New Colorway - Lavender Fields - Another Sock Yarn

Here's another sock yarn - in a new colorway called Lavender Fields - Violet, Lilac and Silver Gray. 400 Yards per skein.

Available in my etsy store: www.splitrockranch.etsy.com

Sock Yarn - Superwash and Nylon in Peacock Colorway

Here's my latest handdyed sock yarn in my Peacock colorway (teal, brilliant blue, purple, spruce and turquoise)

400 yards of 75% Superwash Wool and 25% Nylon - enough to make a pair of adult socks

Available in my etsy store: http://www.splitrockranch.etsy.com/

New Sock Yarns! Bronzed Burgundy

And now my yarns - Superwash Wool and Nylon Sock Yarns in my always popular Bronzed Burgundy colorway!

Available in a center pull ball AND in skein form.

Available for sale in my etsy store:

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=13753797

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_1&listing_id=13753425

Another new fiber blend!

More new yarns and fiber blends!

First, my fiber blend: Glacial Ice (a re-make of my popular Glacier Bay blend!)

This is really a soft, lustrous, lofty and yummy fiber blend. This Custom Fiber Blend combines ultra-soft merino and lustrous tussah silk in snowy white with merino, corriedale and mohair in blue, green, yellow and white along with some snowy white Firestar to create this beautiful Custom Fiber Blend that we call Glacial Ice. Gently blended on our hand crank drum carder using a technique we have perfected to assure good color and fiber separation.

Fiber Content:

45% Merino/25% Tussah Silk/20% Corridale Wool/10% Mohair/ Firestar

The pics don't show the true color of this blend because it got cloudy by the time I got to taking photos of this blend. I'll have to reshoot the pics on a sunny day.

Available in my etsy store:

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=13617012

Newest Custom Fiber Blend

Here is my newest Custom Fiber Blend - Walk In The Woods.

Take a Walk in the Woods: Pine trees overhead, moss, pine needles and warm earth underfoot with the sun trickling through the branches to create a dappled kaleidescope on the ground.

This Custom Fiber Blend combines custom dyed wool roving, mohair and tussah silk in greens, brown, tan, golds, orange and a touch of creamy yellow along with a generous helping of beautiful shiny Bronze Glitz (for that special added zing) to create a colorful blend that reminds me of a Walk in the Woods. Gently blended on our hand crank drum carder using a technique we have perfected to assure good color separation.

Fiber Content: 60% Wool, 30% Mohair, 10% Tussah Silk, Glitz

Also available without the Glitz

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=13670682

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_1&listing_id=13657120

New fibers in my Etsy store

Here are some of the newest items listed in my etsy store.

These are Custom Fiber Blend batts made from soft wool, alpaca and tussah silk to create these luscious ultra-soft batts called Chocolate & Roses.

Go to http://www.splitrockranch.etsy.com/ to shop for any of these items!

Black Pearl

 

Here's our newest addition to the Split Rock Ranch llama herd. Born May 20, 2008. A black male that we named Black Pearl (his mom is Minnie Pearl). Photos of Black Pearl right after birth and at one month. He's such a curious and friendly little guy. I actually got pics of the entire birth but don't want to post those here - they're pretty graphic! Hopefully Tia will have a cria soon so BP has someone to play with.

Wildfire 100% contained

The Nash Ranch wildfire is now 100% contained (rain Saturday night helped tremendously) and all homeowners have been allowed to return to their homes in Bear Trap Ranch. No structures lost. Crews will be onsite for a couple of weeks to mop up and keep an eye on hot spots. Total acreage burned = 1,115 acres. Kudos to the fire fighters!

Wildfire Near Us

Yesterday, Thursday June 26, 2008, a wildfire started in an area about 5 to 6 miles south of us. I took some photos of the fire from our front yard (see photo immediate left). I also took photos of the big helicopter that was pulling water from Wright's Reservoir right across the road behind our house (photos at top of blog entry). After Jim got home from work, we drove past the fire to an area called 4 Mile Ranch and drove about half way up Witcher Mountain to take more photos (middle photos - wide range view and closeup views). We watched with binoculars and took photos for about a half hour or so then headed home to check the status of the fire on-line. The fire grew to 400 acres by 9 PM last night and by this morning it has grown to 1,000 acres. Bear Trap Ranch subdivision has been evacuated. We were just in Bear Trap Ranch one evening this week, looking for property for sale. The fire burned in the exact area we drove to! I will keep everyone updated on the status of the fire. We should be safe here, unless the winds change and things get out of control. Prayers for the safety of the firefighters, volunteers, evacuated home owners are greatly appreciated. And, while you're at it, please pray for RAIN!!!! This fire was started by dry lightning. This is the second fire in the past 4 days. The first fire was about 3 miles southeast of us and only burned about 25 acres. I guess it was a good practice run for this fire.

My Little Precious - Kitten that is...

We volunteer as a foster family for our local no kill shelter. We take in small kittens until they are old enough or big enough to be spayed or neutered and then adopted. After Tango's sudden death right before Christmas, I needed something to help heal my heart and decided to call the shelter to see if they had any kittens that needed a foster home. They told me they had just gotten in two little calico kittens if I was interested. Woo hoo! I have always adored calico cats and jumped at the chance to foster these little girls. Kit Kat and Angel came to live with us on January 6th and I was immediately attracted to little Kit Kat but decided to rename her Precious. Precious and I bonded and when the time came to have them spayed and adopted, I could not let Precious go. Jim told me he would love for me to adopt Precious - happy Valentine's Day! So, we had Precious spayed and I immediately adopted her. Angel was adopted immediately, as well. Lots of people have asked me how I could possibly take these kittens into my home and care for them for weeks and then let them go. I tell them that I love being around kittens, I love helping to socialize them for their new homes and usually I'm ready for them to go to their new adoptive homes because I know that another litter of needy kittens will be at the shelter soon enough. I took a break from fostering after Precious and Angel due to Jackie's senior year schedule and my health issues. Now that I have retired from my job and am working from home full time on the ranch and my fiber business I have plenty of time for a couple of foster kittens. I called the shelter today to see if they had a couple of kittens for me and they will call me back when they have things sorted out. They have some sick kitties in the shelter right now and are trying to determine what it is before placing kittens in our home that might infect my other cats. I'll share pics of new fosters when I get them. I would like to encourage everyone to volunteer as a foster home for a needy agency in your area. Meanwhile, here's Precious in my fiber basket.

I'm back in the saddle again!

After a long cold winter with plenty of slips and slides, bumps and turns, I'm back in the saddle again!

After Tango's death right before Christmas, my heart just wasn't in it any longer. Plus, we were so busy with all of Jackie's school activities (who knew the senior year was soooo busy?!) there just wasn't enough time nor energy to devote to blogging.

So, here's the scoop: since Jackie has moved to Florida to attend the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, I have "retired" from my "real job" as Office Manager at a home builder's office in town and I am doing the ranch and my fiber business full time! I am having some trouble getting into the groove - I feel like I'm chasing my tail most days - so many things I want to do and I don't know where to start sometimes!

I found a gorgeous heavy all wood easel (for $20!!!) that my wooden triangle loom fits perfectly on so I started a triangle shawl using some of my earliest handspuns in purples, greens and blues. Of course, that got set aside until another day but at least I know how to work the loom now and will be able to pick it back up when I'm ready. I set up the easel in the great room and turned on my VCR tape from Carol Leigh at Hillcreek Studios, then paused the tape as I managed to do what she was demonstrating, then just started to cruise. Now I'll need to watch the part on the tape where you do fringe and get it off the loom... but that's for another day.

Yesterday I tried a new handpainting technique on some beautiful yarns and they turned out beautifully! They're called "Peacock" - turquoise, teal and violet - on 100% llama yarn (2 skeins) and 50% Cashmere/50% Silk handspun. OMG did these turn out gorgeous! My photos do not do this yarn justice! I need to get some photos taken where they are not in full sunlight. All the luster in the yarn reflects the light and dulls the colors. They are far more rich in color than these photos show! These yarns are listed in my etsy store:

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=12694474 (cashmere/silk skein)

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_1&listing_id=12694260 (llama skeins)

Today I hand painted some silk hankies in the Peacock colorway, along with a 4 oz hank of merino roving. More pics to follow!

It is good to be back - I promise to blog more often!

A few more finished projects!

I recently purchased some beautiful soft 100% organic alpaca yarn from a farm here in Colorado - Grace Gerber at Larkspur Funny Farm - in this beautiful purple color called "Purple Tussy". After some deliberation and fondling of this soft yarn, I decided it needed to become something delicate and warm so I crocheted up this spiral scarf and two pairs of fingerless mitts. One pair of mitts is size Small and the other pair is size Medium - The Medium pair has a ribbon twined through the wrist - the ribbon can be added if desired on the Small pair as well. These mitts can be worn alone or over a pair of those inexpensive cotton gloves in a coordinating color for extra warmth.

All of these items are available in my etsy store. Here are the direct links:

Scarf: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=8680410

Small Mitts: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=8680668

Medium Mitts: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=8680556

These items are quick and easy to make and are so warm and cozy when you use alpaca, llama, wool, mohair, etc. Make them as fancy or as plain as you'd like. I have more of the scarves crocheted out of merino/alpaca yarn hand painted by Danette Taylor. I just need to get photos taken and get them listed in my etsy store.

Look What I Finally Finished!

I've been really busy with the knitting needles and crochet hooks lately. I have so many UFO's (Unfinished Fiber Objects) laying around the house and I finally decided to finish one - a beautiful knitted poncho with a crocheted border/edging. This poncho is hand knit using Classic Elite's Montera yarn - 50% Llama 50% Wool in beautiful Puma Magenta color.After knitting the rectangles and sewing them together, I added a hand crocheted neckline for interest and to make the top of the poncho fit a bit more snug. I also added a hand crocheted edging along the outer edge of the entire poncho.Nice and warm in a gorgeous Magenta color with a pretty coordinating satin ribbon at the neckline, which can be worn tied, loose, in a bow or removed if you'd prefer.Measures 20" from the V of the neckline to the bottom points front and back; neckline is 11" at the narrowest part and the poncho is 32" side to side.

This beautiful poncho can be purchased through my etsy store.

Here's a direct link to that listing: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=8679946

One less UFO - One more item for sale in my etsy store!

Stay tuned for more finished garments and accessories.

In Memory of my Beloved Tango

On Friday, December 21st, I lost my beloved horse, Tango, a beautiful Peruvian Paso gelding. He was only 11 years old and we still don't know what happened to him. It was only 6 hours from when we found him covered in iced sweat to his death. We rushed him to the vets and they assured us that we had done everything we possibly could to save him and that many people had spent thousands of dollars trying to save their horses with the same outcome. That was some consolation but still heartbreaking. They tested for several infectious substances, which so far have came back negative and we're still waiting on the results of other tests. We suspect that Tango may have had Colitis X, which is almost always fatal and the horse dies within hours of onset. We have meticulously cleaned out the trailer and the pasture to ensure that our other horses and llamas do not meet the same fate.

Here's what they say about Peruvian Paso horses:

This horse, one of the world's last remaining naturally gaited breeds, is becoming a sensation among American horse enthusiasts for several very good reasons. There is "something for everyone" in this smooth, elegant animal; riding comfort, strength and stamina for the avid trail rider; calm tractable disposition so important in the family mount; arrogant, flashy presence and action which set the exhibitor and parader apart from others, and investment potential solidly supported by its relative rarity and increasing popularity.

Today, the Peruvian transmits its smooth gait to all purebred foals. No artificial devices or special training aids are necessary to enable the horse to perform its specialty - a natural four-beat footfall of medium speed that provides a ride of incomparable smoothness and harmony of movement.

In addition to an easy gait, the Peruvian's creators desired their new breed to retain brilliant action typified by lift as the knee and fetlock flex, combined with "termino," a movement of the front legs similar to the loose outward rolling of a swimmer's arms in the crawl.

Perhaps the most misunderstood of all traits that distinguishes the Peruvian horse is "brio," a quality of spirit that enables this tractable horse to perform with an arrogance and exuberance that can only be described as thrilling. "Brio" and stamina give the Peruvian its willingness and ability to perform tirelessly for many hours and many miles in the service of its rider.

Tango was with us for almost four years. He had so much energy (they call it Brio) and was so full of life. He taught me so much in those four years: he taught me that respect and trust are earned; and respect and trust are easily lost if you're not careful; he taught me that love is unconditional; he taught me that patience and hard work are rewarded with results; he taught me that sometimes just being together is enough.

I am convinced that the four years Tango spent with us here at Split Rock Ranch were the best four years of his life. He came to us a nervous wreck with a short mane and tail and no trust - he was impossible to catch in the pasture. I worked with him in the round pen to build his confidence and to earn his respect and his trust. He was a quick learner and a willing partner. He soon learned that when in the round pen he knew exactly what to do: he would run his laps around the round pen, first one direction, then the other and soon he would stop, swivel his hindquarters away from me, drop his head and come straight to me in the center of the pen. At that point I could brush him, pick out all four feet, and walk around the pen with him - eventually doing all of this without a halter or lead rope. We worked hard on building confidence and went from coming unglued at slight movements to spooking in place - barely flinching a muscle when I threw a lead rope over his back and around his legs. I was eventually even able to kick a soccer ball between his legs without him even flinching. Now there's progress! His mane and tail grew long and gorgeous and he was ever protective of "his girls". One night this past summer, a bear went through the pastures, spooking the llamas and the horses. Tango refused to leave the side of our 28 year old POA mare, Puff, who is blind in one eye. He carefully herded her to safety, never leaving her side.

So, Tango, if there is a Horse Heaven, I know you're there. A piece of my heart goes with you. Here's one last hug and a kiss on that soft gentle nose of yours.

Suri Cria Named - Shimmering Sands

We decided on a name for our beautiful little suri cria. He is Split Rock Shimmering Sands - we call him Shimmer. And he is a pistol. He has an amazing energy to him that we find mesmerizing. I uploaded a few more pics - almost newborn - less than 24 hours old. I will try to get some new pics taken of him soon. His color is gorgeous and the luster of that suri fiber is stunning.