Booksigning

Tom Perry will be here at the shop to sign his books and talk about his many projects and interests in Patrick County on Saturday, December 8, 2007 at 10 AM. His new book is a beautiful pictoral overview of Patrick County's history. Y'all come out and visit, and if you can't get to Meadows of Dan, Perry's books are available at his web site.

This Week: a Glance

Monday Night Dinner


My birthday was Thursday so the friends decided to make Monday a little celebration!


Cold weather and winter woods accompany our early morning walks now.


Lily napping in her favorite corner of my bed.


TJ after a brisk run outside in the wind.


Finally, one spiral rib sock completed!

I Have Awesome (and Generous) Relatives!

New little bitty camera!

I would know that CTG and Jagosaurus were awesome even if they weren't generous, of course. If you've seen any of their artistry in photography and have been entertained by Hillbilly, Please, you know a little bit about how talented they are. Last summer Tom came in with a laptop computer and gave it to me. It had one minor problem, with I managed to fix, and it has been wonderful to have it along on trips. Makes running the business from afar so much easier! This morning he came in, announcing that he and JAG wanted to give me something... a delightful little Olympus FE-210. It didn't work out for him, so they thought of me, since I'm using a big dinosaur of a Sony Mavica. Many, many thanks once again, y'all!

I'm still taking entries for the Name the Straw Doll contest until December 1. Come up with your wittiest ideas!

Saturday Sky

Saturday Sky in Meadows of Dan

It was 15 degrees this morning. Frozen rabbit water bottles and quick trips outside for the spoiled dogs that don't like the cold weather! Especially the cats stayed snug inside, waiting for temperatures to warm before they ventured out for breakfast.


Snow Flurries

Yesterday morning it was cold, too, but not quite so cold, with tiny snow flakes swirling around in a bitter wind.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Seraphina's Shawl

I have so much to be thankful for that I couldn't possibly make a list. Hope you and yours are feeling the same on this special day.

With the beach vacation and some traveling time, I've finished a couple of projects and have been working along on others. Above is Seraphina's Shawl, made with two colorways of Brooks Farm Four Play yarn. Pure luxury and all purple for me!


First Socks!

And I finished my first ever pair of knitted socks, thanks to Jane of Fiber on the Mountain, who is the most patient instructor in the world. She was here on Friday, and was able to teach a new spindler and knitter and help me turn my heel! There are all sorts of faults in this poor little pair, no blame to Jane, but I enjoyed making them!


Jane, students and a fascinated little audience!

I've finally caught up on most things, and feel myself relaxing into the quiet times of late fall. The autumn leaves are gone, swept away by wild winds over the course of a couple of days and hunting season is in full swing. We're wearing blaze orange, provided by sister-in-law Sue, to walk the dogs in the morning and evening. My Hot Head orange hat is coming in handy to cover up this white hair. Crisp mornings with frost alternate with warmer mornings and fog. There is a forecast of ice for Sunday.


Oh, dear, I went shopping...

A meeting I was supposed to have was cancelled on Tuesday morning, and I didn't find out until I was on the road. So I took the opportunity to play hookey and headed into Blacksburg after picking up my rabbit feed in Price's Fork. Naturally my first stop was Mosaic, an awesome LYS just a minute, maybe, from 460. I've been there before; everyone was friendly but I just had time to dash in and out with purchases. Tuesday I took my "first socks" along and was delighted to walk in and see Cheryl. She's one of the students pictured above with Jane and took to spindling like a natural! She and Belinda welcomed me with open arms, sat me down to knit with them and even admired my poor effort at sock knitting. We had a wonderful visit, talking about yarns and books and movies and knitting and the perils of the plumbing in an old farm house!

Cheryl showed me around, of course, and I was blown away by all the beautiful yarns and colors. I found myself most drawn to fibers I don't have here by my handspinners, of course, and my mind is buzzing with ideas for wonderful cotton, linen and silk yarns.

And I was able to meet the incredible Gina! Just as I was headed out the door with a bag full of amazing sock yarn (yeah, at that point I hadn't even finished one pair yet) Gina came in with lovely little Purl. Purl appears regularly on the Mosaic blog and is just as precious as her pictures. Gina is awesome in person, beautiful, obviously talented (Cheryl showed me some of the shop samples Gina knitted) and charming. I'm enjoying the Mosaic Ravelry group because of all her fun comments and her mention of something on Ravelry made me think to go to Mosaic on Tuesday.

And I met the lovely Indigo Muse! Tanya was my first friend on Ravelry and is a talented knitter, spinner and designer. I knew she was somewhere in Virginia but didn't realize that she was so close to Blacksburg. I've seen some of her designs in different places; her Fortune Cookie pattern looks terrific!

I listened to Lonesome River Band and Sammy Shelor DVDs on the way home. After a visit with Mom and the aunt on the hill, I settled in for an evening of knitting socks and a Doctor Who: Season One DVD from Netflix. For some reason this one disc leap-frogged over the list of Northern Exposure: Season Four that is supposed to come next. I've been a Dr. Who fan for a long time; the episodes used to be on PBS here a long time ago. My TV reception is limited but I've been having a great time getting old BBC shows and old movies on Netflix!

Don't forget about the contest! There have been some wonderful suggestions for names for my knitting straw doll but we're still looking for more. My judges will have the list on December 2 and decide soon after that. Details here.

Contest!

Name the Knitting Doll!

This little lady now resides on my shop porch, beckoning to weary fiber folk that pass along our way. She needs a name; I already have a Penelope that models my hats and scarves at Mountain Meadow Crafts. Iris is my bag lady.

Add a comment to this post before December 1 with your suggestion. An impartial panel of judges will chose their favorite name from the entries and the winner will receive a pair of Rosewood knitting needles and two skeins of Greenberry House Yarn. Multiple entries welcome!

Traveling again...but not so far this time!

Band from the Crooked Road

Yes, I've been back home from vacation for a couple of days, which were spent in the usual chaotic catching up mode, with laundry, house and critter chores. I got back to work yesterday, only to leave again in the early afternoon.


Mountain Meadow Crafts table

Sue and I, along with a potter from Dublin named David Stanley (who knows one of my relatives) were asked to represent 'Round the Mountain at the evening reception of the Governor's Housing Conference 2007. So we loaded up yesterday afternoon and headed for Roanoke and the beautiful Hotel Roanoke for the event.


Greenberry House Table

Because they are also members, I was able to take yarns created by Sandra of Thistle Cove Farm and by Linda of Wild Iris Wools. My pictures are really bad; I must have had something set up wrong with the camera. The yarns really looked beautiful on the table!


Pottery by David Stanley

I'm having a month of "firsts"; first trip to the beach and now my first time inside the beautiful Hotel Roanoke. This 125 year old hotel has dominated the skyline of downtown Roanoke, literally for generations now. It is a beautiful Tudor style building and as impressive inside as out.


Spinning in socks

We didn't spend much time seeing the hotel, though, but went right to work talking to people about our shops, our crafts and about 'Round the Mountain and economic development in Southwest Virginia. I took off my shoes to spin, showcasing Cathy Clark's beautiful crocheted socks that she sent me awhile back. They were a hit, along with my crocheted scarf. The conference attendees were a fabulous group, asking interested questions and I had a lot of fun talking with them.


Along the Crooked Road

Southwest Virginia was well-represented with a great band from The Crooked Road that entertained throughout the evening. There was an entertaining display laid out through the room, with a yellow lined "road" leading from placard to placard describing music venues.


Reception Goodies!

And of course there were lots of treats; Sue and I managed to snag a few choice bits between visitors. It was a lovely evening and we appreciated the chance to brag about 'Round the Mountain and our shops!

Cold Sunday Morning

Lily discovers that it's fun to chase birds here, too!

Saturday Sky....at Topsail Beach

Saturday Sky, early morning

Vacation:

Long lazy days crocheting with a napping spaniel snug against my ankle ..... the thundering crash of the sea at high tide .... the roar of wind .... silence .... thin cries of sandpipers daring the ocean waves .... quiet times with a good friend ..... warmth of sun-bright sand against my bare feet .... collecting special shells .... drowsing over a chick-lit book .... late night pizza, wine and laughter .... dogs dancing in the sand .... the wild soaring of sea gulls .... reedy grass tossed in the wind on dunes .... fishermen ranged along the beach, spaced, alone .... brilliance of sand polished by ocean waves .... wanting to walk along an empty beach forever....

My Very First Ever Trip to the Beach

Morning outside my window


Our first quick visit to the sand, on a cold November morning


Sandpipers and a beautiful horizon


Lily on our big adventure. Everything is fine with her as long as Mommy's nearby!


And of course I have to work on something as night falls across the ocean. This is the new start of Seraphina's Shawl. I like my variegated silk and wool yarn, but not as a lacy crochet pattern. It was obscuring the beauty of the stitchery too much. So this is Brooks Farm Four Play, dyed in deep purple and blue. There will be a band of lighter colors, too!

Here There Be Bunnies

Great felted creations of Laveta, who learned to needlefelt here from Jane of Fiber on the Mountain. These little guys were hopping all over the shop!

Meadows of Dan on Saturday Morning

Saturday Sky