Living it up

(Meanwhile, back at the homeplace, Aslan and Peegee contemplate nature)

 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!

(Nicola demonstrates lay-out for eco-dyeing)

First, I took a two day eco-dyeing and felting workshop with fabulous Irish felter, Nicola Brown. 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.

(the "hinge" is the secret to the bust adjustment)

Next up was a trip to Nashville to Anna Maria Horner's new shop, Craft South, for a workshop on pattern fitting with Liesl Gibson. If you ever have the opportunity to take this workshop, do it! 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 Creativebug that should keep me from forgetting everything I've learned. I can hardly wait to get back to my sewing machine (and I might 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.

(And here we are, proudly displaying our perfectly fitted muslins)

(a little detail on my muslin)

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 Karen!) 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).

(here's a hint)

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 Shakerag. Cal Patch 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!)

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.

(Then there's Midgie, always looking for a little attention)

Weekending with Anna Maria and Natalie

Anna Maria demonstrates twin needle sewing

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 Craft South, the brainchild of Anna Maria Horner.  "Fashion by Hand" featured Anna Maria and Natalie Chanin of Alabama Chanin 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.

Natalie Chanin showing us how to trace our patterns

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 Lemon Drop Dress.  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.

Diane and Rebekah inspecting the Lemon Drop dress

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).

Anna Maria's newest fabric creations

One of the best things about going away for a workshop is that it forces 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.


**Apologies for the unedited photos.  For some reason, Blogger is not allowing me to post edited versions.

Decisions

(Carson being one with the flock - notice the almost photo-bomb?)

 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 almost 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.

Lady Sybil (or Sybie as we call her now), coming in very close!

Sybie's no slouch in the fleece department either.  I think it's gorgeous!

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.

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.

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!

Rhinebeck

(glorious New England color)

This week, well actually this whole month, has been a bit of a blur and a slowdown is not yet on the horizon.  It seems we've either had some big activity going on here at the farm or we've been on the road, away from the farm, for most of October.  I'm thinking some quiet time settling into the coming winter will be a very good thing during the month of November.

Last weekend was the glory that is Rhinebeck.  Friday we drove 13+ hours to Rhinebeck, New York for a nearly perfect weekend of beautiful foliage, good food, wonderful weather, meeting new and old friends (it was so great to be reunited with my Squam cabin mates!) and the ultimate in fiber festivals.  It's surely a combination of all of the above that makes me love Rhinebeck so much.  I have gone to a lot of festivals over the years and this is the one that continues to top my list of events that I'm willing to travel long distances to attend.

(my 36 colors)

Saturday was my day to check out all the vendors and because we arrived at the fairgrounds well before the gates opened and were close to the front of the line, that was mostly accomplished before it became too crowded.  Sunday was devoted to the "36 Color Wheel Workshop", taught by Gail Callahan (The Kangaroo Dyer).  It was an eye-opening class for me and I think I finally understand the process of combining a few primary colors to achieve just the shade I'm looking for.  Gail explained and demonstrated the process in a clear and easily understandable way and then turned us loose to try it for ourselves.  It was fun and educational - the best possible outcome for any learning experience.  Gail has inspired me to be more creative in my color choices for this year's palette.  As soon as I can stay home for more than a day or so, I intend to pull out the dye pots and start working on the mountain of my "fresh from the farm yarn" that arrived back from the mill a few weeks ago.  (More on that in a later post.)

(buttons & detail of front)

My Olive "Antler" was indeed finished in time to become my 2013 Rhinebeck sweater .... just barely!  She made the drive on Friday, stretched out on top of the luggage in the back of the car,  feeling still slightly damp.  One of the best parts of the weekend were comments and questions from other knitters.  I love that walking around Rhinebeck in a handknit starts so many conversations with people you don't even know, who immediately become your friends.  For someone as introverted as I am, it's the best possible way to talk to strangers.  Even more fun, was spotting other "Antlers".  Because Olive was handspun and a little larger gauge than the pattern called for, she was somewhat different from other versions.  It's a great pattern to knit, easily adaptable and I can highly recommend it.

(the back view of Olive)

Tomorrow,  my friend Teresa and I are heading to Asheville, North Carolina for the Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair.  Asheville is such a great town and SAFF is a fun place to catch up with fiber friends in this part of the country.  It's an easy drive through beautiful mountains and I'm looking forward to a relaxing weekend of (more)food, (more)fiber and (more)friends!

Learn to Dye Naturally - (a workshop for you!)

(My dye pot of madder extract)

Last summer and fall I finally got around to dyeing some of my 2012 Sheep Dreams yarn, using natural dye extracts.  I'd been dyeing with a commercial dye for several years, but had been feeling that I wanted to do a selection of naturally dyed colors with my wool/alpaca blend yarn.  To say I was happy with the results would be an understatement.  The subtlety of the colors was so appealing, I fell in love with them.  Recently, K. Crane and I were discussing how great it would be to have a workshop on natural dyeing and the next thing I knew - it was all arranged!!  It just happened that K. knew Dagmar Klos, who wrote THE book on dyeing - "The Dyer's Companion" and it also happened that K. was going to be visiting Chicago, where Dagmar lives.  So, the two of them got together and talked it over, Dagmar and I talked by phone and email and now we are set to host a fabulous, three day natural dyeing workshop on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, May 2-3-4, 2013.  I'm so excited about being able to offer this workshop!  It will be a wonderful opportunity to learn in a fun and relaxed atmosphere here on the farm.  We're planning on serving refreshments morning and afternoon and have special plans for providing lunch each day - all included in the workshop fee.  We'll be dyeing with fustic, osage, weld, madder, logwood, cochineal, indigo and marigolds.

(Two shades of purple logwood - naturally dyed)

I had hoped to attach the workshop flyer to this post, but so far haven't figured out how to do that :-(, so here are the details.  If you have any questions at all please email (diannemac1010@yahoo.com) and I'll get right back to you.

Event:                Natural Dye Workshop taught by Dagmar Klos (author of "The Dyer's Companion")

Date:                  May 2-3-4, 2013 - 9 am to 4 pm each day

Location:           Tanglewood Farm, 4565 Cummins Ferry, Versailles, KY 40383

Workshop Fee:  $180, which includes all three days of instruction, plus refreshments and lunch.
                          There is a $15 materials fee that will include dye matter, sample skeins and printed
                          materials supplied by Dagmar. You will leave with approximately 75 sample skeins
                          of yarn that we will have dyed during the workshop.
                      
You do not have to be experienced at dyeing to participate in this workshop.  It is for beginners and for experienced dyers alike.  This will be a wonderful opportunity to learn from someone who excels in the art of dyeing.   There are limited spaces available for this workshop, so please don't delay if you are interested in joining us.  Email me at - diannemac1010@yahoo.com



                                     

Vogue Knitting Live 2012

(This is not downtown Nonesuch)

It was lovely.  The Palmer House Hilton is so elegant,  it's not like staying at any of the modern chain hotels. Teresa and I were lucky to receive an upgrade to our room (which was huge) and had the luxury of two bathrooms!  Simply amazing.  The hotel itself is so big that at times I felt as though a GPS would help.  The classrooms were down hallways with names and rooms with numbers and finding your way once in the morning was not necessarily a guarantee that you would find it again after lunch.  The lobby was full of knitters at all hours of the day and night and the marketplace was a busy,  busy place anytime I made my way there.

The best part,  by far,  was getting to participate in classes I have been wanting to take forever.  If you ever have the opportunity to take a class with Mary Jane Mucklestone sign up quickly and be prepared to learn a lot and have fun,  fun,  fun while you learn.  I've been interested in Fair Isle for a long time,  not necessarily to wear it,  but I admire the patterns and the rich history.  Mary Jane makes it all come alive.  It may take me a while to finish my little wrist warmers,  but I'm loving the process.

(Mary Jane's hat)

 Beth Brown-Reinsel taught the Gansey class and though I went in unprepared,  I learned so many of the techniques used in knitting traditional ganseys and,  again,  so much of the fascinating history.  I was unprepared because I left all my supplies for the class at home on the table in the studio.  I was quite diligent (for me) in getting prepared for my classes.  I did my homework and had prepared a two-gallon ziplock bag for each class I was taking.  I even made little checklists for each class and put everything needed in the bags.  Then,  I left that one bag out of the suitcase!  What can I say?

 Susan Anderson's Top-down Baby Sweater class was terrific.  Besides getting a chance to visit with
Susan,  I got a good start on the cutest little baby sweater.  She had a whole table full of her precious knitted toys and several variations of the baby sweater pattern.  Susan is so sweet and does such a good job of making everyone in the class feel comfortable and happy to be there.  She made the class fun and informative.

Of course,  besides the classes,  there was the Marketplace and it did not disappoint. I bought more than I intended,  but didn't go completely crazy.  I saw so many variations of the "Color Affection" shawlette walking around the hotel,  that I determined I needed to knit one too.  So,  I bought yarn for that.  I bought a few patterns,  some do-dads and a cute and simple cowl kit (It's the Fast and Fun Diagonal Cowl by Leslye Solomon, which I could not find anywhere on ravelry or elsewhere.  She owns Woolstock Yarn Shop in Glyndon, Maryland and I'll bet you could email them and get a copy.)  It's a quick, mindless sort of knit that's perfect for this time of year.  And .... I finally broke down and bought my first pair of Signature needles.  They are pricey,  but everyone I know who has them thinks they are the best.  They're still in the package ... I'm almost afraid to knit with them.  What if I love them?  I'm in big trouble then!

Sunday night we made the pilgrimage to Scoozi's and I had my longed-for plate of Butternut squash ravioli.  I broke with tradition and instead of the Caesar salad,  I had a delicious baby kale salad with roasted pears,  cranberries,  candied walnuts,  Gorgonzola cheese and lemon vinaigrette. Yum!

All in all,  it was a successful trip.  This week,  it's been playing catch-up.  My little sheepy girls missed me and seemed happy to have the regularly scheduled shepherd back with the feed buckets.  (Mike said that for the first few days,  whenever he went into the barn to feed them,  they acted as though he was there to kill them!)  Such spoiled babies.

Squam

(the view from our window - Penobscot Bay - Belfast, Maine)

It seems so long ago that I sent in my registration for Squam and then kept my fingers crossed that I would actually get in.  And now, the time is here and I'm excited and nervous and worried, all at the same time.  Getting ready to leave the farm for more than a few days is such a complicated procedure.  Usually, by the time I'm in the car, heading down the farm lane, I've decided that it's just not worth it and I'm never doing it again.  Once I'm away, I usually don't worry - until I start home and then it all comes back to me.  This time we have an actual farm sitter with animal experience, so I'm trying to just relax into this little space of rare vacation time.

I've been reading about Squam on lots of different blogs for several years now and it would seem to be a magical place.  I can't wait to experience it.  I won't know another soul when I get there on Wednesday, which makes me a little anxious and is forcing me out of my comfort zone.  Though I'm likely to be one of the oldest Squamies (as they refer to themselves), I'm ready for the adventure. 

In the meantime, Mike and I have taken a few days to explore the coast of Maine.  Today we made the obligatory pilgrimage to the L.L. Bean flagship store in Freeport.  I was here many years ago and it has sure expanded a lot in that amount of time.  Tomorrow we'll go to Camden to see the harbor there and I'm going to check out a new yarn store, "The Cashmere Goat".  Very unusual name!  Mainly, we're here to relax, see a bit of the coast and have as many lobster rolls as we can stand to eat.  While I'm at Squam, Mike and a friend will be hiking a small part of the Appalachia Trail.

I'm going to try posting some pictures in the next few days, but am unsure about internet status after I get to Squam.  If that plan fails, I'll move on to Plan B and post when I get back to the farm. At any rate, more to come!

His and mine

His idea of a good time? See above picture. On our way to the Chicago area this past weekend, Mike had it all planned out. We were going to stop at Cabelas for some fishing equipment purchases. Those who know my husband, know that he is, umm, thoughtful about such things. He likes to do lots of research, think about all the pros and cons, consider all the options and then, maybe, he's ready to make the move. I knew that even though all of the above had been done, it was not going to be a quick stop. I understood. I was prepared. I needed to replace my favorite Cabelas barn boots and I had plenty of knitting to keep me occupied. Sadly, my boots were not in stock and will need to be ordered on-line. (I did manage to buy a Life is Good t-shirt on sale.)

My idea of a good time. The reason we were on the road to begin with was that we were heading to the Midwest Fiber and Folk Art Fair, in Grayslake, Illinois (that's about half an hour outside Chicago). I was signed up to take workshops on natural dyeing and button making. This was the second year thecrazysheeplady and I have taken workshops, while the menfolk occupied themselves floating down some stream in fishing kayaks. Midwest is not a large fair, but the selection of vendors is good and they have offered some outstanding classes. It's worth the trip, if you are so inclined to do such things.

My workshops were great. I had taken a natural dye class many, many years ago from Michelle Whiplinger, but will admit that commercial dyes seem less intimidating. Stefania Isaacson taught this dye workshop. One of our exercises was over-dyeing with indigo and, wow, was that magic! I'm finding that every time I'm out in public with my roving and/or yarn, often the first question I'm asked is if I use natural dyes. So, I'm thinking I'll give it a try. The button class, taught by Lynn Bergschultz, was fun and is for sure something I'm going to be doing.

So, it's back to reality now. The grass and the garden have grown like crazy in just the few days we were away. I need to be on the mower instead of playing with some new acquisitions* in the studio.

*next post

All over the place....

(lambies with their favorite babysitter-good old Strawberry)

 Ah, Kentucky--the land of many seasons......and sometimes they all happen within one week.  Just days ago, I was still wearing socks and a sweater to the barn in the mornings.  Now I'm wearing as little as possible because it's 90+ freaking degrees.  What is wrong with this picture?  It's not even officially summer yet, people!

The last group of lambs got separated from their mamas over the weekend and have had their second vaccinations and de-worming medication.  They have been in the barn for a few days, with the big barn fan on them, but this morning I let them out into the pasture where they can find a shade tree.  It's time to start letting my babies go to new homes, but it is so hard for me!  It's part of that cycle of life on the farm that I've come to accept (but still dread).

Last Friday I had an opportunity to take a felting workshop from Nicola Brown, who traveled here all the way from Ireland.  Almost everyone there had more experience than me, but I learned a lot and came home with my very own iPad cover, from my very own home grown, hand dyed wool.  I am inspired to do some other small projects now.  I've heard rumors that Nicola may be coming back to the states in the fall, so I'm hoping to take more classes with her.  My friend, Lindy was also there and wrote a wonderful blog post about the workshop and a little adventure that happened the day after the workshop.

I realize that this post is kinda all over the place. When my brain is functioning a little better, I'll have some new knitting books to share. This kind of weather calls for staying inside during the heat of the day, with my knitting and books, of course.