MenoSundays; Life Lived Lovingly

Menokreatikkul; The Unravelling

The new laptop wasn't the only Black Friday purchase. All my days, I have wound yarn by hand. It gets tedious. My arthritic joints don't particularly appreciate too much of it. Toni over at TL Yarn Crafts has done several yarn winder reviews, and I must admit that I was intrigued by the electric one.

So when it turned up with 15% off at the Big A, I didn't hesitate. The main prompt was knowing that I was going to be unravelling the yarn that F had given to me via a knitted item...

That was waaaaaay more comfortable than hand-winding! It also means that I have a centre-pull for working from the cake, which is always more welcome. They are such pretty puddings!

I mentioned on Thursday that I had already broken my own resolve to complete other projects before starting another... this yarn was the cause of that misdemeanour. It backfired a bit, though. More on that next week.

The winder is an Etcokei USB-powered machine and has variable speed (I was on slow because of the weight of the yarn). It is not the exact one that Toni liked, but a very close likeness... let's face it, the majority of these things come out of the same factory, just getting marketed by different small businesses. Anyway, on this initial acquaintance, I am thrilled. This would certainly be the thickest yarn that it could take (heavy Aran-style, light chunky), and I don't doubt that once I start on my lighter yarns, it is going to hum along very nicely indeed. 

Do any of you other yarnies out there use a winder? Hand-cranked, or powered?

Menoturals; Sheep 101

Three Fridays left for 2025, to be shared with the LLB galdogs and their Nature Friday meme. Yikes! Too fast, cap'n... Anyway, for the last NF/FFF of the year, I will feature a double bill - because that fits the purpose of FFF, but also because that will finalise the sheep section from the Westmoreland Show files. Then we can mooove on to the cattle section...

The first of the remaining four sheep breeds that caught my attention was the Badger Face Welsh Mountain Sheep. 

An ancient breed (first registered in the 700s AD), the sheep has two distinct lineages: Torddu and Torwen. The animals here are Torddu. The fleece tends towards a tan colour rather than white/cream, mainly due to the kemp (coarser outer coat), and there are specifics to be resolved for judging regarding the black markings on the face, chest, belly, and tail. (The Torwen is the 'negative - mainly black with white striping.) These are hardy hill sheep, but also do well in lowlands and are widely used to cross with other commercial stock. They are bred mainly for their meat.

The fleeces are used, though. The staple length for Badger Face Welsh Mountain sheep wool is typically around 7-10 cm (2.5-4 inches), producing a medium to harsh fleece for spinning, and is used for garments, carpets, and textiles. 

Darned cute, don't you think?

To finish off the Friday posts this last three weeks of the year, I am going to share festive colourings from my Zen App... nature depicted in sketch and colour!