We are having quite a bit of fun. Denny, with zero fetching instinct in his body, can be made to go fetch his bone for about five times, before he flips me the bird. No really. I really have to build him up, before I throw the bone, so that he goes after it, but after said five times, he takes it away, lys down somewhere outside my reach, and gives me the look that says, next time you throw that freaking bone, you get it yourself. And he's just that pup using that kind of language!
Happy however loves to fetch, but not like Biko did, not even close. She never had enough of fetching. He brings back the ball about ten times, before he goes to ly down in a cool spot (or jumps into the pool if available). It used to worry me, and we asked the Vet if his heart is alright, which it is. He just doesn't have the stamina, but he's a great sprinter.
my pretty boy
Denny the digger. We wonder what breeds are in him, not just Australian Cattle dog, and Shepherd, but I'm sure there's some Terrier in him as well. We think he's also got monkey, muskrat, goat, dove, fish otter, crocodile (he's got the death roll thing down pat), and squirrel in him. Plus he would make Houdini proud, the way he's escaping from anywhere except the locked crate.
The pictures were taken before we closed the pool. Here he's wet, straight out of the pool, getting breaded with dirt.
***
After all that extremely colorful fiber I've spun lately, I needed something more natural. I've got some 200g Massam (or Masham) fiber from Shunklies. Never heard of it before that, so I wanted to give it a try.
Masham
The Masham, pronounced massam, is a cross of Teeswater or Wensleydale ram with Dalesbred or Swaledale ewes. The fleece is very long and lustrous, and the breed is found mainly in the north of England. The fleece is suited to combing due to its length, and is used in specialty products due to its limited availability. The fineness varies from approx. 38 - 44 microns and length approx. 150-380mm.
It was easy to spin, even though it had lots of veggy matter, and some guard hair in it. I tried to pick it out as I went. It turned out a little lumpy, pumpy, but I like rustic yarn. I'm not sure if I should put natural spun fiber in my shop in the future. Would there be any interest?
I've got 2 skeins from the 200g I had. A total of 200yds. I think it's light worsted weight yarn (guesstimate) While spinning it did not smell of anything, but when I put the skeins into the bath, there was brown water, and it smelled of barn, not of sheep. It really IS rustic, but it feels drapey, and has some luster.
I'm also working on some Shetland mix fiber, very interesting as far as I can tell. More about that when it's done.
***
13 comments:
Natural yarn is natural color and have natural smell. That's one of the good things about it. If you're out for something genuine it's a perfect match. At least I think so. On the other hand, I've done more of the "from scratch with raw fleece spinning" than the roving spinning and do find the natural wool a bit more interesting. Maybe 'cause I'm used to it.
However I'm really curious about how much twist you put into the singles to get that pearl-looking yarn? I mean, you have a flat angle in the plying but does that necessarily mean that you put a lot of twist into the single? To make a softer yarn, I mean.
You can also get Masham by crossing the Teeswater with a Scottish Blackface. It can be very nice, and was traditionally used for hardwearing socks and hosiery.
Lovely portrait of Happy.
Shepard's always look sooo different without their collar on, its like they are hiding this big furry neck. Neck rubs for happy!
I'd say Denny is 100% groundhog.... its the only answer for his antics :)
Denny Sooooo makes me smile! :)
Love the "butt in the air" picture! For as much as Wilbur, my border collie, used to love to run, he wasn't real big on fetching, either, unless there was another dog involved so he could race them to the ball/frisbee/stick/whatever. He'd fetch something for us four or five times, then want to play keep away with us.
That Denny...he's just a dog's dog! LOL!
That's some really pretty yarn. I like the natural gray color quite a bit. Especially after seeing so many colored yarns and fibers lately! It's a good thing that Denny is entertaining. :-)
Ooh that natural yarn is pretty.
And love your description of all the breeds in Denny. That cracked me up, big time.
Some dogs have the retrieving instinct and others, not so much. My Bichons didn't get it at all. If you threw a ball for one of them he would sit beside you and watch it go as if to say, "Wow, you threw that a long way!" before trotting off to do something else. Cooper, on the other hand, will fetch for hours.
Interesting Masham. I've never spun it. It's sure a pretty color.
Love the pics of Digger Denny!
Vundy was like Biko, she would play with her frisbee until I was too tired to go on and then she would still follow me about hopefully. I am glad Happy is well, and just not terribly interested!! He does look fabulous though, all white and happy!! That wicked Denny, maybe he is digging his way to play with Gilly???!! Oh how awful to have him wet and muddy and then wet again!!
Lovely yarn you made!
And what is Happy dreaming about with that romantic vague look on his snout? Great pic!
Lovely soft and squishable.
Denny is adorable!
Your description of Denny has me cracking up!
I've never heard of Masham, but yours looks pretty. Why not put it in the shop?
Post a Comment