a small representation of his work; two albums hardly counts. My wish list will expand considerably in the next few weeks as I begin to research what I want (note to G--iTunes gifts save on postage!)

I've enjoyed hearing all the tribute broadcasts this week on radio, though I could have done with hearing more of the range of Pavarotti's work instead of the same three or four pieces many times. My first wish is to have an early version of him in La Boheme.

Reading: Harry Potter, In Praise of Slow, Stress and the Crisis in Modern Life, Zimmermann's Knitting Workshop, Gladys Thompson's Patterns for Guernseys, Jerseys & Arans.

And here's a pair of finished socks.

Not the greatest photos yet, but I'll work on improving that.