Spinning, gardening and reading…

I’m finally getting back into the spinning groove and here’s what I’m working on… more handspun merino.

Handspun merino 4.27.16
Handspun merino fingering weight

I started this on a Saturday and have been squeezing a few minutes here and there to create this handspun yarn.

hand dyed merino wool 4.27.16
hand dyed merino

Also, a few moments ago, I put some merino into a crockpot with… Wilton’s dye gel. Tomorrow morning, I’ll take it out and hang it on the clothesline to dry. I can’t wait to see how it looks.

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Sissy, Shetland sheep, grazing

Remember Sissy? She’s that adorable Shetland sheep.

Raw Shetland wool 4.27.16
Shetland wool carded and loosely rolled into rolags

I finally got around to cleaning some of her wool and I made a few rolags. They’re not the most ‘perfect’ rolags that I’ve made, but they’ll do. I’m still seeing a few bits of VM (vegetable matter). I’ll be sure to pluck that out when I spin this into yarn. Every time I stumble upon these little bits of debris I smile and try to imagine what Sissy was doing, how she sleeps and how inquisitive is she?

Gardening Party hosted by Vickie…

When I visited Vickie’s lovely website, I saw that she’s starting a new linkup, so if you have a garden and want to become inspired by other gardeners or just see what others plant, link up! It’s going to be hosted on Tuesdays and yes… I know that I’m a day late posting what is in our garden. I’ll do better next week, ok?

What’s in our garden? I’m glad you asked!

 

Garden 4.27.16

In this first picture, you will see a portion of our garden. If you look closely, you’ll see a ‘shrub like’ plant. That’s my fennel. It returns each year. I use it in a variety of dishes, from soups, to stir fry, poultry and even juicing! Do you know what? In a few months, it’ll be taller than me. Well… that’s not saying much. I’m only 5′.

I must say, what little we’ve planted thus far in our garden is coming along quite nicely. We have about an acre of garden and live on four acres. Behind the garden is our woods. that’s a little over two acres. The above pictures show fences in the garden. We use those to support our beans.

Sage 4.27.16
Sage

The sage survived the winter. Even with the three-day blizzard! A few hours ago I picked a handful of sage and fennel. I washed, put into a pot and am making a delightful herbal tea. A few ways I use sage are in stir fry, teas, meat dishes and soups. I also dehydrate for long-term storage.

 

Collards 4.27.16
Collards and onions

Collards were planted today. If you look past them you might see three rows of yellow onions that I planted last month.

What I’ve been reading?

Old Testament Theology_1 4.25.16
An Old Testament Theology by Bruce Waltke

My hardcover copy of An Old Testament Theology by Bryce Waltke arrived on Monday. It’s a biblical commentary and an appropriate companion for my in-depth research of the scriptures.

John MacArthur Study Bible 4.25.16
John MacArthur Study Bible

Speaking of study bibles… I use the John MacArthur Study Bible. I read it daily for my devotions and my daily rereading of the Bible.

Old Testament Theology_2 4.25.16

Here’s a snapshot of a page from An Old Testament Theology. I have a few biblical commentaries and while the layout of this is different than what I’m used too, I’m enjoying it immensely.

When I want to learn a bit more about what I’m reading, than what appears in the study notes at the bottom of each page of my Bible, this does a great job… as it should! It’s a large book, written in small print, and is 1040 pages!

I’m linking too, Ginny’s yarnalong and Vickie’s Gardening party.

6 thoughts to “Spinning, gardening and reading…”

  1. Your merino looks perfect! Well done! I was happy to see my sage return, along with chives (in a protected spot), parsley and I think I even have some chamomile coming up. I need to use it this year for tea!

    [Reply]

    Opal @ThreadLover Reply:

    Thanks! Spinning is so relaxing.

    We have chives, parsley and chamomile. They haven’t come back yet, but they might. I started seeing mint last week. I took a few leaves to make my much beloved mint tea. I would have picked some dandelions today for tea, but it started to pour down raining!

    [Reply]

  2. Thank you Opal for the mention of my party! My girls have been planning to make dandelion tea. They are really popping up in our yard lately.

    [Reply]

    Opal @ThreadLover Reply:

    You’re welcome…

    It’s raining again today. It looks like I’ll have to just get wet and go outside and pick those dandelions! 🙂

    [Reply]

  3. Spinning totally fascinates me. So neat!

    The peek at your garden and books is fun too!

    [Reply]

    Opal @ThreadLover Reply:

    It fascinates me also. I started spinning this past February. I’ve wanted to learn for several years, but knew I did not have the time to devote to learning like I wanted too. This is the year, when I finally was ready to learn.

    Thanks, I love gardening and book reading.

    [Reply]

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