Alpaca Portraits, Part Deux...

Lots of collages this time... (I took so many pictures!) I think they speak for themselves, a wonderful time was had by all...  {smile}

<don't forget to click on the pictures to see an enlargement>

Off to greener pastures...

..

Alpaca Portraits...

Taz the Llama, she oversees the herd...

I visited a local Alpaca (and one Llama) farm this morning and it was so much fun: they are So Soft!!!  (Snowflake Fibers)

Here a few portraits to start you out with. More pics will come later this week once I have recovered from the crazy party weekend at Tolt Yarn & Wool...

Our lovely hostess receiving snuggles from Ferrari I believe...

Party Dress...

Front panel, sleeve, back panel...

Tomorrow is the second anniversary of Tolt Yarn & Wool and I managed to sew a party dress just in time to celebrate the occasion!  {smile}

Click! to enlarge...

The pattern came from the Stylish Dress Book  by Yoshiko Tsukiori and this is view E. The fabric (dark grey chambray) was bought already way back in May or June when my mom was visiting. This is what I was envisioning, it just took me a while to find the right pattern: love it! 

Have a great weekend everybody, I know I will! <wink>

Lots Of Water...

Last weekend we were hit by the first big flood of the season. As most of you know we live right between two 'well - known - for - flooding' rivers on Seattle's east side and the bigger one definitely flooded. In fact, one of our main roads out of the Valley has been flooded since late Saturday...

Don't worry, we have lots of websites where we can track the rivers' flow and the traffic cameras where we can check if the gates are up or not. Our town has been locked in before in the past (in fact the first year we lived here it happened twice!), but we were nowhere near that stage this time...

We did a little drive around The Valley Saturday afternoon...

Flooded fields, the Cascades in the background...

Tolt River Road where you can see the waters coming over the road already...

I had some fun over -editing the same pic above...

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So all this wet and windy weather has been great for a spot of knitting of course! First off I finished my Dream Stripes Shawl, made out of Madeline Tosh Merino Light in fingering weight. (very thin) It is so soft and drapes beautifully!

And now I've started working on the  "Easy Folded Poncho" designed by Churchmouse Yarns. The original pattern is using only Stockinette stitches, which I though might be a rather boring thing to make, so I've added some seed stitch borders and a fairly simple cable. The golden color is 'Nutmeg' in Madeline Tosh DK and the variegated color is 'Earl Grey' in Madeline Tosh Sport weight.

The rest of the poncho will be in the Earl Grey colorway...

--  **  --  **  --

Well, today is Tuesday so that means it is my day to volunteer at Little Bit. The temperatures certainly have dropped after all this rain and I think I might have to wear some homemade woollies: yay!  {smile}

This coming up Saturday, we will all be celebrating the second anniversary of the opening of Tolt Yarn & Wool! Can't wait to see everybody again. This shop and especially all the people connected to it, has certainly changed my life!  {smile & heart}

Rattlesnake Lake...

Click! to enlarge to extra large...

 

Scenes from Dr. Who!

These holes were cut to insert 2 x 4 planks so that the loggers could stand 'safely'...

Old measuring stick...

Another measuring stick...

Remains of a large chimney...

Walking on the moon...

Original view from Moncton...

Yesterday Mr. G. and I drove to Rattlesnake Lake to observe the strange phenomenon of the lake slowly disappearing. It was a sight to behold! 

In the early 1900's the small town of Moncton was established here. Several years later they decided to make this area into a water reservoir for the Seattle area and the town was flooded. Now that the lake levels are so extremely low, we could clearly see where it was situated and we found several foundations and chimney remnants, fascinating! 

Some textures...

Of course this was also the weekend of Master C. and his girlfriend visiting: 'twas lovely!

A Day Out...

I purchased this lovely specimen of a tape measure,
a little treasure...

The day after Miss M. returned to L.A., I had a day out to look forward to. With several ladies from Tolt Yarn & Wool we visited the "Fall Rug Show & Hook In", In other words, a rug hooking event. 

Now I am not at all familiar with rug hooking so was looking forward to observe a new fiber art. Here is a short description of what rug hooking is: Rug hooking is both an art and a craft where rugs are made by pulling loops of yarn or fabric through a stiff woven base such as burlap, linen, or rug warp. The loops are pulled through the backing material by using a crochet-type hook mounted in a handle (usually wood) for leverage.

I have to admit that I don't think this is a creative art form for me, the end result is just not my cup of tea, but I can certainly appreciate the complexities of the design, the stitch lengths and heights, the directions and of course the color choices. 

Chatting with like minded creative women however certainly was the best part for me!  {smile}

I truly loved the goat rug, it made me smile...