Brrr-hurr-hurr

[altivo]

Winter returns with a vengeance. It has been exceptionally warm here since midwinter in December, with temperatures running into the 40s (single digits for Celsius folks) in the daytime and often not even freezing at night. But the Canadians have managed to send us some of their cold air finally. Horrendous slush and ice fell most of the day on Thursday, and then temperatures dropped below freezing, turning it all to glare ice. Yesterday warmed up to around freezing for a while, and then things dropped off precipitously indeed. When I got up this morning it was a bitter -10 F (-23 C) with wind chills much worse. But bright and sunny of course. ;P

We're keeping the horses and sheep in the barns until it warms up. This is just too extreme.

I've got a spinning workshop to attend today, too. Planned and looking forward to it for months, so I don't intend to miss it. The topic is bast fiber, which is linen primarily but also some other similar plant fibers such as ramie. The techniques are radically different from those used for cotton and wool. I've tried a bit, but need to learn from an expert. Fortunately, this event is right around the corner, within walking distance at a neighbor's place, though I won't be walking in this weather. Details for those interested after it's over.

Comments

[quickcasey.livejournal.com]

Cold, yes. It's -4 here right now. And this weekend has outdoor activities. A dress rehearsal for the British train group's portable layout. Lots of loading and unloading the truck from basements where the parts of the layout are kept, into a library's meeting room to set up, run a few trains, and dissassemble, and pack away again, until the big show in March.
Better than one of the members. I got his sections, too. He's camping outside with the boyscouts this weekend. Sucks to be you, I told him yesterday.
Tomorrow, work at Farmer Bob's.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

When and where in March? That sounds interesting.

Yes, it was too cold. Friend Toni (at whose home the workshop was held) had an unexpected lamb in her barn this morning. Little white ewe, doing fine she said when I arrived. In the afternoon a girl scout troop arrived for a tour of the farm, and were delighted at the little lamb bouncing happily around. Then they started asking "What about that lamb over there?" Sure enough, there was a second lamb, a black and white ram, who was down and nearly unconscious in the cold. Apparently his mother abandoned him. Toni had him in a box in the house to warm up when I left, and will probably be bottle feeding him, since the mother of the white lamb didn't seem interested in taking him on.

[cats-haven.livejournal.com]

Does sound interesting to hear about though I doubt I could put any of it to use. No spinning wheel or room for one as of yet.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

I'll post a workshop report and photos of my samples to spinningfiber tomorrow if I can. Note that you don't need to have a spinning wheel to spin. Throughout most of human history, spinning (including flax and cotton) was done with drop spindles, and some of those are small enough to fit in a pocket and inexpensive enough for nearly anyone to afford. :) Ancient Egyptian linens with thread counts as high a 200 per inch were all spun on drop spindles.

[cats-haven.livejournal.com]

Drop spindles I have heard of though I've not seen them around my area, not even in the antique shops. I'll keep a better eye out for them, though. Besides, my one and only loom may be able to do 50 to 75 thread count. Small swaths, but good practice.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

You can get drop spindles by mail order for as little as $20. You can also make one for about 50 cents from a piece of dowel or a pencil, a cup hook, and a couple of old CDs like the ones AOL constantly sends out in the mail. The makeshift version will spin wool very nicely, but may not quite be up to more difficult fibers like linen or cotton.

I have seen a drop spindle made by sticking an ordinary knitting needle into a potato, but that doesn't seem very durable. ;)

[cats-haven.livejournal.com]

I better go for a mail order spinner since wool isn't something I can get easily in Arkansas. Cotton is just about everywhere and fairly cheap.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

You can get wool by mail order easily. It's by far the best thing for a beginner to start with. Cotton is very difficult to spin. Take a look at The Woolery or Woodland Woolworks for examples of what's available and typical pricing. There are many other sellers, as well.

[cats-haven.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the links!

[vimsig.livejournal.com]

Oh yes - details please and piccies if you get a chance

[altivo.livejournal.com]

OK, I'll post them to spinningfiber probably tomorrow. I don't have photos taken during the workshop (there were some, but they are on conventional film) but I can take photos of my samples at least. It was interesting. We tried rovings both natural and bleached/dyed, natural line flax, ramie, and hemp. The different ways of dressing a distaff were interesting, I've always used just one way and need to try the others because they might be more effective or at least easier. Just a couple of pointers from the instructor (Patsy Zawistoski) had me producing a much finer and more consistent thread from line flax than I'd ever gotten on my own. I have to focus on twisting it more, though. I always feel like I'm overtwisting, and linen really wants a lot of twist.

Gorgeous horses

[goldenstallion.livejournal.com]

What happens when we feel ourselves in a frienship? When you, or Chris Sawer or any of us feel close. Too close, perhaps but better when we sluff off our lies and be us, to cuddle and hold. I can not stand Chris Sawyer simply because he thinks we are all out to get him as you feel, sometimes. Horses take shelter and love more than any of us else can ever get to an sort of understanding. I watch aminal planet and see how most men and women fail to understand the love of the horse.


This mere animal has so much to offer.

[goldenstallion.livejournal.com]

I have arms no man in Earth can offer better. The sadness has nothing to do with me but with you. How can this man offer Chris or you, Tivo, or anybody in hurt and need a better hope than to give a strong strength hard held to you?

I am so sick and tired of the ones who feel this is not real.

Back off, boys and girls. You have not met me yet.

Give thanks I think you are a friend.

The flying stallion.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

I'll snuggle close for warmth and more, I promise. You know that.

[chibiabos.livejournal.com]

You could take a vacation to the great Pacific Northwest, specifically the Puget Sound region. Its west, for a change, not wet ... quite dry! Sunny, too, in the day, when its getting up to a balmy 30 degrees Fahrenheit, and the nights are a nice comfortable 10 to 15 (yes, that's above zero!) You'd have to bring your bathing suit for such temperatures, I know. :)

[altivo.livejournal.com]

I tried a vacation out there once. Didn't see the sun for ten days except on the day I flew up to Victoria, and on a day's drive east out of the mountains, down to Yakima and back to Seattle.

[chibiabos.livejournal.com]

Its clear now ... I can see both the Olympics and Cascades very clearly during the day, both snowcapped, its quite beautiful.

[bariki.livejournal.com]

It was 80 degress here today, which made scrubbing outdoor water troughs rather more pleasant than it would normally otherwise be. Also bathed one of our stallions, which is always fun, but made the mistake of wearing shorts and.. not a lot else.. which gave far too much excitment to our exercise rider when she copped an eyefull. Bless. XD

It /was/ chilly here last week, though, with temperatures in the low 20's - not a number that we relish in Florida - and, for some reason, when it gets that cold here it always feels as bone-chilling as single-digit temperatures would do back in England. Odd, but nonetheless true.

Here's hoping for spring to arrive as soon as it likes. ^)^

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Might give far too much excitement to me too. ^..~

[bariki.livejournal.com]

I'll take that as a compliment. ^)^

[altivo.livejournal.com]

So intended.

[bariki.livejournal.com]

Super. XD

[alaskawolf.livejournal.com]

this has been an interesting winter so far.all of last month up here in Alaska it didnt get warmer than -20F and avergaed in the -40 to-50F and colder range not counting wind chill either.

i felt pretty bad for all the animals that have to stay out side and endure that weather some how :( a lot of wildlife and dog sled teams have to deal with it.

im just glad its been the warmest febuary i can ever remember up here :) unfortunatly winter is far from over.

glad to know you have a barn to keep the horses and sheep warm.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

January was exceptionally warm here, I hadn't heard that it was harder than usual in Alaska. Having friends from there, I know that weather we complain about here is just ordinary up there, though. And interestingly, sometimes when it is down around zero here, at least around Anchorage they are enjoying 40s and 50s (ABOVE zero.)

We are glad to have our barns too, even though one is a sheet steel building that can be a regular wind tunnel. Water in open buckets in there can freeze on a day when buckets outdoors remain liquid, due to the wind chill when both doors are open. The old fashioned wooden barn is remarkable the other way. Uninsulated, and we do not keep hay in the loft (which would add both insulation and some heat) and still it is often 10 or 15 degrees warmer inside than outside, at least in the morning when the two horses have spent the night in there.

Sled dogs seem to endure incredible cold without complaint as long as they have adequate food and water and can burrow into the snow. It's amazing how adaptable nature can be. Sheep do real well too with their wool as long as it stays relatively dry and they have shelter from the wind. Saturday morning several of ours had heavy coats of frost on the outside of their wool after spending the night in the steel barn. They weren't even noticing it. A close neighbor had two little lambs born on Saturday, and both appeared to be unfazed by the temperature. Wool is amazing stuff.

[alaskawolf.livejournal.com]

yeah, ive always been impresseved by a sled dogs ability to handle the cold weather :) i know a lot of people who have teams and they all treat them well fresh hay and lots of food.

those guys down in Anchorage may only be 400ish miles south of me but its some times amazes me on how much warmer their weather is compared to my area, its like a whole different country down there :P

i sure wish summer was here already, i think we all could use some better weather :)