Weather, Sheep, Dog, Etc.

The wind has finally settled down. Not that it's still, but at least large, heavy objects aren't flying around anymore. The very strong winds we had through much of May and June were exhausting, both physically and mentally. Almost continuous wind gets on a person's nerves after awhile.

Now it's just hot and dry. We haven't had any precipitation since April, and even then it was a below-average amount. There's a slight chance of rain this weekend.

I didn't plant a garden this spring. Too many things have been going on. I think I'll put in some squash, though; pumpkins would be fun.

I've sheared all but two of the adult sheep, Minerva and Gimli. I'm going to try to shear those two this weekend. I know they're hot, but they were the last ones sheared in the fall, so their wool isn't quite as long. I had delayed shearing because of the heavy winds, so now I'm catching up.

On December 28, I lost my amazing, beloved dog, Dierdre, to degenerative myelopathy. It was an incredibly difficult time. About four months ago, I adopted Logan. He's two and still very much a puppy. He's doing well with the sheep, though, and even behaved pretty decently during shearing.

I'm taking advantage of the hot weather and decreased winds to wash wool. It dries fast in the sun, but I have to be careful that it doesn't blow away (even with less wind). I also have to keep Logan from taking it to play with, which is an even bigger challenge. He'll learn, though.

Donating to a Dog (and Cat) Cause

Exciting news! I've arranged to donate 10% of my sales of hand woven dog leash add-ons and dog collars to United Animal Friends,  http://www.dogcatadoption.com/.

Below is the leash add-on I recently made for my dog, Logan. The second picture is one I made to sell. It's appropriate for a small- to medium-sized dog.

Here's a picture of Dierdre wearing her leash add-on. One end attaches to the collar; the other end hooks to the leash.

Handwoven Pacifier Clips

I thought it was only fair to let babies (OK, well, their parents) tell the world what they like, so I'm weaving pacifier clips. It's great to watch people's faces when they first spot them.

Send me suggestions for more phrases. I'd love to hear from you!

Let's see, "Future Browncoat"....

Card Weaving and Phoenix Comicon

Wow, I spent last weekend (Thursday through Sunday) at Phoenix Comicon as an exhibitor (vendor) in the Artists Alley. Exhausting but fun.

For months now, I've been card weaving (or tablet weaving) bracelets with sayings from or references to science fiction and fantasy books, shows, and movies. I've also been weaving material (on a four-harness floor loom) and sewing it into bags, particularly drawstring dice bags.

You now know the truth: I'm a sci-fi/fantasy geek. Firefly, Doctor Who, the Harry Potter books, Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings -- they're great.

Here are a few of the bracelets I've woven.

Bad wolf in Welsh!

I used 40 cards and 160 threads for all of them except the TARDIS bracelets. For those, I used 54 cards and 216 threads because I needed  more width to make them look good. I wove all these bracelets with sewing thread. I know, I know. I'm kind of crazy, but it's fun.