The New Knitting Obsession

I finally finished Maybeline’s rug.

Maybeline

I am happy with how it turned out, but I am afraid to use it.  I’d hate to get it dirty, and I know how hard the dog and my barnyard is on my floors.  And I still have to finish it so that it stays neat. I’m still trying to decide the best way to do that wet finish.

I want to do another rug with her cored yarn, but I want to do a big round one.  So I’m starting small.

I’m getting really good at coasters.

They actually work well too!

I tried a little bigger circle with a thicker yarn and my biggest double pointed needles.

It’s big enough you get to see the design (when the cat’s not sitting on it).

I am currently trying to figure out how to keep the edge from curling up when I finish it.  I think I figured that out.

The next step was to get giant double pointed needles.  My dad helped with that! I was going to use the yard stick to show you how big they are, but you can clearly see they are Snickers-minus-the-tail in length.  They would be considered 16mm needles.

Snickers

I really wanted to do a test rug before using the cored yarn from Maybeline, so I foudn some super chunky yarn on clearance.

It was easy to start it.

Then it was time to go into the round and add the other two needles to the process.

That did require a bit more coordination.

You can see the difference from my coasters.  These two circles are at the same point in the process.  The coaster needles are 5mm.

Finally, it was done!

(before finishing the tail)

Snickers was helpful through the whole process.

Insepctor Snickers

I think I’m ready to start one with Maybeline’s wool!

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Cuts!

It was time for the llamas to get their hair cuts!  That means, I had to get eveyone shut in to prepare for it.  Tony was easy peasy.  I just gave him his food and shut the door while he was eating.

Tony Llama

Luckily, the girls are pretty nosy and like food too.  Before I even added pans of llama feed, Odie had gone into the greenhouse to check out the hay that the goats hadn’t eaten.

Odie

Maybeline and Aurora were quick to follow.

Aurora and Maybeline

Then it was time to get sheared.  Last year, Maybeline was amazing for him and just stood in the garage while he worked on her.  This year, her personality change was on full display.

She was quite naughty.  So much so that I asked if he had an extra charge for llamas being a pain in the butt?

Next was Odie, and she was pretty good.

Aurora was next.

She decided to lay down.

It’s not like shearing is painful.  Then she screamed and kicked and threw a total hissy fit when it was time for her hooves to be done.

Tony was pretty good too.

They all look much cooler now!

Of course, the first thing they do is go for the dust bowl to have a good roll.  That haircut leaves them itchy for a few days.  Still better than getting overheated.

I still don’t know if Odie and Maybeline are going to have crias.  Llamas are notorious for hiding that information.

That is definitely a job I’m glad to have done.  I’m also going to say that having them sheared lets you really see how they are doing for weight.  The shearer did say that he was seeing a lot of skinny llamas after the horrible winter we had, but Aurora and Tony are actually looking good!

That is also a huge relief.

Scenes From the Week

I am so far behind that this post now is from the last two weeks.  It was scheduled, and I had to keep moving it, and I’m still behind in what’s going on around here.

Snickers

Litha

northern flicker

Aurora

Flower

Odie

northern flicker

robin

Pluto and Tony

Angela and Moira

Harley and Cupid

Leo

Back: Xerxes and Fionn; Front: Pluto, Zeus, and Anubis

Aphrodite’s doe

coreopsis

robin