le Tour de Fleece

Shetland wool from Paradise Fibers

Day 1 and 2

I finally signed up for le Tour before it was over! While the men cycled away in Corsica hot and sweaty in the sun, I spun in the sweltering heat of my house since the power died  and the air conditioner cut out. Why did I think it was a great challenge/idea to spin and then ply a pound of Shetland wool? Well, a small hurdle, all in all, I suppose. It's not like I have to pedal up a mountain once ... or twice. Although keeping a constant treadling speed is a problem for me.

Per my spinning teacher's advice, the pound or roving has been broken up into one-ounce units. It's a handy way of knowing how much wool one is working with when dyeing or spinning.

I didn't get an early start yesterday and have a lot to make up for on Day Two!

Knitting for Baby Birds

Three tiny baby Bushtits nestle into their hand-knitted nest. Photo from WildCare website.

We knit for loved ones. We knit bears for children. We knitters have been asked to knit jumpers for Penguins soiled in an oil spill. Now we have an opportunity to knit nests for baby birds.  

If you like knitting, WildCare needs lots more of these soft nests.Click here for a helpful set of knitting instructions. Remember that all nests should be washable and durable-- they get a lot of use during baby bird season at WildCare! Yarn color doesn't matter too much, although muted colors are best. These nests are a fun and worthwhile way to use up extra bits of yarn you have lying around. These tightly-knit nests can also be easily cleaned by throwing them into the washing machine, which is an invaluable component of all the equipment our baby bird foster parents use.

I support WildCare in Northern California, but I'm sure any bird rescue group in your area would be able to use this donation.

WildCare
76 Albert Park Ln.
San Rafael, CA 94901
USA