Ep 49: Yikes! Project Monogamy

Knitting monogamy and the fall semester have combined to reduce the yarn crafting of the Two Ewes this episode. Both are making progress on their Epic Adventures, though. View photos, and subscribe to the podcast at our Two Ewes Fiber Adventures blog!

Kelly has finished all the squares needed for the quilt that she started over 30 years ago. Now on to the sewing together!

Kelly also started a new sock project for meeting knitting. The Angler's Loop socks have an interesting cable pattern along the back of the sock. The pattern is designed by Andrea Mules.

Marsha has been moving along on Frank's Spirit Yarn Afghan. The pattern is the Garter Squish by Stephen West. She is on the third color now and, at the moment, is knitting on this project exclusively.

Marsha did something she never thought she would do. She bought a tie-dyed skirt! This is not your grandfather's tie-dye. She talked with the dyer about the technique (which includes dye removal as well as overdyeing) and is inspired to try some tie-dye.

Kelly attended the fleece judging for the Monterey County Fair Wool Show. The judge this year was Richard Jacobsen of Jacobsen Ranch. The fleeces in the show were spectacular, as usual! A "chrome" silver merino fleece caught everyone's imagination.

There are a few unusual entries this year. The most exciting was a Santa Cruz Island fleece.

This is a rare, heritage breed that had been feral on Santa Cruz Island. The Livestock Conservancy page links to a detailed and interesting article on the history of the breed by Lynn Moody. I don't know if she is the source of the fleece at the show. Here is an excerpt from the article.

"Jim and I acquired our starter flock of Santa Cruz Island sheep from Marion Stanley in July 2010. As an avid (though not particularly skilled) handspinner and knitter and beginning weaver, I was looking for a hardy, self-sufficient and fuss-free breed with nice wool, marketable to crafters and artists, and that were "endangered" and needed preservation and promotion. That these sheep were nearly indigenous in my adopted state of California, had an interesting history, and came from an environment similar to that of our ranch, were added attractions. I began this study wondering when exactly sheep were first brought to Santa Cruz Island–there seemed to be some conflicting accounts-and what kinds of sheep made up the ancestry of these unique and fascinating animals."

There were also Montadale and Oxford fleeces, not often seen at shows, and two Shetland fleeces. Although Shetland's aren't rare at wool shows, I haven't ever seen Shetland fleeces at the Monterey show.

The auction will take place on Labor Day, September 5, 2016. The fair opens at noon, but the wool area is open for pre-auction viewing starting at about 9 am.

If you have questions or comments and would like to email us, we are available at twoewesdyeing@gmail.com Or you can find us on Ravelry as "1hundredprojects" and "betterinmotion."