Samantha Lewis

I would check out what John Bush is doing.   https://livefree.academy/

He has a lot of free webinars talking about how to work the crypto system

I am also taking a class on crypto starting next week. I will probably know a lot more about it soon.  I think it is an important part of being financially literate.  It is not for everyone though.  I hope those of us who can manage it can learn and make it easier for everyone else.  

Nancy Reading wrote:

Do you think the fibres are better when handspun (longer or otherwise superior) or that the machine made yarn is damaged in some way? Handspun and handmade is obviously more precious, but I'd have thought that inconsistencies would be detrimental to longevity not ending up superior.

Hello Nancy!


I am sure it would depend on the yarn.   I cant really say for the sweaters I did not produce myself.  They just look like regular yarn but the tag says hand spun and hand knitted.  They seem to be ageless.  I don't know why.

I have made knitted garments with good store bought yarn too.  It seems like they end up needing repair.  Two of my favorite skirts need to be repaired right now because a yarn has broken and the knitting is coming undone.  


For the yarn I produce from my sheep, I was having some inconsistencies in thickness and tensile strength.  Now I run it through about 5 lbs of tension so the weak spots will break and then I twine it to 2 ply before I knit.  That ends up with a pretty strong product.  

I am new at this though.  I only have one outfit I have made this way and it is on its second winter.  I still have a lot to learn but now I am warm and cozy when I go out to do chores!

Beautiful work everyone!   I am so impressed with quilters.  I would love to learn to make beautiful stuff like this.
I have some lovely old quilts that I treasure but I have never made one.

Many years ago I was given some sweaters from woman who had visited Nepal in her youth.  She told me they were indestructible.   I wear them all the time.  They still look perfect and new.

The tag says, hand spun and hand knitted.  I found a couple other sweaters over the years that are hand spun and hand knitted and the also have a remarkable longevity.  

I started knitting my own clothes because I wanted to be warmer outside doing chores in winter.
Now I am spinning the yarn from my own sheep too.  I think this a great way to create long lasting garments.  

I make cotton and linen stuff too.  It does not have to be all wool.   Everything seems to last longer if it is homemade

If I am shoveling snow, I like to use a regular flat shovel.  I much prefer that to a snow shovel.  A smaller scoop but it is lighter to lift and throw.  It also is easier for me to dig out a nice trail.  I always carry a flat shovel in my car in winter.  Much easier to dig out the car than with a pointed shovel.  

When we just get an inch or so, I try to sweep it up before anyone walks on it.  It is fun and easy to sweep powder.  

Deane Adams wrote:My current philosophy, at this stage of life;  I didn't make that mess, I'm not cleaning it up !!!

Peace/Heddwch

Hello Deane!  

That sounds like the most joyful technique!

 I love driving by people's homes days after a storm and the driveway is untouched.  I imagine that they are so well planned they don't have to go out and they can just enjoy the beauty of it all.

To me it is a mark of accomplishment either way.  A well shoveled walk or an unmarred one, each speaks of the personal achievement of the individual.

I have Finnsheep.  I really enjoy their wool for spinning and felting.  
I have a nice array of colors which makes them pretty in the field and nice to work with the contrast when I am making stuff.  

They stay pretty clean and I am able to clean and process the wool myself rather than sending it out to a mill to get it cleaned and prepped for spinning.  
I generally just run the raw wool through a picker and card it and then spin it into yarn.  I do not wash the wool before making yarn.   I usually knit the raw yarn and wash it after garment is made.  For me this saves a lot of time.
The clothing I have made gets nicer and softer the more I wear it and wash it.   It is so warm and fun to wear a sweater made out of your own sheep!!

Each sheep is different though.  The feel of the fleece and the way it runs through my hand as I am spinning.   Some are more silky and some are more soft and fluffy.   The lambs wool is the softest of course but it seems like lambswool shrinks a lot more than sheep or rams wool when washing and felting.  

My small flock of FInnsheep produce enough lamb for my family to have plenty of meat and in the spring we have milk for cheese and ice cream.  

My sheep do not make as much milk as a dairy breed but it is so rich and creamy.  What a total treat to get to drink sheep's milk!
I like that I can get wool, meat and milk from one breed of animal.  

I have been told that people will pay more for the fiber with a very tight crimp, that it is nicer for hand spinners so I have been breeding for that.  It all seems to spin up well though and it all makes lovely yarn and garments.

I used to have a really long driveway that would be impassible in deep snow.  I noticed my horses did a great job of clearing trails and their main areas stayed free of snow.  

I fenced the driveway and put the horses and sheep on it in the snowy times.  They would walk up and down the driveway and keep it clear.  I would leave treats out there for them to find and if we got a snow drift or deep snow I could just throw corn out and they would take care of it.  If it got poopy or icy I could cover those places with old dry grass or pine needless.  

Hello Brian!  

Welcome to permies!

Have you looked into a rocket mass heater?  
It will work great in the basement.  


They are far more efficient than a conventional wood stove and I think they keep the house much warmer and more comfortable.  You will also burn less wood for more heat.  

Here is a thread to get you started:  https://permies.com/w/191709/people-rocket-mass-heaters

Hello James!

This sounds like a neat project.  Thanks for sharing it.

Welcome to permies!