Time flies, so they say

It's been a long time since I blogged. It seems to be that the longer you leave something, the harder it is to get back to it. I feel like I have to justify my absence and make an astounding comeback. Tough. I won't do either.

Today we are fencing. Well, Hamish is mostly doing everything and I am helping in small ways. We are creeping wee closer to the completion of a project that has engulfed Hamish for the past 2 - 3 years.. Going on more. His father owns a property just south of Tamworth, NSW and Hamish has taken it upon himself to revegetate and re-fence almost the entire 1000 acres. This involved a grant from the local Catchment Management Authority which covered most if the cost of the trees and the fencing materials. It did not, however, cover any of the time spent preparing the tree lines, spraying out the weeds and putting the fences up.

 It has become quite an art. First the corner posts must be put in and stays put against them to stop them lifting out of the ground. Then the barbed wire that runs along the fence is strung out so that it can be used to make a straight line for the rest of the fence to follow. Then the steel posts are banged into the ground along the barbed wire. Paced out evenly and using a pneumatic post driver to push them into the ground.

Next, 5 plain wires are run out at once which have been pre-threaded through plastic droppers (spacers). This seems simple, but if not done well it could end in the largest tangle of wire one could ever imagine. Finally, the wires are strained up to perfect tension and clipped onto the steel posts.

I am fascinated with the various knots that can be used to tie off the wire. The current favourite is:

It seems like a knot that would be used in silver wire to finish a delicate bracelet. In fact, when I get a chance I will try it!

 

In the midst of winter

As a farmer, this is always a tough time. For a start, the days are short and cold meaning it's hard to get a lot done. Secondly it's a busy time for us sheep farmers. We shear at the beginning of August every year and have done for many years.

Why? You ask.. Well there's a few reasons. I think the most important reason is that the ewes have their lambs at the beginning of September (spring) and if they have a thick woolly coat on, then they won't go and seek shelter if the weather turns sour. They're fine as they have their jackets on, but their little lambs suffer hugely as they haven't grown enough of a jacket yet. It's been proven that if the mothers haven't much wool on, they go and seek shelter and take their lambs with them. This means a much greater lamb survival rate.

There are other reasons, such as that winter here is a tough season and the sheep often lose a little condition which affects the strength of their wool. If we can make any weakness in their wool occur as close to shearing as possible, then it is less likely to be a problem for the people who buy the wool.

Another reason is that flies become a problem for the sheep in the summer time here. If the sheep have a big woolly jacket on at all in the summer, then they are more likely to get hot and sweaty and the flies get in onto their skin and lay their maggots there. Mmm gruesome I know.

The above photo is of the back end of a sheep who has suffered fly strike. It is a terrible thing to have to deal with as a farmer/caretaker of animals. I took this photo a year or two ago in response to the mulesing arguments. That is a whole other blog post in itself.

So, if we shear them now, the worst they'll have in summer is half their wool and hopefully they won't suffer any fly strike.

The last reason I can think of just now, is that a lot of people think they grow their wool much faster when they're cold. I'm not sure how well this is proven, but I guess if there's a chance of more wool on your sheep then you should take it.

So, all in all, we shear in winter. Wool being our biggest money earner here means that shearing is the most important time on the farm. If we get that wrong not only do we lose out on our potential profits, but it is expensive, so could incur a big expense.

At the same time shearing is happening, our cows start to have their calves, which is a joy, but also an added stress if they have any troubles. We check them and feed them every day and if we find one in labour who cannot calf unassisted we will bring her to the yards and help her. Again this can be a joyous occasion or a devastating one.

All the while in the midst of winter the grass is short and brown from the constant harsh frosts. I wait with anticipation the first wattle blossoms to arrive.

They are so close by now and they symbolise for me the beginning of the end of a long hard winter.

In the midst of winter

As a farmer, this is always a tough time. For a start, the days are short and cold meaning it's hard to get a lot done. Secondly it's a busy time for us sheep farmers. We shear at the beginning of August every year and have done for many years.

Why? You ask.. Well there's a few reasons. I think the most important reason is that the ewes have their lambs at the beginning of September (spring) and if they have a thick woolly coat on, then they won't go and seek shelter if the weather turns sour. They're fine as they have their jackets on, but their little lambs suffer hugely as they haven't grown enough of a jacket yet. It's been proven that if the mothers haven't much wool on, they go and seek shelter and take their lambs with them. This means a much greater lamb survival rate.

There are other reasons, such as that winter here is a tough season and the sheep often lose a little condition which affects the strength of their wool. If we can make any weakness in their wool occur as close to shearing as possible, then it is less likely to be a problem for the people who buy the wool.

Another reason is that flies become a problem for the sheep in the summer time here. If the sheep have a big woolly jacket on at all in the summer, then they are more likely to get hot and sweaty and the flies get in onto their skin and lay their maggots there. Mmm gruesome I know.

The above photo is of the back end of a sheep who has suffered fly strike. It is a terrible thing to have to deal with as a farmer/caretaker of animals. I took this photo a year or two ago in response to the mulesing arguments. That is a whole other blog post in itself.

So, if we shear them now, the worst they'll have in summer is half their wool and hopefully they won't suffer any fly strike.

The last reason I can think of just now, is that a lot of people think they grow their wool much faster when they're cold. I'm not sure how well this is proven, but I guess if there's a chance of more wool on your sheep then you should take it.

So, all in all, we shear in winter. Wool being our biggest money earner here means that shearing is the most important time on the farm. If we get that wrong not only do we lose out on our potential profits, but it is expensive, so could incur a big expense.

At the same time shearing is happening, our cows start to have their calves, which is a joy, but also an added stress if they have any troubles. We check them and feed them every day and if we find one in labour who cannot calf unassisted we will bring her to the yards and help her. Again this can be a joyous occasion or a devastating one.

All the while in the midst of winter the grass is short and brown from the constant harsh frosts. I wait with anticipation the first wattle blossoms to arrive.

They are so close by now and they symbolise for me the beginning of the end of a long hard winter.

Finally a jewellery piece montage

I remembered this time to photograph the necklace as I put it together.

Here goes...

This is what it looks like when the piece of lace is finished, but still on the pillow waiting to be cut off (like it has been for 3 days!)

A close up so you can see the pins in their places and how the pattern card below might be used to figure out where your wires and pins go.

Here, I have removed it from the pillow and added a bead to finish off the long plaited section. I am yet to decide how to finish the ends at the top of it... Hmmmm

I decided to disappear them into the lace. Think this has worked well. It's not easy to see where the wires might have finished.

I then attached a ball and chain necklace. I had to find a YouTube video to watch to figure out the clasp as I've never used a ball an chain necklace before. It's actually a lot more simple than I was trying to make it!

Now I hope the person I made it for likes it :)

Finally a jewellery piece montage

I remembered this time to photograph the necklace as I put it together.

Here goes...

This is what it looks like when the piece of lace is finished, but still on the pillow waiting to be cut off (like it has been for 3 days!)

A close up so you can see the pins in their places and how the pattern card below might be used to figure out where your wires and pins go.

Here, I have removed it from the pillow and added a bead to finish off the long plaited section. I am yet to decide how to finish the ends at the top of it... Hmmmm

I decided to disappear them into the lace. Think this has worked well. It's not easy to see where the wires might have finished.

I then attached a ball and chain necklace. I had to find a YouTube video to watch to figure out the clasp as I've never used a ball an chain necklace before. It's actually a lot more simple than I was trying to make it!

Now I hope the person I made it for likes it :)

Marketing, the leap from backyard enterprise to real stuff!

Marketing seems to be the only way to get anywhere in the world now. Either through self marketing to get that promotion, or business marketing to create and maintain a successful business - no matter how large or small it is.

The real difference now is that social media has made marketing skills accessible to the average Jo Blow who wants to have a go themselves. This has then become a given that all small business operators will have a successful campaign going on even if they haven't the time or education to really know what they're doing. I suppose on one hand this is good because it levels the playing field and means that even if you can't afford for the latest hot shot graduate to join your company or even do contract jobs for you, you can still be out there in the market place being heard.

Anyhow, what I'm getting at by all this mumbo jumbo about marketing, is that Larrkin Lace is right there with the rest of the population trying to use social media to get our work out there. This means countless lessons by various family members (and anybody else who is willing) on various types of online media. It also means trying to figure out how to make holiday style snaps of our jewellery look impressive when placed next to proffesional photo shoot type photos.

It also means countless hours staring blankly at a computer or mobile telephone screen trying to make sense of a new "app". This would be fine if either of us were techno lovers, but really all we want to do is create art and sell it, so we can make a reliable living from it... not so much to ask really is it?

As part of this marketing scheme, when I took a holiday weekend recently with a group of my girlfriends, I took a collection of jewellery with me and asked one of these dear friends (who is mighty handy with her camera) if she would help me set up some photos shoots of the other dear friends present wearing our jewellery. She did an amazing job and we now have some lovely photos to put up on our various social media sites. All my friends modelling were fabulous too - as if they had all been modelling for Prada for years! Where would we be without the help of those whom we love and who love us?!

The jewellery we have been working on is being madly configured in snippets of time between the other money earning work we currently do and the hours of internet time. I hope this will increase the sense of spontaneity showing in the work?

By the way, the photos you're seeing here aren't the beautiful ones my friend took. For them, you have to look at our Etsy site :)

The passion of craft

So the project was completed. 

Many months ago I promised myself I would make pot mitts for a good friend as a house warming present. How simple are they? I asked myself. Anyhow, her house has long since been warmed and the pot mitts had been moved to the back of my mind again and again. 

What better project to be the first in my new space? It is symbolic of the completion of the room - the making of a house warming gift, they're simple to make and it is satisfying to complete a project so quickly.

Out comes the sewing machine and a selection of fabrics. 

I did purchase a couple of samples at a local shop where the total cost of my purchases came to $22.36. I handed over $22.35 in cash and the young girl looked at me and said "it comes to $22.36". I chuckled and said  "well, would you like to round that up or down?". She frowned, then looked at me anxiously and said, "up?". I handed her another 5 cents.

All my fabric samples had been scrunched up in boxes for so long that everything needed ironing.

I am not one for meticulous measuring and perfect cutting. Quilting generally requires both of these skills. If you ignore both of these processes the stitching becomes more awkward. I put up with it though as it is only a small piece and it didn't become too misshapen. 

Usually I put off hand stitching on any projects, which of course leads to multiple unfinished objects in the cupboard. In this case I was on a roll, so I went on with a needle and thread and finished my pot mitt in one sitting.

Et voila!!