More Fun Fringed Scarves!

I wanted to create some fun fringed scarves that weren't as labor intensive or as expensive as my usual Extreme Fringe and Fabulous Fringe scarves. I came up with these scarves made from handspun yarn for the base scarf - both in wool - and a poly faux feather yarn. I hand crocheted the base scarf - I don't use patterns - I simply crocheted about 160 loops, turn, single crochet across, turn, double crochet across, turn, single crochet across, turn, slip stitch across and tie off ends. Then I cut fringe approximately 14 inches long from the faux feather yarn skein - 160 lengths of fringe. I then hand tied one section of fringe to each and every double crochet stitch the entire length of the scarf - fold yarn in half, slip folded end under the double crochet stitch and pull the ends through the folded loop across the top of the double crochet stitch, pull tight.

The first scarf I crocheted using Noro Kureyon wool in red/brown/gold (it has some burgundy in there, too). The faux feather yarn color reminds me of mink so I called this scarf "Mink". "Mink" is available for $35 in our ArtFire store.

The next scarf I crocheted using a handspun thread plied merino yarn in Peacock colors. I used some faux feather yarn in matching Peacock colors. I love how this one looks! This is called....of course..."Peacock". Peacock is not yet listed in the store because I have someone interested in it but I have to drive to Colorado Springs so she can try it on to be sure she isn't allergic to the wool yarn used in the base scarf. If she is allergic to it I will list this scarf in the ArtFire store and will find a synthetic man-made yarn to make her a Peacock scarf that she can wear.

These scarves remind me of feather boa scarves. Only they are much more durable and extremely soft. And they shouldn't be too warm, either. The wool fringe scarves are fairly warm with all that wool fringe but these are much lighter weight and the poly doesn't hold heat and warm like wool does.

We should be having llama babies, called "crias", this spring starting hopefully in May, so I will finally have something besides yarn and scarves to talk about!

Peacock Neck Warmer SRR OOAK Hand Crocheted Original Design

Since I discovered my stash of Peacock colored yarns recently I went on a creative binge with them. Here is another neck warmer that I created using the yarns.

 

This cozy neck warmer is a Split Rock Ranch One-of-A-Kind Original Design created by using three strands of yarn at a time; one strand of handspun merino that has been thread plied, one strand of handdyed mohair boucle and one strand of poly flag yarn in Peacock colors of teal, blue and purple. The trim is acrylic feather yarn that adds a flirty and fun touch to the neck warmer.

Measures 27 inches across at the neck line and approximately 33 inches at the ruffled base of the neck warmer and 6.5 inches from top to bottom. Warmer closes with a fun flower shaped metal button. The feather yarn has been left long to create some modest fringe at the front of the warmer.

 

Nice and soft and so much fun to wear!

This neck warmer can be found in our ArtFire store. Look for Peacock Neck Warmer.

Autumn - Fabulous Fringe Scarf - Another Split Rock Ranch Original Creation

I recently finished this scarf using some fabulous yarn that I bought from YarnMarket.com. It is spun by Natalie at Namaste Farms using locks from her own Wensleydale sheep to make it. This is similar to the Extreme Fringe Scarf but the fringe is yarn cut in varying lengths and then hand tied onto the center and outside edge of the scarf. I used the Wensleydale Long Locks yarn and a skein of my own handspun that I found in my stash. It coordinates perfectly with the Long Locks yarn!

Here are the yarns together - my two-ply handspun already crocheted into the skinny scarf and laid with the Long Locks yarn - could they be any more perfect together?!

And the finished scarf. The scarf is 8 feet long including the fringe - 6 feet long without the fringe at each end. It is 1-1/2 inch wide not including the fringe. This is the scarf just draped around the neck and tied with the organza ribbon that I ran through the center section of the scarf.

And here is the scarf put on with the center in front and the ends looped around the back of the neck and over the opposite shoulders.

And I honestly don't remember how I created this next look. But it is more like a neck warmer or collar than a scarf.

And a close up of the scarf so you can see the detail of the fringe better.

 

I will share more finished projects soon!

Sorry I've been AWOL, but I really have been BUSY!

So sorry it has been a couple of weeks since I last posted. Losing Smokey really knocked me down for a bit. I'm just now getting used to the idea that he is no longer here. And I still cry when I think of him (like right now). But, I have so many other animals to care for that I cannot stay sad for long, the others need me. We haven't gotten a call to foster any kittens yet this year either. Maybe that's for the best because I'm fairly certain if I had a foster kitten right now I wouldn't want to give it up when the time came.

But, I have been keeping myself busy with fibers. I will share with you what I've made in the past few weeks.

The last post I made was Wordless Wednesday and it was this Extreme Fringe Scarf

This scarf is another Split Rock Ranch One-of-A-Kind Original Design creation. The base scarf is handspun from a merino/bamboo fiber blend batt purchased from Hanks in the Hood and spun by Brenda Vance at Split Rock Ranch. The merino/bamboo yarn was plied with a viscose thread in a gorgeous copper color. The fringe is tailspun yarn handspun by Esther at JazzTurtle Designs using some gorgeous long Teeswater wool locks. Tailspinning is an extremely labor intensive spinning technique that results in some stunning extreme lock yarn with a price tag that reflects the time and effort involved. Teeswater sheep originated in The United Kingdom and are relatively rare in the United States. It takes a couple of years growth to reach the long staple length so the price tag on the Teeswater long locks is higher than that of more common shorter staple length fibers.

This scarf is named "Verdigris" and is available for sale in my ArtFire store. Here are some additional photos of it, showing various ways to wear the scarf.

I won't bore you with what else I've made in the past few weeks - I'll do another blog post soon with more projects to share!

Wordless Wednesday

More Cowls

I wanted to share with you a few more things I've made. Each of these accessories is a OOAK Split Rock Ranch Original Design. I did not use a pattern, I just improvise as I go along.

Remember the Peacock long scarf? Well, I used the rest of that skein of yarn and then found some coordinating yarns in my personal yarn stash to finish making this cowl.

 

This cowl has loads of texture and those fabulous Peacock colors! Warm, fun and fashionable, I believe this cowl will garner loads of compliments when you wear it.

The Peacock cowl is available for sale in our ArtFire Store.

Then I decided to use two of the same yarns that I used on the bottom part of the Peacock cowl and made this cowl. I used a handspun wool yarn plied with a coordinating colored thread and a hand dyed skein of mohair boucle yarn held together. Then I crocheted a row of the handspun lincoln locks eyelash yarn and wove through a purple organza ribbon. I called this the Mermaid Cowl. This cowl was given to someone who signed up for the Handmade Pay It Forward on our Facebook page several weeks. ago.

And, by request, I then crocheted another cowl using a cotton/rayon yarn. This person lives in a warmer climate and would love the fashion look of a cowl without the warmth of wool.

So, here's my Melon Cowl. Feeling a little melancholy? Let our Melon Cowly cheer you up!

The Melon Cowl isn't listed yet but will be available in our ArtFire store soon.

Later I'll share photos of another hand knitted scarf in really bright colors - I called it Neon Rainbow.

Life on the Ranch

 The Three Amigos

Smokey, Buff Ruff & Boots

Sorry I have been AWOL for awhile. One of our older cats, Smokey,  developed symptoms a few months ago when one of our foster kittens, Blackberry, was diagnosed with calici virus. Because it is a virus, pretty much all you can do is manage the symptoms. Blackberry recovered very quickly but Smokey developed anorexia, which is a common side effect because one of the symptoms of calici virus is mouth sores. By the time Smokey finally decided to start eating again he had lost quite a bit of weight and muscle tone. For weeks I was enticing him with every soft food I could think of: meat baby food, canned cat food, yogurt, cottage cheese, scrambled eggs, canned salmon, canned chicken, canned white albacore tuna (less mercury than most), etc. I put fresh food out for him every couple of hours all day long and he was finally eagerly eating every time I put food out for him. I had to stand there to be sure he ate it and not the other cats and the dogs. But I believe Smokey's liver was already damaged and starting to fail. He seemed to be gaining weight. He is a former feral cat that doesn't allow you to pick him up or put two hands on him so I wasn't able to get him onto the scale to weigh him but just looking at him and putting hands on him when I could, I felt that he was gaining weight, albeit slowly.

We debated euthanizing Smokey but he had such a strong will to live that I couldn't bring myself to do it. I figured if the time came where he told us he was no longer willing to fight, we would help him cross over. 

Last Thursday Smokey did not meet me in the kitchen eagerly awaiting his breakfast. I found him curled up in a patch of sunlight near the wood stove. He showed no interest in food all day long. He seemed to be a bit constipated and had what we call "poodle butt" - where they get poop crusted on their bum. He would not allow me to gently wipe him clean. When I tried to help him by pressing paper towels soaked in warm water on his bum, he hissed, yowled, bit and scratched me. Finally Thursday evening we put him in the kitchen sink and hubby held him with leather gloves on while I gently sprayed his bum with warm water until he was completely clean. I put Smokey in the bathroom on a kennel heater with a soft fluffy towel, fresh litter box, fresh water and a small plate of canned cat food. He licked at the cat food and curled up on the kennel heater. When I went in Friday morning to check on him, he had just passed away. His body could no longer keep up with his incredibly strong spirit.

We buried him Friday afternoon on a south facing slope in the adult male llamas' pasture, facing south towards the lake. RIP Smokey.

Because Smokey was a feral cat, I know that the 10.5 years he spent with us as an indoor cat were far better than he would have had as a feral cat, especially as an outdoor cat. And I know he lived much longer than most ferals ever do. I'm just glad we were able to provide him with a loving, supportive home as long as we did.

Here is Smokey snuggling with Blackberry and Blueberry last September

Peacock SRR OOAK Original Design Hand Knitted Long Scarf w/ Fringe

Recently I saw a new yarn listed in Cool Climates shop on Etsy and fell in love with it. It is a component yarn, which consists of several commercial yarns tied together. Here is how Rachel describes the yarn in her listing:

Made from many commercial yarns tied together. The yarns contain all kinds of fibers including wool, mohair, cotton, synthetics, tencel and more. Some are handspun and hand dyed. Some top name brand yarns including Colinette "Fandango" and another Colinette hand dyed wool (can't remember the line). There is also some Noro "Kureyon." A dramatic colorway of deep emerald, spruce, green, teal, turquoise, violet, and some lighter blues and greens.

This yarn is very similar to Prism's "Wild Stuff" and "Cool Stuff" yarns. 


I grabbed a set of size 19 knitting needles (they're HUGE) and started knitting. I didn't use a pattern, I just went with my intuition and cast on a certain number of stitches and then just used a simple stockinette stitch until the scarf was the length I wanted. I then found some yarns in similar colors in my yarn stash and used those to make the fringe.

I debated on whether or not to bling this scarf up a bit more by attaching fringe all along the scarf but decided the yarn was so spectacular that it didn't need any special stitches or special bling to make it look incredible.

The scarf ended up being 6 feet 4 inches in length with 9 inches of fringe on each end for a total of 7 feet 10 inches in length.

Here is the finished Peacock scarf.

You can wear this scarf so many different ways. Put the scarf on "backwards" against the front of your neck and flip each end over the opposite shoulder and bring back around to the front.

Or

Or, simply drape the scarf around your shoulders. You need to be really tall for this one because it will probably be halfway down your legs if you aren't!

Or, fold the scarf in half, drape it around your neck and pull the ends through the loop.

There are so many different ways to wear this scarf. Use your imagination and your fashion savvy to come up with all kinds of different ways of wearing this incredible piece of fiber art. 

Proud as a Peacock, that's how you'll feel when wearing this gorgeous fashion accessory!

For sale in our ArtFire store.

Valentine Sale in the ArtFire Store

To celebrate Valentine's Day I am offering 14% off selected sections of the ArtFire store. Basically it is everything except spinning, knitting and felting supplies. Handmade scarves, yarns, fibers, etc. are all fair game.

Visit SplitRockRanch's Studio

SAVE 14.00 % On Select Studio Categories

Use Coupon Code:

BEMINE

during checkout.

Handmade Dolls

Wordless Wednesday - At least somebody enjoys the snow

Modified & Improved Spiced Curry Scarf/Neck Warmer

A couple of months ago I created a long skinny extreme fringe scarf using some wool and silk yarn and a skein of tailspun yarn for the fringe. Normally these scarves sell very quickly but this one has sat in the store with lots of views but no buyer. I didn't know if it was the color of the scarf or the design that was the problem. This was the only scarf with this particular design so I thought perhaps that was the issue.

The scarf portion was "limper" than I wanted it to be. I wanted the scarf to be fluid and drape well but it was too fluid for my taste, at least for these scarves. Last weekend we went shopping in Colorado Springs and ended up at Hobby Lobby since it is next door to Office Depot. Ribbon just happened to be 50% off so of course I couldn't pass up a SALE, especially on something that I use all the time. I selected a variety of ribbons in rust/copper/maroon/burgundy in a couple of widths. I chose a couple of the colors that best matched my Spiced Curry scarf and wove ribbons through three rows of the scarf. While I was doing this, I didn't pull the ribbon all the way through the scarf at first. When I looked down on the table and saw the scarf bunched up I realized it would look awesome ruched into a neck warmer!

Here is how the scarf looked originally

And here is how the scarf looks after putting the ribbon in it

A huge improvement, in my opinion.

And here is how the scarf looks ruched into a neck warmer

Now I absolutely adore this scarf/neck warmer! I'm still playing with ideas on what to do with all that ribbon when the scarf is ruched into a neck warmer. But overall I think the change is so much nicer than the original design, and so much more versatile, too! You can wear it ruched into a neck warmer, long and straight, wrapped around your neck a couple of times, folded in half and the ends pulled through the fold; your imagination is the limit to the number of ways you can wear this gorgeous scarf. And I love the rich colors, too. Let me know what you think of the modified and improved Spiced Curry Scarf/Neck Warmer!

This scarf is available in my ArtFire store: Spiced Curry Scarf/Neck Warmer

Foster Kittens Update - Mickey was Adopted!!

Good news! Mickey, one of our last foster kittens, got adopted yesterday! I don't know who adopted him but I'm hoping it was a family with a couple of kids who will play and play and play with him. Way to go Mickey! I really wanted to adopt Mickey but DH said we didn't "need" another cat. Then when the time came to take Mickey back to the shelter, DH had also fallen in love with him so he said if Mick wasn't adopted in two weeks we'd go get him and adopt him. The two weeks was up today. Just in the nick of time...

Reflecting on a Llama Legend

Okay, so Midnight Hour probably isn't a legend in the rest of the world but in our world he was quite the man! I have been thinking over the past few days since Midnight passed away, trying to remember all of his offspring and who has them now. We only used him as a stud 9 times and got 6 females and 3 males. Only one of those males is still intact, the other two have been gelded. All of his daughters have been sold - leaving us with only one male out of Midnight Hour, Kemui Yama. Kemui has already started following in his sire's footsteps in the show ring. He took first place in his class, Grand Champion in his Division and Reserve Best in Show the first time we showed him.

So, a walk down memory lane - Midnight Hour's offspring:

Midnight Kachina

Mustang Sally

Midnight Rhapsody

 

Caballero Rojo (Red)

 

Gypsy Rose

Midnight's Amazing Grace

Midnight Moonbeam

 

Midnight's Kemui Yama

RIP Stage Stop Midnight Hour - A True Champion

I just received news that one of our former llamas, Stage Stop Midnight Hour, lost his battle today with cancer. We sold Midnight Hour about a year and a half ago to some very wonderful new llama owners who fell in love with Midnight. It was a really tough decision to sell him but we had retained several of his daughters and one of his sons so we felt like we could let him go to a good home since we still had those bloodlines in our herd.

We purchased Midnight Hour from Stage Stop Llamas when he was only a couple of weeks old in July 1997. We had decided we didn't "need" any more male llamas (we already had two) but Jim fell in love with Midnight Hour and we made the decision to purchase him. We have never regretted our decision. He was an amazing animal.

During his show ring career, Midnight did very well:

• ALSA Recognition of Merit at Halter
• 2000 & 1999 Grand National Top Ten Finish
• Grand Champion 1999 NWSS & 
• Grand Champion 1999 LOCC Spring Show
• Reserve Grand Champion 2000 NWSS
• 1st place 2000 LOCC Spring Show
• 1st place 2000 Laramie County Fair
• 1st place 2000 LOCC Fall Show

We made the decision to retire Midnight Hour from the show ring after the 2000 show season and he sired some beautiful crias for us and other llama owners. He only sired a couple of males and we own the only intact male from Midnight Hour, Kemui Yama. Kemui is following in his sire's footsteps in the show ring.

Rest In Peace Midnight Hour - you will be missed.

Catching Up

I haven't done much blogging lately, mainly because I have been so busy with so many other things I just haven't had time!

Update on our latest foster kittens - Mack and Mickey - Mack went to the vet for his neuter surgery last Thursday and was adopted on Friday! GO Mack! Mickey was schedule to go to the vet for his surgery on the same day but a few days before the surgery was scheduled he started vomiting at night, had loose stools, was sneezing and his left eye was watering. We made the decision to hold off on his surgery to allow him to get better first. On Monday the shelter called and asked if he was good to go and wanted a current weight on him. I weighed him and discovered he had lost 1.5 ounces in a week! I know that doesn't seem like much but when we're talking about a kitten under 3 pounds, that's a lot of weight - it worked out to over 3% of his body weight. I thought back to any changes we had made recently and remembered that I had started to add the kitten food that they feed at the shelter and thought that perhaps he was allergic to it. So, we removed that food from his diet and he hasn't vomited since then, his stool has firmed up and he is no longer sneezing. His eye is still runny but we're treating it now with eye drops. He also gained back all the weight he had lost and is far more active than he was when he wasn't feeling well.

I have been very busy crocheting new creations. I revised my Mermaid extreme fringe scarf and added additional tailspun yarn fringe on the ends to "beef" it up a bit. It then sold right away.

I also sold the Wild Flowers scarf that I recently created - this scarf was a variation of the basic extreme fringe scarf that I've been making. I was able to get two skeins of the tailspun yarn and was able to make a long (over 6 feet) scarf and put the fringe on all of both sides, creating a very full and very vibrant look! This scarf sold immediately.

I had yarn left over after making the Wild Flowers extreme fringe scarf so I decided to make a cowl out of these same yarns. Here is Wild Flowers Cowl - available in my ArtFire store.

And, I also finished a work in progress - Cottage Rose - a hand knitted triangle shawl/scarf made from hand painted wool yarns. Cottage Rose is also available in the ArtFire store.

So, you can see that I really haven't been slacking off, I truly have been extremely busy lately! Now it is time to take a break from creating and start working on getting all my paperwork organized to prepare our taxes. I always dread this time of year because I am usually so disorganized but this past year I did a much better job of sorting, logging and filing my paperwork so it shouldn't take me nearly as long to get it all done this year. I might even actually have our taxes prepared before April 15th for a change!