From the Land of Sheep

The in-laws went to New Zealand this spring and brought back a number of amazing things.  While they won't let me practice the didgeridoo or the giant hunting boomerang they bought back, I did get to keep this:

 A sheep pelt, two balls of Ashford worsted weight yarn, and some spinning fiber.

Ashford is a New Zealand company...the wool is from New Zealand sheep (because there are so many of them there).  My spinning wheel is an Ashford Kiwi (similar to this one).

I have mixed feelings about the sheep pelt.  If I had a sheep farm, it would be a no-kill operation: wool only!  But knowing that a lot of the sheep in New Zealand are raised for meat, I guess I am glad the pelts can be used, too. And it is very soft on my feet when I sit and knit....

MD Sheep and Wool Festival

I am going to my first ever sheep and wool festival this Saturday, May 7th.  I could not be more excited.

The festival opens at 9am.  There will be vendors, food,  etc.  The shearing demonstrations are at 11...thrilled!!!  And I am taking a class with this woman: Charlene Schurch.   Lace is not something I think of as needing a class to learn (it's just some yarn overs and some k2tog's, right?) but I am sure there is oodles that I don't even know that I don't know.

I am going to resist buying a whole fleece (because, honestly, what the heck am I going to do with it?  I really hated hand-carding.  And my friends will look at me like I've gone wacko-banunu if I bring a trash bag full of wool home).  Unless I find a nice processor who can explain what I am looking for and will do the processing for me (for a fee, obviously).  Still don't know that I can spin that much wool with my crappy spindle....oh, wait!  I will be going to the vendor booths where I am SURE someone would be willing to let me take a brand new spindle off their hands!  Luckily my class is at the same time as the spinning equipment auction, so I won't be tempted to buy a wheel....

Any requests from folks for things I should bring home to you?  Anyone want to come with me?

Sheep/Dog

I saw this article the other day and decided that you just NEEDED to know.

A farmer in China says his sheep gave birth to a sheep dog...as in, a dog that looks like a sheep...A researcher at a local university had this to say about it:

It's not possible that a sheep could become pregnant with a puppy...It's likely that this is just an abnormal lamb.

Heh, the name of my new death metal band is going to be "Abnormal Lamb."  We'll be moshing this weekend at a club near you.

Nostepinde and The Dreaded Yale 250

I stand corrected.  I stated the other day that "niddy noddy" is the best name for a fiber tool ever.  Then lady friend at Porpoise Knits weighed in to tell me that the best word is, in fact, "nostepinde" (or, apparently, "nostepinne" both of which google tries to correct to "goosestepping")  Yea, I don't have one of those...but they're kinda hot...

Anyhooo!

Now that I have submitted all my grad school applications (and am no longer afraid of plagiarists stealing my ideas...you know I was first...), I thought I would share with you part of one of my applications.

Yale Law School, in addition to the personal statement, diversity question, resume and other materials that most law school ask for, also requires a special essay that is lovingly known on the web as "the dreaded Yale 250."  The prompt is:

Write an essay of not more than 250 words about a subject of your choice.  The Admissions Committee looks to the 250-word essay to evaluate an applicant’s writing, reasoning, and editing skills.  The subject is not limited; the choice of topic itself may be informative to the readers.

Did you hear that?  The choice of topic itself may be informative to the readers....why does that sound so scary to me?  I originally joined my law-school-applying compatriots in hating this essay and wrote some horribly boring essay about something incoherent.  Then I deleted it and wrote this instead (possibly also horribly boring and incoherent...but it makes me giggle that someone on the Yale Admissions committee got to read about knitting):

I knit my first scarf in fifth grade. From there, I progressed to mittens and blankets. This summer I decided to embark on a more ambitious project: to knit a sweater from scratch. To accomplish this goal, I would need to learn how to shear a sheep, spin the fleece into yarn, dye the yarn into a palatable color, and knit a sweater that I actually could wear. 

I have had mixed success. My knitting has gotten progressively better as I have mastered working with multiple colors, casting on and off in different ways, and utilizing various needles. On the other hand, my dyeing skills are abysmal. My attempts at subtle, understated tones more closely resemble failed tie-dye projects from Girl Scout camp. My shearing skills remain untested. Although I recently visited a flock of ewes in my hometown of Waterloo, Iowa, I have yet to work up the nerve to wrestle one of the wriggling ladies into place while using sharp clippers to remove her fleece. 

Despite these initial obstacles, I am not worried about failing. I did not know about highway systems before working at the US Department of Transportation. I had never witnessed a birth before becoming a doula. Throughout my life, I have pursued interests that ignite my curiosity and often challenge my abilities. These experiences have given me the confidence to know I can gain the skills to succeed whether I am knitting a sweater from scratch, starting a new job or attending law school

Besides the requisite cheesy ending, I'm not entirely sure what information the admissions committee will get glean from this one....heh, knitting...

Weekend Update: Wherein JoAnna Entertains at the Old Folks Home

This Saturday was the 9/11 Day of Service.  A group of Truman Scholars headed out to the Washington Home, a comfort care center for the chronically and terminally ill in Tenleytown (oh Tenleytown, the memories....and the really long escalator that wasn't working that you made me climb).  We were asked to hang out with the residents and get their stories about what they remember from 9/1/2001 for the Library of Congress Oral History Project.  Aside from one woman who told me that her son worked in the Pentagon when it happened, the answer to that question is "not a helluva lot."  (Note: I heart how my spell check doesn't like the word "Tenleytown" but accepts the word "helluva" without question).  I was in high school in Seattle at the time and watched the planes fly into the towers on the news as I was getting ready for school in the morning.  It's hard to believe that it was that long ago.

The folks I talked to were NOT in high school in 2001....and they could recall fifty years ago a lot easier than nine years ago.  So I heard from Walt who grew up in South Carolina, and Marie who was a nurse in DC and her friend who has lost all three of her kids and two godchildren as well.  I also hung out with Irene, who is originally from Berlin and now blind, holding her hand and talking to her about what it was like to live in Berlin.

Then, oh folks, then we helped folks get downstairs for lunch and a 9/11 ceremony.  As we were headed down for lunch they asked if anyone played piano.  I was the only one who fessed up to being able to read music.  Immediately the tossed some Beattles, Simon and Garfunkle and Elton John music at me and asked me to play so the residents wouldn't get bored waiting for lunch.  When did I last play piano?  A year ago.  When did I last play piano well?  Eleven years ago.  No one complained as I picked out the melody to "Candle on the Water" and sang along to my rendition of "Hey Jude."  Oh heavens.... I was eventually saved by someone who could ACTUALLY play piano and helped serve lunch instead (a much better use of my skills I think).


Other things that happened this weekend:

• Total on-call hours: 60
• Total babies birthed: 0
• Made cookie dough, and then ate it before I made cookies.
• I finished the sheep!!!  I will give it to Pete (the friend that brought me the yarn from Iceland) on Monday.

Going for a stroll through the living room...

• Sam the Cat and I spent a whole day together (I'm cat sitting) in which there was no hissing, scratching, or cussing and only minimal sniffling and sneezing.  And depite the intense staring contest we had around 3pm on Sunday, there may have been a little scritching behind the ears and some purring (not saying who was in charge of which)...

Sam the Cat looks so innocent here....

How Meta

"Screw this sheep!" I shouted. Much louder than I meant to, I realized as my roommates looked quizzically over at me from across the living room. I had interrupted our viewing of the NCIS marathon with my outburst and no one looked pleased.

"You are referring to your knitting?" asked one confused roommie. Seeing the concerned looks and raised eyebrows, I realized that I might have a little issue. I am supposed to be working on my doula certification. I am supposed to be writing grad school applications. I could be watering my garden or sewing a quilt. Planning for next year’s Vagina Monologues. Saving the world.

Instead I am knitting a sheep.

Not such a problem really, except that this sheep I am knitting is driving me bonkers.

This sheep (look for LoveEwe by Christine Wilkins on Ravelry) is giving me trouble. Each little bump is actually one stitch that you turn into five stiches, knit five times, purl five times, and then turn back into one stitch again. What you see in the picture is 18 rows...something that would normally take me MAYBE an hour to do. This has taken me several weeks on and off.

What Does it Take to Make a Sweater: Sheep Shearing Edition

I figure the first step in this process is to figure out what it is that I need to do to make this sweater I promised to make. The steps as I see them are:

• Find a sheep
• Shear it
• Prepare the wool
• Spin the wool
• Dye the wool
• Figure out how to knit a sweater
• Knit that sweater

K, so I'm going to worry about finding the sheep a little later. There are a couple of fiber festivals in Virginia this fall that seem likely. Or do we know anyone with a farm?

Colonial Williamsberg Sheep Shearing. 
Maybe I should get a hat like that...

Let's start with shearing the sheep. I guess the first question is: what kind of sheep do I need? Apparently the main types of wool are fine wools, medium/crossbred wools and long wools. Fine wools include the well-known Merino and the lesser known Rambouillet. The fibers are very soft and short which, I am told, makes it hard for beginning hand-spinners (aka me) to spin.

Long wools have a course texture. They are better for outer garments or woven blankets. And the long fibers may tangle during spinning. Probably not best for a beginner....

Medium wools are still suitable for wearing but have longer fibers than the fine wools making it easier for beginners like me (can you count me as a beginning if I have yet to begin?).

I'm gonna go all Goldielocks on this one and choose the sheep that is juuuuuust right (aka a medium wool producer). That means I need to find something like a Blue Faced Leicester, a Border Leicester, a Coopworth, or a Romney.

Then once I have the sheep, I have to do one of the following:

A) Find an expert to shear the sheep for me. This is what many farmers do, as a professional sheep shearer is quick and much less likely to hurt herself or the sheep. Problems: There is actually a national shortage of sheep shearers, meaning it is unlikely I will find one in my neighborhood (even if I did have a sheep handy to be sheared). Also, they are not so likely to jump at the chance to shear just one sheep...they like to do a whole heard at a time to make it worth the time and effort.

B) I can shear the sheep myself. To do that, I would go to eHow.com and figure out how to do it myself. They advise that I:

Step 1: Hold sheep in a clean area or pen while waiting to be sheared to keep the wool clean.

Step 2: Find a clean rug for the sheep to stand on while being sheared. Shear sheep away from their pen or sleeping area.

Step 3: Get rid of any feces or other debris that might be present in the coat before shearing.

Step 4: Shear sheep in warm weather to bring out the oils in the coat. This will help keep the blades lubricated to produce a more even coat.

Step 5: Cut close to the body of the sheep.

Step 6: Keep the coat all in one piece as you shear and do not go back and shear a second time.

Step 7: Consider purchasing a shearing platform which allows the sheep to stand with its head secure while being sheared. This also gets the sheep up off the ground which makes it easier on the shearer.

What?!?!  I feel like this is like giving me instructions for cutting someone's hair that consist of: 1. Use scissors; 2. Cut with a firm hand; and 3. Make sure not to make it too ugly. It's missing a few useful details on technique.

It's possible that the Internet is not the best place to learn this particular skill.  I might need a mentor. Shear panic....

Writing Sheepishly

My office had a team-building day earlier this summer. At the beginning we were supposed to say our names, something we wanted to do this summer, and something we wanted to do sometime in the future. I said my name (hey, I’m JoAnna), what I wanted to do this summer (go to the beach) and then without thinking, I said what I wanted to do sometime in the future. My mom at the moment is hoping that I said that I want to go to law school, get a good job and support her in her old age. Sorry, Mom!!! Instead, I stated confidently that I would like to knit a sweater from scratch, starting with shearing the sheep. My co-workers looked at me like the wacko-banunu person I apparently am and asked the most obvious question: where will you find a sheep???

I asked myself a more important question: where the heck had that declaration come from? It is my experience that if you say something out loud it stops being make-believe and becomes something about which people start asking, "Why you haven’t finished yet?"  I immediately saw that I was in trouble.

In fact, this is the third time in the last year that I have gotten myself in just this type of trouble. I announced that I was going to apply to law school. Oh.  My.  Gosh. No, I haven’t applied yet. No, my essays are still in my brain and not on paper. No, I have no idea where I am going to go. But yes, you are right. I really should get on it.

Next, I announced that I was going to get my doula certification. Yes, I am attending births. Yes, that makes me a “real” doula. No, I am not certified yet. But yes, you are right. I really should get on that, too.

Now the whole sheep-to-sweater thing.  Oops. 

I made the mistake of saying these goals out loud and now I need to get my applications in for school, I need to finish my doula certification, and, apparently, I am in desperate need of a sheep and a sweater pattern (and some serious instruction by a person with experience working with sheep and sweater patterns).

Can you hear it coming?  It's the premise of this writing venture I have here!  I recognize that people keep asking me about these goals of mine because they care. I realize that I should give these people who care some updates on my status.  So I am going to track my progress on these three goals (getting into a less-than-laughable law/grad program, getting my doula certification, and making a sweater from scratch) and hopefully the saying-it-out-loud on a blog will make it come true.  

And I should do it in a reasonable amount of time.  Before, say, August 1 of next year, so people will stop pointing out that I really should get on it already.

Does this seem a little ambitious? Yea, I am a little hesitant (sheepish, perhaps?) making the declaration knowing that at least with the doula and the sweater stuff, it is totally possible that I won’t make my deadlines. Wish me luck?