Words of Wisdom

A waist is a terrible thing to mind.
- Jane Caminos

Meanwhile back on Squirrel Spur:

So I started knitting this lovely scarf pattern, Seine Scarf by Ann Budd, from the new Interweave Knits Weekend 2009.



I love this yarn...it's from indie dyer's Knit Fit Knitting's yarns that she has here at Greenberry House. But I don't love the fact that you can't see the lace pattern well. This is a repeat and a half of the pattern.



Same dyer, different colorway. This is two repeats of the pattern. Knitting has gone much faster with this yarn, too. So what do y'all think? Scarf one or scarf two? During our podcast last week we talked a bit about whether or not to continue with a project if you're not happy with it. I think it's a topic for further discussion!

Projects, projects...and a few projects

Seine Scarf by Ann Budd, knitted with Knit Fit Knitting sock weight yarn

Natalie's knitting ways may be rubbing off on me. Usually I don't have very many projects I'm working on at the same time, unlike Natalie, who seems to have lots of projects to work on. But, well, new magazines just keep coming in to the shop with more and more tempting patterns. And then there's all this wonderful yarn here.....


Little Crocheted Bag

And of course I can't neglect my crochet hooks....after all, I'm still a hooker at heart! So I also have to keep working on this little bag, which a customer is eying because she likes the colors. Which means I'll have to start another little bag for the shop that I was supposed to consign this one to....


Dog hair

And of course the spinning wheels can't be left out. Especially when customers come in with gorgeous fiber like this that they want spun. This is the combed fiber from a local's Komodor (I think that's what she said) and it is lovely! Creamy soft with no doggy smell. As I commented on our recent podcast, I'm not always thrilled to see dog hair coming in the door for me to spin. But this stuff is just like alpaca and spinning into a beautiful single. Check our the latest episode of our podcast for a hint on what to do if the doggy smell DOES appear in your carefully saved combings!


Dog Hair Singles Yarn

TJ doesn't think much of it, though, so I carefully remove the bag from his reach when I leave him alone. Lily just sniffs me with an expression that says, "Dull, really dull...."


Drum Carder

And naturally, since I had the opportunity to buy a drum carder from a former spinner (now there's a tragedy...someone that doesn't spin anymore...) I have to keep working on the lovely Corriedale fleece I've been spinning. I think I'm going to like the carder. I'm still figuring out the best way to use it but the few batts I've made from the Corrie so far are lovely.

So what's on your needles? Or hook? Or wheel?

P. S. I often don't know what's going on in the bluegrass musical career of my brother, Sammy Shelor. Mostly because he just doesn't think his accomplishments are any big deal. I happened to see a link on his Facebook page to this article. Not a small deal, I think, and congratulations, Sammy! Check out his web site to see more about the band, and some other good things that have been happening lately.

And to give equal time, the Corn Acoustics! Corn Maze is open in Meadows of Dan now and very popular with visitors of all ages. Check out the web site for a planned romantic couples night. And I'm hoping to be hanging around on Halloween telling spooky stories!

Gardening and gathering

Lettuce in my garden

I could bore you for hours with "garden porn" 'cause I love the way the plants look in the evening light. Green comes in so many colors.....and leaves have so many wonderful shapes. But I'll restrain myself here but if you really want to see garden pictures....


Rewards: Amish Paste tomato and wineberries

I've been busy gathering lately, from the garden and beyond. But Sue brought over these delightful red berries that she's been picking out in the wild. She calls them wineberries and they are almost too pretty to eat. I wanted to string them together like beads. I didn't, though. They taste a little like blueberries only better. You can get them from her at her shop, along with fresh sweet corn and beans. Just down Squirrel Spur Road from Greenberry House! Hurry, though, because I don't think they stay in season long and I know people that know about them will snap them up!

I picked enough peas, at last, from the vines yesterday evening to make a nice little meal for me tonight. And I've been picking blackberries, always a favorite of mine, from the brambles right around the house. I'm still getting lettuce, too, from the garden, to eat with local tomatoes, onions and cukes from below the mountain. I've only gotten one little tomato from our plants so far!


Hand Painted Texel Roving

We had a damp morning on Wednesday, a day I had planned to shear a couple of rabbits, so I pulled out the dye pots instead. Hadn't planned on a dye day and didn't have much ready, but I popped in some Texel Roving and did some painting with blue and red. This time I was more careful with the heat and the roving turned out softer...I'm very happy with these results. I'll be banding up the roving this weekend and putting it out for sale here at the shop.


Sandra's Unique Project

I forgot to take my camera to our Stitch 'n Chat gathering last week, but Mary remembered hers and took this shot of Sandra. She's knitting (honest) on Size 50 needles with a thick single made of alpaca, wool and nylon (I think). It's going to be a stole and it really is gorgeous. Sandra says she'll have some similar yarn from this year's alpaca fleeces! We had a nice meeting at the Atlantic Breeze Alpaca boutique and it was lovely admiring all the beautiful alpaca creations.


Barnabas: "This blog needs a cat photo!"

Neglectful Blogger

Be(ar) alert!

I know I haven't been around much lately, but we've been busy digging in the dirt, spinning and selling yarn and enjoying the gorgeous weather we've been having here in Meadows of Dan. And also enjoying the excitement of the recent bear sightings in town and nearby. The folks at Lovers Leap Birdhouses posted this recently. I was walking with TJ a couple of weeks ago, early in the morning, and saw a bear of a very similar size really close to the farm. Exciting indeed!


White Rhododendron

We had a little rain on Wednesday so I took the opportunity to get away from the garden and wander around the top of the mountain a little, after shearing two chocolate rabbits. The color, not the confection. I don't remember when the white rhododendron (which is a little pinkish) has every bloomed so well. The big shrubs are just covered with blossoms. I've missed the height of the season...I was down at Lovers' Leap as well and it looked like the picnic area must have been amazing not long ago with bloom.


View from Lovers Leap at what Grandpa called "The Rock Cut"

This has been a lovely week of enjoying good friends as well as summer weather and activities. I found RJ at home while I was rambling around and we had a lovely visit out on her screened porch. Maudie the magnificent cat stalked the birds that were serenading us as we talked, planning the possible addition of a bedroom to my house. Things are getting a little crowded in the cottage on the mountain lately!


Shiny

There are some wonderful new fibers at the shop, and I fell for this Miss Babs roving hard! Love the shimmer and the colors. It's spinning like a dream on my new favorite spindle, the one Mike Clark in Colorado made for me. I finished up the California Red roving I bought in Estes Park in record time and dived into this new stuff immediately. On the wheels I've carded and am spinning up the last of a Jacob fleece that I got quite awhile back from Perfect Spot Farm in North Carolina with the little upright wheel. The Haldane is busy with a variegated Corriedale fleece that I bought two years ago at SAFF from Rising Meadow Farm. Loving how the singles are turning out!


Yarns from Unplanned Peacock, Ferrum, Virginia

And I've been bragging about these lovely yarns from a delightful new vendor here at Greenberry House in our weekly (mostly) newsletter. Natasha is a wonderful dyer and her yarns are so soft and richly colored. These yarns need to be touched!

It's All About the Garden

Belated Happy 4th of July (from Eunice and me)

It has been a wonderful week, with great friends dropping by, lots of spinning to do, big projects nearing completion and a little time on the road for a change. At last I have my car back, after it spent a couple of months helping out the SO because his vehicles were all terminal!

The fruits (or, rather, vegetables) of labor

I've spent a good many satisfying hours out in the little garden this past week or so and loved every minute of it. If I had to chose between spinning and gardening....well... Have I fooled you with the picture of the lovely squash, cukes and peppers? This is the mountain, remember, and we had a heavy frost on May 17 this year. So my garden really looks like this....

Time in a garden....

We do have some lovely heirloom tomato plants, and there are little tomatoes on almost all of them. All green so far. I planted broccoli and brussel sprouts before we went on vacation and they're showing signs of growing now, after I weeded and weeded the rows. June is not a good time for a gardener to go on vacation. My only harvest, though, is some lovely lettuce from the two different types I planted and I've been living on salads for a couple of weeks. On Wednesday I weeded and weeded, mulched and mulched, and planted half-runner beans, sweet corn and a row of marigolds. I also lugged some big pots out to the garden and planted nasturtiums and marigolds in them.

Keeping company by the garden

It was such a love day. I brought Lily out to stay with me while I worked, and she settled down under the big spruce tree to watch. Frequent breaks sitting with her and reading with a glass of iced sweet tea made the day even more pleasant. The breezes were lovely and made working out in the garden a pleasure.

Pea blossoms

We put some little fences up for the peas and there are a few little pods growing along with the blooms. So it won't be long until we have some peas. The rows are quite short so I may have to save them up over the summer for one meal!

Crisp garden lettuce

The cool breezes and wetter weather have been great for my lettuce and I almost hate to pick the pretty leaves. So not going to let it waste, though, if I can help it. The big pot belonged to my grandmother, my father's mother, and I set it up on a big concrete block. Every garden needs a focal point, huh?

Greenberry House at the farmer's market

And the lovely squash and stuff in the picture above? The product of a real farmer's labor, Wayne Kirkpatrick in Stuart. "Below the mountain" the season starts a good bit earlier than it does in Meadows of Dan. I went down early on Friday morning to participate in the Patrick County Farmers Market, which is open every Friday morning during the season. I was there before seven but farmers were already setting up and customers were coming in very soon after.


Mary Jo and Charlie Leet

This week's market was something of a special event, and several farmers and artisans were set up, along with some fantastic musicians. It made for a lovely start to a busy weekend. There were more beautiful vegetables than I can post pictures of here, but more are in my Flickr album.

Daylily at Farmers Market

One thing I loved about the farmers market was that some things were food for the soul as well as to nurture the body. Several farmers had cut flowers for sale and there were daylily plants available as well. Just looking at all of the beautiful products was a pleasure...every piece seemed polished and buffed for display with care.

I bought red potatoes, some lovely small squash, some beautiful purple onions and some tiny black potatoes as an experiment to saute in olive oil and garlic. And lovely Mary Jo gave me an ENORMOUS bag of green beans, Blue Lake, that I'll eat fresh and also freeze the rest.

Speaking of markets, it looks as though the Crafts in the Meadows festival was a great success yesterday. It has been raining all day today (good for the garden but not great for festival vendors) so I'm not sure how they are fareing. It has been pretty busy at the shop today so hopefully the crafters and authors are getting visitors. Last night we enjoyed fireworks and music at Christopher's Pizza, just down the road. The next big festival here in Meadows of Dan is the Folk Fair, on August 8. Sounds like some good things are planned!

Adventure!

Gateway Arch, St. Louis, Missouri

I often think I would like to put aside the many obligations of dogs, cats, rabbits, shop, spinning wheel and garden and just travel around this wonderful country. But then I realize just how attached I am to home and creatures and I come to my senses. But for a change a little travel is nice!

First glimpse of Rocky Mountains, east of Denver

So we took off on a road trip, with the excuse of the Estes Park Wool Market as a destination. Actually, we both just needed some time off. Thanks to Linda and Susan I was able to leave the shop, and dear Kym and Laveta and Diane all looked after the different animals. Good folks around here!

As usual, we got a late start on Monday, because Ron had to work later than he had hoped. By the time we got the car emptied out of his work stuff and the dogs to their different places to stay, then packed, it was after 4 before we headed out. We made it as far as Charleston, West Virginia, before deciding to stay the night. We headed out early the next morning, driving across Kentucky looking for horses and horse farms, then into new territory for me across Indiana and Illinois. I would love to dye yarns in some of the colors I saw...bright greens and rich earth tones that were almost moorit. We stopped in Lawrence, Kansas, for the night and treated outselves to a salad dinner. In Charleston I was able to get the laptop to work for a little while, then it went on strike across the rest of the country!

It was foggy across Kansas, so I didn't see much on the way out. I know several people through Twitter, Facebook, and so on through this part of the country, but without the laptop it was hard to get in touch. And there's just never enough time to do everything I want to do, is there? I even have an old school friend that lives in Kansas now.

Climbing the mountain toward Estes Park

We were getting a little tired after three days on the road and glad to see the Castle Mountain Lodge when we got into town. We had dinner at Nicky's, following the path by the lovely Falling River and surrounded by mountains.


Cathy and Me

One of the main things I was looking forward to on the trip was finally meeting in person Cathy of Catena Expressions. If you're not familar with Cathy and her wonderful original crochet designs and beautiful descriptions and photographs of her part of the world, get on over and have a look. I'll wait.

An unexpected bonus was meeting Mike, Cathy's husband, who is a talented photographer and woodworker. We met for lunch at the Grubstake in Estes Park, and I can certainly recommend the Henrietta sandwich! There wasn't an awkward moment in visiting with these people I had never met in person. They are so interested in so many different things and ideas that there was something to chat about every minute.

As you can see by the photo above, Cathy brought me flowers, beautiful peonies from her garden at home. We brought them all the way back to Virginia, and they're still beautiful on my kitchen table right now.

Handmade Mike Clark Original Spindle

This picture didn't turn out well, but I was thrilled on Saturday when Mike presented me with this lovely spindle he made from a lovely piece of soft orange agate. I'm not a very good spindle spinner, but with this one I've been making beautiful fine singles from the California Red roving I bought at the Wool Market especially to spin with this spindle. It's beautifully balanced and spins like a dream!

More about the Wool Market and our visit to Estes Park in my next post. There are a lot of pictures in this photo set on Flickr.

We Did It!

The garden, at last!

Somehow, between rain showers, we managed to get all the seeds and the tomato plants into the ground.  Some of the peas are up, the tomatoes look pretty good despite the wet and we planted broccoli, brussel sprouts and two hills of watermelon.  Planning to get lots of other veggies from Mountain Meadow Farm and Craft Market through the season.

Other than gardening it has been a busy week, despite the rain.  I sheared one of my favorite rabbits, Blueberry Belle.  Belle is the doe in my mom's lap in the picture on this page of the web site.  I also sheared Jack, a nice chocolate buck, also featured on this web page.  Did some necessary cleaning down in the bunny house as well, all before the rains came again.

Imprinting

Speaking of birds, the barn swallows are back on the front porch at Greenberry House again.  Mom looks to be sitting on her eggs, although I can't be sure.  She isn't leaving the nest very much.  Down in the barn there's another nest, and I noticed little heads peeking at me over the side this morning during rabbit feeding time.

During the wet weather I've been inside most of the time, and spinning and knitting.  I don't have pictures of the spinning projects but I finished seven or eight skeins of a brown Border Leicester fleece that has been here for a little while.  The yarn turned out lovely, but I'm still thinking I may over dye it for a variegated effect.  That has proved popular with the customers.  I just started a bobbin of hand dyed red Texel and I'm enjoying the way it is spinning up.

Knitting on a pillow

Last night at Stitching group I made a lot of progress on this project, while I had a great visit with Candy.  I'm hoping to finish this while we're on the way to and from Colorado.  Great time to knit, imprisoned in the front seat of a car!  

Yesterday I had to take the dogs to the vet and it was the usual adventure.  TJ is an angel at home, getting much better at behaving when we're walking together, but is an absolute lunatic in the car.  He seems deliriously happy, but I'm not really sure what's going on in his head.  He barks and whines the whole way with a huge smile on his face and his tail wagging frantically.  Not much fun as a companion on even a short trip.  We managed, though, and on the way home he sat up front with Lily and was a bit quieter.  She didn't love having him there, though.

We got the full set of shots for the dogs because we're going to have to board them while we're away.  I'm groaning with the expense of it all.  I know the cost has more than doubled for regular shots over the past couple of years (although having to change vets may be part of the reason for that).  I adore the dogs and don't really mind the expense, but in the back of my mind is the fact that a lot of people don't feel that way.  I'm afraid that there will be still more abandoned animals because pet owners don't want to pay the high costs of caring for them.  

Lily got sick last night...not sure if it was the heat, putting up with TJ's excitement during the trip or a mild reaction to the shots.  She was restless all night after throwing up all over the living room and then mad at me because I didn't give her supper!  This morning she seems back to normal.  I'm glad I didn't stop off at the library for books-on-tape for the trip after all, though, because I would have felt guilty about leaving her in the car when she got sick.  The vet visit didn't take very long and the library wasn't open yet, so I headed home rather than wait the extra twenty minutes.  I'm going to miss my books, though!

So, Colorado here we come!  I have so much to do before we leave!

Getting inspired!

Yeah, it's raining

Well, I'm trying to be inspired, but it's tough right now with all the wet weather.  My friend and helper Laveta came by early this afternoon and managed to clean out the bunny house between showers, but a storm blew in just after she finished.  The skies are "sulled up" again right now, even though it's not doing anything right this minute.  It will be.

Another shawl

With all the wet weather I find that I'm not very inspired.  Usually I'm out taking pictures of spring flowers and I'd love to be talking about the first garden I've put in since I can't remember when.  But wet days just keep me dashing from barn to house to shop, and I don't spend as much time looking around as I'd like.  I noticed as I ran back from getting lunch today that what looks like a big locust tree near the Parkway is blooming.

So instead of working outside I've filled all the spinning wheels with wool and my knitting needles and crochet hook have been busy.  I've carded a big basket of brown Border Leicester wool that I hope to finish spinning this week to get overdyed.  My dye day didn't happen this past week, and I think I'm going to be too busy getting ready for a trip to do much dyeing next week.

The other shawl above is one I'm working on for sale.  This is in a cotton yarn and a very simple pattern I just make up as I go.  I'm sure there are lots of variations on this theme out there.  I'm also knitting a throw pillow to brighten up the shop porch.  Stockinette and garter stitch in stripes...I'm sure someone else has had this idea before, too, although I haven't seen it yet.

The trip... in one more week the SO and I are heading for Colorado, in part for the Estes Park Wool Market.  We haven't had a vacation together in I don't even remember how long.  I've been so busy lately I haven't had time to get excited.  But now that Linda and Susan are looking after the shop, Laveta is looking after the rabbits and cats and Diane is tending the dogs, I'm starting to think going away for awhile will be fun, even though it's partly a work trip.  I don't have a booth at this show but I'm going to keep my eyes open to see if it might be something we'd want to do someday.  I have an idea I need to do more fiber shows next year

For two mornings in a row I managed to take TJ for a walk...poor fellow was really happy to get outside.  He doesn't like wet weather, though, and will turn right around if it starts raining on us while we're out!  Lily is content to curl up on the couch with me after a short daily walk, whether it's wet outside or not.  Last night she and the cat, Barnabas, graciously allowed me to sleep in my bed with them!

Memorial Day Weekend

Seen in Meadows of Dan

It is really hard to get out and get fun pictures to illustrate the blog when it just rains all the time here in Meadows of Dan!  Here I have tomatoes, lettuce and peas growing happily in my wet garden but no pictures to show and brag about.  But then, I guess if you've seen one tomato plant you've seen them all!  I've been dodging showers to get things planted but at least I can feel a bit better about all the rain, now that I have a garden!

In spite of the rain we had a busy holiday weekend.  Lots of people around for the Hit and Miss in the Mountain Festival.  I didn't have a lot of time to see what was happening down there, since we had customers (thanks, everyone, for coming by!) but I did see a good many engines setting up and lots of crafters.  There are some folks still down there if you're out in Meadows of Dan today.  Music is scheduled for 2 to 4 PM if the weather doesn't get impossibly bad!

Speaking of music, I looked out yesterday afternoon and saw the young man pictured above out on my neighbor's back porch playing his guitar.  I don't think he was involved with the festival but he stayed out there quite awhile.  I was a little too busy to find out anything about him but I'm sure passing visitors enjoyed seeing him out there!

As I suspected the new yarns and fibers I brought back from Sedalia last week have been very popular with customers.  Quite a bit of angora blend yarn and some alpaca went home with customers this weekend.  I hope I get to see some of the lovely things they create!  A couple of felters came in as well, and some nice return customers from last year.

Cinema on the Lawn, Chateau Morrisette

Friend Jane has been spending the weekend with us, camping out in a tent in the back yard because she's allergic to Barnabas, the cat.  Since she can't stay in the house, it's great to have something fun do in the evening.  Saturday night another friend, Mary, was free to go with us up to Chateau Morrisette for a mini girlfriend get-away at the movies.  This is our third time, I think, and we enjoyed it thoroughly.  His Girl Friday, with Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell, may not be the best movie ever made but it was terrific under the cloudy skies on the lawn at the winery.  Everything is funnier, and better, when shared with friends!  There were other friends seated nearby, with their delightful little dog, and a friendly young couple we didn't even know to chat with.  Friend Kym put the event together and she did a great job.  The food was really good, service was excellent and with a smile, and the cost reasonable!  I think the next show is Labor Day weekend, and we'll be there for the fun!

It's raining today (no surprise) but already a few people have drifted into the shop.  On my agenda for the day is to finish up this week's newsletter (Ok, I haven't even started it yet!) and I'm hoping to put some books online and on the web site.  This weekend I managed to put some of the sparkling yarns created by Linda Wright of Wild Iris Wool on the site, along with some vintage postcards.  

Texel Roving

Oh, almost forgot!  I did a dye day last Wednesday and it took awhile for the roving to dry in this wet weather.  Very pleased with the results, though.  This is the Texel roving I had processed at Central Virginia Fiber Mill from the fleeces Linda and I bought at Border Spring Farm.  Nice so far!  I'm hoping for another dye day this coming Wednesday.  Come on over and bring your fiber!

Getting ready for the festival

Getting ready for the festival

It has been a lovely, if busy week!  Lots of meetings, gatherings, some demonstrating and then more meetings.  Today I'm concentrating on pulling together all the stuff I need for the Sedalia Spring Fiber Festival.  Fortunately friend Chris from Connecticut decided at the last minute to come down with her darlin' Kiri!  Here she's sorting through her gorgeous angora blend yarns, from sock weight to fingering, and pricing them to take to the show.

New Yarns from Wild Iris Wool

One of the highlights of a week filled with fun and interesting stuff was a visit by Linda of Wild Iris Wools.  She brought lovely new yarns to sell here at the shop.  See that shiny green one?  Gorgeous mohair single!  And look at the sparkles in that pink and the yellow!

Sue of Dan River Books in Meadows of Dan talking to visitors at Lambsburg

On Tuesday there was a Chamber of Commerce gathering in Meadows of Dan that was well-attended and lovely. Got a bit of bad news about a dear member of the community, though, which I pray will turn out all right. Had to rush away and attend another meeting in Stuart, which was also very interesting. There are some clever people around working on some amazing projects.

Wednesday was another fun day, although I was really tired when I got home.  I went with a small group of Meadows of Dan representatives to the Virginia Welcome Center at Lambsburg, which is on I-77 just north of the North Carolina line.  We set up demonstrations of traditional crafts and talked to over 300 people over the course of the day.  Lots of folks from all over...Michigan, Ohio, Canada and beyond.  I always enjoy this type of demonstration and the staff at the welcome center is just amazing.  So friendly, knowledgeable and helpful!

Beautiful new raw alpaca!

Mary Martin, who lives in Bluefield, came to Meadows of Dan on Sunday and brought lots of wonderful alpaca fleece.  There was one bag I snagged right out of the box...too beautiful to pass up.  She brought rose gray, fawn, brown, gray and especially black.  This is all raw fleece, blanket and also some blending fiber.  Can't wait to get into my bag!  We'll have some if it at Sedalia.

Finished Glittering Capelet

The sun has finally come out, after such a long time hidden by rain clouds.  The yard has finally been mowed and I planted tomatoes, peas, and lettuce early in the week.  The sky is lovely right now, with soft-looking puffy clouds skirting the horizon.  There's a bit of a breeze and I'm hoping this is a good sign for the festival tomorrow.

Chris and I have been catching up on the stories and in general having a great time along with working on getting ready for the festival.  Her puppy, Kiri, has been an angel.  My Lab, TJ, less so but he's working on it.  He's too much dog for Kiri to play with but she made a game try at it last night.  When she comes back next year she'll give him a run for his money!

On a warm spring day in Meadows of Dan

Seen around the farm:

Violets blooming


Skunk cabbage...growing


Apple tree exploding with blossom


Neighbor plowing Sue's garden (he did mine, too!)


Hinge aging on outbuilding

Now back to practicalities.  Although I don't know anything much more practical than a garden.  I can't wait to get to digging.  The soil needs to be tilled, because this is the first year I've had a garden patch at this spot.  It's near the grapevine fence, in lots of sun.  And out where everyone can see it so I'll have to keep it weeded!  I've already gotten seeds for sunflowers, nasturtiums and marigolds.  Oh, yeah, and peas, lettuce, broccoli, brussel sprouts....planning to get some tomato plants.  We're sort of getting a late start because it has rained so much but I hope we can soon catch up!

Recycled!  Former refrigerator now feed bin

Sandra of Thistle Cove Farm suggested in a comment on this blog that I use the refrigerator that died as a feed bin.  I would never have come up with that idea myself, but it works perfectly!  In fact, I think that the feed bin will long outlast the life of the refrigerator used for it's original purpose.  It only kept food cold for a year and a few months!  We put it up on cinder blocks on a tarp to protect it from the damp.  Since it wasn't a full-sized appliance it holds two 50 pound bags of rabbit feed perfectly.  When I get the chickens, hopefully next year, there's room in the freezer compartment for laying mash!

Mary waiting for breakfast

Already the rabbits have realized that the sound of the refrigerator lid opening means breakfast, just like the recognized the rattle of the old metal garbage can.  Mary, as senior doe, gets her breakfast first (although it's mostly because she's closest to the door, but don't tell her that.)  Mary is coming up on seven years old now and still has a wonderfully thick fleece, eats well, and enjoys her outings on the grass in the little pen.  She's long retired from motherhood and doesn't seem to regret it.

Mom's Prayer Shawl

Finally finished this shawl yesterday.  Really pleased with the way it turned out.  The soft striping of the sock yarn and the fineness of the gauge really work, at least I think so.  It may be awhile before I tackle a pattern like this again but I enjoyed knitting this!

New project

No sooner did I lay down the knitting needles that I picked up the crochet hook.  This is a pattern from the Spring, 2009 Interweave Crochet, by Lily M. Chin.  It's called Glittering Capelet, although because I'm using a wool yarn mine doesn't glitter so much.  This is a shop sample.  Even thought it's made from a commercial yarn I got at A Likely Yarn in Abingdon a few months ago, I think it will show the effect you can get from our local painted yarns.  

We had a quiet day yesterday here at the shop because of the weather, but I got a nice surprise when Linda came late in the afternoon with some of her beautiful handspun yarns.  We had a delightful visit while we worked on getting her yarns settled onto the shelves and then gave ourselves a treat by visiting Christopher's Pizza just down the road for dinner.  I'm having left-over pizza for lunch!