2010 week one

Holidays have come to an end as we embrace 2010 wondering what amazing adventures are in store for us.

Due to the weather we spent the end of 2009 hanging out at home while Daddy built some shelves for the garage and laundry room and then he finished off the back basement with laminate flooring. Sid, like an Airedale, had her nose in everything trying to help out. Here is a video Ken took with his phone so the quality isn't great but it shows Sid helping Grandpa Bill and Daddy build shelves.

The igloo has been a big hit and Sid and I have been playing most of the week since the weather has only been in the -20 range once. We started skating lessons this week and Sid will go for 9 weeks. Next week we go back to our Wednesday homeschoolers playgroup and we joined a homeschool co-op in Blackburn on Monday afternoons with 17 kids from 3 to 12 years old. We are anxious to begin next week.

Aside from just hanging out and playing, I have been doing my own playing with the needle felting. I am very pleased how it is coming together. Here is a picture of Sid's Corner Grocery Store items.

I have added more to that now with dog cookies, eggs, fried egg and now I am working on a broccoli. I am open to suggestions if anyone has any. I have friends commissioning works now but I am not ready to give up on the food yet. I really like it and Sid loves playing with it with her dolls and babies. When not making food I have begun to create Airedales.

I have made two so far. The short one is the first one I made but the beard wasn't quite right. The second one, the taller of the two with the Kong in front of him was much better.


This picture is to show off the felt toes. Everyone that sees these guys ooh's and ahhhh's over the tootsies.

Being made of pure fibers, they are pliable and cuddly but retain their shape. Sid has had fun playing with the Airedales and wants me to make them bowls, toys and a human to walk them. The list of things to make is growing faster than the wool on the sheep!
This picture shows most of my tools and fiber. The brown and black are wool batting right off the sheep. The shades of brown in ziplock bags are alpaca and the coloured wools are dyed wool pulled into rovings. In front is the foam I work on and my three types of needles. I find it hard to believe that I can create things with just this raw material.


My Airedale sculptures are made with 100% all natural wool and alpaca fiber, no dyes required. A very good friend of mine has alpaca's http://www.alpacabarrio.com/ and she lets me visit and pick the Alpaca who I want fiber from then she washes and cards it for me. This series of Airedales (and chocolate chip cookies) are from Velveeta Loca, an Alpaca named after another good friend of mine who we nicknamed Velveeta. I love working with the raw fibers because I know where most of it comes from and the sculptures take on a bit of a life of their own since the fiber does what it wants to. I can't see getting bored with this hobby, I really, really enjoy it.




Lastly, our little rescue volunteer is totally involved with Airedale rescue again. In this picture she is reading a book to Hector while I had his new owners sign his adoption papers. Poor Hector's owner passed away and although he was only 6, they took him to the vet to be euthanized or placed with the SPCA. A quick thinking vet contacted Airedale rescue and the rest is history. Hector lives with an ADT sister Maude and the owners two daughters also own two airedales each so over Christmas there were 6 Airedales in the house and everyone got along famously. Hectors past owner didn't like the beard so he always had it shaved. Now hector will be allowed to grow a proper airedale beard.


Back at home, cat school has turned into an animal hospital as Sid practices her vetting techniques. Here she carries Perogie out of her room after she had to fix his ear.

I made her up a doctor kit a long time ago and it had a roll of hockey tape in it to tape bandages to her dolls. I don't know why he put up with it but he let her tape his ear up. Fortunately the tape came off without ripping out his hair but now we have a no taping the pets policy.


Well that is all for now. We will be busy the next few weeks with all the new progams and Christmas dinner at Dad's on the 23. I am sure I will soon have tons of pictures and stories to share.


Happy 2010!