Summer in the City

You know the saying, "My eyes are bigger than my stomach."?  Some days I'm sure that my eyes are bigger than my eyes.  These arrived yesterday, part of a book order that I hope to work through before summer ends:

That's a fair bit of reading on its own, but what really has my attention is this:

It's the new release by Deborah Robson and Carol Ekarius.  The book has been out for a couple of months and I've been anxious to see it.  I am not disappointed; this picks up where In Sheep's Clothing leaves off. 

I expect The Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook to become a fibre worker's classic.  The book is packed with information, including breed history, fleece characteristics, samples spun, knitted and woven.  Turn to any page and you're likely to find something you didn't know, such as, in my case, the definition of "landrace."  It's nicely laid out and beautifully photographed.  Here's a sample of the entry for Blue Faced Leicester:

If you have an interest in protein fibres (silk isn't covered here), buy this book.  You won't regret it.  In addition to the wonderful contents, it will give you a work out-the book weighs a whopping 1.8 kilos/4 pounds!

Morris and Mr. DD headed out to the farm this morning, so I'm taking advantage of their absence and the summer heat to wash Romney and alpaca fleece.  Fibre preparation drives both of them around the bend.  I must admit, the smell wafting off the filthy alpaca is rather pungent:

I need to get this done-I have spindle spinning workshops (see page 14) to teach over the next four weeks and it's a bit much to ask beginners to work with dirty fibres:

I plan to finish another meditation wrap today, this one of hand spun alpaca plied with a commercial lace weight alpaca and over dyed red.  It's warm work for +30C, but I've been sitting on the front step in the shade, knitting away and watching the world move along.

There is also my Tour de Fleece 2011 yarn to consider.  Progress is slow, but I plied my linen/silk/cotton blend and I'm pleased with the texture.  It's a strange, crunchy yarn; I'm waiting for it to tell me what it wants to be:

 I'll end the evening with a glass of wine and some pleasant chatter with Mr. DD.  I chatter, he listens or pretends to listen, which is just fine.  Dragonflies the size of small birds hover across the back yard and there are plenty of brown bats this year, so perhaps this will help with mosquito control.  There's a full moon to enjoy on what promises to be a clear, hot evening.

Summers are short here, so it's important to appreciate what we can.  It's the ordinary beauty in simple, small things that bring me the most joy.  Summer in the city-warm, breezy, bustling with life.  Perfect.