Yesterday George and Connie and I went to New Hampshire to the Wool Tour. It was great fun. I bought three large balls of pale gray Shetland roving to spin, enough to make a pair of mittens and a hat. The temptation is to buy one ball ($12.00), and when you finish spinning it, plying it and rolling it in a ball of yarn, you only have enough for a headband, or one sock. So it is important to buy enough. I did. The cost of that roving was almost $40.00. An expensive pair of mittens, don't ya think. And we don't even THINK about the time involved. Days and weeks.
At the same stall in the big barn I bought a beautiful maroon and white handspun knit hat that is lovely and lovable, and that cost $30.00. Beautiful hand made things are worth the money.
We went to three farms and had a nice Chinese lunch in between. I got to see my friend Ann, and we sat at a picnic table and I taught Connie how to knot pearls. It took about 10 minutes to show her all I know, and she picks things up fast. She and I are good jewelry makers and it doesn't take us long to get the hang of a new technique.
We went to an alpaca farm and saw a hundred alpacas. They are brown, tawny or whitish, and remind me of a hippie poncho I had in the 60's which I wore for Chicago peace rallies. It was brown with white decorating going across and I'm sure it was made in Peru. It probably cost $10 at the most. It was very warm and wearable and I loved it. Those alpacas yesterday were the same color as my old poncho, bless it's heart.
The price list of alpacas was on the door of one barn. For $1000 you can buy a young female. For $2000 you can buy a young male. For $8000 you can buy a breeding female. We were wondering who would be in a such a hurry, since you can buy a girl alpaca for so much less and just wait two years or so. Of couse, I don't know much about alpacas. On the drive home we were adding up all the expenses we would have if we bought an alpaca. A heated barn, hay, hot water, food, a corral, vet bills, electricity, leather harnesses, wool shearing tools, advertising to sell the wool you just sheared, a pick up truck, a trailer...we went on and on. I think I will stick to visiting them once a year.
George and I are staining my spinning wheel and all the wooden accessories a darker honey pecan color. I bought my spinning wheel about 10 years ago, and although I stained it at the time, I bought too light of a stain, and it is white ash, and not that great. Pecan will be better. But it takes several coats, with a lot of wiping and waiting in between. It will take three days before we are finished. We set up lights and a radio in the basement and have been working on it for the whole weekend.
But, beautiful things are worth waiting for.
Have a great day.
