This beautiful girl is the first baby born at Alpaca Acres this year! And they’ve named her… Shireena :) I couldn’t be more thrilled, and I can’t wait til we can drive up to see the baby! Annie – you’re amazing! xoxox.
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Hamilton, or ‘The Hammer’ as most of us know it, is a great study in opposites.
On one hand it has massive steel mills right on the harbour, belching smoke and open flame, black with soot and looking very blade runner, or as one commenter put it, “hot dirty and apocalyptic”.
On the other it has green parks rich in plant and animal life, and to my surprise, 120 waterfalls, more than any other city in the world apparently. Some of these photos are taken in the same place under the bridge where I took the first photo study; I am just facing the other way.
To see either photo study on its own is to give a misleading impression of the city. Together, they tell a small part of the story of Hamilton.
*Thanks to Maya, from Urban Burger, for the tip off about the waterfalls!
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(Most) photos taken under the Burlington Skyway. Liberties taken with Photoshop ;)
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Just a little update for what’s on the needles – The Colour Affection shawl is coming along nicely, despite the fact that every row feels like an eternity now. We went to the Purple Purl on the weekend to pick up the final colour. So far it’s chocolate and mint. I thought, Mallard? Deep Sea? Olive? Peacock?
But then Tito pulled down a skein of this. Pink Grapefruit. I was appalled at his choice, but then he held it against the shawl and it was…. perfect. Totally, unexpectedly perfect. To seal the deal he said ‘It reminds me of neopolitan ice-cream.’
So there you go. A colour I have never bought and would never choose has just become my new favourite. I loved it so much I caved in and bought a skein of it in Tanis’ new Red Label Cashmere Silk yarn. It’s soft and squishy and the colours seem somehow more saturated than the blue label (it’s the one on the bottom right). I bought the pattern for the Fairview scarf right away and cast on.
Because donating all that yarn meant I had space for more, right?
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Last Saturday Tito and I had the opportunity to be part of the annual shearing day at Alpaca Acres. Our friends, Anne and Dan, invited us and a bunch of their friends to come help out on this busy day, taking their herd from this:
To this:
We were so impressed by this process. The alpaca stand against a table which rotates so they’re lying down – and instantly the alpaca ‘pit crew’ gets to work. Not one second is wasted while the alpaca is being worked on. The actual shearing is done by Dan. Dan is careful, methodical and gentle with his shearing.
The others are trimming the legs, carting away the fleece for sorting and even trimming the toenails. Throughout the process other people always have their hands on the alpacas body, supporting them, petting them, comforting them, even talking to them. Everything we saw was marked by their consideration and love for their herd.
Many hands take part in sorting the enormous amount of fleece per animal. The strands that are coarse, knotted or too short are removed. The ‘first’ and ‘second’ shearings are separated by length and quality. Being newbies at this, the sorting table was where Tito and I started out.
Afterwards you have a handsome alpaca, straight from the spa!
Look at this handsome fellow, I was wondering what his fleece looked like so Annie brought it out –
Beautiful fluffy grey and white. He comes variegated!
This is Sandy, the alpaca that I bought a sweaters worth from once. Some of her fleece went to my pen-pal in Boston :) This is her before picture.
The thickness of Sandy’s fleece.
Another view of the thickness, mid shear.
Her fleece being carted off for sorting
Annie and Paula – sorting fleece is so awesome – you just want to bury your face in it!
And Sandy’s after photo – half the size she was :)
Isn’t that crazy? Here she is again:
Thank you Annie and Dan for letting us be part your shearing day! We have a whole new appreciation for where yarn comes from :)
Speaking of where yarn comes from, next weekend I’ll be taking my first spinning class at the Purple Purl – stay tuned!
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All done! And what a task it was. Here is Stash Part 1…
…and Stash Part 2.
It is now only 1/3 the size of it’s former glory.
I kept the yarns I love to work with, the precious yarns that were handspun or gifted to me by friends and the yarn that Tito liked even if I didn’t. It takes up only 1 drawer and one large box now, and what that means to me is that I have lots of space to fill with new yarn :)
Here is what I’ve ended up with, and where they’re going. By ‘bag’ I mean 12″x12″ ziplock bags.
- 3 bags that I’m sure have animal content – these are going to a church group who knit blankets which are donated to the Mississauga Humane Society. I figure this is a good mix because animals are presumably not horribly allergic to each other.
- 8 bags that I’m sure are 100% acrylic – this is going to the Juravinski Cancer Centre in Hamilton – I believe they make things for cancer patients and also keep yarn on hand in the waiting rooms for patients who like to knit. The Juravinski Cancer Centre is also getting my spare needles, dpns and crochet hooks.
- 9 bags where I’m unsure of the fibre content but could certainly include wool. Novelty yarns are in this pile as well. – 3 bags of this are being added to the animal content bags that are going to the Humane Society Knitters. The other 6 are going to the Purple Purl here in Toronto who have lots of connections, such as streetknit, for the yarn to go to :)
Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions!
To end… here is the start on my Colour Affection shawl, knit in 2 TFA one of a kind skeins as part of Tanis’ TFA Colour KAL. Looks like mint chocolate – yummy!
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I’m doing it. I’m Purging the Stash. There is a ton of yarn here that predates my discovery of my one true love – hand dyed merino and alpaca blends. Lots of acrylic, wool, novelty yarns and other things I know I’ll never use. Lots of them are full skeins. I’m looking for a worthy home to donate the yarn to – if you’ve heard of something really worthwhile please post it in the comments!
My only criteria: Lots of folks accept knitted items, but I’m looking for a place that accepts yarn and needles. Toronto area would be nice but I’m not picky ;) Other than that I’m open to ideas!
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I have so much to talk about – new glass out of the kiln, Alpaca shearing day up at Alpaca Acres, WIP shots of my TFA KAL…. but none of that photography is processed. So I leave you with a photo of… the beast. My parents ferret has quintupled in size since we got him a few weeks ago. He’s huge, covered in baby fat, soft as anything and very affectionate :) I love him!
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The Boston Common, or Boston Public Garden, dates from 1634. It’s a large, beautiful park right in the middle of the city. I spent much time knitting, reading, walking and thinking there.
The Blue Brick 