Getting Hitched, and Summer Knitting

So as usual, I’ve been quiet, but I *have* been knitting.  I had a lot going on this summer, like:  GETTING MARRIED!

My husband and I had a quiet ceremony at judge’s chambers 2 blocks from our house.  It was exactly the day we wanted, with flowers purchased at our local grocery about an hour before the wedding, and nails done 1 block away.  I like the idea of observing local while engaging in important life events.

And we observed the Pittsburgh tradition of a cookie table, too, by setting up a tiny TV tray table with a doily and a plate of thumbprint cookies (I’m told these are the luckiest cookie of all).  The judge got a kick out of it and even ate a cookie after the ceremony. We then went to dinner at our favorite restaurant, and chilled out all weekend.  It was REALLY nice!  Here are some shots of the day:

Meanwhile, it seems like a lot of friends and family had babies this summer, so I’ve done a lot of baby knitting, and then I also finally took the plunge into shawls, and haven’t looked back!

For my cousin Melissa’s baby, Taylor: Mason-Dixon baby bib done in Peaches n’ Creme.

For my friend Cosy’s baby, Malachi: Mason-Dixon baby bib done in Peaches n’ Creme.

For my friend Kelly’s baby, Elle: a baby washcloth and burp towel of my own design done in Peaches n’ Creme.

And for my friend Allison’s baby, Molly: Mason-Dixon baby bib done in Peaches n’ Creme.

I also ventured into shawls finally! This is very exciting to me, because lace work always intimidated me.  My first shawl was a free knit-a-long pattern by Wendy Johnson, called Summer Mystery Shawlette.  Mine is done with Socks That Rock – Cozy, Fierce & Dirty Orange, lightweight.

Then I cast on the Springling Shawl by Cosette Cornelius-Bates, using her light fingering snapdragon yarn, which is a joy to work with, and KnitPurlGirl’s Rustic Autumn Shawl, done in Halloween colors by Creatively Dyed.  I have to say for this last one, I hate the yarn (which I should note is not the yarn called for by the pattern, but rather yarn I had in my stash that I wanted to use up). The colors are gorgeous but the yarn is splitty, and that is very disappointing. Both shawls are still on the needles.  I’m done with the increases on the Springling Shawl and am just trying to get through the rest of the garter ridges before I can start the lace edging, and I am still on the increases on the Rustic Autumn Shawl.  I’m not sure exactly when I became a person who has 2 shawls on the needles, but apparently I am!

There have been several dishcloths, but I guess that can wait for another post.  There really are enough for a post of their own, LOL! (I mean, really, is anyone surprised by this?)  And finally, I’ve caught the hexipuff bug.  Clearly “hexipuffing” is a dangerously, infectiously giddy past-time that results in a sock yarn blanket. God help us all.

Hope everyone has a fabulous rest of the summer!

Crafting for Charity – what’s useful, what’s not

I wanted to draw attention to a recent blog post in the Oregonian Live by Mary Mooney, entitled Helping Japan: How Your Knitting Can (and Can’t) Help — and make a few comments.

People are often kind-hearted and want to help as soon as there’s a disaster, such as the recent earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear emergency in Japan, or the earthquake in Haiti last year. This is to be commended. However, there are times when a knit or crocheted item is the answer, and there are times when it is not. I was glad to see this post by Ms. Mooney because it helps delineate what things are useful at times like this.

There have been times when I’ve been confused by well-meaning drives for knit goods.  Sometimes, a knit or crochet good is definitely the answer, as in the case of a local shelter asking for washable blankets (so my office knit and crochet group sallied forth and started crocheting blankets like mad), or the local women’s shelter asking for hand-knit washcloths and toiletries so that women who arrive with literally only the clothes on their backs have a welcome packet containing not only necessary hygiene items, but something comforting and theirs to keep. 

Folks who have lost everything and are struggling to survive unspeakable events don’t need new hand-made blankets or washcloths, though.  They need medical care, food, shelter. 

If you really want to knit or crochet for charity, then I guess selling that hand-made good would be an awesome way to do it!  Use your Etsy or Artfire page to sell the items and donate the proceeds!

Finally, here are some links you can use if you want to help (collated from a number of emails and sites I’ve seen):

American Red Cross You can either donate at the website using the big red button, or use your cellphone to txt  $10 by sending the message REDCROSS to number 90999.

Doctors Without Borders You can donate at the website or by calling 1-888-392-0392.

 Etsy or Artfire (for selling those hand-made items to raise money to donate)

Facebook has a disaster relief page, too that is updated with new information as it comes in.

New Spinning Wheel!

When I learned to spin about 2.5 years ago, I learned on a drop spindle, and I was utterly hooked.  Six months later, I took a class with the same teacher, Carol (who is full of awesome, I might add), on a double treadle Ashford Traveller, and loved it.

I was intimidated by the cost of a new wheel for a new-to-me hobby, though, so I took some time to investigate wheels and decided that while I was attracted to both the Ashford Traveller (which I had gotten to try), and the Schacht Ladybug (which I hadn’t, but heard great reviews about), I would try to buy a used wheel for my “first” wheel and see if I could grow with it before investing in a brand new wheel.

You may recall, that wheel was a refurbished Traub – single treadle, Irish tension.  It’s so unique looking and beautiful, even for all its battle scars, and I really enjoyed it.  It took me a little while to figure the tensioning out, but eventually I got humming along on it just fine.

That said – single treadle is not for me.  I have pain issues – using one leg to treadle all the time was causing knee, ankle and calf pain.  And if I was going to commit to a wheel with double treadle, then I also wanted a wheel with both Scotch tension and Double Drive. Why not go whole hog, right?

So, I started putting money away for a new wheel, and once again, the decision came down to being between an Ashford Traveller and a Schacht Ladybug.

I went with the Schacht Ladybug, as you can see here:

with my little ladybug friend here:

I decided on the Ladybug for a few reasons, including:

• made in the USA with reputedly excellent customer support based in Colorado
• the orifice is straight-on (not off to the left like on the Traveler – I feared I’d twist myself to meet the orifice on the Traveler, causing more back pain)
• it is reputedly very easy to treadle, even for people with pain issues

There were half a dozen more very tiny reasons to go with the Ladybug, but those are the big ones. 

Last weekend we put her together, and I named her Lorelei, and spun and plied the entire weekend with nary a pain.  She spun like a dream!  I definitely made a good choice and am looking forward to getting to know my wheel better and have many happy years creating beautiful yarns.

[And btw, the Traub is for sale, as I don't really have room for 2 wheels. Send me a message if you're interested and we'll talk! It'd make a great starter wheel for someone or would suit an experienced spinner!]

In Which I Sum Up the Pittsburgh Knit & Crochet Festival

It’s been a fairly quiet winter, with constant snow dragging on and lots of socks on the needles.  We’ve had some stuff going on that has taken our attention, so we’ve really just hunkered down and focused on family the past few months. That and sock knitting.  

That said, I did come out from under the rock I’ve been hiding under and get out at least once!  On the weekend before Valentine’s Day, I attended the Pittsburgh Knit & Crochet Festival for the first time.  I have to say, I was quite impressed.  I think I was expecting some little podunk thing, which really does a disservice to Pittsburgh and the organizers, because IT.  WAS.  AWESOME!!!

The PK&C Fest is in its 7^th year, and was huge.  I don’t mean MDS&W-huge or Rhinebeck-huge, but still, really a lot bigger than I’d ever imagined.  This was the first year, I believe, that they extended it to be Friday through Sunday (instead of just Saturday and Sunday).  Well-known guests included Nicky Epstein and her traveling Barbie fashion display (really fascinating stuff – I was quite impressed with the thought and creativity that went into the handmade little outfits – they were worthy of any fashion designer!), and StephenBe, who I hear MC’d the Friday night fashion show. (I did not attend, but I might next year.)  I didn’t get a chance to talk to either of them, but I did watch their interactions with folks as I was near their booths and they both seemed like neat people.  (There were swarms, though, and I dislike crowds, which is why I hung back instead of diving into the fray.)

The amount of freebies handed out was astounding.  Between the yarn we received in classes, the yarn & pattern we received from sponsor Cascade for pre-registering, and the free classes on offer (“Learn to Knit” and “Learn to Crochet – I took the latter – sponsored by Coats & Clark) and Margo Duke’s free fancy pin machine felting class (really fun!), you really get into the spirit of the thing.  There was a lot of goodwill going around, though you did run into the occasional whiner who would complain that her free yarn was not the color she wanted, or who wouldn’t listen to a teacher’s instructions at all and then pitch a fit, throwing yarn and all. *eyeroll*  Thank goodness those incidents were few and far between.  (Honestly I think people get overstimulated sometimes and that can explain these outbursts.)

I think one of my favorite freebies was the button made by the Pittsburgh Craft Collective: we were invited to cut out a picture from a magazine in a particular size (they provided a template), and they made the button with it.  I got an adorable bee button!

The classes I took that really grabbed me were the Two Toe-Up Socks on a Needle class with Pam Kelly (and I am totally going to do that for my next pair of socks) and the lecture on the Leicester Longwool Sheep given by John Kirkwood (did you know this breed of sheep almost disappeared?  I hadn’t!)   I also took some of the sampler classes and solidified my understanding of traveling stitches and dropping stitches on purpose.

The marketplace was overwhelming the first time I walked into the Grand Ballroom – I had to go back in several times throughout the weekend, take a little bit in, then escape to a quiet area for awhile, then dip back in for more.  I ended up not spending too much money (I bought some Soak wash, a yarn bowl, and some highlighter tape — oooh, big spender there!).  I had resolved to not buy any yarn after last year’s Rhinebeck, but then I saw SpaceCadet Creations’ yarns and a gorgeous color of Estelle sock yarn, called Nightshade, just sang to me, so I bought it.  I enjoyed talking with owner Stephanie, too.

The hotel – Sheraton Four Points – was a nice facility.  I liked the open, five-story atrium, with the nice fountains and trees and big comfy chairs, which often provided an escape from the crowds for me.  The room my friend and I stayed in was comfy enough, the toiletries were cute, and the room service breakfast for 10 bucks a pop was really good.  I always have this idea in my head that room service is an extravagance, but honestly, 10 bucks a person for eggs, meat, potatoes, bread, coffee, juice and water is a REALLY good deal, and that included the tip.  Started my Sunday off on the right foot and I sailed through that day’s classes with nary a hunger pang.

I got home on Sunday evening in a haze of happy, and nattered on to Fred for hours about all the wonderful experiences I had. 

In sum, while I didn’t see everything there was to see, or meet everyone there was to meet (and therefore apologize if I left out any guests of note or teachers that most people would be interested in hearing about), I would definitely attend the Pittsburgh Knit & Crochet Festival again!  Barb Grossman and team should be commended for an excellent event!  It’s nice to have something so high quality so close to home.

Let’s talk Rhinebeck Loot: spinning fibres

This should be the final Rhinebeck related post; for those of you wishing to see the spinning fibres that magically leapt into my possession while I was at Rhinebeck, here they are:

"Cottage Garden" - 4 oz. merino/silk blend by Fabjous Fibers

I'm calling this one "Halloween" - Falkland & BFL top by Yarn Hollow

"Lobelia" - 4 oz. Finn by Gnomespun

"The Leaves Have Fallen" - 4 oz. Romney by Gnomespun

No colorway - 3.5 oz. BFL by Briar Rose

"Mystical Moose - Chamelon" 4 oz. merino top by Moose Manor

No colorway, but what a great orange! 2 oz. superwash BFL by A Verb For Keeping Warm (a gift from my friend Susan)

And that’s it, the final tally! This should keep me busy for quite some time…

Let’s Talk Rhinebeck Loot: Sock Yarn

So many people have asked to see pics of stash that I guess I should post them up. Sorry for the pic-heavy post but there’s no other way to do it!

"Manly" by Creatively Dyed

"Circus" by Creatively Dyed

"Billett" by Creatively Dyed

"Allegory" by Creatively Dyed

"Moose Tracks" Phouka Sock Yarn by Gnomespun

"Over the Lake" by Sliver Moon Farm; Fred picked this out for me to make him socks

Grace in an unknown colorway, by Briar Rose. Might make a nice lace scarf!

"Cozy Fierce & Dirty Orange" by Socks That Rock. This is the PERFECT orange!

"Witching Hour" by Socks That Rock.

and last but not least:

"Crabby McHappypants" by Socks That Rock, a gift from my friend Susan

Guess I have a lot of freaking socks to knit, eh?   I cant’ wait!  I’m doing some commission work for a friend of mine and some Christmas gifts, and by the New Year, I’ll be starting in on socks made from these fine yarns!

My First Art Yarn

A friend and fiber artist, Xiane, suggested a spin-a-long on her group on Ravelry:  calling it Dead Mans’ Party.  (I love it when my friends reference Oingo Boingo! – click the link to see a video/hear the song, one of my favorite songs ever!)

The concept was simple: give Xiane a monster theme; she would, for a moderate price, custom-prepare 2 oz. of batts for you to match your theme, and throw in bits and bobs of add-ins and fun stuff.  The deadline to spin your yarn was Day of the Dead, and anyone who participated by then would be entered into a drawing for some generous amounts of free fiber from Xiane.

Some of the themes were great, like Swamp Thing, Zombies, etc.  My theme was The Frankenstein Family Portrait: if Frankenstein’s Monster & Bride of Frankenstein had a baby, what would that family portrait look like?

Xiane did a great job with my batts, which were a combination of merino/silk, alpaca/silk, merino, corriedale, and banana silk :

The add-ins were white banana silk, a strand of black sequins, and some feathery eyelash stuff in black:

The add-ins packaging was cute!

Also the batts were tied with olive green chenille, and I had some bits and bobs of very soft grey and black yarns left over from another project, so I added them to the add-in pile. I feel like I put everything but the kitchen sink into this.

I spun a bit haphazardly, getting used to adding thick things into my yarn, and wanting to have an effect that suggests parts might fall off if you’re not careful.  I plied with regular old sewing thread in various shades of puce, olive, and white, usually 2 strands, and got 100 yards out of the whole shebang.  Here are some photos:

View from one side of skein

view from another side

Extreme Close Up!

I had a ton of fun doing this.  It was my first batt and my first art yarn experience, and I consider it a great success! Even better, I got enough yardage to make something like a cowl or mitts out of it. It came out very soft and squishy, except for the bits where the sequins are woven in, but I think the texture is interesting.

In summary, I can’t wait to do another spin-a-long with Xiane Threeravens!

The Final Rhinebeck 2010 Wrap-Up Post

…or, Beth is a slacker and can’t believe she hasn’t gotten to it yet!

I’d fully intended to write this as soon as we got home from Rhinebeck, but life happened instead.  That’s okay – several weeks later I am still basking in the glow, and can still summarize the weekend now. (tl;dr version: it was awesome; I bought a lot of yarn and ate a lot of food and met a lot of sheep & Ravelers — read on if you’re brave and want the WHOLE story)

After running around like a crazy head Thursday night the 14th of October, packing, getting a pedicure, unpacking, re-packing – I’m kind of nuts about packing — I got to bed around midnight and then couldn’t sleep for the excitement.  This was to be my virgin Rhinebeck trip, and I was thrilled! It reminds me of when I was 14 and on my first trans-Atlantic flight to England with my Dad — I was so excited I couldn’t sleep before leaving, couldn’t sleep on the plane, and by the time we landed in London I was knackered! Same went for the Rhinebeck trip. Only difference is I’m 38 now and should know better.

Anyway – Fred and I got up at the crack of dawn (about 4:30 for me and 5:30 for him), showered, dressed, grabbed our bags, locked our front door, and headed down to a bus stop 2 blocks away to take us downtown.  The bus got us around 6:25, putting us downtown around 6:45, and we then rolled our bags down to the Amtrak station 2 blocks away.  Several people passed us, also rolling bags, doing the same thing.  I was surprised the train station was as busy as it was when we arrived.  The counter had no line, however, and we procured our tickets easily. They said to go upstairs to wait for the train to NYC.

“Upstairs” at the Pittsburgh Amtrak station is little more than a corridor at the top of an escalator, and it was crowded up there! We tried to find somewhere to wedge ourselves and our bags and still get out of the way of people streaming up the escalator, but there was nowhere to go, and people were getting backed up and knocked around as they got to the top of the escalator and had nowhere to go.  It was a mess.  I ended up standing in front of an elderly couple who were lucky enough to get seats near the entrance to the track platform, who apparently took issue with me standing in front of them.  I got cussed out up one side and down the other, told I was “rude”, “you can’t go standing around in front of people, we were here first! Who do you think you are? You’re rude, that’s what!” At this point, I was utterly bewildered at the sudden visciousness of people who I might have been inclined to think of “cute grandparent types” but really they were ugly, hateful, mean people.  I stop them mid-rant and say “Sir, Ma’am, if you will notice, it is very crowded. People are piling up on the escalator because they have nowhere else to go. I apologize if you think I’m rude but I assure you I wasn’t trying to step in front of you, and I’m sorry” I thought I was very gracious considering how rude they were.  Fred, however, not one to do early mornings graciously or indeed even at all said something to the effect of “Well I’m not sorry, but that’s because I’m a baaaaad man.”  (Or something like that.) At that point I just started laughing because it was all so ridiculous, but Granny and Grampie Asshat suddenly stopped bitching me out and moved far, far away from us and stayed out of our way. I think maybe they took Fred seriously, I’m not sure.  *shrug* I don’t care.  I tried not to let it color our trip, but the encounter stayed with me for a couple of hours. I didn’t see them again, though, so it doesn’ t matter in the grand scheme of things.

The  train boarded quickly and we were in comfy seats in business class.  As the train started chugging out of the station, I couldn’t resist squealing like an excited kid, repeatedly turning to point neat stuff out to Fred, who was indulgently smiling at me through a haze of exhaustion and NyQuil, since he was getting over a cold and, as mentioned before, doesn’t do early mornings very well.

Our conductor and cafe car attendant were nice, and the trip passed pleasantly.  I did a little knitting on a sock while staring out the window at all the beautiful fall foliage.  Mid-October is the perfect time to stare out the window on a trip.

We got to Penn Station by about 5pm, grabbed a cab with the help of one of those guys who grab a cab for you for a buck, and went to Grand Central Station to meet our friend Tom, who attends Rhinebeck yearly with his wife Susan, and are old friends of Fred’s from years ago.

From Grand Central we got on the MTA North to Yonkers, where Susan picked us up a the station and drove us to their home, which is new to them and beautiful after some interior work they did redesigning the kitchen, etc.  We all packed up the car, headed into Tuckahoe for a nice dinner at The Tap House, and then hit the road for Rhinebeck, where I promptly passed out in the back of the Jetta after all the excitement of the day.  We checked into our hotel (The Hampton Inn in Kingston – a very nice facility) and crashed.  I think I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.

Saturday the 16th Fred opted to sleep in, hoping to finally kick the cold that had been plaguing him for a few days, so Susan, Tom and I met early for a Dunkin’ Run and then traveled to the Dutchess County Fairgrounds.  We sat in traffic for quite some time, being mocked by the billboard advertising the festival for part of that time:

We got rock star parking, bought our 2 day passes, and headed into the New York Sheep & Wool Festival.  The first building we passed at a little after 9 a.m. had lines all the way out the door already, and I couldn’t believe it was a line to pay for goods at The Fold (purveyor of many fine yarns and fibers, including the apparently very popular Socks That Rock).  Considering you couldn’t even get close enough to inspect said goods, I was shocked anyone was able to pick anything out to pay for!  I was immediately overwhelmed and it wasn’t even crowded yet!  I quickly adjusted, though, and just enjoyed walking around taking everything in.  It felt like we walked approximately 60 miles, ate approximately 5,000 calories in awesome fair food, and bought approximately 3 sheep’s worth of yarn and roving, on Saturday alone.   The places I really went mad were Creatively Dyed‘s booth and the Gnomespun booth (well, he was in Holiday Yarns‘ booth, but I bought his products, not HY’s.)  We went to the Ravelry meetup, talked with Casey, Ysolda, and other Ravelers, got shy approximately 6 billion times (my friend and I are both introverts), and when the boys joined us later in the day, we were high on fiber fumes.  Oh, and the big news of the day was that apparently I had passed Uma Thurman in one of the barns.  I remember passing a woman and thinking “Huh, she looks like Uma Thurman, lucky girl” and it turns out it WAS Uma Thurman!  She apparently lives in the area and goes to the local fests.

We had a decent dinner in the town of Rhinebeck, at Fosters Coach House Tavern(though were a bit perplexed at the waitress trying to steer us away from the simple burger, saying they’re really small because they shrink a lot), and then sat in traffic to get to Red Hook, for the Ravelry party at the Elks Lodge there.

The Ravelry party was very nice, but truly overwhelming.  The guys dropped us off and then drove down the road to the parking area and to wait for a shuttle bus back.  In over an hour, they still didn’t get to us, the waits were so long!  We finally called them and said “we’re done, come get us” because I got a screeching headache, probably due to the bonfire going at the party.  I’m really sensitive to wood smoke, as much as I love it.  It disappointed me a bit because I was really hoping to meet a couple of people at the party and it just didn’t happen, either because they were stuck waiting for the shuttle bus, or because I couldn’t find them in the heaving crowds.  That said, a group of 3 women saw us standing around and invited us to join them at their table, so we did, and enjoyed our time with them until Fred and Tom could pick us up.

We crashed, hard, and Sunday morning slept in a bit, then hit DD for breakfast and headed back to the festival for what we hoped would be some good sales.  We were in luck – Briar Rose had some nice yarns set aside for Sunday in their sale bin, and I went a bit mad at Creatively Dyed and The Fold, too.  We went to another Ravelry meetup, posed for a picture with everyone,  and ate the most fantastic peanut butter cup cupcakes provided by Raveler zuzusunshine. Seriously: best. cupcake. ever.  She should go into business! 

Fred and I and Susan and Tom split up for lunch options, and Fred and I sat on a bench in a gorgeous, hidden garden, and it was peaceful and idyllic, sitting with my guy on a beautiful autumn day, watching the wind sussurate through the beautiful leaves and sharing a lamb sandwich.   I bought some maple cotton candy, which I’m pretty sure is like crack, and by mid-afternoon, we exclaimed defeat.  We were ready to go back to Tom and Susan’s home, happy after such a wonderful festival.

Back in Yonkers, we again went to the Tap House in Tuckahoe, where the hostess teased us for being such regulars, and had another nice meal there, then back to the house.  Susan and I trouble-shot her Kromski spinning wheel and got her up and running on it, then we all collapsed into our respective beds.

On Monday Tom rode the train with us to Grand Central, then got us to the taxi stand so we could get to Penn Station.  The timing worked out beautifully, and we had enough time to grab a quick breakfast before our train boarded back to Pittsburgh.  The train ride back wasn’t nearly as comfortable as the train ride up.  We felt more smished together in our seats, and the temperature was way too hot, and every so often we’d smell the diesel fuel, so we got back to Pittsburgh hot, cranky, and with sore backs and necks and headaches.  Upon arriving back in Pittsburgh, we were approached by several jitney drivers, called for a cab instead, and ended up in a cab that had broken power steering so the woman driving it couldn’t really make left turns.  It was fairly ridiculous, but our driver was friendly and had a good attitude about it all.   Got home, put our luggage in the basement, our clothes in the wash, and my yarns and fibers in the freezer, just in case bed bugs were anywhere we were, and collapsed into bed.  I had to go to work the next day, and indeed spent the rest of the week in a haze, but it was a good haze.

We had a great trip, and are already making plans for next year.  Maybe we’ll try to get a B&B right in Rhinebeck, and maybe we’ll drive our new-to-us Jeep Liberty up next time,  as it should provide a comfy ride (I previously had a Scion xA, not a good road trip car), and maybe we’ll take extra time off around the trip in order to facilitate our enjoyment of it even more.  I don’t know, it’s still a bit up on the air, but I’m sure we’ll have a good time however we do it again!

I’ll leave you with some of my favorite photos from the weekend:

  gorgeous fall foliage!

 neat car at the fest

 Bring me the head of Bob!

Suspects Caught in Local Llama Killings

According to WPXI News, two teen suspects have been caught in the deaths of two llamas — Peaches and Tango — from neighboring farms in Westmoreland County over the weekend.  Criminal charges are pending.

I know this is probably sorry comfort for the farmers who lost their animals, however, I hope they find some closure from it.  It still leaves a bitter taste in my mouth…part of me wants to know WHY?  Why would you do such a thing?

The other part of me just wants to get the whole thing sorted and not give them and their misdeeds any more attention.  Just thought I should update that there was very swift movement in this case – faster than I’d expected, and I hope that’s the end of it.

Edit to add: WTAE is saying the teens were caught because a viewer overheard them bragging about the killings, and that there is a confession.  Glad to hear a viewer did the right thing and reported them.  Assholes.

Someone is killing llamas in Western PA

…and I can’t understand it!

According to this news article, two llamas from neighboring farms were shot in the head as they harmlessly stood in their fields late at night. While the police are looking for a connection, I don’t think anyone is fooling themselves that the crimes aren’t connected: the 2 crimes happened one right after the other, and the amount of time to travel from one farm to the other is approximately the same amount of time between the incidents. I’m sure simple ballistics tests could come back as a match.

I can’t understand why someone would do this! Why would you go out late at night in a rural area (11:30 at one farm, midnight at the other farm), take a gun, and shoot a defenseless animal in the head as it stands harmlessly in its field?  If you’re the type of person who likes to shoot animals, why llamas?!?! Why not wait for hunting season to open and shoot at deer or turkeys or something?

I had the great pleasure to meet some llamas at Rhinebeck. They are gentle and interesting animals.  They have beautiful coats, and a proud bearing.  Llamas also act as guards for livestock, and are friendly and curious with humans.  They form bonds, for they are very social animals, and the herd is important to them.  When I read how the offspring of one of the llamas killed was crying as they buried its parent, it hurt.  I’m not surprised members of a closely bonded herd would react in such a way to a sudden violent death.

The idea that someone would just shoot one of these beautiful and interesting creatures in the head because they can upsets me greatly.  I hope they catch whoever it is that did this, before they do it again.  This … I hate to use the word “person” as they clearly have no good human qualities … “individual” needs to be stopped.  I have all kinds of ideas in my head for what punishment SHOULD be meted out, but will temper it with saying they should be “prosecuted to the full extent of the law…” even though I know whatever punishment is dealt will never return those beautiful animals to those families, won’t reinstate that source of their livelihood, won’t bring a member back to its herd, and won’t comfort the children to whom those animals were like pets.

On a final note, I guess I should note that perpetrators of most crimes in this world make me sick, but this is a crafts and fiber journal, so THIS crime is pertinent and explains why I’m on my soapbox about this.  I usually avoid the news if I can, as most of it upsets my sensitive nature, but I can’t be silent about this one.

To the farmers who were hurt by this action: I hope they catch the person who did this to you.