Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Photo could be topic of the "Priceless" commercials.

I have a soft spot in my heart for cute little boys, probably because we have one - although he is all grown up now.

When a customer emailed this picture to show what she knit with our Blue Heather sport yarn, I immediately asked if I could post it here. The sweater design is very pretty with cable patterns on the front and running up the center of the sleeves, truly an heirloom piece. The wooded outdoor setting is a perfect background for the picnic table bench the child is playing on. But the precious flaxen-haired boy with those big blue eyes is priceless.

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Fruit trees in full bloom at Marr Haven

This is a view taken from north of the shop door. The cloud like white showing through the new green leaves of the trees beyond the driveway is a very old "winter keeper" apple tree that has many more blooms than usual.

In the fall the apples are as hard as rocks, we pick a couple of bushels to store in the tack room for the horses. The apples ripen after the first frost. The sheep will race to get the drops on the ground if they are let into this area then what is left falls during the winter for the deer and squirrels.

Friday, May 6, 2011

Merino Rambouillet Roving from 2011 Shearing is here.

One big lapful of fresh roving.

This is just one bag of wool roving that was processed for us at Pufpaff's Fiber Processing in Nashville, Michigan. After our wool is shorn and skirted, I deliver it to Suzanne Pufpaff''s mill where she washes it using organic soap. The water is heated using an outside, wood fired hot water boiler system fueled from trees on the family farm. The wool is then air dried on racks in a dedicated drying room making the entire cleaning process extremely eco-friendly and better for the wool.

When dry, the wool goes through a machine called a "picker" to open the fibers. Next the wool is carded ( a combing like step) by a machine called a "carder" which organizes the fiber into roving or batting form. The final step is my next few days work, weighing the roving into smaller amounts for you to enjoy as you spin or felt with it.