tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19063872769960083332024-03-14T06:14:02.043-04:00sheep dreamsshepherding, spinning, knitting, cooking and life on the farmDianne MacDonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10168188912154245536noreply@blogger.comBlogger525125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1906387276996008333.post-54337881301016739422015-08-21T17:47:00.001-04:002015-08-21T17:47:49.909-04:00My reading life<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPmB7wz_4dHGElgCV1Gm1Gg92QaUMkpQXVl981dzYyHIcPd6YYoNRhzeossNSDI_W-pME34g2ufk2xzCqFKvfNaYV9dKa_SNzcqWEFHrKUf4V120ROgzIN1vNz97ZUX9vOuG-C1ZSoD3zw/s1600/2015-08-01+19.46.30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPmB7wz_4dHGElgCV1Gm1Gg92QaUMkpQXVl981dzYyHIcPd6YYoNRhzeossNSDI_W-pME34g2ufk2xzCqFKvfNaYV9dKa_SNzcqWEFHrKUf4V120ROgzIN1vNz97ZUX9vOuG-C1ZSoD3zw/s640/2015-08-01+19.46.30.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Autumn is definitely on the horizon)</i></td></tr>
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Though I haven't mentioned it, I have been reading and listening to some books as I go about my chores and while I'm sewing or knitting. I really enjoy my Audible membership and have used up credits faster than I can earn them lately. Actual sitting down and reading hasn't happened a lot, but as part of my goal to not be scrolling through Pinterest until the wee hours, I have managed to read a little at bedtime before drifting off. I pre-ordered <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Shepherds-Life-Dispatches-Ancient-Landscape/dp/1250060249/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1438399620&sr=1-1&keywords=the+shepherd%27s+life+by+james+rebanks"><u>The Shepherd's Life</u></a> by James Rebanks back in the spring and when it finally came, I didn't get around to reading it for a while. Too bad I didn't jump right into it because it probably would have lifted my spirits while I was convalescing. It's a lovely book about a way of life foreign to most people, but with which I can totally identify. Having finished it, I have somehow managed to get Mike to start reading it and I am now listening to it just because I love hearing it read in a Lake District accent.<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Grandma-Gatewoods-Walk-Inspiring-Appalachian/dp/1613747187/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1438399902&sr=1-1&keywords=grandma+gatewood%27s+walk"><br /></a>I recently read
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Grandma-Gatewoods-Walk-Inspiring-Appalachian/dp/1613747187/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1438399902&sr=1-1&keywords=grandma+gatewood%27s+walk"><u>Grandma Gatewood's Walk</u></a> and then just after I finished, saw it mentioned on Facebook in <a href="https://www.facebook.com/amightygirl">A Mighty Girl</a> post, which in turn led to <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/she-the-people/wp/2015/01/05/grandma-gatewood-survived-domestic-violence-to-walk-the-appalachian-trail-alone-at-67/">this article</a> in the Washington Post. What an amazing and inspiring woman! Following her example would mean I'm not quite ready to turn in my barn boots. And, all those women and girls posted about on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/amightygirl"><u>A Mighty Girl</u></a> ..... how I wish I'd had regular infusions of that kind of reading material when I was growing up.<br />
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Audible enables me to put books on my iPhone, which I can slip into my pocket and listen to anywhere, and that works perfectly when I want to be on the move. Nothing makes dirty work go faster than having a good book read to you, coming through loud and clear with your ear buds. First, I listened to <a href="http://www.audible.com/pd/Mysteries-Thrillers/The-Girl-on-the-Train-Audiobook/B00QXW5GYY/ref=a_search_c4_1_1_srTtl?qid=1439182430&sr=1-1"><u>The Girl on the Train</u></a>, which was very well written, but in the end, I felt no sympathy for any of the characters. None of them were likeable. I was left wishing I hadn't spent a credit on it. <a href="http://www.audible.com/pd/Fiction/All-the-Light-We-Cannot-See-Audiobook/B00IZGD864/ref=a_search_c4_1_1_srTtl?qid=1439182479&sr=1-1"><u>All the Light We Cannot See</u></a> was a really good book. Also, I found <u>The Nightengale </u>quite good. I've noticed a spate of books based on World War II appearing recently. My father was a tank commander during the war. I had no idea that he'd been in North Africa and Italy, until I found his discharge papers recently. He was only seventeen when he enlisted and what he experienced had a devastating effect on the rest of his life. It's very thought-provoking to read how it might have affected others. I'm ashamed to admit that I hadn't thought much about how it was for the people of France and Italy to be occupied by Nazi troops and the cruelty that was inflicted upon them. Another Audible gem was <a href="http://www.audible.com/pd/Fiction/The-Signature-of-All-Things-Audiobook/B00ELMX3L6/ref=a_search_c4_1_1_srTtl?qid=1439182536&sr=1-1"><u>The Signature of all Things</u></a> by Elizabeth Gilbert. Though late to the party, I finally got around to <a href="http://www.audible.com/pd/Fiction/Cutting-for-Stone-Audiobook/B002V0K23M/ref=a_search_c4_1_1_srTtl?qid=1439182583&sr=1-1"><u>Cutting for Stone</u></a> and then <u><a href="http://www.audible.com/pd/Fiction/The-Snow-Child-Audiobook/B006ZP0AWW/ref=a_search_c4_1_1_srTtl?qid=1439182632&sr=1-1">The Snow Child</a>.</u> Lastly, I want to mention <a href="http://www.audible.com/pd/Romance/Our-Souls-at-Night-Audiobook/B00W8FOMT0/ref=a_search_c4_1_1_srTtl?qid=1439182704&sr=1-1"><u>Our Souls at Night</u></a> by Ken Haruf. I thought it was such a sweet little story and holds lessons for those of us with aging parents or are aging ourselves (that would be me).<br />
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Mike and I went to see <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQvwiOWpj7o"><u>Shaun the Sheep Movie</u></a> a few weeks ago and found it to be so fun and clever. I'm a huge Wallace and Gromit fan and have collected many of the DVD's to watch with the grandchildren. (And, often by myself. :-) I'm pretty sure I enjoy them more than the kids do). I can highly recommend it, with or without kids along!<br />
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Lastly, a few friends and I went to Louisville recently to check out the new <a href="http://www.dyescape.org/">Dyescape</a> dye garden and learn about their program. I so admire the work these young women are doing and hope they are able to accomplish all they've set out to do.<br />
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Blessedly, fall is in the air here in central Kentucky. The sheep and I are loving the cooler temperatures and clear (not muggy) days. I'm sure summer heat and humidity are not through with us, but relief is clearly on the way. <div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwE7ivAcIMAxPJsuIBpO9uUgB8GoCPCxbppy2_PeI3PyrtxAu8usr4sV1O2ro67bcwHZ9sd0Tj4iKsrSbKSGlQs3RRheAUha30qcLl0Ra7JkvZg43fJ27BpV3jqBGLcLBd_igfLfmN5Isb/s1600/IMG_3398.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwE7ivAcIMAxPJsuIBpO9uUgB8GoCPCxbppy2_PeI3PyrtxAu8usr4sV1O2ro67bcwHZ9sd0Tj4iKsrSbKSGlQs3RRheAUha30qcLl0Ra7JkvZg43fJ27BpV3jqBGLcLBd_igfLfmN5Isb/s640/IMG_3398.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(storm clouds rolling in)</i></td></tr>
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Oh, these summer days ... they creep and speed by at the same time. It's been hot here and we all were feeling the lethargy that sets in with the heat and humidity of Kentucky summers. There were days after days of thunderstorms, bringing plenty of Great Pyrenees (<i>poor Aslan</i>) scaring lightning and pouring rain. Our part of Kentucky is about 12 inches above normal rainfall for this time of year. How I wish we could send some of that moisture out to the folks on the west coast. The good part of all this rain is that the grass is unusually lush for the end of July, which is great for grazing (maybe not so great for staying caught up with the mowing). Thankfully, the last few days have brought a little respite and we're all feeling better for it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4t2Hzo2ovb2mwfzodw0dIS2jLAqGhsacPzo-JZnebZ9ieD6aq1kFsG796JuZh6eORakFAUQJM9tJJN6JbJr5A5-cWjVrywio3Cg4-9kP4ifWDTYuUEvRPRr8lO6jmAuHn2F9q40v6H13K/s1600/2015-07-31+15.59.48.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4t2Hzo2ovb2mwfzodw0dIS2jLAqGhsacPzo-JZnebZ9ieD6aq1kFsG796JuZh6eORakFAUQJM9tJJN6JbJr5A5-cWjVrywio3Cg4-9kP4ifWDTYuUEvRPRr8lO6jmAuHn2F9q40v6H13K/s640/2015-07-31+15.59.48.jpg" width="640" /></a> <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHqebbgf-5_VbyFY4c470xS80BfmjspRIjPVMuDynsfaWoO9TC5R7ShlNca2QNQ3nDpHcrY5LcbQpy4OHCMfFS1egC-InCrF9j8kxmsix32t7W3rdcVKzNfQuadeoe7LxxtJlbGM2Szw2O/s1600/2015-07-31+16.00.28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHqebbgf-5_VbyFY4c470xS80BfmjspRIjPVMuDynsfaWoO9TC5R7ShlNca2QNQ3nDpHcrY5LcbQpy4OHCMfFS1egC-InCrF9j8kxmsix32t7W3rdcVKzNfQuadeoe7LxxtJlbGM2Szw2O/s640/2015-07-31+16.00.28.jpg" width="480" /></a>I've been doing a little sewing. When in Nashville at <a href="http://www.craft-south.com/latest/">Craft South</a>, I ask Anna Michelle about a tunic Pierette's mother, Michelle, was wearing (she also works at Craft South). It turned out to be a <a href="http://greenbeepatterns.bigcartel.com/product/lela-tunic-and-blouse-pattern-preorder">pattern</a> she had designed and, yes, they did have it for sale (you can also order straight from <a href="http://alexiaabegg.squarespace.com/green-bee-patterns/">Green Bee</a>). It has some wonderful details, like hem and sleeve facings that are really nice. I've made two tops so far, and after making some adjustments, the second one turned out just the way I like it. Next I plan to make a few tunics to wear in cooler weather over jeans or leggings. My fabric stash has grown to epic proportions and I really need to get busy making. <br />
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On the knitting front, I've cast on a <a href="http://www.maddermade.com/patterns/uniform">Uniform</a> by Carrie Bostick Hoge. I'm using <a href="https://www.brooklyntweed.com/shop/shelter/">Brooklyn Tweed Shelter</a> in the Cast Iron colorway. If I can stick with it, I know it will become a wardrobe staple. Take a moment to look at <a href="https://www.brooklyntweed.com/our-story/">Brooklyn Tweed's website</a>. Gorgeous! I love all the <a href="https://www.brooklyntweed.com/shop/shelter/">colors</a>, even ones I might not normally wear and the color stories for each shade are perfection. I find their whole aesthetic so appealing, it makes me want to buy-all-the-yarn. (Which is crazy when you consider that I go to all the work of growing my own yarn!)<br />
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And, speaking of colors, I've also done a little dyeing. Logwood was the first one I attempted after my return from Shakerag and the <a href="http://www.maiwa.com/stores/supply/supply.html">Maiwa workshop</a>. Once again, I suffered from heavy-handedness (that just might be a theme in my life). The logwood from Maiwa is quite potent (and I remembered Charllotte telling me that <i>after</i> I had made the dyepot. It worked out just fine in the end. I ended up with 30 skeins dyed, in increments of 10, each bundle a few shades lighter than the previous one. Last week a friend invited a few of us over for an indigo dyeing session and that was great fun. I'm totally hooked on indigo now and understand the compulsion to give everything in the house a dip in the indigo vat.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(left-indigo over gray yarn / right-indigo overdye on gray yarn previously dyed with marigold)</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-fk42prFZAoUPma2EXHFrZR04-xpRribzrCaiq8NA49G_C-7fLMrgw2WDCpv_ag53D5NJhZ502Y6hcGNHbO4qOSlfji6XIV9LjbAjVTjG5dacGN-9wYU4ioRgCc_-4aHtjK1DPZ5aGMJ-/s1600/2015-07-12+14.18.59+HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-fk42prFZAoUPma2EXHFrZR04-xpRribzrCaiq8NA49G_C-7fLMrgw2WDCpv_ag53D5NJhZ502Y6hcGNHbO4qOSlfji6XIV9LjbAjVTjG5dacGN-9wYU4ioRgCc_-4aHtjK1DPZ5aGMJ-/s640/2015-07-12+14.18.59+HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(samples from mycopigments dye workshop - all mushroom and lichen dyed)</i></td></tr>
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Several weekends ago Lindy, Marlene and I made a quick trip to Knoxville for a one day <a href="http://mycopigments.com/">mycopigment dye workshop</a> taught by <a href="http://mycopigments.com/alissa-allen/">Alissa Allen</a>. I've long had an interest in mushroom and lichen dyeing, but had not been to any workshops. It was a fun and rewarding day with good friends that brought us all back home to our respective farms, ready to tramp the woods looking for mushrooms. We produced an amazing palette of colors from a few mushrooms and one lichen. It's surprising how many mushrooms have been right under my feet for years and I just hadn't noticed them. While it's not really practical for me to try producing enough mushroom dyed yarn to sell, I'm looking forward to producing some small batches for personal use. I'm also hoping to host Alissa for a workshop here at the farm next year. How great would it be to go out foraging on my own farm with an expert?<br />
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Many years ago, when I first began to spin and raise sheep, I was firmly into only the natural colors from my own sheep and truth be told, I probably still love those colors best. Lately I seem to have drifted to being into all colors, though <i>drifted</i> might not be the most accurate of terms. More accurately I have <i>evolved</i> into a lover of all colors. Nature presents us with an unlimited palette and why shouldn't we partake of it all? My recent workshops in natural dyeing have opened my eyes to the beauty of color obtainable from natural sources and while I still have so much to learn, I'm firmly on the path of working with color often. <div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXMl9_58rD5PBJG8P2yeTEuX6htGEHP-GRkJvoGWSpt8OXTkA_F3n-p9ITEoTc0ty00eW3i-tFOpbBVt_aDtI5al1xhf-4QfPwY7ygQajhiZ_4LlwhDWaLgNpdKsT99TlO6Dlq2X6DhREk/s1600/IMG_3050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXMl9_58rD5PBJG8P2yeTEuX6htGEHP-GRkJvoGWSpt8OXTkA_F3n-p9ITEoTc0ty00eW3i-tFOpbBVt_aDtI5al1xhf-4QfPwY7ygQajhiZ_4LlwhDWaLgNpdKsT99TlO6Dlq2X6DhREk/s640/IMG_3050.jpg" width="556" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(beautiful shibori textiles from India)</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7i965SPIlx_ydXhVCvchUhlvg8_Pis3s6umloV0hB1EGKhvc8Mdpr5N9csBhZYsokPxN4FHrFFeZ0yAx0Gv1aUZU-uhSBpHx2O5EIvoETUQIfHreKaFIvQKRoiM2KoDg7ob-DvYkb2f2E/s1600/IMG_3051.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7i965SPIlx_ydXhVCvchUhlvg8_Pis3s6umloV0hB1EGKhvc8Mdpr5N9csBhZYsokPxN4FHrFFeZ0yAx0Gv1aUZU-uhSBpHx2O5EIvoETUQIfHreKaFIvQKRoiM2KoDg7ob-DvYkb2f2E/s640/IMG_3051.jpg" width="598" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(naturally dyed textiles from India)</td></tr>
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As I wrote in my last post, I've been on a bit of a workshop bender. Three workshops in four weeks is a lot to take in, but I wanted to learn everything, so my motto became "Do All the Workshops!"<br />
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I heard about <a href="http://www.shakerag.org/page.cfm?p=772">Shakerag</a> last year when <a href="http://hodgepodgefarm.net/">Cal Patch</a> blogged about teaching there. I was surprised to learn that it was in Tennessee, which for me is close to home, as workshop destinations go. For the last two years I've attended workshops at <a href="http://www.craft-south.com/">Anna Maria Horner's Craft South</a> in Nashville and have been pleasantly surprised that it is only three hours away and a very easy drive. Shakerag is an hour and a half from Nashville, located outside Sewanee on the campus of an Episcopal boarding school. It's a beautiful campus. The accommodations are in the school dorms, so are fairly basic, but staying in your room is not what you go to Shakerag for anyway. Meals are fabulous and are a great time for getting to know participants in other classes or chatting more with your classmates. The food was simply wonderful. It's mostly local, organic and beautifully prepared. Even the way the food was presented was gorgeous. At every meal the long buffet table was filled with so much goodness, it was hard to choose, so mostly, we just ate all of it!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(a wonderful group of women at Shakerag 2015)</i></td></tr>
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I signed up for the Natural Dyeing class, taught by Charllotte Kwon and her daughter, Sophena Kwon, of <a href="http://www.maiwa.com/home/index.html">Maiwa Handprints</a>, because I'm still trying to get over my fear of dyeing. I've hosted several dye workshops over the years, but what I've discovered is that hosting prohibits being able to fully participate. I just didn't have the confidence to tackle the 350+ skeins of Tanglewood Farm yarn waiting on me. I felt my usual inhibition about going off on my own, where I didn't know anyone, but felt, if nothing else, it would force me to concentrate more seriously on the workshop. That first evening as we went around the room, introducing ourselves, I was feeling seriously intimidated by the number of women in the class who were already <i>teaching</i> natural dyeing, I was ready to put on the dunce cap right then and there. The next morning, when we were given partners for our dyeing assignments, sure enough, I was paired with Carla, who has been teaching at John C. Campbell Folk School for many years. Bless her, Carla was great! Though I made mistakes (being a <i>little</i> heavy-handed when I made our indigo vat), she didn't make me feel bad about it and was encouraging the whole week. This was a class full of the loveliest of women and I feel as though I've made new friends I'll stay in touch with in the future.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(only some of the many samples we dyed)</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfIvxBNqltRzH6_z7kl5MeNoZ9weQJAVroTccnic3LFYPaevSKHcC2ogAuoAJbKgQlGz8B8BkjCoNx5FKirERY7WbU9FJRGVAPTdiklKYcfz8a2ADSVuTgJn2h_YnDGrrn5Mab4wV-KJe7/s1600/2015-07-07+18.57.59.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfIvxBNqltRzH6_z7kl5MeNoZ9weQJAVroTccnic3LFYPaevSKHcC2ogAuoAJbKgQlGz8B8BkjCoNx5FKirERY7WbU9FJRGVAPTdiklKYcfz8a2ADSVuTgJn2h_YnDGrrn5Mab4wV-KJe7/s640/2015-07-07+18.57.59.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(pages from my very own finished notebook - I'm very proud of it)</i></td></tr>
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I honestly don't feel I can do justice to describing Charllotte and Sophena Kwon. The knowledge shared, the organization of class supplies and the amount of information we were given was astounding. These are two women who have a passion for what they do and their enthusiasm is contagious. It was a very hands-on experience and everything was presented in a manner to build confidence. Each person was given a beautiful notebook (full of all the class information) so while we did have informal lecture times each day, we didn't have to be stressed about writing everything down. (By the way, much of the information we were given is available for free on the <a href="http://www.maiwa.com/home/index.html">Maiwa Handprints </a>website.) We dyed samples of various fibers to place with the coordinating information and dye formulas in our notebooks. Upon returning home, I completed my notebook and now have a handy reference to use. In fact, the dye pot has been going for several days now. I'm actually practicing what I learned and it's thrilling to feel so empowered. If you ever have the opportunity to take one of their workshops, don't hesitate .... it was simply a wonderful experience. I'm honestly not sure how I was lucky enough to land there. I had seen the workshop list for Shakerag some time ago and the class was filled. Then I happened to see on a social media site that there was one opening in the class and I immediately sent an email to Claire Reishman, the amazing woman who is director of the Shakerag program. Even though she was vacationing in Italy (I know!), she emailed immediately to tell me the spot was mine. After spending a week at Shakerag, I am even more impressed with her attention to detail. Here's a little example - when I signed in, I was given an information packet that contained my name tag. As is often the case, my name was misspelled on the tag (Diane, rather than Dianne). I'm used to it. When I saw Claire the next day, I thanked her for her quick response to my email and while we were talking, she commented on my misspelled name tag, which was hanging around my neck. I assured her it happened all the time and that was the end of our conversation. I returned from lunch to find a new, correctly spelled name tag on my table! As someone who has gone through my whole life with people not noticing how my name is spelled, I was completely amazed!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbH8zGpCMO-Nx8HykO0cgWvc3nK6sCVpgNdcX11OW4au5eXlhWvVHec1Aj-SSvFgIRHRGsn0EfPt4h74OcsWbXYxrcaz2D6BMrsb3QmnqMXLW3e-HMRv1914vCa35-QmR-YWNpf7YLqhEC/s1600/2015-07-06+16.31.35-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbH8zGpCMO-Nx8HykO0cgWvc3nK6sCVpgNdcX11OW4au5eXlhWvVHec1Aj-SSvFgIRHRGsn0EfPt4h74OcsWbXYxrcaz2D6BMrsb3QmnqMXLW3e-HMRv1914vCa35-QmR-YWNpf7YLqhEC/s640/2015-07-06+16.31.35-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(first batch of roving dyed with logwood)</i></td></tr>
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The workshop was a life changing experience for me. I finally feel as though I have a grasp of the steps to achieving the colors I want from natural dyes. There are 350 skeins from previous year's wool clips, that are ready for the dye pot and more than 100 pounds of wool that I'll be taking to the mill soon, to be spun into more yarn. My goal has been to present my yarn to knitters in the most eco-friendly manner possible and I believe I'm going to succeed now.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgGvzDwLXhMBI9JsRmphsSkcmL2bAFlt94iRDUXoN5MIvmWezyIo1uuRRr4AtsFeTTod9SVk8laSRJMleWCu7NIwVR9l-f1UQhChoX9iZYlx1hdcyD5jI0eITtfM56V6GWeQCldAtY3RYd/s1600/2015-06-17+19.07.51.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgGvzDwLXhMBI9JsRmphsSkcmL2bAFlt94iRDUXoN5MIvmWezyIo1uuRRr4AtsFeTTod9SVk8laSRJMleWCu7NIwVR9l-f1UQhChoX9iZYlx1hdcyD5jI0eITtfM56V6GWeQCldAtY3RYd/s640/2015-06-17+19.07.51.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(and then there's these two, Judith and Lisa - who kept me laughing all week - miss you two and Amy Lou so much!)</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Meanwhile, back at the homeplace, Aslan and Peegee contemplate nature)</i></td></tr>
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I've been absent from this space so long, you might be justified in wondering if I've had a relapse or become incapacitated, when in fact, it has been just the opposite. If there is anything this past year has taught me, it's that I want to seize opportunities when they present themselves. So, I've been living it up. Sometimes that means stepping outside my comfort zone, pushing on through some discomfort and extending myself beyond what I think I'm capable of at the moment. That's exactly what has been happening this past month and I believe I'm better for it. I've been participating in a workshop extravaganza! Three workshops in four weeks!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGBX1WN2M9-NfMgUUHVNxU0EhFDs_nrK9GCYwUPR0P9zdsLmB7HutNkdr6SXFq3Dc020rniAc88PAU9YVWNEkAe2AVXC1TgFpnO8M9h31DGxh9B-CmhFgVB1B8hyphenhyphen8QJt20jKgcg-qt0-nw/s1600/IMG_2830.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGBX1WN2M9-NfMgUUHVNxU0EhFDs_nrK9GCYwUPR0P9zdsLmB7HutNkdr6SXFq3Dc020rniAc88PAU9YVWNEkAe2AVXC1TgFpnO8M9h31DGxh9B-CmhFgVB1B8hyphenhyphen8QJt20jKgcg-qt0-nw/s640/IMG_2830.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Nicola demonstrates lay-out for eco-dyeing)</i></td></tr>
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First, I took a two day eco-dyeing and felting workshop with fabulous Irish felter, <a href="http://www.nicolabrown.ie/">Nicola Brown</a>. Nicola is not just a wonderful teacher, but someone who is a friend and I'll seize any opportunity to spend some time with her. (Mike and I spent four days at Clasheen, her beautiful farm in Ireland, last September, on our way to Scotland, and hope to go back in the future.) The first day of the workshop was spent felting a vessel or purse and the second day was eco-dyeing our felted items along with silk scarves. Eco-dyeing is so much fun because you can never quite predict the results. Nicola encouraged us to bring different plants and leaves to press onto our felted items. I gathered leaves from our Catalpa tree, some sprigs of crown vetch growing on the roadside, ferns and rose leaves. We dipped the leaves in iron water before arranging them on our items, then rolled them into tight bundles and steamed them. The results were fantastic - all different, all equally beautiful.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXdvO9EYV-9MtrgfBuaDRZFAmx5E2OsGmJpSvm_5I2pIHq19MshX6Je1O0VChXmVcov769n_FfnGKlOjpA2GfxVbinZSq3wvWnzjakKwtWedUgwQvBofXZ__bBLDBGN3kIDNQlO0n2n2yD/s1600/IMG_3025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXdvO9EYV-9MtrgfBuaDRZFAmx5E2OsGmJpSvm_5I2pIHq19MshX6Je1O0VChXmVcov769n_FfnGKlOjpA2GfxVbinZSq3wvWnzjakKwtWedUgwQvBofXZ__bBLDBGN3kIDNQlO0n2n2yD/s640/IMG_3025.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(the "hinge" is the secret to the bust adjustment)</i></td></tr>
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Next up was a trip to Nashville to Anna Maria Horner's new shop, <a href="http://www.craft-south.com/latest/">Craft South</a>, for a workshop on pattern fitting with <a href="http://www.lieslandco.com/">Liesl Gibson</a>. If you ever have the opportunity to take this workshop, <u>do it!</u> Don't even hesitate to sign up if you are at all interested in making garments that actually fit you correctly. I've complained here often enough so that most of you know, fitting has been my downfall in sewing endeavors. Now I know why and believe I have the knowledge to prevent my mistakes. (Ever heard of a full-bust adjustment?) Liesl also has some great classes on<a href="https://www.creativebug.com/"> Creativebug</a> that should keep me from forgetting everything I've learned. I can hardly wait to get back to my sewing machine (and I <i>might</i> have made a few fabric purchases in Anna Maria's beautiful shop). Oh, the fabric ... beautiful Liberty, Nani Iro, Cotton and Steel! It was too much good stuff to resist.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdALbvGlS20b3xcoT4maQaqOjMrKml-Qo510e8wH07zlahCYSx51dZK-f-3Llw-K5jIEO01FEZTlVfCeBiCmKqJMZW5umFavTSG6K8Q1dkYi3ozemz2sqKMALYPGJtawIucDryEDNY1mGh/s1600/IMG_3042.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="504" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdALbvGlS20b3xcoT4maQaqOjMrKml-Qo510e8wH07zlahCYSx51dZK-f-3Llw-K5jIEO01FEZTlVfCeBiCmKqJMZW5umFavTSG6K8Q1dkYi3ozemz2sqKMALYPGJtawIucDryEDNY1mGh/s640/IMG_3042.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(And here we are, proudly displaying our perfectly fitted muslins)</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDVSMULKEVH0jYnO9v2x-7KT0XPtL-nC7hjsGCNv0NrKNDkUv9vmGqG4JI_WWISa7UjGR_kMyE2IbDAZTSbSECGspS8j34hz5qhyphenhyphenZCmgnbcgIISgm-jzB6Bx8m-KYeBxoonQUzeh2nJKIO/s1600/IMG_3245.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="460" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDVSMULKEVH0jYnO9v2x-7KT0XPtL-nC7hjsGCNv0NrKNDkUv9vmGqG4JI_WWISa7UjGR_kMyE2IbDAZTSbSECGspS8j34hz5qhyphenhyphenZCmgnbcgIISgm-jzB6Bx8m-KYeBxoonQUzeh2nJKIO/s640/IMG_3245.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(a little detail on my muslin)</i></td></tr>
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The workshop was filled with the usual mix of beginning to very experienced sewers. I would guess I fell somewhere in the middle and I tried not to be intimidated. I met some really nice women (Hi <a href="http://fringeassociation.com/author/karentempler/">Karen</a>!) and thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. One of the bonuses in spending time with a group of like-minded women is the generous sharing of information and sources. It was also a joy to spend time with Anna Maria, Liesl, and the young women who work for Anna Maria (Pierrette and Anna Michelle).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWMYhtBCnFtBErR4kYdGmwA5f2nzZY3YpYlw4BQ2eDnSW2ncOInuZVvGYOrmd0gaxZJ19t607al3kF1XToGv7VxoY9cmhXdxlQ9B76pcCyeryZP8UqWXnqgSf74WgCmrmSRgwGhQQIuMs9/s1600/IMG_3049.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="596" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWMYhtBCnFtBErR4kYdGmwA5f2nzZY3YpYlw4BQ2eDnSW2ncOInuZVvGYOrmd0gaxZJ19t607al3kF1XToGv7VxoY9cmhXdxlQ9B76pcCyeryZP8UqWXnqgSf74WgCmrmSRgwGhQQIuMs9/s640/IMG_3049.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(here's a hint)</i></td></tr>
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As soon as the Nashville workshop was over on Sunday afternoon, I loaded my car and drove straight to Sewanee, Tennessee. Until recently, I had never even heard of <a href="http://www.shakerag.org/about/">Shakerag</a>. <a href="http://hodgepodgefarm.net/">Cal Patch</a> taught there last year and it was her blogging about it that got my attention. Here was an incredible workshop resource within 4 1/2 hours of home! I'll save the details on my week-long natural dye workshop for next time and I promise it will appear in this space within the next week. (I promise!)<br />
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I have been overwhelmed with catch-up work since my return. Of course, Mike kept all the animals alive while I was gone, but this is an extremely busy time of year for him, so not much else was done. I spent all day Monday mowing. The garden has a glorious assortment of healthy weeds. (Have I mentioned how much I hate wild morning glories?) and I'm not at all sure I will ever catch up with the laundry and ironing, not to mention filing all those patient records. It is taking all the discipline I possess to stay away from the sewing machine and the dye room until I can bring some semblance of order to the rest of my responsibilities.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHhLrkyTYQxXADeZwLfmX1OBAfvMHetxcKmrffmr0O2AOqhC-Joc88T3qaeYiTBSVjQ8Hwq4ndFfs0HlhYEv1JxrEZKO4x0oWzKUT6PwEHv347Cbvz7mSJWUP-E5o8chEoLOzsItPOb6Lq/s1600/IMG_3192.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHhLrkyTYQxXADeZwLfmX1OBAfvMHetxcKmrffmr0O2AOqhC-Joc88T3qaeYiTBSVjQ8Hwq4ndFfs0HlhYEv1JxrEZKO4x0oWzKUT6PwEHv347Cbvz7mSJWUP-E5o8chEoLOzsItPOb6Lq/s640/IMG_3192.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Then there's Midgie, always looking for a little attention)</i></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcBKseoVik1Iwgom1LDW05lnARScqMim8s2T6dNOk_2TCyI8YHijtweqUU1E0vMoOhWOtIMGhtdYtTgl0zjyK8Bw871ckWDOv8q4KsJeSio2YeW7-ZE_B-EveKs7eWjP4CaLLEtB7TFfOK/s1600/IMG_2713.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcBKseoVik1Iwgom1LDW05lnARScqMim8s2T6dNOk_2TCyI8YHijtweqUU1E0vMoOhWOtIMGhtdYtTgl0zjyK8Bw871ckWDOv8q4KsJeSio2YeW7-ZE_B-EveKs7eWjP4CaLLEtB7TFfOK/s640/IMG_2713.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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It's been a long, cool spring here in Kentucky, but based on our 86 degrees today, I'm guessing we're straight into summer now. These poppies have lived here longer than we have and seem to be spreading their happy color around to more planting beds. I've always yearned for those lovely pink poppies, but have been unsuccessful at getting them established here.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyUOY2eLU4VHBiVadkmmtoHv5IW8P3-u5FK91ffLlrRgm3gazJ8BM2Xbxn9ZV_kC4D621pgmo2rmEIzvqUJzm4ta9daCxVMYjnx5FMFDNoeg7Bltpp-UeauhGsxd5eG4fZNAUqKfxt9BWL/s1600/IMG_2716.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="556" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyUOY2eLU4VHBiVadkmmtoHv5IW8P3-u5FK91ffLlrRgm3gazJ8BM2Xbxn9ZV_kC4D621pgmo2rmEIzvqUJzm4ta9daCxVMYjnx5FMFDNoeg7Bltpp-UeauhGsxd5eG4fZNAUqKfxt9BWL/s640/IMG_2716.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(recently sewn tops - still hanging in the studio)</i></td></tr>
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I know lots of folks who are participating in <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/05/07/me-made-may-sewing-bloggers_n_7233082.html">MeMadeMay</a>. Though I am not one of them, I could be, because I've been on a sewing binge that has lasted for a while. The new Bernina has encouraged me to attempt making myself some new, simple garments. My most troublesome issue with sewing is choosing the correct pattern size. Somehow, my measurements don't fall into one specific size range, but more likely will involve three different sizes! As a result, I've discovered the wisdom of making a "muslin" before cutting into the expensive Liberty fabric. My muslin is not usually an actual piece of muslin fabric, but rather an inexpensive piece of fabric that I can possibly wear, if by some miracle my first attempt actually fits me well enough that I can wear it for barn chores or garden work.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Scout -original version - not my color, but will work for barn chores)</i></td></tr>
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I've been inspired of late to analyze my (so called) wardrobe of clothing by Karen Templer (<a href="http://fringeassociation.com/2015/03/26/my-handmade-wardrobe-role-models/">Fringe Association</a>) and Ellen Mason <a href="http://odacier.blogspot.com/2015/02/a-stitchers-wardrobe_27.html">(Odacier</a>), among others, and from my reading and embracing some of the wisdom from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Life-Changing-Magic-Tidying-Decluttering-Organizing/dp/1607747308/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1431105525&sr=8-1&keywords=the+magic+of+tidying+up">The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up</a>. I recently went through my clothing and purged all that did not fit, was too shabby for even barn work or for whatever reason, I just never seemed to wear. Needless to say, there is not much left. I'm actually okay with having not much left. It kinda feels good to only have things I really like to choose from when I'm getting dressed. The whole exercise helped me to focus on what I need and which styles I prefer. My daily outfit is usually jeans and a tee-shirt because it suits my life here on the farm. When it's hot, I wear shorter pants and sleeveless tops. When it's cold, I add wool socks and sweaters to the uniform. Lately, I've been inclined to wear cotton or linen blouses or tops, rather than tees and so the things I've been sewing are mostly tops, with a few tunics added. (I do love the idea of wearing tunics over jeans or leggings in the winter.) At this point, I've made three different <a href="http://www.shopwiksten.com/product/tova-sewing-pattern-downloadable-pdf">Wiksten Tovas</a>, <a href="http://shop.grainlinestudio.com/collections/tops/products/scout-tee">three Grainline Scouts</a> and three from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Butterick-Patterns-B5356-Misses-XSM-SML-MED/dp/B005EZ9F34/ref=sr_1_1?s=arts-crafts&ie=UTF8&qid=1425247752&sr=1-1&keywords=butterick+5356+Size+Y">Butterick B5356</a>. The Scout woven tee is a super simple pattern that fits great. The original version has very short sleeves. I made two more versions; one in a print with a longer short sleeve and a natural linen one with 3/4 sleeves that I love for a little dressier look. I can highly recommend it. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Wiksten Tova)</i></td></tr>
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I've been seeing Wiksten Tovas all over the place for years and finally decided to give it a try. It takes a little finessing to get that inset sewn in just right and I was marginally successful on two and finally got it just right on the one above. I think I've got the confidence to make one in my Liberty Tana Lawn now!<br />
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The Butterick pattern was surprisingly my favorite. I've made it in tunic and top lengths and really like the ease of it. I tapered the sleeves some, but otherwise the medium fits me perfectly. The sleeves and the yoke are of one piece, so construction is really simple.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Butterick B5356)</i></td></tr>
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Next up, I have a few pieces of fabric that want to be sewn into Wiksten Tanks. I unsuccessfully attempted making a real muslin of the tank last summer, but with my new-found confidence, I'm going to give it another go. Wish me luck!<br />
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What else have I been up to? Knitting, of course. I knitted two hats for the <a href="http://fringeassociation.com/2015/04/16/fringe-hatalong-no-2-larbre-by-cirilia-rose/">Fringe Hatalong No. 2</a> (which I'll try to get photos of for next time), finished up my Kate Daviess <a href="http://katedaviesdesigns.com/designs/peerie-flooers/">Peerie Flooers</a>. Then I fell down the rabbit hole that <a href="http://mayamade.blogspot.com/">Maya</a> pushed me into! If you've been shopping for cotton clothesline lately, I expect you know what I mean. <a href="http://mayamade.blogspot.com/2015/04/making-sunshine.html">Those baskets</a> are so easy and addictive. You just can't stop making them!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT_2JvmEjuZ51GkUXOrKeP1l8jtrIubAdKMc_SLwYgvYKm3agQ3By61nXgSOMN6ujo3UQalSSGzOcVsQgjWfJY-fxUg4ayCTXCg4sU4Fk_t0klj6DPlvAISMP8wQhMt2jIcL_NjME5gbZG/s1600/IMG_2583.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT_2JvmEjuZ51GkUXOrKeP1l8jtrIubAdKMc_SLwYgvYKm3agQ3By61nXgSOMN6ujo3UQalSSGzOcVsQgjWfJY-fxUg4ayCTXCg4sU4Fk_t0klj6DPlvAISMP8wQhMt2jIcL_NjME5gbZG/s1600/IMG_2583.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Green grass and dirty sheep!)</td></tr>
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Well, yes, I've actually made it back to this little neglected space. It seems as though my current life revolves around doctor appointments, blood work appointments and physical therapy sessions, so there's not so much interesting blog fodder these days, but I'm hopeful that the day will come when I can call myself a full time shepherd again, instead of a rather passive observer of my husband doing my work.<br />
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As promised, I do have a few small knitting projects to show. I had a spell of hat knitting before I went in for surgery and it would appear that my box of finished smalls is well stocked. My "finished smalls" consists of a large box full of hats, scarves, cowls, mittens and mitts that can be offered for sale, if I'm doing a fiber festival or opened for the perusal of children and grandchildren, so they may choose something they would be willing to wear. I've discovered this is the best way to insure that what I gift to my grandkids is actually liked and worn, rather than conveniently lost or stuffed in the back of their sock drawers! I consider this a double win for me because I love knitting smalls and don't feel the necessity for having a recipient in mind when I feel the urge to knit yet another hat!<br />
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Now that I'm looking at this picture, I believe that none of these hats have had a bath and a little blocking. That would certainly smooth things out a little, but I like all of them, nonetheless. Starting at the top is the <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/audrey-collection">Audrey hat</a> that was part of Karen Templer's (<a href="http://fringeassociation.com/">Fringe Association</a>) <a href="http://fringeassociation.com/2015/02/12/audrey-by-jessie-roselyn-free-hat-pattern/">Hatalong #1</a>. (She's planning a second Hatalong to start this week.) I used some of the <a href="http://www.theskyeshilasdairshop.co.uk/">Shalasdair </a>Naturally yarn that I brought back from the Isle of Skye, Scotland last September. It's a nice, sturdy kind of yarn that will hold up well. The pattern is fun, with just enough going on to keep it from being boring. The black marled hat (<a href="http://www.toltyarnandwool.com/products/imperial-yarn-anna?variant=1035951768">Imperial Yarn Anna</a>) can also be credited to Karen's influence. It's the <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/stadium-hat">Stadium hat</a> and it's a <a href="http://fringeassociation.com/2013/08/16/stadium-hat-free-knitting-pattern/">free pattern</a> on her blog. I love this thick, 70% Columbia wool, 30% American cotton yarn. It has a bit of a rustic look that suits me. The multi-striped hat is from a bag of bits and pieces of handspun, naturally dyed yarn that I bought somewhere last fall (maybe Rhinebeck? - wish I could remember). I loved the colors, especially that weird pea green, and wanted to use all the colors to make something I would enjoy wearing. This was strictly and grab and knit project, no planning which colors should be used in which order. I used the same basic pattern as the Stadium hat and it worked out fine. The last hat is a little of my own Tanglewood Farm wool/alpaca blend yarn from 2 years ago, with a tiny bit of my own handspun used as the edging. I used Ann Budd's <a href="http://smile.amazon.com/Knitters-Handy-Book-Patterns/dp/1931499047/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1428718271&sr=8-2&keywords=ann+budd+knitting+books">The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns</a> to come up with the simple hat pattern.<br />
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I confess to having several (many!) other projects still on the needles. My <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/hitchhiker">Hitchhiker</a> is languishing in time out right now because I made the mistake of knitting on it at times during my hospital stay when I felt unwell. Now, I have some sort of weird mental association with feeling poorly and knitting on Hitchhiker and every time I pick it up to knit on it, I get a bad feeling! I'll just have to wait a little while till that wears off. I did knit the <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/nordic-wind">Nordic Wind shawl</a>, after reading about it on the <a href="http://woolful.com/">Woolful</a> blog and their <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/woolful/3097029/1-25#3">Ravelry page</a> for the KAL. I missed getting the <a href="http://www.woolfulmercantile.com/shop/cabinfour-nordic-wind-shawl-project-kit">small batch farm lopi</a> that was part of the KAL kit, but bought the pattern and used some unspun Icelandic I already had that came from <a href="http://www.schoolhousepress.com/UnSpun_ice.htm">Schoolhouse Press</a> (I think I should get extra credit for using stash!). This shawl was a fast knit and the unspun Icelandic is enjoyable and interesting to handle. If you tug the tiniest bit too much, it drifts apart, but spit splicing was made for this stuff and it takes only an instant to be knitting on your way again with rejoined fiber. The nature of Icelandic wool is warm and insulating, yet the finished shawl is light as a feather (mine weighs 4 1/8 ounces). A quick wash and light blocking softened the wool into something I know I'll be wearing for years to come. .<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDZ2IWJGeKU-BwcQLGYTPbaNbRj8Beosw6hc72xc53Q2hmzO157_kv6NEM2ByFcxc5u-DG1sksxlZL1x0U7QBQltK_9K5jSjVm58os73STra-APeUqwLWx3qMxMfcyZAugsSyaSfLKsHAC/s1600/IMG_2610.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDZ2IWJGeKU-BwcQLGYTPbaNbRj8Beosw6hc72xc53Q2hmzO157_kv6NEM2ByFcxc5u-DG1sksxlZL1x0U7QBQltK_9K5jSjVm58os73STra-APeUqwLWx3qMxMfcyZAugsSyaSfLKsHAC/s1600/IMG_2610.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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Next time, I'll have a few finished sewing projects. I seem to have an overwhelming urge to sew right now. I've had great fun picking patterns and fabric, which is at least half the fun, right?<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqIQ62MHQyWopKR_r76xbUXqCzYQ0TM8tSRKXORxfu0w_pX5K8hNpMTmoGDotGvkBBOMTqbyyU4UkCme9vNbFaegvRBSCAP06s0NmK9mED13VmDUWEWmMf32d-F6qntCsIoW40LzlB-eyZ/s1600/IMG_2559.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqIQ62MHQyWopKR_r76xbUXqCzYQ0TM8tSRKXORxfu0w_pX5K8hNpMTmoGDotGvkBBOMTqbyyU4UkCme9vNbFaegvRBSCAP06s0NmK9mED13VmDUWEWmMf32d-F6qntCsIoW40LzlB-eyZ/s1600/IMG_2559.JPG" height="498" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(The Purple Martins have just arrived, so spring is truly here!)</i></td></tr>
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Well, it's been "interesting" (<i>interesting </i>in that way one tries to describe something difficult to describe). When last I posted, I was psyching myself up for knee surgery and keeping busy with my to-do lists and the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1607747308/">Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up</a>. (I know I'm not the only woman who feels compelled to do a bit of cleaning and organizing before surgery or going on a long trip, just in case something should go awry.) I worked diligently on my list until the last few weeks before and then lost my motivation. The sheep shearer came two days before my surgery and suddenly I had a big stack of fleeces (on top of the ones from last year that had still not been processed!) and I was completely overwhelmed.<br />
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The surgery went very well and according to the doctors and physical therapists, I was the poster child for making outstanding progress. On the fourth day after surgery, I was transferred to a rehab facility to begin intensive physical therapy and that's when things got more complicated. I was only there one day when I woke up with a pulmonary embolism (blood clot in my lung) and another clot in my leg. Within minutes after I mentioned to the nurse that I was having some difficulty breathing, I was in an ambulance being rushed back to the hospital. Honestly, I did not know how serious things were until days later. I spent two days immobilized while I was pumped full of Heparin and then Coumadin (blood thinning medications). I finally got to come home after ten days of being hospitalized for a surgery that some folks come home from after only one day. Obviously, that was not how I planned for it to go!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNq3uxQnRsI-kwtRNoeUaNkaGJisXvEsEB9Zv0jqKquW9Oq4raMv2sSa3RAg51jZSiomcNpxh2vCq4KBFyjOvHIWLw9cbpYZ_vkF_yu0cR_ZNCZ1D-yQJWvUl_qgWYHCLXRCXrdOHf_NLw/s1600/IMG_2508.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNq3uxQnRsI-kwtRNoeUaNkaGJisXvEsEB9Zv0jqKquW9Oq4raMv2sSa3RAg51jZSiomcNpxh2vCq4KBFyjOvHIWLw9cbpYZ_vkF_yu0cR_ZNCZ1D-yQJWvUl_qgWYHCLXRCXrdOHf_NLw/s1600/IMG_2508.jpg" height="478" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Some of my beautiful flowers)</i></td></tr>
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There were some bright spots. I loved the nurses and staff at St. Joseph East Hospital. They were so sweet and kind to me and so considerate of not just my physical well-being, but also my emotional state. I truly felt they went above and beyond to help me be as comfortable as possible. Secondly, thanks to loving and caring family and friends, I was surrounded with flowers that caused everyone who came into my room to comment on how lovely they were and how cheerful they made the room feel. Mike brought freshly cut daffodils from home every day, so I would not miss out on spring blossoming at the farm. Friends came to visit, bringing special treats and spending time knitting and talking. Other friends sent cards, texts and emails to let me know they were thinking of me. I feel as though I learned some valuable lessons on how true friends show their love and concern. You have no idea how much the smallest gesture means until you are on the receiving end. I feel truly blessed to have people in my life who are willing to show they care about me.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiySUeD-ghtLHTobMDGEJUuT3JpjVSs0Ei19Fqw4tsD2ateRKG7Z0lTYBTXON0JmOU5xaICstC4YHwZOH7d_mWdqDoXaPTHRAeU_yDwUFDA10Cvox7QigQKFv0VDlWVWwrXMYwOczECDTJd/s1600/IMG_2524.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiySUeD-ghtLHTobMDGEJUuT3JpjVSs0Ei19Fqw4tsD2ateRKG7Z0lTYBTXON0JmOU5xaICstC4YHwZOH7d_mWdqDoXaPTHRAeU_yDwUFDA10Cvox7QigQKFv0VDlWVWwrXMYwOczECDTJd/s1600/IMG_2524.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(The view I wake up to at home)</i></td></tr>
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I've never been so happy to be at home and in my own bed. When Mike drove me home from the hospital, the first thing we did was
drive right by the house and up to the barn, so I could see all of the girls! I'm not allowed to be in the field with the sheep quite yet, but I visit with them at the gate every day. Now that they are all shorn, the little girls look almost grown up. They still run up to me (the main reason I'm not allowed inside the gate!), but if I see them out grazing in the field, it is more difficult to tell them apart from the adults. I know I made the right decision to not have any lambs born this year, but I really miss them and hope to be able to have at least a few next year.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3uHb2ZfdUBVinpYOdbdCFAAeEYSeoONAS_jNmGrao2Jjsy9TFNvFWBIaXdiHQNRW_wFLpyh_w3fbVFRVCBMASbeM_jj4nmSfswr85so0Uk5i4RTi8PipQL7iplt_OHktQPOwxYwsdbGSg/s1600/IMG_2542.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3uHb2ZfdUBVinpYOdbdCFAAeEYSeoONAS_jNmGrao2Jjsy9TFNvFWBIaXdiHQNRW_wFLpyh_w3fbVFRVCBMASbeM_jj4nmSfswr85so0Uk5i4RTi8PipQL7iplt_OHktQPOwxYwsdbGSg/s1600/IMG_2542.jpg" height="588" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Miss Midgie and the Littles playing conquer the mineral feeder!)</i></td></tr>
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I hope to get back to this space much more often now. I've been knitting and before the hospital, I managed to sew a little. I have big plans to use this time of restricted activity to sew and knit without feeling guilty that I should be cleaning out the barn or turning over garden beds or working on the multitude of the physically strenuous jobs that are waiting on me. They will just have to wait.<br />
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Spring is arriving in Kentucky by fits and starts. We've had some days in the 70's already, but it's going to be cold for Easter - fairly typical weather around here. I'm enjoying watching the grass turn a little greener every day and waiting for the forsythia bushes by the barn to bloom. Our Purple Martin familes have returned and will be building their nests soon. There is evidence of life being renewed all around us. <br />
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I want to say thank you to all who have not forgotten my little blog, even though I've been very neglectful as of late. I'll be back early next week with some knitting and sewing to show.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiggClLK3NO-whLV_Rf3nh95tJ8ZlfuQXLcjELwzJz7vB8BfXUC9kzKAGNZyOwbO0aSl6XZ8AzQqWeqXdZvHj0miLnW8v0xtxT1CAxLHR0KHJM5B4RjmqMJ4OdAGaXWgPLYF5V9dlezrCm/s1600/IMG_2097.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiggClLK3NO-whLV_Rf3nh95tJ8ZlfuQXLcjELwzJz7vB8BfXUC9kzKAGNZyOwbO0aSl6XZ8AzQqWeqXdZvHj0miLnW8v0xtxT1CAxLHR0KHJM5B4RjmqMJ4OdAGaXWgPLYF5V9dlezrCm/s1600/IMG_2097.JPG" height="544" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>*(Won't be long till shearing time-I'm trying to ignore the vegetable matter)</i></td></tr>
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Apparently, I decided to take a break from blogging, though it was not a conscious decision, as such. I've considered coming to this space at least once a day and then somehow never made it. It's not that I've been particularly busy, though life on the farm never seems to be really slow. I've been <i>thinking</i> a lot and that takes a fair amount of energy!<br />
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The holidays are behind me and right now, it seems that they barely happened. No more shortened work weeks for Mike and I can feel what is left of January and February stretching out before me. At the moment I have a to-do list that needs to be accomplished before mid-March. It's a long list, to be sure, but there is plenty of motivation to get things done. I'm currently scheduled for knee surgery on March 16 and will be physically out of commission from my regular life for at least a few months (no driving for 6 weeks! Is that even possible?). I don't have an accurate picture of what those months will look like, except that there will be plenty of physical therapy. <br />
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I am one of those (among many thousands) who recently read a little book titled <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1607747308/">'The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up'</a>. (Ha-evidently, I'm not alone. Amazon is currently out-of-stock!) I'll admit to some skeptical eye-rolling while reading it, but something about it has lit a fire under me. I've been on a mission to clean out, sort, purge, donate, organize and dispose of an untold amount of <i>stuff</i>. It started with the decision to move my dye room out of the studio and into a storage room in the barn. I didn't feel free to make a mess with dyeing in the studio. I was afraid of spilling dye on the tile floors (for the record, I hate tile floors-they are deadly to glass bottles and my back). In order for the move to take place, I first had to empty the storage room. If I'd known how bad that would be, I might not have suggested it in the first place! Now that it's mostly done, I can say it was a good thing. I've been forced to sort through pictures, much ephemera from both mine and Mike's past lives, thousands of photos and stuff that should have been never put in there in the first place. I told friends before the holidays that what I truly wanted for Christmas was a dumpster! (That didn't happen.) Mike moved the big commercial stainless steel sink from the studio and installed it in the barn dye room. I've repainted the walls, scrubbed the floor, brought in shelving, moved all my dye-stuffs, undyed yarn and brought in last year's fleeces (which are also on the list to be taken to the mill before March 16). As I told my friend, Diane, I can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear because it is, after all, a room in the barn and so I'm going to feel free to make many messes in it!<br />
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Another activity that has been occupying me is sewing. Just before the holidays, I bought a new Bernina and have taken a few classes at <a href="http://www.qfirstky.com/home">Q-Quilt First Kentucky</a>. It's been fun to get back into sewing. I haven't felt a great deal of confidence and the new machine has been slightly intimidating, but I'm starting to feel more comfortable with her and ready to get started making myself some clothes. I'm a terrible clothes shopper, hate going to the mall, never know what size to order on-line, so this seems like a totally reasonable pursuit!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuYaHqnZiV5EBWBFvPI8qkFIKchrNfM4oedKeMx7c9Pebv6MPnVzYHlPTsyQUBmqJLXy2houcdA5dP5_haYROPagbZ4N5kqMGIM-9lGFdeD_ErzbBySYIyuHpkT0OwLN_OXTWDyl2llwYn/s1600/IMG_2112.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuYaHqnZiV5EBWBFvPI8qkFIKchrNfM4oedKeMx7c9Pebv6MPnVzYHlPTsyQUBmqJLXy2houcdA5dP5_haYROPagbZ4N5kqMGIM-9lGFdeD_ErzbBySYIyuHpkT0OwLN_OXTWDyl2llwYn/s1600/IMG_2112.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>*(Aslan is on the job!)</i></td></tr>
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Animal-wise there is nothing new around the farm. Well, except for Mike declaring all-out-war on the starlings that are determined to nest in our barn and all the farm equipment. He's gone from boarding up every opening possible, to covering the tractors and bobcat with bird netting, trying to shoot them (they are much too clever) to now having a recording of starling distress calls and hawks screaming that plays 24/7 in the barn. I worried that the other animals would be as disturbed as I am by hearing it, but they seem to pay absolutely no attention to it. Even the chickens and peacock seem oblivious (though to be fair, chickens are <i>often</i> oblivious). I'll let you know how this plan plays out!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNhihJiFHMdMk0ZqO7jxlf6dJKzbDLnD8rRM9OlRyuNAgNZhOgdA0zQE1cQJvoqfMHglFgVkpNqpdHTgmVUoJKVKSeFDySGaBgkfjGUCZdiBqW_rewsfuwMGzu6pMiDCpEXrdunpuY7aJ6/s1600/IMG_2120.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNhihJiFHMdMk0ZqO7jxlf6dJKzbDLnD8rRM9OlRyuNAgNZhOgdA0zQE1cQJvoqfMHglFgVkpNqpdHTgmVUoJKVKSeFDySGaBgkfjGUCZdiBqW_rewsfuwMGzu6pMiDCpEXrdunpuY7aJ6/s1600/IMG_2120.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>*(Carson loves napping in the studio bathroom sink)</i></td></tr>
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Instagram is my new best friend. I nearly always have my phone with me while I'm feeding and I take pictures all the time. They are not beautiful pictures, but do depict every day happenings here. It's a little dose of instant gratification to post something and see what other folks are up to in their daily lives. You can follow me by clicking on the link on the sidebar and see what the animals are doing nearly every day.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjClbPWZaz2CRZ395NxbL1-8LfV3GoMrMuqIxkuhr5Q-6Gd38qJVfsS1nQkVyjRsVcbmkgWW8Z3oPUDO-NA6s4Tp88DHJblrFcg_97LWAlnwm_6EvSwAlEtKWK52ejAnFBoiT9EGhY2P0O5/s1600/IMG_2106.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjClbPWZaz2CRZ395NxbL1-8LfV3GoMrMuqIxkuhr5Q-6Gd38qJVfsS1nQkVyjRsVcbmkgWW8Z3oPUDO-NA6s4Tp88DHJblrFcg_97LWAlnwm_6EvSwAlEtKWK52ejAnFBoiT9EGhY2P0O5/s1600/IMG_2106.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>*(Carson is also on the job-when he's not napping!)</i></td></tr>
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On the knitting front, I have a few things that I need to take photos of before I can post. Post-surgery should allow me plenty of knitting time, so am thinking of something big I can work on start-to-finish, maybe an aran sweater. I've been enjoying keeping up with <a href="http://fringeassociation.com/2015/01/19/knitalong-fo-no-4-karen-templer/">Karen Templer</a> of <a href="http://www.fringesupplyco.com/">Fringe Supply Co</a>, working on the KAL for her <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/amanda-11">Amanda sweater</a>. Her sweater is gorgeous and is just the kind of sweater I know I would wear forever. Often, I have difficulty staying faithful to a big project, so we'll see how that unfolds.<br />
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So, that's a bit of a catch-up.You see, you haven't missed much by my not being here for a while! I'll try to make things a little more interesting before I'm back here again. <br />
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<i>*Just in cast you were wondering, none of these photos have anything to do with this post. I just thought you all might like to see a few of the usual suspects.</i> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUgybiqykl0nEdyxZlTRmfK8w2ezS1B33eOgVhrxw3awnWMS6lkZaMwa8LaZ1OpOTNwSYncEl_QGzkwAjf7kRl85niWdHuRhg8cAR35sRERFjTDIW4nIQuvxFE3NVbR2GZMHiCUeLca7Hk/s1600/IMG_1857.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUgybiqykl0nEdyxZlTRmfK8w2ezS1B33eOgVhrxw3awnWMS6lkZaMwa8LaZ1OpOTNwSYncEl_QGzkwAjf7kRl85niWdHuRhg8cAR35sRERFjTDIW4nIQuvxFE3NVbR2GZMHiCUeLca7Hk/s1600/IMG_1857.JPG" height="316" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(chow time)</i></td></tr>
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We've had the drabbest, wettest, foggiest kind of days this week. I don't mind it so much when I can stay home and have a cozy fire in my little studio woodstove. Because I have fewer numbers in the sheep flock, I can satisfy my need to bring everyone into the barn whenever I feel like it, which makes them happy and me, too. No sloshing around out in the fields, spreading hay for sheep who would much rather be hanging out inside the barn, eating their hay from the hay racks.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRzrb_aEYNOLqOO9jCGvJS21PWSv22JWHrATpuASOkOP2qmAo3QISwwTeSjyf3HaVEnB-KLH1xlW4le0LiRXh6SogeITezpV__AmDt0R8oxiPUhsYmEov3uj7TmiZO_YPNLFxR186SNm67/s1600/IMG_1886.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRzrb_aEYNOLqOO9jCGvJS21PWSv22JWHrATpuASOkOP2qmAo3QISwwTeSjyf3HaVEnB-KLH1xlW4le0LiRXh6SogeITezpV__AmDt0R8oxiPUhsYmEov3uj7TmiZO_YPNLFxR186SNm67/s1600/IMG_1886.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Turkey plate time!)</i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></td></tr>
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Thanksgiving was quite the stromash (ah, can't help but let a little Outlander slip into my speech when I have the chance!) We ended up with 20 folks around the tables. There are not so many littles anymore. Atticus is 19 months and Parker is 5 years old. Mia is next youngest at 10 and after that it was all teenage boys (the two older girls were absent this year). I'm reminded every year of how fortunate I am to have most of my family close at hand and that they are willing to spend time here at the farm. The energy is quite different now that most of the grandchildren are getting older. There are no worries about little boys being upstairs jumping on the beds or moving the clawfoot bathtub around! (That clawfoot bathtub business is true. A game of hide-and-seek caused the tub to get scooted just a wee bit and next thing we knew water was dripping out of the ceiling downstairs!)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Tiny tree in the studio)</i></td></tr>
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The Thanksgiving decorative (not the eating kind) turkeys have all gone back into their storage places, but very little in the way of Christmas decorations has made it out. I'm feeling a little ambivalent about the whole thing in this in-between time. I have put up a tiny tree in my studio with some of the wool felt ornaments I've collected over the years and am almost wishing I could do something similar in the house. Oh well, some kind of a tree will appear in the house this weekend. I'm not quite into the bah-humbug category, just feeling the need for simple this time around. There was a time in my life when decorating for Christmas took on epic proportions. Every room in the house had Christmas baubles. That was mostly when my boys were small and it appears that I'm over that now. All I want are the most simple and natural decorations, with a minimum of glitter and gaudy. My friend, Teresa, says if you can't be tacky at Christmas, whenever can you be, but I've somehow slipped into a quieter frame of mind in recent years.<br />
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Not so much going on in the knitting department either. Still working on the <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/hitchhiker">Hitchhiker</a>, though it suffered a setback when I discovered a mistake many rows down and my attempts at fixing it didn't work out well. I ripped back at least 5 inches and that caused some minor discouragement and a time-out for the scarf. I'm back to it now after knitting a few hats and finishing a set of fingerless mitts. My knitting ADD has reached embarrassing numbers and I'm feeling the need to frog and donate some yarn. It has come to my attention that no matter how long I live, it is very unlikely that I will knit up all the yarn in my stash. Only if the dreaded <i>world-wide shortage of wool</i> happens will anyone consider that I have been wise to assemble this much yarn in one place. I am embarking on a major cleanout and donate. This mindset could have been triggered by the decision to move my dye room to my storage room in the barn. Cleaning out the storage room (that's a euphemism for the let's-just-dump-it-here-room) is an exercise that can only be described as painful. At this point, if it were legal and all the animals were safely outside, I'd be quite happy for the barn to burn down! Problem solved. I recently read a book about tidying and organizing your stuff and the advice was to hold every item in your hand and ask yourself if it gives you joy. Well, all I can say is I'm wishing I had a lot less stuff right now because not much of it feels like joy! <br />
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So, onward into the weekend and with Christmas approaching fast, I hope we all can find some peace and joy in the days ahead.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(This was taken in the approximately 10 seconds of sunshine we had yesterday)</i></td></tr>
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Winter has come early to the Bluegrass. When we woke up Monday morning we had our first real snow and temperatures in the teens! It caught us by surprise because we rarely have those low temperatures until after the Christmas holidays.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(You might assume that the main cold weather activity here</i> <i>on the farm is eating and you'd be right!)</i> </td></tr>
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I've begun feeding the ewes hay and they've been very enthusiastic about it. They have cleaned up every bit I've put out, so I'm thinking we got an especially good load this year. Occasionally, we end up with some bales that are too stemmy and the sheep will pick through it and leave huge piles of stems in the feeders and on the ground. Not that I blame them. I wouldn't want to eat tough stems either. It's a difficult process to get really good hay cut, cured, baled and in the barn without it getting too mature or getting rained on before it gets put under shelter. That's the main reason we buy our hay now rather than try to grow it ourselves. Well, that and the fact that throwing 50 pound bales up on the wagon and the hay elevator is not something I can or want to do anymore.<br />
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This cold front began with rain, which turned to ice and then snow, so the girls all got to come into the barn that night. They tolerate the cold quite well because they are in full fleece, but I don't like them getting wet and then being out in the cold. I think we all sleep better if they are tucked up in the barn with bellies full of hay and deep straw to lie down in for the night. Of course, all it takes is bringing them into the barn one night and by feeding time the next afternoon, they are lined up at the gate waiting to come in again. Who said sheep were dumb animals?<br />
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Continuing with the theme of cold weather eating - it's been chicken pot pie for the humans. For years I made a recipe from a Lee Bailey cookbook that had a wonderful cornbread crust topping, but it was a lengthy process and when I found t<a href="http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/chicken-pot-pie">his one</a> in the Real Simple Meals Made Easy cookbook, I gave it a try. (You can tell that it was a success just by looking at the stains on the pages of the cookbook! I've made it many times.) I don't always use a store bought rotisserie chicken and I usually substitute baby lima beans for the peas and we like it just fine. It's one of those recipes I can decide on at the last minute because I nearly always have the ingredients in the refrigerator or freezer.<br />
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So, what else have I been up to besides feeding sheep and cooking? Well, not so much, really. I did finish a super simple little shawl that I basically made up as I went along. I used some <a href="http://www.briarrosefibers.net/">Briar Rose</a> yarn from my stash and wanted something that was basically mindless knitting (which says a lot for my state of mind!). This is one of Chris' beautiful variegated colorways, that she dyes so well. It's squishy and cozy and has already become a favorite.<br />
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I have begun a <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/hitchhiker">Hitchhiker</a> shawlette with a skein of <a href="http://www.missbabs.com/">Miss Babs</a> yarn, also from my stash. (Actually, quite proud that I'm using stash yarns.) I'm at 26 points and counting. I'm thinking I might possibly be one of the last knitters on earth to knit one of these. It is a very popular pattern and also very simple (again, considering my frame of mind). It's an eight row pattern that's easily memorized. I met Martina, the designer of the pattern at <a href="http://www.squamartworkshops.com/about">Squam</a> in June. One of my cabin-mates (hi Heather!), gave Martina a ride from the airport to Squam back in June and Martina came to our cabin one evening and sat around the fireplace with us. She's a lovely person and we were all very impressed that she flew in from Germany to attend Squam. <br />
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Mike has a birthday this weekend and Thanksgiving is nearly here. It's a busy time of year for all of us. I'm hopeful that it won't be quite so long before I'm back with another post and maybe I'll have more to show for my time away from here.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(In the setting sun ...)</i></td></tr>
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I seem to be dithering these days, somewhat more than usual. I can't seem to settle on knitting, sewing, dyeing or battening down the hatches in preparation for winter. I've knit a little (I actually finished my<a href="http://www.fibercraftstudio.org/gallery"> capelet</a> from the <a href="http://www.fibercraftstudio.org/">Fiber Craft Studio</a> yarn that I bought at <a href="http://www.sheepandwool.com/">Rhinebeck</a>, though it still needs a good wet blocking), cut out a pattern for a knit dress, washed some linen for a tunic, brought a few pots of plants into the greenhouse to keep them growing through the winter and prepared my collection of pokeberries into a dye solution, but I just can't seem to buckle down and follow through with anything. I think partly it's because I'm in an uncomfortable in-between place mentally. I'm feeling, once again, that this disease is getting the upper hand. Last week, my rheumatologist decided to up my medication to something that will require me to inject myself once a week. In some ways, I'm glad for the change in meds because the one I'm on now is causing my hair to fall out, which is not that surprising, considering it is a cancer drug. Luckily, I have a lot of hair, but it's pretty disconcerting to see how much of it is coming out every day and I can definitely tell that I've lost a lot already. Besides some continuing issues with joint pain, one of the other side effects is that I feel so tired much of the time. I had hoped to feel more in control at this point, but I suppose it's just another lesson in learning that control is an illusion.<br />
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On a positive note, my sheep are bringing me so much peace right now. As difficult as it has been to reduce the size of my flock, it's wonderful to now have a whole group that are so gentle and calm. Nearly every evening, while Aslan is eating his dinner on the outside of the fence, I take my little wooden folding stool into the field and sit down to visit with the girls. If you follow me on <a href="http://instagram.com/diannemac1010">Instagram</a>, you will likely have seen a number of photos taken during my evening visitations with the sheep. It's lovely to have one or two of them come and put their heavy heads upon my shoulder, lean gently into me and wait for scratches behind their ears or under their chins. It's a time of meditation for me really, centering me, allowing me to slow my internal dialogue, breathe into their soft fleece and feel their solid presence. It's comforting in a way I can't really describe and a reminds me of why I chose to raise sheep all those many years ago. I'm so grateful I have them in my life.<br />
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So, tomorrow is November. Time to get my act together and begin thinking about having a sane and peaceful holiday season - one of low expectations and more enjoyment. The word for this year will be <i>simplify</i>!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript">
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It seems as though I just returned from Scotland and here I am away from home again. My friend, Teresa, and I planned this trip to the <a href="http://www.sheepandwool.com/">New York State Sheep and Wool Festival</a> about a year ago, long before I imagined that Mike and I would be going to Scotland and Ireland. I love this festival best of all the ones I have ever attended. They always have fabulous workshops, wonderful vendors and who wouldn't want to be in the Hudson Valley when the leaves are turning such fabulous colors?<br />
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Today I had a great workshop in handpainting yarn and roving with natural dyes. It was taught by <a href="http://www.sheepandwool.com/workshops/workshop-instructor.asp?instructor=24">Jackie Ottino-Graf</a>. We worked outside in a tent and enjoyed the perfect, clear blue sky and just-warm-enough weather. (I took that top photo with my iPhone, just a few steps from where we were using the dye pots to steam our hand-dyed fiber.) Jackie taught the workshop in a casual and fun way and I think we all felt relaxed and reasonably confident at the end of the day. (Well, except I'm not sure I will ever be able to figure out that stock-solution-percentage-thing without a worksheet in front of me, but that's because I have a long-standing case of math anxiety, not because it wasn't explained well!).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT-tBZMafqFMq_4mloUdnnK2L-7_oNAyfkHmh4gQ3Y5unJxvIf7_LcTL9VMF6AvOnipYNp4pJcM_Nbln9e-KXwrp2gyBpBoSyevV9lM7ya0eIzOMB2py7_kj-WV-gCSRNtWsREwJWevg85/s1600/IMG_1532.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT-tBZMafqFMq_4mloUdnnK2L-7_oNAyfkHmh4gQ3Y5unJxvIf7_LcTL9VMF6AvOnipYNp4pJcM_Nbln9e-KXwrp2gyBpBoSyevV9lM7ya0eIzOMB2py7_kj-WV-gCSRNtWsREwJWevg85/s1600/IMG_1532.JPG" height="412" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Some samples from my classmates)</i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCfSrZkxNqOsLO2rHNjnarIzrIDURUy3Yk-iKFtD7RDJENxVu_CRGx0Dn9e9I5Zp1gpLRCkENEF40BC1yw5JlQiOOIUz6xeFXLyPrPku5iH7ktHR2uuhaFJOVbxFE8fzO29DdxWaxR0Edo/s1600/IMG_1529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCfSrZkxNqOsLO2rHNjnarIzrIDURUy3Yk-iKFtD7RDJENxVu_CRGx0Dn9e9I5Zp1gpLRCkENEF40BC1yw5JlQiOOIUz6xeFXLyPrPku5iH7ktHR2uuhaFJOVbxFE8fzO29DdxWaxR0Edo/s1600/IMG_1529.JPG" height="334" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Anyone who knows me could figure out that these were my handiwork. My color choices are so predictable! This is madder, logwood and weld with a few drops of iron solution added to the weld.)</i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></td></tr>
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I am wishing now that I had come up soon enough to take the Thursday <i>and</i> Friday classes. I wanted to leave Saturday open for enjoying all the vendors have to offer (ahem) and having the chance visit with friends from Squam and past workshops. <br />
<br />
So, one last photo before I get too sleepy. I spied this after the workshop was over, when I was walking through one of the many areas where the vendors were in the process of setting up. I was <strike>scouting</strike> walking toward the exit gate and just happened to see it. Needless to say, I'll be heading for that booth in the morning because I'm pretty sure the standing stones were telling me I <i>need</i> a<a href="http://www.bijoubasinranch.com/sassenach-capelet-kit/"> Sassenach Capelet Kit</a> to go home with me! I posted this same picture on facebook on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/OutlanderPatterns/">Outlander Pattern Central</a> group page and caused just a little stir of wishful thinking on the part of some fellow <a href="http://www.starz.com/originals/outlander/">Outlander</a> obsessed folks.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrb3xlqJ6K7zgeSRVb4lwvSIWHYdOGno19urfeawWYIbIjoalLmLyej378D_GhXCcfWhwHMKiN_5Xw6fqIBYFTOF1O7Jd4-KKBN2CIVqgTwmWigHrwdD6MoWDIZVJDUJ7EktZ9vkJXtZPI/s1600/IMG_1534.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrb3xlqJ6K7zgeSRVb4lwvSIWHYdOGno19urfeawWYIbIjoalLmLyej378D_GhXCcfWhwHMKiN_5Xw6fqIBYFTOF1O7Jd4-KKBN2CIVqgTwmWigHrwdD6MoWDIZVJDUJ7EktZ9vkJXtZPI/s1600/IMG_1534.JPG" height="406" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(In the booth of <a href="http://www.bijoubasinranch.com/">Bijou Basin Ranch</a>)</i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i> </i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs0IV_fCkI935s3XVCdzmU5tXtpORFGYTxgi1D-uN44x-UdujSZfOOk2iTM5F7inx3aiENl0CC9rd0Uxz9Ib-uIAqrsVo1HsScT2xbNLUOz_HM6JFAA-8N1pfBPSyn1vH3Jk6dgbmv_Dxl/s1600/IMG_0824.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs0IV_fCkI935s3XVCdzmU5tXtpORFGYTxgi1D-uN44x-UdujSZfOOk2iTM5F7inx3aiENl0CC9rd0Uxz9Ib-uIAqrsVo1HsScT2xbNLUOz_HM6JFAA-8N1pfBPSyn1vH3Jk6dgbmv_Dxl/s1600/IMG_0824.JPG" height="624" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Of course, I loved the ones with sheep best of all)</i></td></tr>
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A few days before we left for our big trip, I managed to visit the downtown Lexington Public Library to see the <a href="http://weefolkstudio.com/pocketful-of-posies-a-traveling-exhibit/">Salley Mavor-Pocket Full of Posies</a> exhibit. I've been a fan of Salley Mavor for a years and the opportunity to see some of her creations in person was an unexpected treat. I have her children's books and a wonderful poster that she calls <a href="http://weefolkstudio.com/my-shop/#jp-carousel-9836">Self-Portrait: A Personal History of Fashion</a>, that depicts different styles of clothing she has worn through the years. I'm sure I have posted this before, but I love her short film <a href="http://vimeo.com/25766618">Rabbitat</a>. If you haven't seen it, please check it out. It's magical! The detail in her work is astounding and being able to see it close-up only made me admire her skill even more.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlGpzuc92dELIiIRB6t39x7iD_-wGRzlaoIgTg2e6wVW_F9OF61So1kmQB2wTCATiy1Jix31M01DUqMwTni0pwZ1vlciimbN8K1r79msO7Iqe553CsmvjIQun4VsXZdnhNLiAtIEaMbugk/s1600/IMG_0829.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlGpzuc92dELIiIRB6t39x7iD_-wGRzlaoIgTg2e6wVW_F9OF61So1kmQB2wTCATiy1Jix31M01DUqMwTni0pwZ1vlciimbN8K1r79msO7Iqe553CsmvjIQun4VsXZdnhNLiAtIEaMbugk/s1600/IMG_0829.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(The detail-the stitching! Sorry about the glass reflection)</i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcEIs5UUIjH1eQxiVJOQjZvTpGSadF0OAha3IPvmNKUWqtoJUs7Wx7TR758t0Cdi4R_zz5VXf2_vTOuA4KFmwSiNj8zZUaYNAmtzQ20N34Ez6eAteEa03jG8DpAyX4MXifzqkwewmRLLmP/s1600/IMG_0840.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcEIs5UUIjH1eQxiVJOQjZvTpGSadF0OAha3IPvmNKUWqtoJUs7Wx7TR758t0Cdi4R_zz5VXf2_vTOuA4KFmwSiNj8zZUaYNAmtzQ20N34Ez6eAteEa03jG8DpAyX4MXifzqkwewmRLLmP/s1600/IMG_0840.JPG" height="458" width="640" /></a></div>
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I'm always impressed by someone who can focus on their art in a way that shows real commitment and accomplishment. I don't consider myself an artist in any sense of the word, but I do have a craft (actually, I should say <b><i>crafts</i></b>) that I love and I have great difficulty focusing my energy and attention long enough to actually produce any tangible results. I'm prone to blame farm work and animal care for my lack of productivity, but truly I think it's more a case of my being undisciplined and inefficient in the way I spend my time and energy. For me, there's a feeling of guilt associated with spending "too much" time spinning or knitting during the day, because on the farm, the work is never, ever really done. (Not to mention the washing, ironing, cleaning, patient files.....) There are so many crafts and activities that I'm interested in: spinning, weaving, dyeing, knitting, sewing, felting, embroidery, hooking, photography, gardening, cooking, reading, blogging, etc., etc. The longer I live, the more lengthy the list of things I want to learn becomes. So, my question is how do I learn to focus at this stage in my life? How do any of you ignore the distractions and temptations that will keep you from doing the things you love to do?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj0InWmB7ZZWr0m2bD52MmDWxQQcPOoSv58TVe3MvC5SVvqcyIaRcznBlzaajpEXKZOIPpeB3UyOPQUTbCsqRgOv2KDO2FYsSQLc52aTsE7xRgTIPJAexT7HrUl5yllYOQwRcEQeDAr2hV/s1600/IMG_0845.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj0InWmB7ZZWr0m2bD52MmDWxQQcPOoSv58TVe3MvC5SVvqcyIaRcznBlzaajpEXKZOIPpeB3UyOPQUTbCsqRgOv2KDO2FYsSQLc52aTsE7xRgTIPJAexT7HrUl5yllYOQwRcEQeDAr2hV/s1600/IMG_0845.JPG" height="636" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieSu6wgHMSbV7WIiWlZoTBJg1vaANbQmmjgMzCnWxzDYQzqCGjjtFDdXsuLKoVeNrsl32iY7DD5XTc29O9EpsUN6vakVZX9mCnTb39Um7GAbTTVmOfZpTpA9jWLJ3mICQ8a9yNTsOnePwZ/s1600/IMG_1273.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieSu6wgHMSbV7WIiWlZoTBJg1vaANbQmmjgMzCnWxzDYQzqCGjjtFDdXsuLKoVeNrsl32iY7DD5XTc29O9EpsUN6vakVZX9mCnTb39Um7GAbTTVmOfZpTpA9jWLJ3mICQ8a9yNTsOnePwZ/s1600/IMG_1273.JPG" height="490" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Notice the quince growing up the left side of the front door at Hill Top Farm)</i></td></tr>
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Yes, as if we hadn't already pushed the limits of what two people should try to see during a sixteen day trip to Ireland and Scotland, we took a quick trip down to the Lake District and to York, England. Blame this one on me.<br />
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I have admired <a href="http://www.biographyonline.net/writers/beatrix-potter.html">Beatrix Potter</a> since I was old enough to read. Like another of my heroines, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tasha_Tudor">Tasha Tudor</a>, she was a woman who, once she found the way, managed to live her life the way she chose. It's been a long time wish of mine to see <a href="http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/hill-top/">Hill Top Farm</a>, the farm Beatrix Potter bought with the earnings from her books. We were first in line to buy our tickets the morning we arrived in the little village of Sawrey. Only a small group of people are allowed into the farmhouse every ten minutes or so because the house it not large. It is small, charming and cozy, with the interior left very much as it was when Beatrix was alive. Her furnishings, which are often depicted in the background of her books, are there and even her clogs by the door, as if she had just taken them off. After touring the house, we sat in the garden for a little while and watched as a steady stream of visitors came up the walkway. Hill Top is still a working farm, being run by a farm manager who lives in the addition to the main house, which Beatrix had built in 1906 for that purpose. The original house dates from the late seventeenth century. We didn't see any <a href="http://www.herdwick-sheep.com/">Herdwick</a> sheep at Hill Top, which were the sheep Beatrix Potter raised and championed, but as we drove the narrow lanes around the area, we did see many Herdwick flocks grazing in the rock fenced fields. (Just as a little aside here, if you haven't watched the movie "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMDMD7q101I">Miss Potter</a>", that came out several years ago, you really should. It's beautifully filmed and charming.)<br />
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After the Lake District we headed toward York. Mike had done some reading and wanted to see <a href="http://www.yorkminster.org/home.html">York Minster,</a>
an ancient and beautiful cathedral. We had a wonderful tour guide who
obviously loved what he was doing. For an hour and a half, he kept us
spellbound as he recited historical background and pointed out so many
unique features. I'm not much for taking formal tours. I usually prefer
to read about and then poke around a place on my own, but I can highly
recommend taking the tour at York Minster. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwF4rv11ioFklbGRPnjQzArXiydXCnarcKTPPQo1IROM-N0uzMLzhg8YXH6TtY4DZby8VilqET0zzHqo-48rqpLSB3LVJLEYGszItC1AHbdtb8FXFnzSSQwSv-z_yHyckclJDZWB6vnhHN/s1600/IMG_3845.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwF4rv11ioFklbGRPnjQzArXiydXCnarcKTPPQo1IROM-N0uzMLzhg8YXH6TtY4DZby8VilqET0zzHqo-48rqpLSB3LVJLEYGszItC1AHbdtb8FXFnzSSQwSv-z_yHyckclJDZWB6vnhHN/s1600/IMG_3845.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(photo by Mike MacDonald)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmDbVY25BxfSArEeRNsd8a_ir6aICjVY622yf0l9K7RnaOzSyQIoWjeLF6VQ5_loIROiGzUkhyTlA1VZV04XufthzBq719L7FH5vnnLRe7djALu27_qN5AyUs7Uqq8KWfxJqBRXUM46xh7/s1600/IMG_3833.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmDbVY25BxfSArEeRNsd8a_ir6aICjVY622yf0l9K7RnaOzSyQIoWjeLF6VQ5_loIROiGzUkhyTlA1VZV04XufthzBq719L7FH5vnnLRe7djALu27_qN5AyUs7Uqq8KWfxJqBRXUM46xh7/s1600/IMG_3833.jpg" height="640" width="618" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Carved stone and stained glass windows) photo by Mike MacDonald</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm4tq6ALaEheOLjoTGswt3gpmQ6SWFFa_gZj16CWcbaa12gUPzeP6ezP6zP6x0Sxpv7sn6LdALe0HvrCJdlFC3QcvpD-lbD7zLAsWeUQmejQzoVFiEbUXCr1wlBnrvwlMVZNgQsoteCVaC/s1600/IMG_3835.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm4tq6ALaEheOLjoTGswt3gpmQ6SWFFa_gZj16CWcbaa12gUPzeP6ezP6zP6x0Sxpv7sn6LdALe0HvrCJdlFC3QcvpD-lbD7zLAsWeUQmejQzoVFiEbUXCr1wlBnrvwlMVZNgQsoteCVaC/s1600/IMG_3835.jpg" height="276" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(The faces!!)</i></td></tr>
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On our way back to Edinburgh, we drove into a sweet little English town called Skipton and stopped there to walk around a bit, have a mocha (for me) and an Americana (strong coffee - for Mike). We checked out a few shops and walked along the canal, looking at the canal boats where people live on the water. Many of the boats were beautifully decorated with brightly painted exteriors and many containers of flowers.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifY_7kwBWBYE8HNBX06TWZCML3t1ek4MFwzzUqYn2MswiRMuj9zOR1eI5X3lkWTVONfLu-Z2VqpiC-j94zvbcjWWbSPi96FDGxNKQ_x_iWP53aY5eP4Bw9VLULx_B-wOup1AJXSTDDPrJ6/s1600/IMG_3825.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifY_7kwBWBYE8HNBX06TWZCML3t1ek4MFwzzUqYn2MswiRMuj9zOR1eI5X3lkWTVONfLu-Z2VqpiC-j94zvbcjWWbSPi96FDGxNKQ_x_iWP53aY5eP4Bw9VLULx_B-wOup1AJXSTDDPrJ6/s1600/IMG_3825.jpg" height="640" width="576" /></a></div>
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Then back to Edinburgh for one last night and day before catching our plane back to Dublin. We spent most of that last day day by driving to Stirling and touring Stirling Castle. We found Stirling to be beautiful and it's on our list to return to some day with more time to explore.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTby0ijwznTA4cMbum0kZWZ2dP0a0DjeMq2KPjaVVHwZ87mgh7KDRgY56xpXr4KXmMH5ihF0eJrf7pwxMg9QXqaDJomeS6CkXbMrfDUMXCcidFyNjj_HcySF55zaS8P-KLGYVVaB8BWG2y/s1600/IMG_3876.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTby0ijwznTA4cMbum0kZWZ2dP0a0DjeMq2KPjaVVHwZ87mgh7KDRgY56xpXr4KXmMH5ihF0eJrf7pwxMg9QXqaDJomeS6CkXbMrfDUMXCcidFyNjj_HcySF55zaS8P-KLGYVVaB8BWG2y/s1600/IMG_3876.jpg" height="428" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(The rainy view from Stirling Castle)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijrkYcIKac3STpCOXS7EcUqC0qgYlH5_GWdPrVvaadXj3XXj2fcKYZx0fJ0VmXi-pyCfInMeJ8jg_PbV9X5sKgRjKqC-im6FvsJiWDL7y1ksXDVOaBYKvS-vEaAPIjX5cjJCh7MnPGAGSg/s1600/IMG_3870.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijrkYcIKac3STpCOXS7EcUqC0qgYlH5_GWdPrVvaadXj3XXj2fcKYZx0fJ0VmXi-pyCfInMeJ8jg_PbV9X5sKgRjKqC-im6FvsJiWDL7y1ksXDVOaBYKvS-vEaAPIjX5cjJCh7MnPGAGSg/s1600/IMG_3870.jpg" height="640" width="576" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(The inner courtyard at Stirling Castle) photo by Mike MacDonald</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Once back in Dublin, rather than lease another car for just overnight, we took a shuttle to and from a hotel close to the airport and boarded our flight for home the next morning. I will say, the most traumatic part of the whole trip was going through Customs and Immigration in Dublin. We apparently had very poor timing and there were huge crowds waiting to go through to have their passports checked. It was hours of standing in long lines, dragging our suitcases along after us. We'll figure out a way to do that better next time! We'll also take half as many clothes next time. I thought I had pared things down a lot, but we still came home with unworn clothes. My advice is to take some black t-shirts, several pairs of jeans, comfortable shoes, a fleece jacket (and a rain jacket, of course) and enjoy not hauling around a heavy suitcase!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGzH72uh1nF2PHA7vUyEDdDB0bhmk6QlX1efPxD_BKWLs4aeXF092jZNL_TxXsj5mwodsdNjg0vJqvvpHeQtoIvTjVjytSHFEzxhGmzH810xk7qV2OvkiZn8fxaUn13eRi9sNLNYGlNdET/s1600/IMG_3456.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGzH72uh1nF2PHA7vUyEDdDB0bhmk6QlX1efPxD_BKWLs4aeXF092jZNL_TxXsj5mwodsdNjg0vJqvvpHeQtoIvTjVjytSHFEzxhGmzH810xk7qV2OvkiZn8fxaUn13eRi9sNLNYGlNdET/s1600/IMG_3456.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(on Nicola's lane)</i></td></tr>
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All in all, I can definitely say our trip surpassed our expectations. During our time spent in Ireland with <a href="http://clasheen.com/blog/">Nicola</a>, we visited a beautiful ancient church, the <a href="http://www.nationalcraftgallery.ie/">National Craft Gallery</a> and <a href="http://www.kilkennycastle.ie/">Kilkenny Castle</a>, along with visiting <a href="http://www.cushendale.ie/">Cushendale Woollen Mill</a>, a farm raising <a href="http://zwartblesireland.com/zwartbles/">Zwartles</a> (and enjoying the hospitality of Suzanna and <a href="http://bodaciousthecatshepherd.com/">Bodacious</a>), going to the beach, being treated to our first <a href="http://beer.about.com/od/drinksmadewithbeer/r/shandy.htm">shandy</a> (made with <i>red</i> lemonade), being served the first lamb we've ever really enjoyed, all the while enjoying the comforts of Nicola's wonderful old farmhouse and her warm hospitality. It was all nothing short of fabulous! Spending time with Nicola started our trip off in the best way possible and I hope I can return the favor by having her stay with us here at the farm on her next teaching tour.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXAa-3zrs63aYPAuZhfcP6nOYY2DvVesi1CPpzBy9PyGekOiJU5o19sFHO5O4s9aNEYdJUQlHQHhsM3lrodoNnI70iWmJ1kqXSYi5Zfh72sbWUg9C4r7XDH38CeWIZqfI2_voBt6Gm5fi_/s1600/IMG_3502.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXAa-3zrs63aYPAuZhfcP6nOYY2DvVesi1CPpzBy9PyGekOiJU5o19sFHO5O4s9aNEYdJUQlHQHhsM3lrodoNnI70iWmJ1kqXSYi5Zfh72sbWUg9C4r7XDH38CeWIZqfI2_voBt6Gm5fi_/s1600/IMG_3502.jpg" height="640" width="634" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Those fabulous Zwartbles) photo by Mike MacDonald</i></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJuFwMIXTexMv_oboWfi-mubxGjPo6DHNIQY5k45gbBuXNjjq4NV8QPxTGoo-Yse8S6rm_wxeG1pb8g1Sg5V1nrZA_pcJoOy8-uImQE9XH7nktmePacLtuB37VXSqiCcKUQ0eDmHiWojr_/s1600/IMG_1069.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJuFwMIXTexMv_oboWfi-mubxGjPo6DHNIQY5k45gbBuXNjjq4NV8QPxTGoo-Yse8S6rm_wxeG1pb8g1Sg5V1nrZA_pcJoOy8-uImQE9XH7nktmePacLtuB37VXSqiCcKUQ0eDmHiWojr_/s1600/IMG_1069.JPG" height="562" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Wouldn't everyone love to have a sweet little Irish cottage like this) photo by Nicola Brown</i></td></tr>
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So, to wrap up this last (I think) post about our wonderful journey, I
want to offer some (unsolicited) advice. If you have a place you're
dreaming of visiting, figure out a way to make it happen. It's hard to
come up with something positive about my current health issues, but it did
encourage us to <i>get on with our lives</i> and take the trip we'd been
talking about and dreaming of for many years. None of us know what
tomorrow will bring - good or bad, so find a way to do the things you
love now.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6-BTkD365tISUN1w5JsRWRX8OlokYjyvRwHy4n5PvV8PCOZWuSEEnYxyNSwRgFKAr1QXBAoBuV0eR65AKSO82ZvxL-NdRZ65Fbu0PL4E7Q-SGC0VT4DyCgK8xgHrrw66tenm1VdKzPf5P/s1600/IMG_3670.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6-BTkD365tISUN1w5JsRWRX8OlokYjyvRwHy4n5PvV8PCOZWuSEEnYxyNSwRgFKAr1QXBAoBuV0eR65AKSO82ZvxL-NdRZ65Fbu0PL4E7Q-SGC0VT4DyCgK8xgHrrw66tenm1VdKzPf5P/s1600/IMG_3670.jpg" height="640" width="416" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(And this photo? Because</i> <i>you can't go to Scotland without admiring the kilts!)</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHE9RJvNujZZM9Y1A9h4BHt4nIFsxpwEF7JKi42nVanaQHp_ytZEbKCma6aJ1d5x9sVm8xNOkcvrqp8BKCVj7CFT8Esovzdx6D1XP7O-COZzIkcEzGOV4EsCakYTFUMu-JlATAIZhzfROu/s1600/IMG_1211.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHE9RJvNujZZM9Y1A9h4BHt4nIFsxpwEF7JKi42nVanaQHp_ytZEbKCma6aJ1d5x9sVm8xNOkcvrqp8BKCVj7CFT8Esovzdx6D1XP7O-COZzIkcEzGOV4EsCakYTFUMu-JlATAIZhzfROu/s1600/IMG_1211.JPG" height="586" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Entrance to Clan Donald castle - or what remains of it)</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We are home now, but I still have so much to tell about our trip to
Scotland and beyond. It was the trip of a lifetime in so many ways, but
we are hoping it turns out to be merely a scouting trip for many trips
in our future. We visited Inverness, the Isle of Skye, Edinburgh, Oban, Aberdeen and Stirling. We didn't quite make it to Glasgow, but that's on the wish list for next time, as are many other places. Before that we were in Ireland and somewhere in between some of those Scottish cities, we went to the Lake District in England and then to York, England (which was so interesting we wished we had allowed more time for it.)<br />
<br />
We learned so much on this trip. Fresh off the plane in Dublin, we were a bit nervous about the driving situation. Nearly all cars are standards, meaning you have to shift gears. To lease an automatic is nearly four times the amount of leasing a standard. I drove standard cars for many, many years until we bought my current Subaru. Mike hadn't driven a standard shift in years, nor had he ever driven on the left side of the road. Coming out of the airport was somewhat harrowing because we were into heavy traffic and lots of round-abouts immediately. Then before we reached Nicola's house, we were on some tiny roads with tall hedgerows on each side and barely enough room to pass another small oncoming car without scrapping the side view mirrors off. Mike became a pro pretty quickly. He did an amazing job of getting us around without any mishaps. Believe me when I say we were <i>all</i> around Scotland and a little of Ireland and England, too. By the end, we'd driven about 2000 miles. All I can say is thank goodness for Siri on our iPhones giving us directions! We would have had a lot more trouble negotiating all those round-abouts without her voice telling us which was the appropriate exit. (All those "we's" are actually what we call the "Royal We". Mike did all the driving. I was merely moral support!)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-PAjMWfIkxI4zJVk7cxMuy5m68VDiyLeJfXqwcIAvyL8N9jToeNUTuH37UHYRFIUs6fIP4FnccAP4VWJb7CB9sep9x56lRufvrYHCEOUxLz9PkJb58Ei4lozsPl7HvwUKd_HLOdSOvmsr/s1600/IMG_1280.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-PAjMWfIkxI4zJVk7cxMuy5m68VDiyLeJfXqwcIAvyL8N9jToeNUTuH37UHYRFIUs6fIP4FnccAP4VWJb7CB9sep9x56lRufvrYHCEOUxLz9PkJb58Ei4lozsPl7HvwUKd_HLOdSOvmsr/s1600/IMG_1280.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Dunnottar Castle)</i></td></tr>
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We visited lots of castles (and castle ruins) and cathedrals, which beforehand was exactly what we'd proclaimed we were not going to do. Once we were there, we just couldn't help ourselves. There is so much history everywhere it is mind boggling. It did occur to me pretty quickly that America is a baby in terms of how much history we have. We spent our last morning touring Stirling Castle and found it just as fascinating as the castles we'd visited earlier. While I don't pretend to know much about Scottish history, I do find it really interesting. Obviously, with a name like MacDonald, Mike has very clear ties to Scotland. I know that my own family has Scotch-Irish and English roots, but know only a little about the particulars and now am motivated to find out more.<br />
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We stayed in a lot of bed and breakfasts and found all of them to be quite nice. You really don't find chain hotels like we have here in the States, nor do you find chain fast-food restaurants. A pleasant change, if I do say so. (We'd read somewhere that Rick Steves recommends staying at B and B's in order to get to know local people.) Everywhere we went in Scotland, people were friendly and kind and seemed more than willing to help with directions and advice. We stayed at a lovely B and B on the Isle of Skye and met a family from Germany, who were also staying there. We really enjoyed talking with them two mornings over breakfast and wished we'd had more time to get to know them. I think one thing that was pleasantly surprising to both of us was how comfortable we felt. We expected to have difficulty understanding people and finding our way around, but honestly it was much easier than we anticipated. Mike was often outside his comfort zone because our trip was so loosely planned. We had no reservations anywhere when we began the trip and spent some time each day consulting Tripadvisor to find our next place to stay. I wouldn't necessarily recommend this method, but it was mostly successful for us. Next time we'll do more pre-planning because we know enough now about where we might want to go. Mike has promised me that next time we will stay in one place for at least 3 or 4 nights in a row, rather than someplace different nearly every night. You are my witnesses!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghxNjosXfRfGP8Qq4ihI2t2iI6wBQQe68T_wQH4vwxbOU18jTXu2uZZbNZDU56a88z_dCk2YwjQYzYee_ZawMM6nU-XNzPDAQiXLsSG3dAMHlpcgdC5xIOi9kVEZ0MXhHI7B61PD9a9ThG/s1600/IMG_1161.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghxNjosXfRfGP8Qq4ihI2t2iI6wBQQe68T_wQH4vwxbOU18jTXu2uZZbNZDU56a88z_dCk2YwjQYzYee_ZawMM6nU-XNzPDAQiXLsSG3dAMHlpcgdC5xIOi9kVEZ0MXhHI7B61PD9a9ThG/s1600/IMG_1161.JPG" height="420" width="640" /></a></div>
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I have too many pictures of castles and don't want to be a bore about it. So, I will just say Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood Palace, Stirling Castle, Dunvegan Castle and many others are well worth visiting. Just don't spend all your time touring the inside of castles. The scenery out of doors is too beautiful to miss. Mike has been watching the Outlander series on television with me and after we returned from Scotland, he admitted that before our trip he'd thought they had made up the outdoor scenery for the program! It really is as dramatic and beautiful as the pictures you see.<br />
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Next up: a quick trip to the Lake District of England to see the home of a favorite of mine. Meanwhile, here are a few more livestock on the road pictures, all taken on the Isle of Skye.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD8RYGgGar6JWgtHbDww1ExCi8J_1SFqsTEEMw_oOlSNNwu8de5LrrmWIblw9zoAmAnGgCV7bNFdpWXoEREG9q13VD8ueCgDYr7GY42SbOBnAjMnGwLAxhJyGhyxYtXGwLEykuEyi4cakl/s1600/IMG_1190.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD8RYGgGar6JWgtHbDww1ExCi8J_1SFqsTEEMw_oOlSNNwu8de5LrrmWIblw9zoAmAnGgCV7bNFdpWXoEREG9q13VD8ueCgDYr7GY42SbOBnAjMnGwLAxhJyGhyxYtXGwLEykuEyi4cakl/s1600/IMG_1190.jpg" height="442" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT67I3Snpahq5B-_7c4xhpk0Lily-i9MsiHkM5-flckqp-F_CjX04ZXrxPqz2YkTBlD6WguFPn-dgJ8Q_UQo04-XJiF0XBkjq9MIbnHp9Grlh-vUhWyqObwemq4yozd2dA5AAx2CYlEsqa/s1600/IMG_1184.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT67I3Snpahq5B-_7c4xhpk0Lily-i9MsiHkM5-flckqp-F_CjX04ZXrxPqz2YkTBlD6WguFPn-dgJ8Q_UQo04-XJiF0XBkjq9MIbnHp9Grlh-vUhWyqObwemq4yozd2dA5AAx2CYlEsqa/s1600/IMG_1184.JPG" height="432" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqJjflE-s0elKRgMbxr5tY3W68RQ4F5OnnSMheJv1-7SD0ocLDpy6tJv65wFPN4Waq29HV140zP-PhT-voANFd0QLsW1a4M9J-dpl6qzHD4TpS-vNZw6F2uSjtHBNdU7kwJI8_87WFZm6v/s1600/IMG_1179.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqJjflE-s0elKRgMbxr5tY3W68RQ4F5OnnSMheJv1-7SD0ocLDpy6tJv65wFPN4Waq29HV140zP-PhT-voANFd0QLsW1a4M9J-dpl6qzHD4TpS-vNZw6F2uSjtHBNdU7kwJI8_87WFZm6v/s1600/IMG_1179.jpg" height="392" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Those colored marks identify which farm the sheep belongs to.)</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikSxYdF3di3HCaC9npBSEFeg-1eTsr_3E4aoaMEvK-Dl7_lqX1A1jEZUu8DUpZBNZu3k8SXYBA0QGkOphbNW8h3IVGPiRZO-9QGFgDVIdpQGf1CoBf0zhbHF0BSiSU6k9Tdv14CsVxJ3oE/s1600/IMG_1004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikSxYdF3di3HCaC9npBSEFeg-1eTsr_3E4aoaMEvK-Dl7_lqX1A1jEZUu8DUpZBNZu3k8SXYBA0QGkOphbNW8h3IVGPiRZO-9QGFgDVIdpQGf1CoBf0zhbHF0BSiSU6k9Tdv14CsVxJ3oE/s1600/IMG_1004.JPG" height="438" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(The view from Nicola's front door)</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Well, my plan to blog every few days hasn't exactly worked out. We seem to have chosen places with the worst Internet service possible. (It's almost like being at home, where our service is less than dependable.) We've stayed in lots of inns and bed and breakfasts, who all say they have wifi, yet we have been unable to use it for more than a few minutes. I've done a few Instagrams, using my phone (and I'll be afraid to look at the data roaming charges when the bill comes!)<br />
<br />
We've dubbed this trip our second honeymoon because we had talked about coming to Scotland for our first honeymoon. We didn't get around to planning it then, so here we are celebrating our 16th anniversary (September 5th). I say better late than never. There have been some similarities between our original honeymoon in the Northwest because Mike is the kind of traveler who wants to cram as much as he possibly can into the available time. On that trip we drove about 3000 miles in two weeks (and that was after we flew out there). I really like to go somewhere and just relax, rest, read and knit. We've already driven some 1200 miles and still have several days to go. Good thing I can knit in the car.<br />
<br />
Our days in Ireland with <a href="http://clasheen.com/">Nicola Brown</a> went by much too quickly. We visited with Suzanna and the lovely <a href="http://zwartblesireland.com/zwartbles/">Zwartbles</a>, the <a href="http://www.cushendale.ie/">Cushendale Woollen Mill</a>, in the town of Craig-na-Managh, and a beach on the Irish sea. The weather was comfortably cool and Nicola fed us well. She even prepared lamb for us that we really enjoyed! (we are not lamb eaters, so this surprised both of us!)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg42EzDPnfkjLuTA57Omzv-xI-b32yrAwEHn0J9z9cxzttutL_zK9prC6Hm-JigvFGU7e6QaJLIoo8rkhFBWeMlcQbnMK3lMmqVr4TIRGMpWWUvrwzW_qzcjy_ZbEQrd64l_o-p1JrITtAB/s1600/photo(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg42EzDPnfkjLuTA57Omzv-xI-b32yrAwEHn0J9z9cxzttutL_zK9prC6Hm-JigvFGU7e6QaJLIoo8rkhFBWeMlcQbnMK3lMmqVr4TIRGMpWWUvrwzW_qzcjy_ZbEQrd64l_o-p1JrITtAB/s1600/photo(1).JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Nicola and me - watching for seals at Curracloe) Photo by Mike MacDonald</i></td></tr>
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On Friday we flew from Dublin to Edinburgh and drove up to Inverness for our first night. On Saturday we visited <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Culloden">Culloden</a>, the site of the battle that broke the spirit of the Rising of 1745 and many, many Scottish men died at the hands of English soldiers. Because of reading <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Outlander-Diana-Gabaldon/dp/0440212561/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1403547900&sr=1-1&keywords=outlander">Diana Gabaldon's Outlander</a> series, I have been particularly interested in visiting the battlefield. I expected to feel somewhat as I did on visiting the battlefield at Gettysburg, but there were so many people around and so much activity, I didn't feel that aura that I experienced at the site of the Gettysburg battle. It was sobering to think about the events that took place there and how it affected Highland families for years to come. We walked around the battlefield until we found the marker stone for the Clan MacDonald. Each clan who fought there has a stone marking the spot where their men were supposedly buried. The day we visited there was a special homecoming celebration and there were bagpipes being played at the entrance and musicians playing Scottish music elsewhere. Ironically, the <a href="http://www.usma.edu/band/SitePages/Ensemble_Hellcats.aspx">Hellcats from West Point</a> Military Academy played while we were there. Not exactly sure what that was about!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(the Isle of Skye is full of dramatic scenery) Photo by Mike MacDonald</i></td></tr>
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Next we spent two days on the Isle of Skye. These signs are all over the place in Scotland, but on the Isle of Skye we actually did see lots of sheep right on the road.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Photo by Mike MacDonald)</i></td></tr>
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This little guy (girl?) went right on by us, as if we were invisible. I guess they are used to having cars get in their way.<br />
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Mainly, we've been seeing Scottish Blackface sheep and those perpetually surprised looking Cheviots. This one looks to be a crossbred. There are sheep all over the place here - literally everywhere and they are fat and happy looking, grazing amongst the gorse and heather.<br />
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While we were on the Isle of Skye, we went to the castle of Clan Donald. Even though the castle itself is a ruin, it is pretty impressive. It's certainly a far cry from our own humble abode!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik6NDp3zadDGoJYhDSEHvSazdr6B9YNEtz7osMUIeylPEy_t_r_Txm9dCrGbKCR3bvaTVD0cDv9qB-uBS1g1pasMNq0SosA6tYVT0NfWXd5Z3lGGBJS4zFIn-Cai7xw0aBqbb3a_hrdoNe/s1600/IMG_1213.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik6NDp3zadDGoJYhDSEHvSazdr6B9YNEtz7osMUIeylPEy_t_r_Txm9dCrGbKCR3bvaTVD0cDv9qB-uBS1g1pasMNq0SosA6tYVT0NfWXd5Z3lGGBJS4zFIn-Cai7xw0aBqbb3a_hrdoNe/s1600/IMG_1213.JPG" height="430" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Ruins of the castle of Clan Donald)</i></td></tr>
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The owner of our bed and breakfast is a knitter and she recommended a local yarn shop, so we checked it out before we left the island. The <a href="http://www.theskyeshilasdairshop.co.uk/index.html">Skye Shilasdair Shop</a> is a small, but beautiful little shop specializing in yarns from local sheep and naturally dyed (on the premises) yarn. Needless to say, I didn't leave empty-handed. In fact, some of my knitting in the car has been a couple of hats made from yarn purchased there.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Skye Shilasdair Yarn Shop) Photo by Mike MacDonald</i></td></tr>
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We took the car ferry from the Isle of Skye back to the mainland and drove to Oban for the night. The next day we drove into Edinburgh to see the <a href="http://www.scotlandstapestry.com/">Great Tapestry of Scotland</a>, which was on display at the Scottish Parliament building. I can't even describe how impressive it was. It isn't a woven tapestry, but rather panels that have been embroidered by many loving hands, each depicting a scene from the history of Scotland. Naturally, I was most drawn to the ones about the Rising of 1745 and any depicting fiber and textile activities.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0p39g2vAfdTV8Lv3vjDB-smkzFyHT1miiUELU5QrD4lCgb6s7jX2qZPMKzDFwhocsfWIWQTyORKEPa2FuyQfG6sqlh5uEAp6PlkuqLqjAPGuTUAVKV6zbEa6oTQP-a2n_lQk-JkW-AF0P/s1600/IMG_1251.JPG" height="640" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(the detail is astounding-just look at her shawl!)</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZNrMZGHs7dV9AFhAEAFbiyIyLXrYi_GG78rlIcjaY7XhB8SRLftx9tKkwgqKRs4a2AG-F43h_xD6frJLZhw30mNAgjgVR6v4VJpJqzzq8h9o3keJDQOCDrRtiee09LkpRm8ezEmO1o7t6/s1600/IMG_1247.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZNrMZGHs7dV9AFhAEAFbiyIyLXrYi_GG78rlIcjaY7XhB8SRLftx9tKkwgqKRs4a2AG-F43h_xD6frJLZhw30mNAgjgVR6v4VJpJqzzq8h9o3keJDQOCDrRtiee09LkpRm8ezEmO1o7t6/s1600/IMG_1247.JPG" height="568" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Imagine how many French knots that might be)</i></td></tr>
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So, that's it for this installment. Our time here is running out, but we are on the move again. I have more pictures to show in the next post. Until next time .......<br />
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript">
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</script></div>Dianne MacDonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10168188912154245536noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1906387276996008333.post-14080416880403171402014-09-04T15:04:00.000-04:002014-09-04T20:54:41.810-04:00Adventuring<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFNSzGOyOOwApNzIiv7i_KWfpA_jZUhqKbxZToD2xDlz-p_9Sll_wyjIVF3Iqou_WV8F3Kzp1-ANT7d1H7izQmBB__Gt_KjyLFtMTDARRARwdH7IjmuS8rhRLv25PDf-99Morco751m-Qx/s1600/IMG_0177.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFNSzGOyOOwApNzIiv7i_KWfpA_jZUhqKbxZToD2xDlz-p_9Sll_wyjIVF3Iqou_WV8F3Kzp1-ANT7d1H7izQmBB__Gt_KjyLFtMTDARRARwdH7IjmuS8rhRLv25PDf-99Morco751m-Qx/s1600/IMG_0177.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(The orchard at Maidenhall Farm)</i></td></tr>
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Where to begin? We are just barely beginning our adventure and are already so in love with this place, we don't want to leave! We're in Ireland, spending a few days with our friend, the fabulous <a href="http://clasheen.com/">Nicola Brown</a>. It's so beautiful and green here and deliciously cooler. Then, there's the sheep. The sheep are every where you look.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBGq7SEW1O1jbMDJMPndzvkabCECpjW0xDOr08JUvmaBcJbjd9wxlsoz6_Mh4GVUBej_WFHf1AlHeztcK4SVNIZ05aSBMpuLUZtC60Cmy53n8lslXQMoehqvWCPxz_Dd0Ptk2dikc29wp1/s1600/IMG_3516.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBGq7SEW1O1jbMDJMPndzvkabCECpjW0xDOr08JUvmaBcJbjd9wxlsoz6_Mh4GVUBej_WFHf1AlHeztcK4SVNIZ05aSBMpuLUZtC60Cmy53n8lslXQMoehqvWCPxz_Dd0Ptk2dikc29wp1/s1600/IMG_3516.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Suzanna - the wall surrounds a beautiful garden)</i></td></tr>
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Yesterday we visited Suzanna Crampton's Maidenhall Farm, home to the beautiful <a href="http://zwartblesireland.com/">Zwartbles sheep</a>. Suzanna was incredibly gracious and welcoming and spent several hours with us, allowing us time to really observe her adult <a href="http://zwartblesireland.com/zwartbles/">Zwartbles</a> ewes and the current crop of lambs. We spent quite a lot of time walking around her beautiful farm, visiting with her Irish draft horses, the farm dogs and while we were having a cup of tea in the kitchen, <a href="http://zwartblesireland.com/2014/how-a-shepherd-approches-sheep/">Bodacious</a>, the famous sheep herding cat, deigned to make an appearance. It's probably a good thing I've decide I have to reduce my flock and that it is impossible to import sheep from Ireland to the United States. I'd have been very happy to bring home a few of these beautiful animals. Their temperament is so calm that even as strangers, we were able to walk among them and most didn't hesitate to come in close for scritches.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6VA3GK-UGnn1ynTGSnG85T5sSJOjq7YGYZSoL1p-Cy6RwCxepD-rspTsCox-9Vgw12aA0UY3fuvr2IBZvCsoAZIeu6vOzK2oIYTKoL2ahWKifk6RJBQ1j9qW8ADTNvPfkZxFOJKnbzSew/s1600/IMG_0160.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6VA3GK-UGnn1ynTGSnG85T5sSJOjq7YGYZSoL1p-Cy6RwCxepD-rspTsCox-9Vgw12aA0UY3fuvr2IBZvCsoAZIeu6vOzK2oIYTKoL2ahWKifk6RJBQ1j9qW8ADTNvPfkZxFOJKnbzSew/s1600/IMG_0160.JPG" height="446" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Zwartbles are Dutch sheep, originally bred for milking)</i></td></tr>
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Suzanna's farm has been in her family for many generations and the gardens and orchard are so beautifully maintained and yet are so appropriately informal for a country estate. The stone walls and hedgerows define the pastures, the gardens around the house and the lanes that lead from one part of the farm to another. I'm having to stop myself from writing <i>beautiful, wonderful, amazing</i> over and over again.<br />
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Suzanna's Irish Draft horses were even friendlier than the Zwartables. They were gentle giants. I also wanted to bring them home with us. I tend to think I'm over my horse obsession, until I have the opportunity to be around a particularly nice one and then that pleasant horsey smell brings it all back.<br />
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I have an obscene amount of pictures taken at Suzanna's but they will need to wait for another post. It's very late right now and we have an early morning leave-taking. Both of us are regretting not allowing ourselves more time here in Ireland, but we're already telling ourselves that we have to come back.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript">
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It's been oh, so hot and muggy, but there's a slow shift happening already. Fall is hovering near and I welcome it as my very favorite time of year. I knew when I saw this, they would be leaving soon, so just before I left for Nashville last weekend, I took this picture of our Purple Martin families building up their flying muscles. I say <i>our</i> Martins because they consider our homeplace as their own. Many of the adults were born here in years past and return each spring to raise their own clutch of babies. In their little condo homes, high above our garden, they chirp to me as I come to the barn each morning, swoop about me during the day as I am mowing or working in the garden (eating bugs that are stirred up as I pass) and sometimes at night, when I walk past for the last barn check, I can hear them shuffling about inside their compartments, settling in for sleep. The nest box will come down now, to be cleaned out and stored until next spring. I always have it marked on the calendar when we should start watching for the scouts they send ahead of the main flock. Once we see the scouts, we know the rest will arrive within days. We put up the nest box and, when they've settled in, the nest building begins. It's the age old cycle of life, condensed into a few short months of summer. They left on their annual journey to South America while I was away for my sewing workshop, but I know I can count on them finding their way home next spring.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqWqh9noycMC1J2UMETPDZTwhjf2Y7ryx6YdVFVkcbpEZ4fPH22jZWDHumQX3mb58dKqSbIkUEoIHBqXZUkPAHk1kWGYR0Oisvuhi1aPeEkN_zTjr48m7d1EV8HlmS29FswFqDRhKIMnGr/s1600/2014-08-17+11.55.16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqWqh9noycMC1J2UMETPDZTwhjf2Y7ryx6YdVFVkcbpEZ4fPH22jZWDHumQX3mb58dKqSbIkUEoIHBqXZUkPAHk1kWGYR0Oisvuhi1aPeEkN_zTjr48m7d1EV8HlmS29FswFqDRhKIMnGr/s1600/2014-08-17+11.55.16.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Anna Maria demonstrates twin needle sewing</i></td></tr>
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If you've followed this blog for any time at all, you will have already figured out how much I love taking workshops from people I admire. My friend, Diane (yes, we have the same name, different spelling) spent this past weekend in Nashville, Tennessee at <a href="http://www.craft-south.com/">Craft South</a>, the brainchild of <a href="http://store.annamariahorner.com/">Anna Maria Horner</a>. "Fashion by Hand" featured Anna Maria <i>and</i> Natalie Chanin of <a href="http://alabamachanin.com/">Alabama Chanin</a> fame and it was totally wonderful and inspiring. Both women were so warm and down-to-earth and they made our workshops not just learning experiences, but so much fun. We had the opportunity to sew with both of their fabrics and, for me, it was the opportunity to overcome my fear of stitching an Alabama Chanin design item of clothing. I love the idea of making something entirely with hand stitching. How rare is it these days that we wear anything completely handsewn? Natalie brought "blanks" of the garments Alabama Chanin designs and we were able to try on to our heart's content. Not only did that help with choosing a size, but gave all of us a better idea of just how flattering each item of clothing was to all types of bodies. Natalie also brought along her sweet daughter, who appears to be headed toward becoming a clothing designer herself sometime in the future.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Natalie Chanin showing us how to trace our patterns</i></td></tr>
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Speaking of flattering, if you sew and haven't considered one of Anna Maria's patterns, you should. A case in point is her pattern for the <a href="http://store.annamariahorner.com/lemondropdress.html">Lemon Drop Dress</a>. I watched as
one after another of us tried on the sample dress and saw how flattering
it seemed to be on everyone. I finally screwed up my courage and
slipped into the dressing room to try it on myself and was astonished to
find that it flattered even me! I think Anna Maria is a genius to be able to design a dress that flatters so many different body types. Anna Maria has a new line of knitted fabric, most of which I would have deemed too bright for me to wear, but seeing them in person and being able to touch them, made all the difference in the world. The fabric is soft and lovely and easy to stitch. I'll confess to bringing a bit home with me and plan to make my very own Lemon Drop soon.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxm8rrlC2uweVoOjafME19cpnQm7kHMlaApwQ_bQPDDFp9QZHH1Tql1pw0GK_4mxiduom0_kR1BuM5gq0N3B920WThYIf0toPp-eou7zTReZf6DDalC_5NIEur7kpcjtjKYFqBUTkT7e-J/s1600/2014-08-16+09.37.38.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxm8rrlC2uweVoOjafME19cpnQm7kHMlaApwQ_bQPDDFp9QZHH1Tql1pw0GK_4mxiduom0_kR1BuM5gq0N3B920WThYIf0toPp-eou7zTReZf6DDalC_5NIEur7kpcjtjKYFqBUTkT7e-J/s1600/2014-08-16+09.37.38.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Diane and Rebekah inspecting the Lemon Drop dress</i></td></tr>
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Saturday evening, Anna Maria hosted all of us at her home, where we were treated to a delicious meal and an evening of music provided by various members of her family. I believe all but the youngest two sang or played (she has seven children), along with her husband and father-in-law and they were all incredibly talented. We got to see her home studio and where Anna Michelle and Pierrette (the sweetest and most talented young women who work for Anna Maria) take care of all the details of running the online shop. So much beautiful fabric! All those fabrics spread out on the table are Anna Maria's newest collection that will debut in November (and I did ask her permission to post this picture).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiACEzNWfv8bmzkyTT9jPAIEcOKPWc5JyyKf7c06ZfKj7q7a1TFH7sdr3QWnEKkWOyOfRCADFTT2C1_S3Wl7QXReBwG-e3THqwgK8mgyy9kdcM7lqjqFJRioHPWpXVCVocHevzaYITl7QuQ/s1600/2014-08-16+18.41.36.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiACEzNWfv8bmzkyTT9jPAIEcOKPWc5JyyKf7c06ZfKj7q7a1TFH7sdr3QWnEKkWOyOfRCADFTT2C1_S3Wl7QXReBwG-e3THqwgK8mgyy9kdcM7lqjqFJRioHPWpXVCVocHevzaYITl7QuQ/s1600/2014-08-16+18.41.36.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Anna Maria's newest fabric creations</i></td></tr>
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One of the best things about going away for a workshop is that it <strike>forces</strike> enables me to meet other like-minded people. I'm an introvert by nature and could happily spend all my time here on the farm, holed up in my little studio and only interacting with my sheep (and my husband, of course). The group of women who attended the workshop came from as far away as California and as close as right there in Nashville. It was a joy to get to know them and share the experience.<br />
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**Apologies for the unedited photos. For some reason, Blogger is not allowing me to post edited versions. <div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUji6w9puWkMyKzFyD7RzY94FW4f4CidhMlYXCJvZL2PJD6I8-EGdp5MB9v6u6pwNfmELh5BN9PW-I80OrSgm_wllUohgZGR6PuSTUw1ujRl7-izRxKmNblpxShaeSennQT1kFJUtq-in4/s1600/2014-08-09+19.06.53.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUji6w9puWkMyKzFyD7RzY94FW4f4CidhMlYXCJvZL2PJD6I8-EGdp5MB9v6u6pwNfmELh5BN9PW-I80OrSgm_wllUohgZGR6PuSTUw1ujRl7-izRxKmNblpxShaeSennQT1kFJUtq-in4/s1600/2014-08-09+19.06.53.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Carson being one with the flock - notice the almost photo-bomb?)</i></td></tr>
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Life has been full of difficult decisions for me lately. They're ones I knew would come to me some day, I just didn't think I would be facing them so soon. For many years, Mike and I have had discussions about how much longer I would be able to handle the sheep and for all of those years, my answer has always been, "Oh, I think I've got at least 10 more years of shepherding in me." I was obviously delusional, which I sometimes can be, when facing something I'd rather not. Just last week, we sent all of the ram lambs off to market. That in itself eliminated a whole feeding group. I also sold a few of my problem ewes and a few ewe lambs. Mostly, the ewes were the ones that were flighty and difficult to handle. They had beautiful fleeces, so I hope they are being appreciated. We just felt like it wasn't safe for me to risk being knocked down or dragged around by animals that outweighed me by a considerable amount. In the evenings now, when I feed Aslan his bowl of dog food, I have to bring him outside the gate to eat. Otherwise, the ewes confiscate his food and gobble it down themselves (and he lets them!). I use that time to go in amongst the ewes and wait for them to gather around me for scratches and rubs. Just being able to sit down out in the field with them brings me so much joy that I can <i>almost</i> not feel too bad about selling the ditsy girls. So, at this point, I've reduced the number of sheep in my flock by half and have maybe half a dozen more that I should sell, if I can find the right homes for them. I just keep telling myself that this will allow me to be able to keep my sheep a little longer. I'm hoping I can allow the remaining girls to die of old age right here on Tanglewood Farm.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lady Sybil (or Sybie as we call her now), coming in very close!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Sybie's no slouch in the fleece department either. I think it's gorgeous!</i><br />
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As for the little girls, they are getting calmer and sweeter by the day. Because of a mix-up on dates with the shearer, they did not get shorn this summer, so they already have 4-5 inches of gorgeous fleece. Soon, I'll be putting coats on everyone and I am already looking forward to shearing day in March! I can't wait to see what these little ones produce. They are all at least 1/2 Wensleydale, some of them 3/4 or more, and because of the cross-breeding I've done, their fleeces are soft and silky and beautifully lustrous.<br />
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We've had several fox sightings lately and Aslan has been kept on the alert for any who might stray close to the barn in hopes of a chicken dinner. Our neighbors lost eleven of their hens in just a few days, due to marauding foxes and raccoons. Raccoons may be cute, but they are death on chickens, as are possums (who are the exact opposite of cute, in my opinion). Life and death go hand-in-hand on the farm, even when you're vigilant. <br />
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We have some exciting events coming up in the next little bit. I'm heading south this weekend for a very fun workshop and then, within a very few weeks, the dream-of-a-lifetime trip for Mike and me. More about that next time!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript">
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On the warmest days of summer, the sheep, the llama, the alpaca boys and even the peacock spend their days dozing. The cool of the evening is the favorite time for grazing. Luckily for all, we finally got some rain and the grass is starting to look a little more appetizing. <br />
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Of course, even if the ewe lambs are napping, they seem to keep one eye open for any sightings of me. They are spoiled and I can't imagine how that happened. Any time they spy me outside they start calling to me (it actually sounds more like <i>yelling at me!). </i>Every afternoon at feeding time, I try to sneak my way into the barn to quietly start the feeding routine, but nearly every day, they somehow catch me and set up a loud ruckus, until I let them inside to the feeders.<br />
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Except for feeding time chaos, it's been quiet here on the farm. There's just not a lot to do right now because I'm not raising a garden this year. Mainly, I'm trying to keep the grass mowed and the laundry done. The RA issue has not gone away. After being on steroids for 6 weeks, I managed to be off of them for <i>almost</i> 3 weeks and got hit with another flare. :-( Not happy about that. I know that eventually things will even out. It's just been a lot tougher than I expected getting to that point.<br />
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Besides being totally engrossed in all things "<a href="http://www.starz.com/originals/outlander?gclid=CJzogZqo8L8CFQuCaQodWUcAWQ">Outlander</a>", I have managed to get a little sewing done. I can thank <a href="http://hodgepodgefarm.net/">Cal Patch</a> and her classes at <a href="http://www.squamartworkshops.com/">Squam</a> for bringing me back to the sewing machine (and the fabric stores - oh, my!). I've sewn up several tops and a few tunics to wear over jeans or leggings and am really enjoying making some things that actually fit me. I've spent years being a frustrated sewist because I couldn't seem to figure out what size pattern to choose. I'll admit that making a muslin first was not something I was ever taught, but if it's a new to me pattern, I certainly do so now. It saves so much frustration and ruined pieces of fabric. I'm collecting a little library of favorite patterns that I've tried and been satisfied with and finding it fun to search out the right fabric for it. We only have JoAnn's and Hancock's to pick from around here, but I'm getting more brave about ordering fabric on-line. Right now (and, truth be told, pretty much always) linen is my fabric of choice for almost anything. I know it wrinkles and that's just fine with me. After it's been washed a few times, it just gets better and better.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAObOwEbenQr8StXphR2NA_kmdcdJAyLIDjUc9_GvZ2cpkzPrutQ37RGkQ0OPU9ysa06-_1hfZ2HfacV5GqWk3xC1IAldZdTAMH_w3mpA0uQp_NF_HRGq_3GBc1qacUtDDnn2Muk0C9I5l/s1600/2014-07-31+15.00.02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAObOwEbenQr8StXphR2NA_kmdcdJAyLIDjUc9_GvZ2cpkzPrutQ37RGkQ0OPU9ysa06-_1hfZ2HfacV5GqWk3xC1IAldZdTAMH_w3mpA0uQp_NF_HRGq_3GBc1qacUtDDnn2Muk0C9I5l/s1600/2014-07-31+15.00.02.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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This light weight denim tunic is made from <a href="http://www.simplicitynewlook.com/6187/#.U9qhmEj0UnM">Simplicity New Look #6187.</a> The pattern is for a top and I simply extended the length. I've also made this pattern in a linen short sleeved top and a cotton <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMVfo42UqwU">Julianna Horner</a> print with 3/4 length sleeves. I've got plans for making a black linen tunic or dress from the same pattern. See what I mean? I've finally found one I really like!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPxIhNW94-WtjDI3j6ADk2JRXsUTL2GoXgY-o5qPDq5oXG3Mfsscmq7Wh_nU3lknvwm3WDeplS1fKqHRXb5-P6ZPnuEuPIggj7KaPE6vH7WV7_5nZGEOkwA1hvXZ2YEB2Ti4KNjuD451m-/s1600/2014-07-31+14.52.56.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPxIhNW94-WtjDI3j6ADk2JRXsUTL2GoXgY-o5qPDq5oXG3Mfsscmq7Wh_nU3lknvwm3WDeplS1fKqHRXb5-P6ZPnuEuPIggj7KaPE6vH7WV7_5nZGEOkwA1hvXZ2YEB2Ti4KNjuD451m-/s1600/2014-07-31+14.52.56.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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Remember that I mentioned letting the pokeweed grow completely out of control, just so I could harvest the berries for dyeing? Here's proof. This one by the back door of the studio is taking over! There <i>will</i> be some natural dyeing going on around here soon.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYGwjRdpEYTRd-CesW5XEN9rhrKGdWBcSLyK8V-o8Zn3Y7H7iTie4u5A1f4Szh4j6eCiUcprMnrZ7ao3BUT7DNMWS0ztvsBCHjDCKOJkWOSdUQ-lJv0wBXUYjAzEX-71Y6wmWwI2KDNFqk/s1600/IMG_0038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYGwjRdpEYTRd-CesW5XEN9rhrKGdWBcSLyK8V-o8Zn3Y7H7iTie4u5A1f4Szh4j6eCiUcprMnrZ7ao3BUT7DNMWS0ztvsBCHjDCKOJkWOSdUQ-lJv0wBXUYjAzEX-71Y6wmWwI2KDNFqk/s1600/IMG_0038.JPG" height="268" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(look closely and you'll see Aslan keeping watch)</i></td></tr>
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Well, it might appear that I've fallen into a deep, dark hole somewhere, but appearances can be deceiving. Things actually seem to be looking up around here, though there have definitely been some ups and downs. I'm <i>finally</i> off the prednisone (fingers crossed) and that jumping-out-of-my-skin sensation is starting to go away (and possibly my chipmunk cheeks will return to normal soon!).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHGlg_ym2H_N0yq-fSATPcjFGD_OwIh8lc9hLzrLj6sqz2M-ow-m0m4M-qwO_MgAPfutiG7Kl-ED_FDf3feo3gLxwo8vTbwJJoCBb3YLitkYpP_pYpBZM5mFg4VhXmVnHDfP9SZqWGplWk/s1600/2014-05-24+16.03.16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHGlg_ym2H_N0yq-fSATPcjFGD_OwIh8lc9hLzrLj6sqz2M-ow-m0m4M-qwO_MgAPfutiG7Kl-ED_FDf3feo3gLxwo8vTbwJJoCBb3YLitkYpP_pYpBZM5mFg4VhXmVnHDfP9SZqWGplWk/s1600/2014-05-24+16.03.16.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(my nuno felted, eco-printed scarf)</i></td></tr>
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I'm late getting to this, but I promised a short recap of a fabulous <a href="http://clasheen.com/blog/">eco-printing/dyeing class</a> I took with <a href="http://clasheen.com/">Nicola Brown</a> the weekend after the <a href="https://kentuckysheepandfiber.com/">Kentucky Sheep and Fiber Festival</a>. Nicola is so much fun to take workshops from that I'd sign up, even if I learned nothing, but learn something, I did! The eco-printing workshop had me nuno felting a scarf (which I've avoided for years and years, because I was sure I wouldn't like it - go figure). After the nuno felting, Nicola demonstrated how to eco-print designs on the scarf. We used a variety of plant material - certain types of leaves, flowers, even tea leaves, all dipped in rusty water, of all things, and it was thrilling to remove our creations from the dye pots and unroll them to reveal the patterns. It's a bit mysterious and unpredictable and that's part of what makes it so appealing to me. There don't seem to be a lot of hard and fast rules, which is even better. I find myself being drawn more and more to natural dyeing and have been reading up on plant material I might gather here on the farm and down in our creek. There have to be some mushrooms out there that will give color and I'm letting all the pokeberries grow sky high in hopes of harvesting them for dyeing. All those avocados I've been using to incorporate healthy fats into my diet .... bingo! Avocado skins and pits are great for dyeing. I don't consider myself an artist in any sense of the word, but I do
love creating functional items and eco-printing allows for just enough
creativity to be fun, but not intimidating. It's quite likely Nicola will be back in this part of the world next May to teach some workshops, so keep an eye out for announcements (I'll keep you posted here) and sign up for a fun learning experience. If you're up for travel, you might find her in Ireland, where she lives, Portugal (where she just finished teaching), California, Ohio or other locations here in the US.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOa_rmTDVvZ2QdwlOdfcZZZID1Xlz5WUPo6ybN1Az0bTjCa4GCNCgiMWI4geeQ83A2HnSgC-8AuYvbWRO5AMS181DrhRSJqMWqStZeMq03DwB-0ZT0Vo4bPddJj8FSogOHxexAXBvyg-81/s1600/2014-05-24+16.20.58.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOa_rmTDVvZ2QdwlOdfcZZZID1Xlz5WUPo6ybN1Az0bTjCa4GCNCgiMWI4geeQ83A2HnSgC-8AuYvbWRO5AMS181DrhRSJqMWqStZeMq03DwB-0ZT0Vo4bPddJj8FSogOHxexAXBvyg-81/s1600/2014-05-24+16.20.58.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(a partial collection of the class projects)</i></td></tr>
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The lambs are growing, growing and eating voraciously - about 60 pounds every day at this point. That means I need to order feed every single week. I'm grateful that the fine folks at Woodford Feed deliver and the guys will dump out those feed bags right into my feed bins. I need all the help I can get these days! Midgie and Phaedra are still as friendly as ever and a few of the others want quick scratches, but most of them are content to eat their grain and get back outside to their pasture. The pastures are starting to look a little thin around here because we haven't had rain in weeks. I'm hoping that before the weekend is over we'll receive some soaking rains to green things up a bit and give the lambs fresh growth to graze on.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Zbfn3Yf-uD0D8af1etwgYygoITeCUop73VJq_IewuYzaS8CX1sgMP90Bl6CjM70hwxfFQFUIqveizVb8hR9_VdACfbyFeWLk3NlYAqe0u8kMhFdSzkB24k2NWjJG0yCI3tS__TrOFvtB/s1600/IMG_0650.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Zbfn3Yf-uD0D8af1etwgYygoITeCUop73VJq_IewuYzaS8CX1sgMP90Bl6CjM70hwxfFQFUIqveizVb8hR9_VdACfbyFeWLk3NlYAqe0u8kMhFdSzkB24k2NWjJG0yCI3tS__TrOFvtB/s1600/IMG_0650.JPG" height="356" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(I'm greeted with this when I go to the barn-that's Phaedra front and center and Midgie behind her head)</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCFXzR4aU4lOlCL90HHuemMLThpr9i1hkZEcI_mI0EgL_bJxxDIc4_2Q0LE0po-uMToyurLWNlrlrxAmMlS1b7KGtwjFjSotp_LN1_5r2cuS7tfIRDo00sXYWpCORdTap5jbL7xLNof9vH/s1600/IMG_0671.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCFXzR4aU4lOlCL90HHuemMLThpr9i1hkZEcI_mI0EgL_bJxxDIc4_2Q0LE0po-uMToyurLWNlrlrxAmMlS1b7KGtwjFjSotp_LN1_5r2cuS7tfIRDo00sXYWpCORdTap5jbL7xLNof9vH/s1600/IMG_0671.JPG" height="330" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(and then it's belly-up-to-the-bar, or feeder, in this case!)</i> </td></tr>
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What else is happening around here? This weekend we were finally able to get the alpaca boys and llama sheared. Usually, I trailer them over to my friend Lindy's farm. Her shearing day was way back in April and back then I was physically unable to handle getting all my animals in the trailer and hauling them over. I've worried so much about the alpaca boys having all that fleece in hot weather, but have kept a big fan available for them and have sprayed them down with water on the hottest of days. They seem to have done just fine, in spite of my worry. I am really relieved to have that off my to-do list.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghbj9CYvIgHVyyiPXtao3zyNkUM5GVCayjd9n8Z6CVR2WD8_O9LMs269BS2R0Nvi56kuciPtntVhCISEZ3nFIFivpLg8ubQq50J8NEA06coYkgLc0ObPsr5ZuJ1xqefgucWckmCwwGPqNS/s1600/IMG_0040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghbj9CYvIgHVyyiPXtao3zyNkUM5GVCayjd9n8Z6CVR2WD8_O9LMs269BS2R0Nvi56kuciPtntVhCISEZ3nFIFivpLg8ubQq50J8NEA06coYkgLc0ObPsr5ZuJ1xqefgucWckmCwwGPqNS/s1600/IMG_0040.JPG" height="302" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Strawberry on the shearing mat)</i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></td></tr>
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Meanwhile, this guy keeps watch over everything that goes on here!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNr3j7QftdtR-D-hLF2anJX5R7Nao1Tb-l6UwI7qN_lbnpufu4C_ub1Jf-EJSmLyI_IVQMyvTr_9fcQGYTqxLo9aDoKVsYGy4wu4MLS9rH3AcRyqnrN9hmMXkQvhmLDHs-r4eN5HCk3ht7/s1600/IMG_0027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNr3j7QftdtR-D-hLF2anJX5R7Nao1Tb-l6UwI7qN_lbnpufu4C_ub1Jf-EJSmLyI_IVQMyvTr_9fcQGYTqxLo9aDoKVsYGy4wu4MLS9rH3AcRyqnrN9hmMXkQvhmLDHs-r4eN5HCk3ht7/s1600/IMG_0027.JPG" height="434" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>This is her sad face - she's been the cry-baby of the bunch :-( </i></td></tr>
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That's the tune around here right now. Not me, so much (well, maybe a little), but unhappy lambs are singing the woe-is-me tune all day long. After taking a hard look at the ewes, I decided some of them needed to be separated last week. Especially those girls who've been raising triplets completely on their own. Even with heavy feed supplement and the fact that the lambs are eating creep feed now, some of the girls were looking just a little puny. The rest of the adult ewes came out this past weekend and now they've all retired to the big pastures with the ewes I did not breed this year, who are looking plenty robust, since they didn't raise any lambs. This is one of those red letter days on the farm calendar that marks a turning point in the year. Lambing season is officially over!<br />
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It's hot now, close to 90 today. Ugh! I've been basically put under house-arrest and have orders to not stress myself and no strenuous activities, so I'm staying in the house and studio, keeping myself busy with a little sewing, reading and knitting. When <a href="http://rosylittlethings.typepad.com/">Alicia Paulson</a> first introduced us to her <a href="http://aliciapaulson.com/collections/softie-kits/products/miss-maggie-rabbit-softie-kit">Miss Maggie,</a> I was immediately smitten and ordered the kit right away. As with everything Alicia does, the kit was beautifully put together and packaged - really, almost too pretty to open up. I let it sit for a long time before I got the nerve to start. I have one more boot to sew together and need to finish knitting her little capelet before I can call her complete. I'm not happy with my blanket stitching at all, but can see that I will improve if I keep at it, which is exactly why I ordered <a href="http://aliciapaulson.com/collections/softie-kits/products/miss-phyllis-mouse-softie-kit">Miss Phyllis Mouse</a> and <a href="http://aliciapaulson.com/collections/softie-kits/products/miss-juniper-kitty-softie-kit">Miss Juniper Kitty</a> when Alicia released the newest kits not long ago. It's cuteness overload and I'm not even going to try rationalizing why I feel so inclined to make little stuffed animals, who wear dresses, boots, cowls and leg warmers. <br />
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For months now, I've been immersed in reacquainting myself with all things <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Outlander-Diana-Gabaldon/dp/0440212561/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1403547900&sr=1-1&keywords=outlander">Outlander</a>. I read the first book more than 20 years ago and as soon as I heard the news about that book being made into a television series (<a href="http://www.starz.com/originals/outlander/">premiering August 9th!! on Starz</a>), I immediately downloaded the audiobooks from Audible and listened to all of the books in the series, including the newest one that was released on June 10th. It's been pretty much all Outlander all the time. I love Audible because I can download to my iPhone, plug in and get on with what I'm doing, all the while listening. Outlander books kept me company on the drive to New Hampshire and made the time pass quickly. Anyway, I needed an Outlander break for a bit and decided to actually sit and read a real, hard cover book for a change. I read <a href="http://heatherross.squarespace.com/">Heather Ross</a>' memoir, "<a href="http://heatherross.squarespace.com/books/">How to Catch a Frog</a>". Heather is a fabric designer, blogger and author and her book describes her childhood in rural Vermont. Each chapter ends with a little project, some crafts, some activities. My admiration for Heather has grown immensely since reading her book. It's a testament to her resilience and creative talent that she's overcome what I see as quite a lot of disadvantage. I'd be interested in hearing from any of you who have read the book and what your opinion might be.<br />
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What else? I finished the handwork on my Squam Sweetest Tunic, designed by <a href="http://hodgepodgefarm.net/">Cal Patch</a>. I love it and one of my most favorite parts is the lining I chose for the pockets and yoke. The print fabric is actually a Heather Ross design. I loved the colors, especially with the chambray I had chosen for my tunic. I'm much too conservative to wear a whole garment made from something so boldly patterned, but love having the pattern just barely peeking out. I can see myself making a bunch of these tunics out of denim, linen, corduroy and lining the pockets and yokes with fun patterns. If you don't have Cal's book, "<a href="http://hodgepodgefarm.net/?page_id=12">Design-It-Yourself Clothes</a>" or taken any of her <a href="http://www.creativebug.com/instructors/cal-patch">Creativebug</a> classes, you should! She makes sewing simple and fun. This tunic is actually a set of rectangles, with a few simple modifications (the neck shaping on this one). That's it - rectangles. No pattern pieces or complicated directions. It's genius. Depending on your fabric choice, Cal even recommends <i>tearing</i> your fabric, so that you are sure to have the grain-line straight.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQWXOWVv3mjvtQhVc-NnKe7EJRG0HyAH2gFGIN4xBT58kHi1mGpFnchoH8TrRh7l9j-HsbTVygtfwW14Bqxi59kcxr9BWmH9BlI1Hn_gp2s11jpl310Lz9ulazp3cEnqLvvontj_xqQ7zi/s1600/IMG_0012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQWXOWVv3mjvtQhVc-NnKe7EJRG0HyAH2gFGIN4xBT58kHi1mGpFnchoH8TrRh7l9j-HsbTVygtfwW14Bqxi59kcxr9BWmH9BlI1Hn_gp2s11jpl310Lz9ulazp3cEnqLvvontj_xqQ7zi/s1600/IMG_0012.JPG" height="428" width="640" /></a></div>
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I've cast on two new knitting projects, which I'm very excited about, both being knit with wonderful Brooklyn Tweed. Have I told you lately how much I love that whole company? The colors have me completely hooked and their design aesthetic is so appealing. I also love the fact that they used a "mature woman" to model some of the designs in the <a href="http://brooklyntweed.com/blog/?p=2710">Brooklyn Tweed Wool People 7 collection</a>. (I believe her name is Cindy Joseph - I know you would recognize her beautiful long, silver hair.) One of those projects may make an appearance here in the not too distant future, but the other one ... let's just say, I'm hoping it will be finished in time for<a href="http://www.sheepandwool.com/"> Rhinebeck</a>!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2scwcwA2nQ-Bp7VC5zSeXIC8iRyaNmEKeIWeLT4YRDzMRz-Rg5NgrpgilSawSNN1ye1_nHnk24DCbQ9l-ua-OxYw1oMztg2XW1WCzd-ZtvL9B2FDaKYmr9cYQsZxNMGULj-XbfNH2Rorf/s1600/IMG_0543.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2scwcwA2nQ-Bp7VC5zSeXIC8iRyaNmEKeIWeLT4YRDzMRz-Rg5NgrpgilSawSNN1ye1_nHnk24DCbQ9l-ua-OxYw1oMztg2XW1WCzd-ZtvL9B2FDaKYmr9cYQsZxNMGULj-XbfNH2Rorf/s1600/IMG_0543.jpg" height="458" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(View from the screened porch)</i></td></tr>
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First, my apologies, for this post will be full of expostulations on just how wonderful a trip to <a href="http://www.squamartworkshops.com/retreats">Squam</a> can be. I know, I've been there, done that before, but it cannot be helped. Here goes for the third time.<br />
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Regular readers here know that I had one heck of a late winter and spring. I was ill and didn't know why and carrying out the simplest of tasks left me in pain, shaky and depressed.
Once the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis was finally reached and treatment began, things started to get better. It's going to be awhile before medication levels
are adjusted to keep me in remission, but I do feel my life is getting
back on track. Going to Squam was just about the best way in the world I
could have jump-started getting back to the life that I love. <br />
<br />
I feel as though I have a very bad case of ADHD today. I'm inspired to do <i>everything</i> ..... all at once. I've pulled out the <a href="http://brooklyntweed.com/blog/">Brooklyn Tweed</a> yarn I purchased from <b>Jared Flood</b> <i>himself</i> at the Squam Art Fair, then found some shetland for a full size Hap Shawl, ala <a href="http://www.theshetlandtrader.com/"><b>Gudrun Johnston</b></a>, excavated a big pile from the fabric stash for several more <a href="http://hodgepodgefarm.net/"><b>Cal Patch</b></a> tunics, looked at (and drooled over) <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/ebenotti?ref=l2-shopheader-name"><b>Elizabeth Benotti's</b></a> ceramics on etsy, read facebook postings from my cabin mates, downloaded the newest Outlander book from Audible and on it goes. I am on fire with inspiration to DO something. The problem is narrowing it down to one or maybe two things!<br />
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This Squam was chock-full of fun and motivation to resume my crafting ways. The Sweetest Tunic class with Cal Patch was great. Cal designs the cutest, simple little garments, that are a snap to sew up and even easier to wear. The tunic design is made of rectangles and is really easy to customize. It's the perfect summer outfit and even better in the winter, layered over jeans or leggings and a long sleeved t-shirt. I need to hem mine (I'm one of those class members who's having so much fun, I don't quite finish in the allotted time) and then I'll post a picture. My fabric stash is comprised mainly of linen and cottons and I can see plenty more of these tops being made. (You can find directions for Cal's designs in her book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Design---Yourself-Clothes-Patternmaking-Simplified/dp/0307451399/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1402523478&sr=1-1&keywords=cal+patch">"Design It Yourself Clothes"</a>)<br />
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Gudrun taught the Hap Shawl class, which, because she is actually from the Shetland Islands, was wonderfully appropriate. She told us a great deal about the history and traditions that go along with Hap shawls. I'm not much of a lace person myself (either in the wearing or the knitting), but the simple lace pattern, Old Shale, or Feather and Fan, that makes up the edging of her shawl is just right for me. We knit mini-versions in class and I really want to make a full size one now. Our new friend, <a href="http://maryjanemucklestone.com/">Mary Jane Mucklestone </a>and Gudrun are hosting a trip to the Shetland Isles in September and I would really love to go, but Mike and I are still hoping to go to Scotland in September, so the Shetland trip is definitely going on my want list for next year.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN8ZwgKwU6h-7mZboBpYET7nMzfF-jD5-W1BfkM-CqAVTNApF4nJiUa2D7tOKDSu9Zn-y7pxOWgTp2TjplGfadER9Sl4Z-UgHQ9aaBpBAk3-mncDJCP2vVJ8L947pMlsqxDaUef6EokSOf/s1600/IMG_0580.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN8ZwgKwU6h-7mZboBpYET7nMzfF-jD5-W1BfkM-CqAVTNApF4nJiUa2D7tOKDSu9Zn-y7pxOWgTp2TjplGfadER9Sl4Z-UgHQ9aaBpBAk3-mncDJCP2vVJ8L947pMlsqxDaUef6EokSOf/s1600/IMG_0580.jpg" height="640" width="588" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(<i>Sun dappled, last minute picture outside the dining hall)</i></td></tr>
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Then, there were my cabin-mates. I knew precisely one person in the cabin before Squam. Laura-Lynn (bottom row on the left) is an irrepressible presence of happiness and I knew if she liked all these women, I surely would too. And, did I ever. I came home feeling as though I had added nine great women friends to my life. Though I was the only fiber farmer in the bunch, we all shared a love of knitting and crafting (and laughing). My room-mate (I don't know who decides on room-mates, but they are genius) was a sweet, talented young woman from Minnesota and we got along famously. I hope I never get too old to enjoy the company of people who are so much younger than me. I'm convinced that continuing to make young friends, will help me stay younger in heart and mind. Brienne is such a talented seamstress and knitter. Check out<a href="http://briennemoody.typepad.com/by_brienne/2014/06/feather-sweater.html"> her blog</a> and her <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/HandmadeByBrienne?ref=offsite_badges&utm_source=sellers&utm_medium=badges&utm_campaign=en_isell_1">etsy shop</a>. I managed to snag a bag from her wares at the Squam Art Fair and I can tell you that it is beautifully made.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC35_GS4Y83F_8m57q8wMamlfl85yXevCvPilptLYIUeiza2tam3jBwP6BgKs-L0gwn1677P9YDvb_Gs2rByovPHMPghQ3JQFLO_JKiyryx0qVXedl_U8BrkuNOUOpAb6ClH8BVISep6Yw/s1600/IMG_0588.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC35_GS4Y83F_8m57q8wMamlfl85yXevCvPilptLYIUeiza2tam3jBwP6BgKs-L0gwn1677P9YDvb_Gs2rByovPHMPghQ3JQFLO_JKiyryx0qVXedl_U8BrkuNOUOpAb6ClH8BVISep6Yw/s1600/IMG_0588.jpg" height="640" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Brienne and me)</i></td></tr>
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I'm quite sure there was more laughter in our cabin than anywhere. The nightly discussions around the fireplace or during afternoons spent on the screened porch ran the gamut from very serious to completely hilarious. There was much sharing of crafting techniques, cocktail recipes and project inspirations. There was even an Art Fair shopping Show and Tell on Saturday evening when we all got back to the cabin with our loot.<br />
<br />
And now, it's back to the routine here on the farm. My bottle lambs are Huge! Just one week away from my babies (left in the care of my wonderful husband, who did a stellar job of keeping it all going) and they have turned into giants. Weaning has started and they are not too happy with me at the moment. I'll be back in a few days with a long over-due post on Nicola's eco-dyeing workshop and a completed Sweetest Tunic. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxOoyQtbtn9OG0Jp-PCzObrwqOWUBraqfExM4mFkZFJgGNkhJA9jrc-9u5wxB-v_ZRU-h-IugoK_2qdjgXGjz8GDKkiBLBaz8Hr24J9IvPg5BZxwKlHLKJqcA7AZJcKzxK3mTDQCwkUOw8/s1600/IMG_0567.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxOoyQtbtn9OG0Jp-PCzObrwqOWUBraqfExM4mFkZFJgGNkhJA9jrc-9u5wxB-v_ZRU-h-IugoK_2qdjgXGjz8GDKkiBLBaz8Hr24J9IvPg5BZxwKlHLKJqcA7AZJcKzxK3mTDQCwkUOw8/s1600/IMG_0567.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Til next year ....</i></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXwWi5vMeAI58n84BGSurUzZosYs1A-htcQTwFb3eih3Zlb-j3AP0veXy5tZUk6lHWQ44qX7OopxfLCgZWgDnOz_Xq3eUWLFv4oERZDpXIRWmd0UYQX04-tP7w7sLFdweJOmD9JNwKkMB2/s1600/IMG_0504.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXwWi5vMeAI58n84BGSurUzZosYs1A-htcQTwFb3eih3Zlb-j3AP0veXy5tZUk6lHWQ44qX7OopxfLCgZWgDnOz_Xq3eUWLFv4oERZDpXIRWmd0UYQX04-tP7w7sLFdweJOmD9JNwKkMB2/s1600/IMG_0504.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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At long last, I do believe we can call it summer here in the Bluegrass. The farms around us are cutting and baling hay (and I'm ever so grateful we don't do that anymore) and I'm trying hard to catch up on the mowing. The garden looks hopeless and I'm not sure if I'm physically going to be able to do much about it this year. We've eaten our share of asparagus, enjoyed a short-lived strawberry crop (the peacock somehow missed the berries this year) and until I get the beds in better shape, there's not going to be much happening out there for a while.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH0w66NYQDWnyofq8gGn0fE8e5w2zLcaAezYr0orcndGSrM7pgCe4DsJovz133xS89QpaJie1oli-CPPrK0a2Uz2zSSvYCq9F-flJVnx-2hd6J2E2arsZnbRVp-ly6ydOkIOQb8BPvdNL9/s1600/IMG_0511.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH0w66NYQDWnyofq8gGn0fE8e5w2zLcaAezYr0orcndGSrM7pgCe4DsJovz133xS89QpaJie1oli-CPPrK0a2Uz2zSSvYCq9F-flJVnx-2hd6J2E2arsZnbRVp-ly6ydOkIOQb8BPvdNL9/s1600/IMG_0511.JPG" height="430" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Jim Dandy's current favorite perch - the top of the greenhouse)</td></tr>
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But first, I'm bound for <a href="http://www.squamartworkshops.com/abbondanza-">Squam</a>! Last week the whole idea of making this trip was looking extremely doubtful. I had a major rheumatoid arthritis "flare" and couldn't walk for several days. So now I'm on a rather large dose of prednisone for the next several weeks and the doctors have assured me that I will be able to stay upright and do the walking required to make my way around the camp. I'm so ready to experience being on the lake and seeing friends from my previous two years there. This year I'm taking <a href="http://hodgepodgefarm.net/">Cal Patch</a>'s sewing class, the Sweetest Tunic. Last year it was the Squam Smock and I've loved wearing it. Cal has really inspired me to get back into sewing. The other class I'll be taking is the Hap Shawl with <a href="http://www.theshetlandtrader.com/blog/">Gudron Johnston</a>. I've heard so many good things about Gudron's teaching (and she's a good friend of <a href="http://maryjanemucklestone.com/">Mary Jane</a>'s, so she must be special). I'm excited about both of these classes, but to be honest, they are the icing on the cake, as far as I'm concerned. It's the whole atmosphere of Squam that I love best. If you ever have the opportunity to experience Squam, I can highly recommend it.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(I love how they've picked a nice hard rock outcropping to lie down on)</i></td></tr>
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Meanwhile, back at the farm, Midgie and Phaedra are going to keep Mike straight about the feeding schedule. We had hoped that Mike could go along again, take his fishing kayak, and spend some time on the water, but our college student farm sitter has gotten a regular job and we didn't have anyone to watch the farm and care for the sheep. To make it more complicated, we still have 7 lambs getting two bottles each every day. Mike has generously agreed to take care of the babies, so I can go to Squam without worrying. <br />
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If you want a good report on the 2014 Kentucky Sheep and Fiber Festival, please go read <a href="http://maryjanemucklestone.com/kentucky-sheep-and-fiber-festival-review/">Mary Jane's blog post</a>. It sounds to me like she had a good time while she was here! We loved having her and hope she'll come back again.<br />
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I'll be back soon with a report on Squam and on the fabulous eco-dyeing workshop I recently took from <a href="http://clasheen.com/">Nicola Brown</a>. Who knew eucalyptus leaves and rusty water could be so much fun?<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript">
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