A little spring gardening

There is such seduction in planting in the spring before the summer heat sets in. The winds have stopped - at least temporarily. This morning I've been out putting in some tomatoes and a couple of basils.

This is an olla. It is a fired but not glazed terra cotta pot. 

The idea is that you put the olla in the ground or the pot with the plants to help provide water in this dry hot desert. 

This is the pot where I'm going to bury the olla. The top of the olla should be just above the dirt level.

There is just enough room to put a couple of tomatoe plants alongside. 

Here the rest of the potting soil is filled in. 

The stone keeps things from falling into the water. It will also help keep us from growing our own Mosquitos! By the end of the summer those tomato roots will have wrapped all around the clay pot. It is a good method for growing plants where it is so dry. 

Solar dyeing part two

Who wouldn't be inspired by all this spring color?

From the previous post - the roving was Corriedale with some mohair locks thrown in for good measure. I am a kettle dyer most of the time so the solar dye process fits in well with my expectations. I love how the variations in color turn out. I also think there is less chance of felting the fibers. 

Solar dyeing

Just in time for the weather to get warm a little solar dyeing. These are Corriedale and mohair locks. 

Moving

We are getting ready to move the store. It is kind of scary and exciting all at the same time. We have been at our location about 10 months and had already outgrown it. So we looked around and found a new place that is a bit larger, with better parking and quieter neighbors for the same price. The move is coming up April 26th and we will reopen in the new location on May 1st.

Here is a preview of some of the new things we will have when the doors open!
The new address is 121 Wyatt Dr #24, Las Cruces, NM 88005
Store Hours are still 10-4 Tues - Saturday.
Call me if you need directions! 575-635-9136.

Hope you can come by and see us!

Morning spinning

Sometimes before heading in to the shop I am able to get some spinning done. Usually I have the "help" of sleeping animals. 

Fiber before it was spun.

Murphy takes a power nap after breakfast. 

The ancient English Cocker sleeps on the couch. She will be 15 on her next birthday in May. 

Mermaid yarn

Just finishing up this cute two ply. It has hand dyed BFL, sari silk, angelina, and firestar plied with a turquoise sequin yarn.  The sequins remind me of little bubbles, they are iridescent. A good way to end the weekend. 

Happy new year

A new weaving project for the new year!

One of my hopes for the new year was to figure out how to update this blog from my phone. Being on the high side of 40 this was more of a challenge than it should have been. I finally gave up and asked someone who has teenagers and she told me what to do. Upload an app of course.