Friday, May 2, 2014

Off of the To Do List

Most of this week has been spent washing fleeces.  (Carol lent me her centrifuge, which has been an enourmous help!) These sheep are a mix of breeds including shetland and southdown, and others that I can't remember.  I wasn't sure what I was going to find once the fleeces were clean and dry, but I have found the locks quite sproingy.  I am pretty sure that is the southdown influence.  But the locks are almost crisp, and when I tried the use my handcards on it, it exploded into a pile of fluff!  I then tried to use my combs and found that to be the wisest way to prepare this fiber.  It is really fun to spin, and I find that I can spin both worsted or woolen, or many variations in between.  The finished yarn is very soft and elastic, with the skeins growing to almost twice their length when stretched!

Today I took a day off from cleaning fleeces, I got up really early and I took a trip to Nashville.  I was going to pick up a great wheel, and not just any great wheel, but a Granny Greer!  Now the funny thing is, this wheel is not for me.  It belongs to a Ravelry friend in New Jersey  It originated in Mississippi, I believe, and is slowly making it's way to it's new home.  I have been trying to complete my part of the "railroad" since early December, but with bad weather and an old car, with old tires, it has taken this long for me to go get it!  I will hold it here at my house until we can work up a way to get it on the next leg of the journey.  I have told them I can do 3 to 4 hours from Knoxville towards the final destination.  It felt good to finally check that off of my list!

Another thing that has been on my list this past month, is a little bit trickier.  Some time ago my neighbor to the south, had kindly offered to fence in some of my pasture for the goats.  He will run his cattle thru the corridor a couple of times a year, but other than that it is my space.  Last year, he got the fenceposts in and the wire strung, but in the process there was a spring in the corner of my field that somehow got covered up.   Fast forward a year, and the neighbor to the north brought to my attention that water was backing up from the spring onto his property, making it soggy, and threatening the driveway.

I spent some time last week mucking around in the muck, trying to figure out just where that little spring could be, but I couldn't find it!  I finally dug a couple of trenches to see if I could get some of the water to flow to the tiny creek that is nearby.  Then I waited a couple of days to see if that would help me find the spring.  Also, at the same time, each evening I take the goats out to graze a bit in that field, and I knit socks and think about the spring problem.  Tonight, while we were out there grazing and knitting, I put my knitting down and  grabbed the shovel.   I started to poke it into the ground, trying to find the wettest spot.  When I found it, I started digging.  It wasn't long, just a foot or two, before I saw what I was looking for, a little bubbling up action from a hole in the ground!  I seriously wanted to say "Eureka!"

I was enthralled, I couldn't believe it!!!  I quickly started digging a bit of a ditch to give that water someplace to go.  It took awhile, but it was happy work.  I worked steadily, moving back and forth from the spring, just to watch it for a bit, and the ditch to keep a path clear towards the small creek.  I finally called it a night when there was a good flow of water to the creek and it was time to cook some dinner.  (I so want to go out there and look at the spring again, right now!)  I will continue to work on this project in the evenings as the goats are grazing, widening the path of the spring and putting rock around the spring to protect it from the big cattle that come that way every once in awhile.  That means that I have completed 2 tasks in one day that have been weighing heavily on my mind, what a relief!

Right now, I have no pictures to show you of any of this.  It is possible that I may add some tomorrow, when I have the time, and energy to do so, right now I am looking longingly towards my bed,even if it is only 8pm.  Tomorrow will be a big day at Lou Ann's house!  Her son is going to give a free form basketry class, and you can be sure I will be there!

Until next time, Happy Weaving and Spinning, Tina


1 comment:

LA said...

Did you know you had a spring? That is amazing! I'm glad you could divert the water towards the creek.