Settling In

SAFF!

After an absolutely wonderful weekend away with fiber friends, I'm back and ready to settle in to fall days with bunnies and projects, while the wind blows dead leaves across the yard and the sunny skies turn pale blue.

Chris of Woolybuns and I headed for SAFF on Friday; she came down on Wednesday evening and we spent the day Thursday at the shop. She's working on some terrific knitting; the hat she finished is gorgeous and she started a neat pair of socks. I worked on a little baret for the trip; not nearly so interesting! Thanks to Chris I have a darling new addition to the bunny barn; pictures when I get some time to play with him!

It rained all the way down to North Carolina, but SAFF was as much fun as usual. We visited with Sandra of Thistlecove Farm and Linda of Goin' Up Cripple Creek for a little while Friday evening. We raised the roof with stories and comparing notes on purchases and knitting. Then on Saturday we ran across lots of fiber friends, including Jane of Fiber on the Mountain. We were able to see some of her beautiful little felted bears and some gorgeous hand spun yarn. Then we SHOPPED! I have dyed Jacob for blending with angora from Avillion Farm (Elaina bought a chocolate doe from me), silk for blending from ISeeSpots, yet another lovely Corriedale fleece from Rising Meadow Farm (she gets me EVERY time), some beautiful Brooks Farm yarn for more scarves and maybe a shawl, and some dyed mohair roving from Zeilinger Wool Company. The last roving was so I could practice in the motel room with this:


Ta-da!

At long last, after seven years of loyalty to my wonderful Reeves wheel, I finally bought a second wheel. It might be some kind of record for a spinner, to go so long without getting more than one spinning wheel. But the Reeves is special, and I've had one eye open for awhile for a smaller wheel I could use at the shop and for demonstrations. This little castle wheel is just what I had in mind. It's antique, so I can take it to historical demonstrations and it's small and not so valuable if anything happens to it. It spins very well; not quite so easy as the Reeves but still doesn't require a huge effort to treadle. I was albe to sit down and start spinning with minimal fuss; nice with an antique wheel.

Chris and I headed home on Sunday morning under gorgeous skies and with a car packed full of fiber. The time change got us out early and we were back in time for me to help out a bit at the shop. The wind had been steady while we were gone, and there is some smashed crockery on the porch that I need to finish sweeping up. We let all that go, though, so we could get over to the corn maze in the late afternoon. The grand finale weekend had arrived and we all dressed up to haunt the maze. Chris and I were witches but there were some really spooky things wandering through the trails!


Meadows of Dan Witches


Corn Maze Terrors

After dinner Chris and I headed over to favorite cousin's cozy house, where Chris was spending the night in the niece's suite. Sweet is a better word; this is a lovely room and bath tucked under the eaves of the lovely house, with a sky light and welcoming furnishings. We had a nice visit despite the fact that Chris and I were both tired, then I came back home to tend dogs and settle in to spinning for the evening.


Lily and the Spinning Wheels

Chris is driving north toward home this morning, and I'm planning to spend the day working on the November/December issue of Fiber Femmes. Even though all the wool back at the house is calling my name!

Just for fun

Cropped Screen Shot

Fun thing found at Mommy Mosh Pit.

Saturday Sky

Saturday Sky, Meadows of Dan, Virginia

It's a beautiful fall day here, and the sky is brilliant and cloudless, a pale cool blue above the golden and orange hues of the leaves.


Fall on the Mountain

The leaves are at their peak, and lots of folks are up here this weekend for festivals and a look at the beauty of the mountains. I awoke to frost this morning and clear skies. The dogs were wild; even Lily was playing and prancing because of the cooler weather. The rabbits were ready for their morning hay and it was pleasant and warm in the barn after being outside.


Visitors from North Carolina

Friends from North Carolina stopped over for the night on their way back from lovely Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Nice to have them and to have such gorgeous weather for their trip!

Home Again, For Now

Patrick County Booth at the
National Folk Festival

Time does fly in October, with festivals, travel and getting the rabbits ready for the winter. Seems like the days disappear too quickly!

Last weekend I went to Richmond for the National Folk Festival, one of my favorite experiences of the year. This is a tremendous event, with lots of music and special demonstrations featuring the Jamestown Anniversary this year. Patrick County set up a booth in the Virginia Tourism Corporation tent, and if I'm not biased I think it was the nicest booth I saw. Bull Mountain Arts, also from Patrick County and set up in the Round the Mountain Artisans' Guild area, also did a fantastic job setting up a beautiful booth under difficult conditions.

We worked this weekend, but it was a lot of fun demonstrating spinning and talking to people. And selling yarn and felting batts. Back home at the shop it was busy, too, with lots of folks coming out and enjoying the fall colors. This weekend should be beautiful; the leaves are at their peak and marvelous around Meadows of Dan.

The rest of the week has been busy, of course, with bunny haircuts, store stuff and following a tour bus from rock church to restaurant to get pictures because of a tour that my mom was helping with. A bus tour company in Roanoke was interested in conducting a tour of the beautiful rock churches founded and aided by Robert Childress. His story was told in a book called The Man Who Moved a Mountain.

This morning I walked dogs under clouds tinged pink by a rising sun, and a scattered rain fell across the fields. I looked up to see a rainbow arching over the fall brilliance of the leaves.

Changes

Changing Colors

The colors are changing fast here in the Blue Ridge. I went to town on Tuesday and drove though the gorgeous hills of Floyd County. I enjoyed the gold, yellow, and green hues, and the sight of some good old boys lounging by their pickup trucks by the side of the road, acknowledging my passing with a nodding bill cap. Today the wind is wildly blowing the trees and leaves are skittering across the porch and romping across the roads.

Speaking of Floyd County, Colleen over at Loose Leaf Notes mentioned that there will be a blogger's meeting today. Wish I could go, especially as it is a beautiful day. But I have to work, and tomorrow I'm heading off to the National Folk Fair in Richmond. If anyone out there is coming (and you should, it's fabulous!) stop in at the Virginia Tourism Corporation tent, or at Round the Mountain, and say hello!


More Changes, Cleaning and Cleaning

We have heat! Again. This time I hope it works. I love this old house but it's cold, and after troubles all last winter with the gas heat I decided to put in baseboards. Which meant the house needed to be straightened up. So I rearranged the living room, just because it was already torn up, and fixed myself a little work corner near my big old chair. I'm getting quite a collection of spindles!


Room for Living

This is the time of year I do want the house nice, as darker days close in and I need a cozy place for tea and evening times. The old floor needs painting again; I might manage that this winter, although puppy paws are a threat to any surface!


Spaniel Coziness

The house would be neater without the Spaniel and Lab paws, but I don't think I could do without them. Right now I don't have a house cat, either, which seems a bit lonesome! The cockatiel has been quiet lately because of the darker days; he was cheerful and noisy this morning when the sun came out and he wanted a share of my morning toast.


Fall Decorations

Sue has these pumpkins down at the market, and I couldn't resist the ones with the hand painted faces from a local artist. I had to buy two of the cat ones. The white pumpkins are gorgeous and she has some neat gourds and winter squash.

Check in at Fiber Femmes for more news about the business and how fall is shaping up!

Away, away and back again

Greenberry House Booth at McLean

Off and running again last weekend; left Friday morning early to travel to Tazewell to meet up with Sandra of Thistle Cove Farm. Lovely drive, especially since I had expected rain holding over from a terrific storm on Thursday night that apparently covered the state. The morning was beautiful, though; I loaded up in cool breezes and headed out before daylight. I reached Tazewell as the sun broke through the clouds over the mountains; beautiful!

It's always wonderful to visit the cove and become reacquainted with how beautiful the farm is, and with all the lively creatures. Abby the Jack Russell terrier hopped up on the truck, looking for the bunnies I was transporting to buyers in Northern Virginia. She was easily distracted by all the activity as we transferred my load to Sandra's vehicle, and soon we were on the road. We talked fiber and folk and girl stuff all the way up the road; a delightful time!

We stayed with my delightful friends, Kate and Gerry, in Annandale about fifteen minutes away from the show. They spoiled us rotten, cooking and catering and taking us out, and we had a wonderful time. Kate even entertained one of the bunny buyers until we came back from the show.


Sandra's Booth at McLean

Saturday, unfortunately, dawned wet and cool, but we managed to set up without much trouble and both of us were soon spinning away. I wrapped myself up in my angora and alpaca cape and was glad I had tucked it into a basket; a rug to protect my lap while I was carding to blend angora with wool served as a welcome blanket! The crowd was small, and they missed a fantastic show of wonderful and innovative music. I enjoyed talking to the people that did come; many of them were quite young and it was interesting to visit with them and see how very different life is for youthful families in the city. I didn't get a chance to see the rest of the festival, but we were near the stage and I enjoyed the music acts all day.

Sunday morning Kate and Gerry sent us off with a terrific breakfast and Gerry loaned me an interesting book (he's always good for those!) and we set off in the sunshine for home. The trip across from Lexington to West Virginia on I-64 was breathtaking at times because of the mountain views and the hints of color in the leaves. Soon enough we were back in Tazewell, and it didn't take long for me to pack up and head toward home. Lily had been naughty and made it clear she was NOT happy that I had been away. Monday morning she was her cheerful self, and we had a romp and tug-of-war on the living room couch.


Home Again

The leaves are starting to change, and there is a feel of fall in the air. Asters and golden rod have replaced Queen Anne's Lace and ironweed in the fields. One night this week I walked the dogs under an incredible moonlit sky. Mist blanketed the fields, deep and thick, curving and ebbing, with tendrils reaching out under the brilliant sky.


Yet another last rose clinging to the vine

The daylight hours have been warm, with just a hint of the brisk days to come. I've been shearing rabbits and dyeing felting batts, cleaning house and working. Monday I sneezed all day; one of the fatal flaws of fall!