Spinderella's Meanderings

New Sweaters

2009-03-11T07:54:00.005-06:00

It has been some time since I have last posted- we have been very busy with so many things- from business to family life. In the midst of feeling like these is no time for much of anything fibery, I was able to knit both Jim and Deanie new sweaters! What a feeling of accomplishment.

Jim's sweater is a sample stitch sweater, every 6 inches I changed the stitch. Deanie's sweater is my 1st Cabled sweater.I have a cable stitch book and chose a few designs I liked and put them together. I think they both came our fine.

I will say I ripped each of them out at least 3-4 times- if I could learn to gauge properly and knit correctly, maybe I could save myself time and actually knit MORE finished items.

I made Deanie's sweater to be worn with his kilt. Jim has a concert this coming Saturday and i will get a photo of Deanie in his outfit. In the meantime, I am trying to make a matching tam, but we will see how many times I have to rip that one out. I started one last night and have already ripped it out- I was tot he decrease rows..... I enjoy knitting- I HATE RIPPING OUT SO MANY TIMES .......... AAARRRGGGH!

Deanie and Hadar Chilling and Training Together

2009-02-11T19:05:00.001-07:00

These two are really great buddies- take a look and see......

More Dog Show Photos

2008-10-22T20:29:00.009-06:00

Just a few more photos from the past week end- and a movie- for those interested.... The 3 boys are Byron Baggins, from Michigan, Bourbon, from South Dakota and our boy Hadar, from Utah. This is from Saturday and Hadar won the class and went on to the herding group. On Friday, Byron Baggins won and Sunday was a black Briard named Gus. Bourbon was pulled from showing on Sunday.

We had fun with Angie O and her kids and husband Thad- they are wonderful people and a lot of fun- we sure hope to see them again in the near future.

This is Ms Brinley-she was busy at work during the show. Here she is stewarding , which is making sure everyone has their numbers and knows when they go into the ring before the judge. Brinley is quite the worker and as you can see , a smile on her face at all times. A joy to be with and quite a character!

My newest friend Kanon- what a lovely lady. She is doing really well at showing the dogs. This is Gus, who won the breed class on Sunday and went to the herding group ring. What a team they make. Hard to beat them !

I think my favorite picture this week end!!! Like Father like son! Thad and Til show what it takes - the endurance needed to sit through a dog show! WOW - do they have it or what??? LOL We need to start a dog club - a new "TAIL - GAITING" group, complete with TV, Barbecue and Drinks. Then maybe the shows would be more user friendly. I know where you would find the Snell family- watching Kyle show our dog , if he was in the ring during the commercials!!! Watch carefully- this small video is Til and Gus - You can see where Gus' heart really is!

Deanie met a number of new friends in cluding a breed of dog I never heard of let alone seen before. It is a some sort of Norwegian Bear Dog, I think..... Until the next time...... many many blessings..... The Snells

A Last Minute Get Away

2008-10-22T07:26:00.008-06:00

With so much work at Spinderella's, break time is not something I often think about.

Our puppy , Hadar, was going to go with our handler, Kyle Hennefer of Paws 4 Thought to Rapid City, SD for the weekend. He was entered in a 3 day show for practice, after all he is only 9 months old, and a silly puppy. Going away with Kyle would be good for him and great practice in the ring.

At the last minute, Wednesday to be exact, Jim decided we should go to Rapid City, enjoy the scenery, visit with dog friends and watch Hadar show. The show started Friday..... we had to leave on Thursday. OK ???!!! Got the bags packed, took Shaymus, Ahri and Oreo to the kennel, called the kids Shae will take care of the cats, whew......off we went. Jim, me, Deanie, Simcha and Hadar. An 11-12 hour trip ahead of us, we left at 1 in the afternoon- what were we thinking??? LOL

We arrived after midnight- hit the pillows and up at 6am to make the show. What great fun to meet up with friends you hadn't seen in 2 years. The Olsen family met us in the grooming area and we laughed and talked.....and of course we groomed- after all we DO HAVE BRIARDS!!!

Show time.... Angie and her girl Ella couldn't have looked better! Ella is a beautiful Black Briard with movement to die for. She is waiting to strut her stuff.

Here are the class boys- Hadar on the left, Bourbon in the middle and Byron Baggins on the left. They all did a wonderful job showing, even if Hadar and Bourbon acted like the puppies they are on one of the 3 days. The fun part is always getting to meet new people and have fun with old friends.

We were able to steal away the afternoon driving the countryside and going to Mt Rushmore. It really was something I had envisioned that was larger than it was. But is is a very impressive piece, the simple artistic work on a mountainside is inspiring. Set in such a beautiful area of the country!

It was fun getting out in the fresh air for the afternoon. We wished we would have been able to go on the tour, but with limited wheelchair access, we decided to get back in the car and go back to our Motel town, Keystone. A walking tour was in order, with wheelchair and dogs, only problem ..... I forgot the camera!!!! The walking tour took you past very old homes and some cool looking gold mines. After dinner, we hit the bed to get ready for another day.

Off to work, but will post more photos soon.....

A new sweater for Deanie

2008-10-14T14:10:00.005-06:00

Fall is here and winter just around the corner as you can tell from our last entry. The crisp air prompted me to make a sweater for the Bean Boy- that's Deanie, for those who may not know.

I started blending fibers a month or so ago- took natural wools and alpaca and went out to the mill to make some roving. I thought about hand spinning the roving, in all my spare time, and thought Deanie needs a sweater this year, not 10 years from now!

So I actually set off to spin my own yarn , all by my self , with no help from Jim, on the spinning frame. I did pretty well, until the time came to actually SPIN the fiber! LOL And yes, Jim helped me set everything and get it spinning. I DID skein the wool all by myself! LOL To the right is the yarn- it is a lovely oatmeal color, very soft and I am sure Deanie will wear it well.

Here is the front of the sweater. Now mind you, I see the mistakes too- but i prefer to call them design elements. I realized the mistakes in the middle of the sweater, thought about ripping it out and starting again, but after already ripping it out 4 times, once from not gauging 1st, and 3 more times trying to follow the pattern, giving up and doing my own thing, I decided against it and to keep knitting. :-) I will keep you posted on the progress, and you all keep rooting that I get it completed this year! LOL

As always- Many Blessings

OH NO ......... SNOW!!!!!

2008-10-12T10:18:00.012-06:00

I guess it was too good to be true- the lovely weather we have been getting used to. But it was bound to happen sooner or later- and we would have preferred later. It is beautiful- but i am just not ready.

A week ago we were enjoying the last of the foliage in our front garden- such colors! We went from this.......

To this...... in a matter of hours. Good bye to the warm weather of fall and welcome winter- we have a feeling you are here for a few months to come.

It's been awhile- but we've been busy

2008-10-06T10:03:00.000-06:00

We decided to hit the house work really hard- and the front porch was top priority.
It was a week end job that was filled with cold and rainy weather.

Jim took the boards off the porch while Lynn stacked them on the street for our yarly pick up. The two of us worked for most of the morning getting those boards off, but that was just the beginning.

We had a surprise under that porch. After all it was built around the 30' or 40's. We found a mound of dirt under the doorway and a large "hole" where you can see Jim standing . We used the doorway dirt to fill in the hole. Jim found that the support boards were for the most part, still pretty solid, but he decided more joists were needed for a more secure deck.

We are still not finished with the railing and another set of steps on the south side of the porch, but we will get that done before winter. We chose a tongue and groove pine and stained it with a blue color to pull in the blue trim work on the house. We like it - I guess that is all that matters. :-) We'll take photos as we get things finished.

Growing Strong

2008-09-05T10:19:00.009-06:00

We have been so busy with Spinderella's Fiber Mill that it is VERY hard to keep up with the blog.

But a few new photos needed to be shown off and I thought, why not upload them here for all to see.

Our grandson, Ezekiel, is 6 months old now! Hard to believe ! His smile can light up a room. Starting to show his personality. Fallon took a few photos and here is my favorite one! Won't be long before this little critter is walking - oh no.

Deanie is doing well- he is enjoying his puppy Hadar. Hadar is a strapping boy- 8 months old and 82 pounds! He is about 26-27" at his shoulders and learning to use them. That makes for one powerful dog! Good thing he is so sweet - Hadar does like to challenge us and make sure we are still boss, but at the end of the day- he thinks a lap or two is just the ticket.

Deanie also got a new kilt. It is a tartan from our family name. "Me mum is Irish". He does like wearing it, and of course he got a pair of kilt socks- no- I did not spin or knit them- but I know I could if I had more time.

Over Labor Day week end, we were in Soldier Hollow, Utah for the National Sheepdog Trials. It was fun watching those Border Collies work the sheep. Very impressive. Now if we could only get our children to obey so well! LOL

The Salt Lake Scots were in attendance and played the week end long, entertaining the crowds with traditional Scottish music. Yes, Jim played as well, both on Friday and also for the closing ceremonies. It was a fun scene- the sheep on the hillside, being herded by the dogs and their masters, while a Highland Band played. Way too cool! Look at the photo carefully and you can see the sheep to the left. But better yet- watch the video- you will see the sheep being driven on the field.

As always- Blessings to you and your families!

Olympic Fever

2008-08-15T07:09:00.014-06:00

Are you watching the Olympics? Well- this family is and more. The grand kids decided to host their own games right in the front of Nana and Grandad's yard!

What a thrilling display of talent and daring- as we watched these young athletes compete in gymnastics, swimming and extremely fast running races.

Flips and tumbles, with excited athletes. We saw such wonderful scores from the judges, who in our opinion were a bit bias. The lowest score was an 8.75, from a "character from India", but the winner in the men's gymnastic meet was Jarron with an almost perfect score- 9.95. ( Ok - so the judges were using the old system of points) LOL

Here you see the talented Azriela practicing her dive, getting ready for the 200 Freestyle event. While Jarron is busy warming up his arms for his 200 IM swim. These young athletes competed in so many events! They both were able to achieve a gold or silver medal! WOW

And what Olympic games would be complete without medals??? Well- that is what dog shows are for!!! Thank goodness the dogs brought home a few in their time and, well, as you can see , just perfect for these young athletes. We even had a beautiful platform for them to be adorned! The cut tree in the front has 2 great places to set little feet.

After singing the National Anthem, these young athletes celebrated in style! Of course the afternoon was spent on the platform receiving medals more than the competition itself- but hey- remember when we were young???

Jarron and Azriela are the loves of my life. Having kids and grands to share life with make it even that more special ! I loved getting medals and pretend! So glad the grands bring me back to that wonderfully special place of make believe. :-)

Even little Ezekiel got in the act. He is growing like a weed, and we thank GOD for all the blessings bestowed on this little boy. He thought the medals and ribbons were a tasty treat. We think he got his medal for being the one with the big healthy heart!!

Now it just happens to be my 52nd birthday. Yes 52 and proud of that number. Azriela made me a cake- and it was not only delicious, but celebrating with my family around make it sweeter than all the cake and icing we put in our belly.

Have a wonderful day- and remember to count ALL your blessings!

Hadar and his bag of tricks

2008-06-19T18:26:00.002-06:00

We took a few photos today of Hadar and thought we would share. He is a lovely boy who really loves Deanie. He turned 5 months on June 5th and is already 65 pounds!!! WOW- will he stop growing?? He is a smart boy who is learning to help Deanie. He seems to have the ability to detect when Deanie is going to have a seizure. He doesn't bark, he just wants to be close by.

We took a few of him training this morning- and uploaded some video. Here is Hadar taking a diaper to Deanie.

And here is one of him putting a diaper in the trash and aslo taking Deanie's socks off.

We think he is such a special boy and we are thankful that the Snoek's family, in Belgium, sent him our way.

Fathers Day Treat

2008-06-18T10:46:00.011-06:00

Jim competed Father's Day week end in a drum competition with the Salt Lake Scots, a Scottish Pipe and Drum band. It was a tremendous week- end- filled with Highland games and music of Scottish Bands from all over Utah and Colorado.The event was held at Thanksgiving Point.

Deanie had to look like his Dad, so we purchased a kilt and shirt. His wool tam came from a generous vendor who thought Deanie should have one. If you look closely- Hadar, Deanie's Service dog in training, lay quietly beside his wheelchair. He was quite a character during the festivities.

The group competed in a Grade 4 competition , and took 3rd place in the band competition. It was such fun to watch and listen to the traditional Scottish tunes. The crowd was very into it and clapped along with the music as well as giving a rousing cheer when they finished.

Jim competed in a solo drum rendition of Pipe Major Wiley Gray, with the help of his piper, Grant. Jim took 1st place under Judge Ed Best, and received a wonderful critique, telling Jim he would be able to move up to the next grade if he wished. We will see, but for now, Jim will continue to play in Grade 4.

All in all, the Salt Lake Scots were awarded many 1st place ribbons- they are a talented group , if I do say so myself. ( Lynn speaking) Jim and his teacher, BJ Gunn show off there medals - such a nice way to top off the day.

There was much to do at the Games- from watching the Scottish sports, to listening to local bands. Vendors galore and Clan tents made it a fun event- even though the heat was unbearable!

Deanie had the opportunity to fight a giant! He loved killing the giant with the help of Dad. We took deanie's Service Dog in Training and he was a good boy. He did bark at the Giant - though you cannot hear it on the video- the crowd watching got quite a kick out of Hadar trying to defend his little boy.

We are linking some video's here if you wish to listen- also a video of Deanie and Dad fighting the giant!

As always- Blessings and Peace to all of you!
Jim- Lynn and Deanie

This Old House Snell Style

2008-05-27T19:05:00.007-06:00

Spring time is here and now it is time to complete a job we started a few years ago. Hopefully it will not get too hot too soon.

Scraping - and new wood work - in between washing, carding and spinning fibers. This is what the original house looks like. It was painted long ago, and we found out that these type of bricks actually NEED painted. Go figure?!

Here is the same spread of house after we have put the base coat of light light yellow. It does look pretty BORING and not at all artistic. This MUST be changed - though most people would be ok with this- it was not something I wanted to live with for long. The soffit is a brighter yellow and the trim is dark blue and forest green, with the foundation a terra cotta. This photo makes it look more red than it is.

Eventually the whole house will be done this way- it does take a long time- it is done with sponges and lots of colors of paint- swiped on the brick over top of the base coat. Now this is more like the Snell look. A bit old, a bit modern, but really something to say- cool about. :-)

The stained glass street number was made by my daughter, Fallon years ago. Even though it is broken, I cannot find it in me to toss it- maybe I can get Jim to fix it so it can remain with us forever. Just too me to toss and too Fallon too! :-)

Weather that cannot make up its mind!!!

2008-05-22T19:09:00.005-06:00

From 90 degrees and sweating to 40 degrees- wind-rain and freezing - we really wish the weather would try to cooperate more!!!

On Tuesday of this week- the weather changed from hot to cold, but with that change brought quite a surprise to the Snell family!

Jim was off to his Utah Scots practice ( yes he will wear a kilt and photo's will be added) and I was sitting trying to upload the Wool Trek info. I heard some wind and decided before the fleece on the outside drying racks got blown to Colorado, she had better get them off and into safety.

Of course the dogs came with me to supervise and play. Good thing they all decided to listen... I called all of them to come into the house, as I felt rain drops. Much to my surprise, they ALL listened and up the back steps they went into the house. I followed and as I reach 1/2 way up the steps I heard a crash and felt the steps shake a small bit.

Up to to the dining room "I rose to see such a clatter"...... oh my goodness..... and what to my wondering eyes should appear........

Yep- one of our large trees came crashing down due to a micro burst! We now have a forest in our backyard without moving anywhere! :-)

Meriwether was probably shaking in her boots, as the tree came very close to her dwelling place.

The tree was pulled out by its roots, landed perfectly, if we can say that, in the middle of the yard- no harm to our home, or the neighbors, but the tree did reap havoc with he power line. It yanked the power line out of the breaker box, leaving us with no power and a mangled breaker box.

After more than 24 hours with no power, we are getting back to some semblance of life, having the tree guys start removing this big old gal and the electrician replacing all the necessary fixings to get the power back on. This is what our yard looks like today- one more day of tree removal and Jim to fix the fence - but we are grateful that no one was hurt and the home is intact!

We have had enough fun for one year and hope to get back to business and painting our home.

Fred and Jo's Wool Trek

2008-05-22T18:43:00.011-06:00

As usual, and right on time, the Knowlton's had their yearly wool trek, the 1st Saturday in May. Everyone gets to their farm around 11 am, brings something for a pot luck and Jo always makes a yummy lamb stew. After eating we are allowed into the garage, where the Knowlton's have all of their fleeces available for purchase. They also have roving and yarn available as well.

It was quite fun seeing old friends and aquaintances, and meeting a few new people.

The fun of the day is always the "Skirt Scramble". Fred and Jo heavily skirt their fleeces, and the skirtings are better than some fleeces we have seen! Everyone is handed a bag, and on the count of 3, people scramble to get free fleece in all colors and types. The Knowlton's raise Corriedale, Romney and Romeldale sheep. We took a few photos to share.....

Fred decides to push Cindy Marshall into the pile of fleeces.... and Cindy , stay true to her colors, strikes a pose!

After that- it quickly became a feeding frenzy! Laughter and fleeces flew- and happy spinners went home to wash- card and spin their fleeces. We always get out of the way - getting to close to that fleece when these ladies are around is taking your life in your hands! LOL

( Yes- many sent them to Spinderella's for processing... go figure??? )

We hope many of you in the Northern Utah area will try and make the Trek next year. Always entertaining and will surely add to that mountain of wool stash you already have, but know you NEED more. :-)

Sheep dogs go herding

2008-04-06T15:03:00.004-06:00

We had so much fun watching our sheep dogs do what they were meant to do! Herd the sheep. we would love to move to the country in a few years and want the dogs to help us with a small flock of sheep.

For now they will have to be content going to lessons and not having sheep of their own. Such fun amidst a georgeous setting. Here you can see the 12 week old puppy is really interested in these critters.

Shaymus our boy, was sheared this week- and yes he is still a Briard, though he looks more like a deer! I think we'll keep him.

Ugh- Snow AGAIN!!!

2008-03-30T08:31:00.007-06:00

Really- what is up with this? I think we have had enough snow to last us through next year- the spring weather hung around long enough to tease us into thinking we were actually going to have a spring this year! I the last few years it seems we go from winter to summer with no easing into HOT, the Hotter weather.

So are we complaining ?? I guess I shouldn't, we have to have water over the summer months- but gray skies and white ground is tiring. We are sun people! Even the newly formed flower on our flox in the garden seems to be saying enough is enough.

Looking forward to the warmth of the sun once again!

A new puppy

2008-03-28T06:47:00.004-06:00

We added a new Briard puppy to our home. His name is Hadar, which means honor. Hadar came to us from Belgium and has addapted to new life here in the USA very well. He is a smart little puppy and learns fairly well for one so young.

He will be trained for service work and hopefully take over for Simcha when the time comes. Simcha is 6 years old and it will take about 2 years to train our puppy.

Hadar certainly loves Deanie already- here he is trying to comfort a crying Deanie. He is 11 weks old as of this writing and will be attending puppy class next week.

We put up a mini slideshow on our web site about his travels to the USA- go to : http://www.spinderellas.com/hadar.html

What a year

2008-03-27T16:28:00.004-06:00

So many things happening here at the Snell household. We have been blessed with a new grand baby boy- Jeffery Ezekiel Demet. We call him "Z", the name Azriela calls him cause she cannot say Ezekiel. Fallon and Jeffery's baby #2. He is so sweet- born the 1st day of March 2008.

Last Thursday we had quite a shock! This little one was whisked to Primary Children's Hospital into the PCU unit for surgery on his little heart. He had to have bypass surgery. Through much prayer and faith- he made it through the surgery and is now home- only 3 days after surgery! Home and resting this little family has been through much, but counting the blessing of new life!