Over Abundance

The pace of my life outside of the shop has picked up dramatically in the past week, and part of that is due to the romantic nature of spring I admit. A larger shift in my social life is the sudden burst of invitations and events to attend - Movie nights are a favourite with my friends. (Viva la nuit de film!)

But last night we took place in a larger gathering, for our beloved Stephanie (Yarn Harlot) was here in Portland for Earth Day and came to brief us yet again on the state of knitting. I really feel like Stephanie and Granny Weatherwax have a lot in common. Both unofficial leaders of groups that will stand no leader, both aware of human foibles, and both willing to brave the darkness - one for the sake of the universe, the other for the sake of wool or a beer. Both are admirable goals, as I’m sure many Portland Knit Bloggers will agree.

Her talk was only overshadowed, for me, by one joy. The guy from the last post came with me, and it may be noted that he stayed for the entire talk - laughing with us, and even smiling confusedly when the rest of us were dying with laughter and he wasn’t sure why. I must say, this business of non-knitters attending to knitterly needs is refreshing, and just the change Stephanie is talking about when she speaks of The Plan That We Do Not Have, No, Never Mind Us, What? We Just Like Yarn, Go Back To Your Television And Ignore The Maps.

World domination, pshaw. . .

I saw many good friends there who do not make it to the shop much, so I do not see them as often as I wish to. It’s a shame, really, to have so much of my social life based out of work. I have nothing to do on my days off. Bobbie was there, as was Duffy. Monica who keeps me company when I can’t sleep via Ravelry was there and still not sleeping on a schedule. Larissa showed up with Sebastian, who was too shy to come to me so I had to go to him to give him some tickles. My Dear Anon Friend always manages to catch some fantastic knitting design before the rest of us have even heard it whispering along the pathways of knitting, and she showed me the beginning of a fantastic sideways-knit jacket(?) in Felted Tweed. Delicious.

I list so many bloggers because, my dears, I FORGOT MY CAMERA and I don’t want you to miss any fantastic photos that these girls might’ve caught. Edited to Add: By the way, Michelle got some funny shots of me with that wascally sockmonkey of hers.

Did I mention that Duffy sang a special song? I’m sure you’ll all be hearing “It’s my travellin’ sock”‘ on the radio any day now. Well. You would if knitters ran the world anyhow.

This week at the shop we’ll be having Annie Modesitt whose work I admire, and whose blog I try to keep up with. Sometimes I feel like her rigorous class teaching and active home life are too much to handle, even second hand, but she seems to be a woman of fortitude which she is going to need if she goes out with Stev and Heather. I can only hope and pray that the car doesn’t have to be detailed afterwards like last time Stev took a teacher out.

Dearest Knitting,

I know that you are well, and I hope that we can catch each other for a moment today as I know it’s a busy one but know that I love you and your wooly touch still gives me tingles when you lay your stitches just right. You know the way I mean.

I wanted to send you a heartfelt note of gratitude for the trials you’ve helped me through lately, particularly those involving that ever-touchy topic: Boys.

Sometimes I move so fast that I forget my purpose, to gain the moment I lose touch with my final goal. You and I both know that as cuddly as the stash is, its not such a good kisser and I think that maybe some of the stash would be better suited to a lovely admirerer who has perhaps less technical appreication than myself. (Sorry to the sock weight in the suitcase, I didn’t mean to stare but your twist was so interesting..) To that end we’ve been going on dates.

Of course I realize that you may find my behaviour on dates strange. Certainly you feel when I set the purse you hide in on the seat next to me, and you must wonder why you do not immediately see the blessed light of Outside. Or if you do come out, why do I only knit a little bit before putting you away? I’m sorry to have played at you, you deserve committment and somebody with stamina for the long rows ahead. I can be that knitter, but I have been so torn until just the other day.

When I pulled you out in that coffee shop to wait for him to show up, I thought it would be like the dates before. But when he sat down, I felt no compulsion to explain why I’d brought a friend. I didn’t feel like perhaps you were out of place. Knitting, I felt like he liked us. The way you moved so smoothly through my clever fingers entranced him during the lulls in conversation. Especially that little flip we do with the left pinky finger, that little trick I think was magnificent on our part.

And when he did comment, he was full of admiration for my skill and of course your loveliness. That made me smile, and you may have felt it in the way I stitched for the rest of the date. Though we left the coffee shop and hung out for many hours afterwards where you hid in the purse, I confess to you that he let me browse knitting books and even told me to buy one I was hesitant about!

Oh knitting, if only I’d known before what a good judge of character you can be I would have brought you on so many dates before this. But no regrets, because we’re going to make dinner with him tonight and I think that after dessert I can get a few rows in. I’ll see you then,

Love,

Rodger - Your True Knitter

Now that I’m taking a break from school, I get to have days off again and I’m enjoying it quite a bit. Yesterday I woke up at 10 and stayed in bed until 2 finishing a book. I ate cake for breakfast in my bed.

Remind me of these days the next time I think about eliminating all of my free time, okay?

Onward! This past Sunday we all closed the shop and paid a visit to Central/Eastern/Eastern-Central/Central-Eastern Oregon. (There were several minor disputes as to the actual location of the place we were going to. Now we’re all right, yay for backslashes!)

We got to meet the sheep that grow some of the yarn we carry. Imperial Stock Ranch has been in operation since 1871. They’ve had four owners, the most recent one being Dan Carver and his wife Jeanne who have been there since the year I was born. Making this their 20th year.

Dan and Jeanne are such welcoming people that I was immediately homesick for the small town I grew up in and around. Sometimes I forget that there are places where complete strangers will say “Hey, how are you?” and not want your change or to sign petitions or to try and preach their crazed religion to you. Knitters are the only people I trust instinctively. Besides, they can’t mug me if their hands are full of yarn.

Anyway, we got to see lambs, and shearing. They shear once a year, and we were there the 1 day they do it. 364 other days we would not have seen shearing. But we are lucky if nothing else.

My favourite part of the whole shearing process? Um, the shearers. But that’s just me. Andres had a go, and so did Jayme. Both much braver people than I, for sure.

Jeanne told us all about the history of the ranch, which is really fascinating and also fraught with different tragedies. I think what struck me most was the continuity. The building they shear in has been sheared in annually for over 100 years. She showed us hand-shears, and then where they had mounted a drive shaft for the very first mechanical clippers, and then finally the building got electricity for electric clippers which have gone through an evolution of their own. But think about it. The sheep there are descendants from the very first sheep to be sheared in that building. That’s about 12 generations of sheep, all on the same piece of land, all eating the grass that just keeps growing. It awes me every single time I think about it.

There was a man there, Andy, who has been shearing sheep for 20 years. That means he sheared the grandmommas of the lambs that were born this year. Very cool, if you ask me. Anyway, this is a video of him shearing a whole sheep in under 3 minutes.

And, um, these are lambs. LAAAAAMBS! Oh my GOD they are so cute, you seriously want to stick one inside your coat and steal it home with you. They’re incredible. Loud. Cute. But loud. Each lamb had a very distinct voice, and Jeanne told us that sheep are actually quite quiet most of the year and that they usually talk the most just before birth and while their lambs are growing. Interesting, non?

These are the things I like about Imperial Stock Ranch.

1. They use minimal processing to make their yarn. They shear, skirt, and then take the fleeces to a full-service mill in Alberta (The closest one they could find that can handle the volume they have.) They don’t use chemicals, or carbonise their fleeces so they retain a lot of their natural softness.
2. Their sheep never get a single shot. No injections of any kind are given to these animals. They are guarded by two Italian guard dogs that have completely eliminated any predator problems. Jeanne told us they used to lose 40% of their lambs to coyotes. These guard dogs are environmentally friendly, cost-effective, and best of all keep the lambs safe. The ranch has not lost a lamb to a predator in 8 years since they got the dogs. These sheep? They are loved.
3. Jeanne and Dan are NICE! Seriously, folks, they’re nicer than heck and so giving of what they have to share it makes you want to visit all the time.
4. Their yarns are a lot like stuff that Schoolhouse Press offers, and you all know how much I love Elizabeth Zimmermann. Well here is a local source of yarns that are really similar to the stuff that dear ‘Liz used. Their pencil roving? So similar to the Unspun Icelandic! The 2-ply, 4-Ply, and Lopi style yarns are all very close to various yarns. The 2 ply especially reminds me of a softer version of Bartlett’s. They have a sock yarn, which we will be getting in as soon as their yarn is done being processed and shipped to them,

All in all, not a bad way to spend a Sunday.