braided colors of New Mexico

Encouraged by some kind fiber enthusiastic friends on Instagram I spent the Sunday afternoon handling fluff, taking pictures, indulging in colors, naming color ways and sorting wool. 

Which was a good thing, considering our heat system failed on us and the only current heat source is the fire place in the living room. *sigh*

So my Etsy shop has been updated with lots of colorful fluff, some of the last mystery pencil roving, a blend of all kinds of fiber from alpaca to yak (you never know exactly what you get, cause my New Mexican fiber mill doesn't tell me!) and my personal current favorite, Churro lamb, which is fluffy with a bit of fuzz and squishy and super soft. 

Thank you to all of you sweet folks who already took the chance and shopped! One of the braids named "Ice queen" will even be traveling to Norway!

Now if I could just go and snuggle up in the wool like Ike until the plumber comes…!

Happy Monday, friends!

Farmer Brown is done

It is a beautiful thing to watch your kids grow, but I am the first to admit how nice it is to leave certain little-kids-stuff behind (no, I will not get into diapers, tantrums and such).

However, one of the things I never get tired of are the picture books and we will never let them go either. Again so many good memories and so many of them we have read many many times. 

Let me introduce you to Farmer Brown, a definite favorite, which I have read countless times with my kids as well as for school classes, because it is a very educational journey from sheep to shawl. 

Farmer Brown shears his sheep and because the are really cold, they stalk him and their own wool from washing to spinning to dye pots. When finally he realizes that the sheep are following him, because they are freezing, he sits down to knit clothing for them, which from then on awaits them every year when shearing time comes.

A simple and sweet story by Teri Sloat with super cute pictures and it is even told in rhymes!

You know that this whole process is what I love so after careful consideration of the various options for my niece's mittens, I decided on this:

Kinda like Farmer Brown I gathered my mohair, carded, spun and knitted the mittens.

I already mailed them and they got there on time to go with my niece on a ski trip!

They are perfect. And very fuzzy!

Hope you are having a great weekend!