Not Bad for Afternoon Work....

I have been wanting a wool picker for a while.  I have been given/bought several bags of unprocessed fiber to play with... alpaca and llama.  In order to spin fibers, usually you need to: 1.  Pick it to open up the fiber getting rid of the all the little clumps and mats and hopefully get rid of all the small pieces of litter contained in the fleece.  2.  Card it to get all the fibers aligned so you can draft it when spinning.  Alas a wool picker has been financially out of my grasp... till today.  Got the ok from hubby to go buy materials.  Most people would maybe (oh I don't know) draw out a design prior to going to Lowes.  But no, I take my trusty tape measure and jump right in.  My picker is, for the most part, a Medival box full of nails, with a additional set of spikes attached to a slider. 

After getting all my goodies home, I sat on my living room floor assembling away.  Took most of the afternoon, but it was worth it.... WORKS GREAT!!!!!

Yes, nails are sharp... Ouch!

 Looks pretty evil.

All closed up:

Now for the "Fuzz"....

When Mom died in September, I was not doing very well.  I am a stay at home Mom, so was not like I could emerse myself in the workplace to distract me.  It was just too easy to stay in bed and feel sorry for myself.  Before Mom got sick, I was already trying to find an outlet to get me out of the house just to be around other adults.  Yes, we would probably just talk about the kids, but at least the kids wouldn't be physically be there.... lol  I am not the bar type, and living out in the sticks does not help when finding groups to join.  SO....

When I was in college, I took some Summer courses at the extension Junction, TX campus of Texas Tech.  I took several textile courses.  On of which was weaviing on a floor loom.  I still remember how much I loved it.  I have decided that I am going to work toward purchasing a floor loom.  Due to the expense, yes, it will take a while.  In the meantime, I have learned to spin yarn and to knit.  I have joined the Heart of Texas Spinners and Weavers Guild in Waco, TX.   Most of all, I am getting out of the house and having adult conversations, and am engaged in an activity that produces a product for my family.

Am loving working with different fibers to produce yarn.  Thus far I have knitted two scarves.  Hubby asked for a wool "hunting" vest.  So, I ordered 2lb of wool, dyed it, spun it, and am now knitting my first vest.   Stay tuned to see how it turns out.