sheep dreams

2013-05-23T13:37:00.000-04:00

(my beloved peonies are blooming-avert your eyes from the weeds!)

So, it's back to real life. The Kentucky Sheep and Fiber Festival is behind us and it was pretty terrific - the best yet! I saw so many of you and met lots of new folks and answered the question, "What kind of sheep are those?" at least a hundred times. Everyone who got a look at my girls in their pen wondered where they got those gorgeous curly locks. For the record, they are half Wensleydale and they've got luster and curls galore. My grand-daughter, Jordan, was a fantastic help the whole weekend and grandson, Coleman, pitched in on Saturday and Saturday evening for the Farm-to-Table dinner. It was great fun having them around.

(Carson enjoying the view of growing, growing grass)

So what's happening around the farm this week? Mostly regrouping, reorganizing and gearing up for the next event on the calendar. What's not happening? Mowing .... mowing that desperately needs doing. Mike reminded me last night that I'm always in this agitated frame of mind in May and early June because the grass it growing and it's raining and getting the timing right for mowing is so difficult. We've even hired a little help this year and are still struggling to hit a day when he's available to come mow and it's not too wet. Our farm is one of those "picturesque", hilly places that makes mowing a bit of an adventure, even when it's dry. You do not attempt it when the ground is wet. Mike also reminded me that this phase will pass and soon enough the grass-growing frenzy will slow down.

Tomorrow I'm off for a felting class. The fabulous Nicola Brown is here from Ireland again and I'm taking one of her workshops. Honestly, Nicola is so much fun to be around, I'd take the workshop even if I didn't already know I was going to learn so much! Nicola comes to the states for teaching gigs at least once a year and we're so lucky to be on her itinerary.

So, here's a question. If you knew you were going to have only two days to spend in New York City, what would you want to see and do? That's going to be part of my next adventure and I'm having trouble making a plan. I need help!

Crazy time, lazy time

2013-05-15T14:31:00.000-04:00

(under stormy skies last week)

It's that time of year. The one when I feel I'm totally crazy for living this life I live. So, so much to do and it all needs doing right now! I'm sure I can hear the grass (and weeds) growing and it has rained so much that the ground is saturated and everything is too wet. By the time it dries out enough to get on the mower and the tractor, another rainy spell is forecast. Plus, the fiber festival is THIS WEEKEND! (and, I am so not ready) I'm giving myself a pep talk. I'm trying to relax about it and just go with the flow. I'm ~~probably~~ not going to get any more new yarn dyed or any more fibers spun up or any more felted bowls ready, but I have some fabulous natural colored roving and some freshly shorn fleeces that are lovely and I'm going to have a good time! New to my booth this year are some really great yarn tools (and you know how we fiber people like to add new tools to our arsenal!) Wes and Elissha Waltrip have designed some great "yarn buddies" and a very clever and affordable swift/skein winder that I'm sure many of you need to add to your collection. My wonderful grand-daughter, Jordan, is coming to help me again and we'll have time to sit and spin together or knit or just chat, so what more could I ask for? Well, maybe some lovely weather so all you folks will want to be there at the festival with us.

I am excited about this year's festival. It promises to be bigger and better than ever. All the vendor spots are full and there will be even more vendors set up outside. I'll be in the livestock area, which this year has been moved so that it's adjacent to the big vendor areas. I'm going to have a few half Wensleydale yearling ewes with me that will be for sale. Their fleeces are so bright and beautiful, they practically sparkle! I'm even thinking about bringing Miss Luna along (she's a big girl now). Come on by for a visit while you're at the festival.

As far as lazy time, that would be what all the animals who live here are enjoying. Without lambs to raise this year, the ewes are doing nothing but eating and sleeping, eating and sleeping and then, maybe more eating.

(Pippi - all her spots revealed!)

The workshop in pictures

2013-05-10T15:46:00.001-04:00

This week has gotten totally away from me. I intended to get another post-workshop post up right away and here I am on Friday scrambling to do it. Warning: This is going to be a picture heavy post that's light on words. These were all taken by Sara when she came over to document the happenings for me. I hope I've managed to include everyone. I was trying to find pictures with everyone included and these are in no particular order ...... just random scenes of the fun we had last week.


(There was a lot of this particular activity - nosy alpacas having their picture taken.)

(Prince and Robyn - up close and personal)

(Sue, Dagmar, Reg, Miho, Diane-with-one-N, Mary)

(Chris, Robyn, Dagmar, Anne and Reg in the background, Diane-with-one-N. This picture could be called "Cochineal Behaving Badly" They were able to make it behave and become red.)

(Diane-with-one-N-checking her iPhone timer. This was a lesson for me - I had no idea I could use my phone as a timer. See the valuable stuff I learned last week?)

(Carson chose Lisa to be his personal servant for the workshop)

(K. and Dagmar - I tried the whole time to figure out a way to confiscate Dagmar's apron - I love it!)


(There were lots of teaching moments)

(Barb and Lisa dubbed themselves the Remedial Team, but they did great!!)

(Beautiful steaming madder)


(One of Dagmar's gorgeous hand-dyed, handwoven scarves)


(The girls were not the least disrupted from their routine. It didn't faze them at all to see all those cars parked in front of the studio. Can you see Pippi inside the little shed?)

So, this week has been a mostly rainy blur and now it's on to the Kentucky Sheep and Fiber Festival, which will be next weekend, May 18 and 19. We've got so much good stuff to offer this year. There will be new fiber vendors, skein, picture and fleece competitions (don't forget that some of those fleeces will be for sale when the judging is finished), new food vendors (we're having gelato this year-that makes me so happy!), some great Bluegrass and Celtic music and we've added a Farm-to-Table dinner on Saturday evening. Check out the website for all the happenings and then come out and enjoy the weekend with us!

Edited to add: Check out Lisa's post on the workshop. She did a fantastic job of explaining the whole process! Lisa Binkley's Fiber Art Blog.

The joy of making friends while dyeing

2013-05-06T15:23:00.000-04:00

I hardly know where to begin. This past Thursday, Friday and Saturday Tanglewood Farm was the gathering place for a natural dye workshop and it was such a great experience. Dagmar Klos, who wrote the Dyer's Companion came here from Chicago to teach twelve of us the joys of dyeing wool with natural dyes. We learned to do the math (it wasn't too scary!), prepare our fiber and the dye matter and so much, much more. I'll confess that beforehand I was a little worried about how the studio would accommodate that many of us for three full days and if people would enjoy themselves while they were here. I needn't have worried. It turned out to be the most wonderful group of women and by the time it was over, I felt I had gained a new group of kindred spirit friends. The camaraderie and teamwork displayed during the three days of the workshop were examples of every good thing I know about a group of women coming together for a common interest. One of the best things I noticed was that though we ranged in age from 30's to 60's and many different walks of life, every single person spent time in one-on-one conversation and sharing with everyone else. Thank so much to all of you who braved the country roads and lack of road signs (!) to find your way here.

I can't say enough good things about Dagmar. If you ever have the opportunity* to take a workshop from her, jump on it! She's such a good teacher. She's warm and encouraging and keeps you focused and on task with just the right amount of direction. This was a very hands-on workshop. We learned by Dagmar patiently taking us through each step of the process. Added to that, she was the very best kind of house guest (and was even willing to eat leftovers on her last night with us!). (*You should make a note right now because if all goes as planned, she'll be coming back to teach at the 2014 Kentucky Sheep and Fiber Festival!)

I'm pretty sure Dagmar has never had to conduct a class in the kind of working conditions I presented her with. We spent time around the table in the studio to begin each day, but after that we were mostly in the barn aisle with our dye pots. Between Luna being part of the class on one day and the alpaca boys continually peering at us over the fence, to the birds flying in and out of the barn over our heads all day, our natural dyeing class was surrounded by nature. She was a great sport about it and never complained.

I'm going to take this opportunity to thank great friends for helping me feed everyone while they were here. David saw to it that we had fabulous food from Shaker Village (everyone especially loved the tomato celery soup), Mary Cherrey baked her famous banana bread and cookies to help fuel us up every morning and Teresa presented us with an elegant lunch on Saturday that had everyone thinking they'd been invited to a fancy Derby party! I can't tell you how many times people told me how lucky I was to have such good friends who are fabulous cooks! (Believe me, I know how lucky I am!)

K. Crane was my partner in crime for this workshop. It all happened because we had a conversation about how fun it would be to have a natural dye workshop here at the farm. K. volunteered that she knew Dagmar and would be happy to talk to her about coming to Kentucky sometime in the spring. And the rest, as they say, is history. K. was instrumental in helping me get it all set up and she also spent a considerable amount of time skeining up half of the 900 mini-skeins we needed to have prepared ahead of time. (I'll confess that I used making mini-skeins as my excuse for watching many years worth of "Monarch of the Glen" within a 3 day period!) Thanks so much K. for all your hard work.

(Chris and Robyn cooking their stinky bugs - cochineal)


(our indigo solution)

(So many glorious colors - all from natural dyes!)

I have lots of pictures to share from the workshop and will be posting those later this week. My friend Sara came out on Friday and took some really good pictures that I want to share. (I'm not so great at taking pictures when things are happening around me - these were all snapped with my iPhone.)

Moving forward

2013-04-24T15:46:00.000-04:00

(Rainy days are adding green to our world)

The farm is waking up these days, even without the presence of my precious baby lambs in the barn and pastures. The ewes are happy that we have green grass and if we could just get the temperature to moderate a little, it would be so great. I've planted a few things out in the garden, which have promptly been eaten by what I'm guessing is a rabbit. Without our dear Holly here to patrol, the night creatures have moved right in. I guess we are going to need to drag the electric fence out early and maybe put row covers over things in order to harvest fresh greens anytime soon. I sure hope rabbits don't like asparagus because it should be coming up soon and it will break my heart to not enjoy our yearly asparagus bounty.

The morning that Holly died was also alpaca and llama shearing day. The alpaca boys, along with Strawberry and Pippi got to ride over to Seldom Scene Farm for their yearly do. It's always a big relief to have all the shearing over with for the year. I've been trying to decide whether I'm going to keep the alpaca boys or sell them. One day I think keep and the next day I think sell. I'm trying hard to simplify the routine around here and having multiple species always makes things a little more complicated. On the other hand, I do love having those alpaca fleeces to blend with my sheep fleeces. So, back and forth I go. No matter what, Strawberry and Pippi (the llamas) will stay because they get along beautifully with the sheep and are used to being part of the ewe flock.

I've been working along preparing for the natural dye workshop to be held here at the farm next week. I'm really excited about hosting this event. Dagmar is so knowledgeable and having three full days of hands-on instruction is going to teach us all so much. At the conclusion of the workshop, each participant will go home with 75 (!) mini-skeins that we will have dyed during the three days. Each of those mini-skeins will be tagged with the "recipe" for recreating the color and will be a resource we can use forever.

Of course, because it's spring time on the farm, I'll probably be out mowing until hours before the start of the workshop. Fast growing green grass is a blessing and a curse in the spring. By the time I finish mowing a round, it's time to start all over again! We've had some wonderful sunny days this week and now the rain has arrived again. I swear I can see things growing right before my eyes. There is something wonderful about the arrival of a new season. For me, it's a sign of new opportunity combined with the comfort of tried and true activities. I love autumn best of all, but spring might be next. I love planting the garden (though I'm not so crazy about tending to it in the heat of July and August) and shedding the coats, boots and woolen hats. I enjoy bringing the pots out of the greenhouse and putting them back around the koi pond on the terrace and eating dinner on the screened porch. These are all things that happen year after year, but somehow seem new and exciting at the change of the season.

And speaking of new and exciting, we've had a new addition to the MacDonald clan this week. Just yesterday afternoon, Mike's son, Taylor and his wife, Crimson welcomed their son, Atticus Euclid MacDonald, into the world. We're so excited about having a new baby in the family. Though Mike has been more than willing to embrace my eight grandchildren as his own, this is his first official grandchild ..... and the one who will carry on the MacDonald name. We can't wait to start teaching him about life on the farm!

Holly

2013-04-18T16:09:00.000-04:00

My husband has a favorite saying in answer to whatever is plaguing me at any given moment. "Oh well, it's always something". Sometimes it's funny and sometimes not. Yesterday was one of those days when it was not. We received a call from a neighbor early yesterday morning, telling us that there was a dog on the side of the road that looked like it could be one of our Pyrenees. It was our weird, sweet Holly. The past few years she's gotten progressively more fearful of storms and it seemed as though nothing we tried seemed to calm or comfort her. Usually, she would run off and hide and show up the next day, looking as though she had been through hell. Monday night we had one of the most dramatic storms I can remember in a long time. So much thunder, lightning and heavy rain and it went on forever. Holly had obviously started running and just kept going because she was 1 1/2 miles from home. At some point, she must have run out into the road and been hit. Holly had been here five years and I wrote about her arrival here. We don't know what her life experiences were before she arrived here. She had a quirky personality and clearly preferred her sheep to hanging out with humans (which is exactly how it should be for a dog who's been bred to protect livestock). She's been a wonderful guardian for our animals - always sweet and kind with the ewes and lambs, never playing rough or chasing them. We are going to miss her so very much. We still have Aslan and are most likely going to need to start a new puppy soon, though it's difficult to even think about that at the moment. It's all part of that ever-present cycle of life and death here on the farm.

Going green

2013-04-15T18:08:00.001-04:00

Finally, it's going green here in central Kentucky. We had a little spell of rain and warm weather last week and the grass and trees and bushes are waking up. Seeing the sheep grazing happily on tender grass and the tiny leaves emerging on the pecan trees in the yard was a bright spot in an otherwise frustrating week. Looking back through posts from years past, we usually have poppies, peonies, viburnum and lilacs blooming by now, but this year we are way behind. I'm hoping this means that we'll have a long, lovely spring that lasts well into June before the summer heat and humidity come to stay.

(My big bottle baby, Buddy)

It's an awfully quiet spring here at Tanglewood with no lambs to enjoy. With the exception of a year or two when I chose not the breed the ewes, I've never had a spring without lambs in my shepherding life. Mr. Bates was either too young for the job or else he was sterile. In any case, we will never know because we castrated him last weekend, so he's now a wether. Why would we do that? Mr. Bates has a gorgeous fleece (he's half Wensleydale and has so much luster, I swear he sparkles!) and I wanted to keep him, but he was developing a bit of an "attitude". I can't keep any animal around here if they are not trust-worthy and he was starting to make me feel uneasy. All that testosterone was making him ~~a bit of a punk~~ less than agreeable to have around. So, now that he's a wether, he should mellow out and start being a nicer boy. He and Buddy are together right now, so he has the perfect roll model for becoming a true gentleman. In another four or five weeks he and Buddy can join the girls out in the big pasture and they'll hopefully be one big happy family for the rest of the summer.

(The former punk - Mr. Bates)

Have you checked out the workshops for the Kentucky Sheep and Fiber Festival? There are some terrific offerings - so much to learn, so little time. I wish I could take a few classes, but I'll be there as a vendor and that will keep me plenty busy. (I do hope to sneak in just a tiny bit of shopping.) We've got lots of new features this year. We're hosting a Farm-To-Table dinner on Saturday evening, more food vendors (gelato this year...yay!!), and a great selection of fiber and equipment vendors. I promise, you'll be glad you came.

Reading matter(s)

2013-04-04T15:19:00.002-04:00

Not long ago, I promised a post on some of my newest reading matter. It's not so much books right now, but some terrific magazines that are entertaining me. People who know me well will tell you that I always have a stack of the newest issues out on the table.

For more years than I can even remember, British Country Living has been at the top of the stack. It's one of those magazines that I keep years of back issues and cannot bring myself to get rid of. Last year I started subscribing to Kinfolk, which has the most beautiful design aesthetic. It really makes you want to step into the pages and become part of the scene being portrayed. Another really great American magazine is Taproot. The editor is none other than Amanda Soule (of Soulemama fame). It's a wonderful combination of food, craft, photography, artwork and so much more. Kinfolk and Taproot are my serenity magazines. They are calming and thought provoking to look at (in the same way reading Soulemama first thing in the morning starts me off thinking about something Amanda has written).

(The Simple Things)

Lately, I've discovered a few more British magazines. Mollie Makes is about crafts and those who are making things. The articles are mainly about craftspeople in Great Britain and it's fun to see what is happening there. My newest favorite is The Simple Things. The front of each issue declares: eating-growing-sharing-making-living-escaping.....which just about covers it all for me. I love everything about this magazine (even the advertising is pleasing to look at!) and it's destined to be one of those that stays on my bookshelves. Handmade Living is another British magazine that I think I'm going to like, though maybe not every issue. I tend to pick up magazines at the bookstore until I'm sure it's one I don't want to miss each month. The British magazines are pricey, no matter whether you subscribe or buy on a month by month basis, but I justify it by the hours of pleasant reading and looking I get from each copy.

(The Simple Things)

I have a funny story (at least it's funny now-then, not so much). Several months ago I decided to order a subscription online to The Simple Things. It was a Friday afternoon and I filled out the form and submitted my debit card information and was declined. What? Wait a minute - it's a debit card, so I know the funds are there. I tried several more times, with the same result. So, then I tried with a credit card. Once again, declined. Frustrated and assuming it had something to do with the magazine's website, I quit trying and went out to do evening chores. Saturday, I stopped at the grocery for a few things and my debit card was declined! Ack! I ended up using my Shell gasoline credit card to pay for groceries. So then, I stopped to get gas and my Shell card was declined! When I got home, I tried getting into my bank accounts online and was declined there also. By this point, I was frantic and sure someone had somehow hacked my banking information. It took several days of phone calls to straighten up, but it turned out that someone in the fraud department (wherever that is) decided my purchasing something online from England was too unusual and that someone had stolen my card numbers. So, they shut everything down - everything! I was instructed to alert the fraud department from now on, whenever I intend to travel or make "unusual" purchases. Considering the fact that I've made purchases from many places over the years, I found the whole thing ridiculous. I appreciate the fact that they were supposedly trying to protect my money (though I'm pretty sure it was their own liability they were really concerned about), someone, somewhere got a little carried away. It did make me think about how easily we can be separated from our own money when someone else is in control of it!

(The Simple Things)

I'm not sure what the moral of the story is, unless it's to maybe keep a little cash on hand, just in case the "fraud department" becomes displeased with your buying habits!

And the winner is ....

2013-04-02T19:43:00.000-04:00

It took me a little while to re-number the entries and then go back to double check myself. There were some accidental duplicate comments and then my comment at the end that made the the blogger total off by a few numbers. So, without further ado - random.org selected comment number 127, which belonged to lulu! I've sent off an email and hope to hear from you soon, lulu!! Thank you all so much for participating in this little give-away. Kristin has so many, many fans and I know it gladdens her heart to hear how much you all appreciate her talents. Sometimes, when you live on a farm and spend a large part of your days wearing boots and barn clothes, finding time to be creative can be a real struggle. The fact that Kristin is able to continually amaze us with her sense of style is a real testament to how hard she works.

A common theme in the comments was how much we are all looking forward to spring arriving in our parts of the country. Everyone is craving color and I'm especially longing for green right now. We have run out of hay already and had to buy another load to get us through. The grass in the fields is definitely starting to show some green and, if we can get four or five days of warm sunshine, I'll probably be able to start complaining about the mowing :-) Those of us who live in the country are obsessed with the weather, especially if we have livestock or seasonal crops. We have no control over it, but have to learn to adjust our plans according to the latest weather report.

That picture up there, of Mrs. Dandy and Jim Dandy (Junior) has nothing to do with anything in this post, obviously. It just happened to be what I saw when I walked outside a few minutes ago. Sitting on the side of the truck is not where we like to see them - for several obvious reasons, but there you have it. One more thing I don't seem to be in control of around here!

Bring on the Sunflowers!

2013-03-28T20:27:00.000-04:00

Thanks so much to all who have entered! The comments are now closed and I'll be back very soon to announce the winner.

Kristin Nicholas is an exceptionally multi-talented and hard working person. She designs books and knitwear, paints the rooms in her house vibrant colors, sells Leyden Glen Farm lamb at the farmer's market, develops recipes, plants a garden and huge field of sunflowers every year. All of this (and more) while she's being wife, mother and assistant shepherd. Her color sense is so inspiring, she's even managed to nudge me out of my earthy colored comfort zone on occasion! I think she's a wonder woman!

Kristin has a brand new book out that is full of so many fun little projects, it's impossible to resist. 50 Sunflowers to Knit, Crochet & Felt has flowers, birds, bees, butterflies, lady bugs and more! It's all so clever and creative, I want to knit them all.

Now, the good news for you. I'm giving away a brand new, autographed copy of Kristin's book, 50 Sunflowers to Knit, Crochet & Felt along with a sampler pack of 20 balls of Color by Kristin wool+alpaca+mohair blend yarn from Classic Elite Yarns. The yarn is perfect for nearly every project in the book and the only way to describe it is luscious. The winner of this giveaway will have many, many hours of knitting fun ahead of them. All you need to do is leave a comment here and I'll have random.org select the lucky person next Tuesday, April 2 at 5 pm EST. Good luck everyone!!

Inside-Outside

2013-03-28T00:07:00.001-04:00

This picture is inside the studio, which is the only place the forsythia is blooming. I brought a few branches in a week ago and the buds opened up to present me with some springtime hope. I'm hanging on here and need all the hope I can get. I'm telling you, this weather is wearing me completely out!

(Taken from my command post at the kitchen sink - through a not so clean window and the screen)

Outside, it's been looking like this. We're running about 25-30 degrees below normal for this time of year and have had lots of snow coming down. We've had snow on the ground most mornings, but then it's gone by noon and meanwhile we've had snow showers all during the day. The sheep are not amused by this (and neither am I) because they are (un)dressed for warmer weather now. Because I thought we were expecting lambs, I wanted the sheep shorn early. Instead it's looking very doubtful that we are having any lambs this year. I cannot even explain how sad this makes me. Even though I had only exposed 6 ewes and wasn't expecting the normal big bunch of lambs, it just doesn't feel right to have none. I don't think, in all my years of being a shepherd, I've ever not had lambs when I wanted to have them. Mr. Bates seems to have let me down. I'm not sure what we're going to do about him now. The plans were to castrate him as soon as shearing was over, so that eventually I could run the whole flock together in one field. Now, I don't know whether to keep him intact and try him again in the fall or look for another ram. One of the things I like to tell new shepherds is to expect that if you are keeping sheep for a long enough period of time, eventually everything will happen to you. This is one more of those things.

So, a little note here about the dye workshop. It filled immediately and I've already received payment from all but two people. There is a waiting list and I'm happy to add anyone to it, but it's looking as though we are set for this go-round. This might be something I would consider hosting again at a later date (if Dagmar were up to it). There are also some other workshops I would love to host here at the farm. I'm going to think about that after this one is behind me. Thanks so much for the response to this first endeavor

Now for something fun. As anyone who read this blog knows, I am a big fan of Kristin Nicholas. Her bold and brave color sense is truly amazing (and she's a fellow shepherd!). Kristin has a brand new book out titled " 50 Sunflowers to Knit, Crochet and Felt" and I'm going to be offering an autographed copy (that would be personally autographed by Kristin - not me!) to the lucky winner. Plus, I've added a little something to sweeten the pot. Check back here before the weekend for all the details.

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

2013-03-21T07:55:00.000-04:00

(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

Finished UFO's!

2013-03-18T18:23:00.001-04:00

(Carson inspecting Miriam)

I had hoped to get some gardening done this past weekend, but spent Saturday, which was the only nice day, in the truck driving up to Ohio to pick up some sheep equipment. Then, the rain started and it has poured nearly non-stop since. The creek rose up, the sheep refused to leave the barn and I was very content to spend Sunday afternoon knitting by the fire, watching my very first Harry Potter movie. (I know, you are thinking how can anyone even admit to not ever having seen a HP movie?!)

Yes, finally I have something to show besides a pair of finished socks! I've been oh-so-slowly working on a big pile of abandoned and neglected projects (one of my goals for 2013) and managed to do some finishing and blocking over the weekend. The first is my Miriam cardi (Carrie Bostick Hoge pattern). I wrote about the inspiration for starting it quite a while ago , after visiting KnitWit yarn shop in Portland, Maine. The pattern is beautifully written, but I had to complicate it by not using a yarn that gave the gauge specified in the pattern. I wanted to use some of my own 2012 Sheep Dreams-Fresh from the Farm wool/alpaca blend, which knit up at 4.5 stitches per inch and the pattern called for 6.25 stitches per inch. Ugh! Math is not my favorite thing. Anyway, after cruising through the body, I got bogged down on the sleeve shaping and put it down for several months. Last week, I got over myself and plunged ahead. I have to say, I'm pleased with the end result. The yarn is a warm oatmeal color and I know I'm going to wear it a lot. I love the simplicity of this sweater. I added some length to the body and made the sleeves longer, which suits me better. Now I'm thinking I'd really like to have one in a dark natural color. I seem to be all about the natural colors these days.


(I love garter stitch)

And, there's more. This is based on the Truly Tasha shawl (Nancy Bush pattern), named for one of my role models - Tasha Tudor. I knit this pattern many, many years ago with my own handspun and it's seen a lot of wear, mainly as a substitute for a robe. This version is knit with my 2011 Sheep Dreams yarn, also a wool/alpaca blend. I fudged a little and eliminated the edging from the top edge because I just wanted to get it finished faster. So, it's plainer, but best of all, it's finished! I expect this one to last me a long, long time.

It feels good to finally have a little knitting content on here. I've made a bunch of hats and cowls lately, but a sweater and a shawl feels like so much more of an accomplishment! I'm trying hard not to feel justified in casting on something new. It's back to the UFO pile for me.

All is revealed

2013-03-13T14:48:00.001-04:00

We had a rude awakening this morning to snow on the ground. Where it came from, I have no idea. I didn't watch the weather last night (which is unusual for me), but instead got straight into bed with a new copy of British Country Living magazine and drifted off to sleep soon afterwards. The poor naked sheep are wondering if the end of the world is nigh. It was 70 degrees on Sunday when they were shorn and there was quite a lot of frolicking about. Today I think they are doing laps around the pasture to try to stay warm! It actually isn't that cold, in fact, the snow is already melted away, but the wind is unpleasant and makes it feel much colder than it really is. The younger girls have been out and about and the older ones are content to stay in the deep bedded straw inside the barn and bellow for more hay every time they see me. I've heard that warmer temps are on the way and I hope green grass is not far behind.

Shearing went off without a hitch. Bill Haudenschield and Gavin McKerrow were here on Sunday morning, bright and early and by 2:00 o'clock we were all done and they were on their way to their next stop. Well, we were not completely done because I still had some fleeces to skirt and the barn to clean up. I finally got to the house just as it was getting dark. It's a wonderful feeling to have that task behind me for the year. I was totally worn out and was still dragging some on Monday. Hmmm, wonder if that's another sign I'm getting too old for this stuff?

Shearing did not reveal all I had hoped for in the way of lambs we could be expecting soon. It appears that Mr. Bates didn't quite get the job done. Several girls don't appear to be pregnant and the ones that probably are seem to be lagging behind schedule. I knew there was some risk of this because Mr. Bates was on the young side, but since I was only exposing six ewes to him, I thought he'd be able to manage it. Anyway, it will happen the way it's meant to happen, so I'm trying not to be too disappointed. Given the situation with my shoulder, less is probably better this year.

Shearing did reveal some pretty nice fleeces. Overall, I'm quite happy with the quality of the fleeces and the body condition of the sheep who grew them. I'm especially pleased with the fleeces from the ten ewe lambs I kept from last spring - the ones that are half Wensleydale. There are some beautiful, long, lustrous fleeces in the bunch and as soon as I can get a little time, I'll put up some photos (and maybe even do a little washing and sampling myself).

Complaint department, please

2013-03-08T15:32:00.000-05:00

(Notice the supervisor up there on the tractor?)

I'd like to file a complaint with the person who made the rule that we must have awful weather in the days before the shearers come. It's the crappy weather you can always depend on. The shearers were scheduled to come yesterday, but as my friend Sara said, there were no dry sheep in the state of Kentucky then. Well before daybreak on Tuesday morning the rain commenced and it poured - all day and into the night before turning to snow. Now, I know I've been begging for snow all winter (to no avail), so the irony is not lost on me, but really ...... the timing stinks! I hustled my flock into the barn early Tuesday morning and they were already what my grandmother would call sopping wet. Mind you, my sheep have not been in the barn much at all this winter. Their fleeces were so, so clean. The operative word is were. After three days of being held captive in the barn - not so much. Luckily, Mike was able to scrape out the barn with the bobcat a few weeks ago and spread a nice, clean layer of rock, so the sheep have not been lounging in dirty bedding the last few days. This morning they got to escape the confines of the barn and spend the day outside which is helping everyone's state of mind.

(This is not everyone - the others are at another feeder in this end of the barn)

Thankfully, today we are getting a good dose of sunshine and a warming spell is on the way. Upper fifties, maybe even in the 60's this weekend, which will feel really good to my girls when those pesky fleeces are off their backs. And, a little warmth will go a long way toward getting some green going in the grass here. The daffodils have survived the ice and snow of the past few days and will be blooming big time by the end of the weekend.

It's funny how just a matter of days can change my perspective on things. Two days ago, I found myself wondering what kind of masochistic person would continue to do what I do year after year. (Don't answer that, please.) Today the sun is out, the promise of spring is in the air and all that is forgotten!

I'll be back soon with some shearing day pictures and some idea of when this year's lamb crop will finally start showing up. I promise the lamb-cam is coming soon!

Winter doldrums

2013-02-28T15:10:00.000-05:00

These are the days when I don't feel I'm accomplishing much around the farm. At two months into the new year, I'm still working on my goals to be a more positive person and to finish up a bunch of languishing knitting projects. I'm pleased to be making some progress, but also frustrated at the slowness of my efforts. In the next few months, I've got lambs coming, sheep and alpaca shearing, a garden to get planted, the arrival of a new grandbaby, the Kentucky Sheep and Fiber Festival to prepare for and several other major happenings. I sometimes wake up in the middle of the night thinking I can't possibly pull it all together. My shoulder injury has slowed me down a lot this winter and made me consider just how much longer I can keep all three rings in this circus going! Does anyone else suffer from these anxieties?

Just when I started picking daffodils to bring inside and thinking about starting seeds in the greenhouse, it has decided to be winter again here in central Kentucky ... at least for the next few weeks. It's as gray outside today as any deep January day - complete with swirling snowflakes. I'm toasty inside the studio with a cheery fire in the woodstove and a cup of hot tea close at hand. I'm so hooked on Celestial Seasonings Wellness Tea. Years ago it was sold with the name Tummy Mint on the box and then it just disappeared from the grocery and the co-op where I shop. I had been hoarding a few boxes of it for some time before it occurred to me to search online. Guess what - there it was on amazon.com! I order half dozen boxes at a time now, so I'm in no danger of running out. Since weaning myself off of (the deadly) diet Coke, I'm hardly ever without a mug of tea by my side.

So, with some newly finished handknit socks drying in front of the woodstove and a pile of books and magazines beside me, my current plan is to just relax and make the best of our fickle Kentucky weather.

(I'm working on a post about some interesting new-or new to me-books and magazines.)

Crafty girl

2013-02-18T15:59:00.001-05:00

A few weekends ago, my youngest granddaughter (she's 8) was here for an overnight visit. Recently, Mia has been affectionately called "Crafty Girl" around her house and that is music to this nana's ears! I've done a pretty good job of ~~indoctrinating~~ encouraging my oldest granddaughter, Jordan (she's 22), and now she's knitting and spinning and ~~hooked on~~ interested in natural fibers. (Can I hear an "Amen"?) Because I raised three boys, I didn't have much opportunity to teach the so-called feminine arts to my offspring. My chance has finally come with granddaughters and all those daughters-in-law. Mia's mom, Jennifer, is my latest knitting convert, though as it turns out, she's a knitting prodigy so I can't really take much credit. (I am definitely not eliminating the possibility of teaching my grandsons. In fact, I have taught three of them to knit. They just don't seem as interested as the girls.)

(Sorry about the blurry picture-I think the camera was confused by the pajama pants!)

So anyway ..... I did some thinking about a small project that Mia and I could work on together and came up with embroidery. I looked in vain for a kit that might be appropriate for teaching an eight year old some simple stitching, but found nothing. (I suppose few little girls are learning to stitch or sew these days. Even though my mother taught me to sew, I also had exposure to needlework in Brownie Scouts and 4-H programs.) In the end, I think not finding a kit turned out to be a blessing. I assembled my own kit with several colors of embroidery thread, needles, scissors, hoops, disappearing ink tracing pen and plain muslin fabric, plus a small canvas bag from the craft store for Mia to keep her supplies in. I bought her a copy of a book I already had, Doodle Stitching, for inspiration and after looking at it, we were ready to begin. Mia drew a simple picture (her first one was a heart with a few flowers around it). We held her drawing up to the window, placed the cotton fabric on top of it and traced her design with the tracing pen. I showed her how to make a simple running stitch and she got right to it. Within a short time, she had drawn, traced and embroidered four or five little squares of fabric and by then her brother had decided it was pretty cool and was requesting she do a project for him. I think embroidering her own simple drawings made it less intimidating and more fun for Mia. (And it's a lesson I need to remember. You know - K.I.S.S.!)

My ultimate goal is to have my very own family knitting and craft guild and I think I'm well on my way!

Happy Valentine's Day

2013-02-14T15:01:00.000-05:00

It's bright and sunny (though chilly and windy) at Tanglewood today. It's the kind of day that lifts your spirits in the middle of February when the calendar says spring is still a ways off. Signs of spring are starting to peek through the muck of winter here on the the farm. I have daffodils blooming in the sheltered spot under the bedroom window and the forsythia bushes are bearing fat buds on their branches. And the birds - the birds are singing in the morning as if they know spring is coming soon. Maybe Punxsutawney Phil really knows what he's talking about this year.

(Dreaming in the sunshine - of babies to come? This is Gabby, so more likely she's dreaming of all that green grass to eat!)

I've done a little checking on the pregnant girls and we may be having fewer lambs than I had hoped for or maybe they are just going to be later. It's looking as though Mr. Bates may not have gotten the job completely done, but time will tell. Shearing day is coming up in about two weeks and we'll get a better "look" at the situation then.

In the meantime, Happy Valentine's Day wishes to all of you.

The main activity

2013-02-07T17:42:00.002-05:00

There's been a whole lot of the above going on around here and not much else. My appearance is apparently the highlight of the day for lots of critters!

(Some girls are pretty, some are just pretty in the fleece!)

The "little girls" have joined the adult ewe flock and when I look out on the pasture, I can hardly tell the young ones from the older girls. It's bittersweet for me because I enjoy the time I spend with the lambs as they grow, but pretty soon I'll have new lambs to fuss over. Gabby should lamb around the first of March and that's not long at all now.

(It's painful for me to see all that hay being shared with neighboring fleeces!)

One way to help with identification from a distance is that every year I order different color ear tags and along with the color, I start the numbering on the tags with the year....so tags for this year will begin with the number 1301. Picking the color is trickier than you might think. I don't want those humongous tags that will pull a lambs ear down, but something large enough and bright enough that I can read it from several paces away. I'm thinking I might go bold this year - maybe red or purple, just because I like to live on the edge!

I've spent more time than I would prefer seeing doctors, going to physical therapy and having x-rays and an MRI. The verdict is that I have quite a variety of rotator cuff tears (at least five). Not exactly the kind of over-achieving I can brag about! I'm scheduled to see an orthopedic surgeon soon but, in the mean-time, I'm working diligently at physical therapy and hoping, hoping to avoid shoulder surgery. Surgery does not fit into my plans for spring!

These pictures were taken last weekend when we finally had a little snow. The sheep and I enjoyed it immensely. These two - not so much!

Food for thought

2013-01-31T13:13:00.004-05:00

I saw this posted by a commenter on Soulemama this morning and found it so lovely and thought-provoking. Most of us aren't prepared to follow through on such an ambitious project, but I do so admire this young woman for doing it. Can you imagine the impact it would have if we all put half that much thought into what we have in our closets?

Changes

2013-01-29T21:17:00.002-05:00

(Aslan was still watching after his girls, even though they were on the "wrong" side of the fence)

The weekend brought some changes for the usual inhabitants of the barn. Nearly since they were born, my "little" girls have had access to the barn at night. First at their mother's sides and then, after weaning, as part of their own girl gang. I do this because I like to keep a close watch on them and observe their personalities and how they are growing out. I enjoy having close interaction with them several times a day, so they know me and that I'm here to take care of them. The time has come for them to be big girls and be assimilated into the main ewe flock. I've been procrastinating, but now that we are getting closer to lambing time, I needed to simplify the routine and open up a space in the barn for the pregnant ewes. So, the little girls have moved to what we call the driveway lot, which is a small field that contains the road that leads to be back 100 plus acres of the farm. They will probably stay there for a week or so, then move into the field with the adult ewes. So far, they don't seem to be giving this plan their approval. There's been a lot of hanging out right by the gate and my appearance starts up a chorus of baas. Of course, the real unhappiness set in when they didn't get to come inside that first night. I told Mike that "the Little Princesses" were out there thinking something had gone terribly wrong.

(Aslan is just a little conflicted here)

The first few days I put them in an adjoining pasture and brought the pregnant ewes into Aslan's field. It's his job to guard the groups that are in the pastures connected to the barn and he's done a great job watching over the girls from the time they were born until now. Before he came to live with us, Aslan started his sheep guarding life behind electric fences, which we don't have. Holly comes in and out of the pastures (squeezing herself through the upper section of the gates). It has not seemed to occur to Aslan that he could actually leave the field he's in, if he chose to do so and that is a good thing. He was a little confused when his girls got moved away, but seems to have settled in with the six ewes that are supposed to lamb starting in about 4 weeks.

We took advantage of the crazy mild weather we're having and broke down all the sheep pen panels and Mike used his Bobcat to completely strip out all the old bedding. We'll be getting several loads of gravel delivered and it will be spread to create a lovely, clean barn floor. Of course, I'll immediately put down fresh straw, build a pen for the pregnant ewes and the process will begin all over again. This yearly cycle is one of the things I love most about raising sheep. It changes a bit from month to month. I'm already excited about the birth of new lambs. I promised Mike I would only breed a few this year and I've kept my word. (It's so hard for me to let them go, it's better if I don't have 50+ lambs born!)

This weather ...... is ridiculous! It was 73 degrees when I finished barn chores this evening. I've got daffodils blooming and I actually heard a few peepers at the pond as I walked to the house. We're under a severe weather watch tonight and tomorrow because there is a big cold front headed our way and it's predicted to be 15 degrees on Thursday.

My apologies for being absent from here so much lately. I'm still dealing with the rotator cuff injury and getting comfortable enough to sleep has been elusive. I'm going to town for physical therapy several days a week, which I don't like doing because it wrecks my whole day. I'll admit I'm struggling a bit with my resolve to be a more positive person this year. (Now that I've written that I realize I need to buck up and try harder.) So, I guess there's my reminder. I'll try harder! I'll be back soon.

Friday morning

2013-01-18T10:19:00.000-05:00

(Aslan on the job)


(Chickens at work)


(Holly is working hard, too)

It's frosty but the sun is out and everyone seems content to do their job today. Hope you're having a sunny day where you are.

These days

2013-01-16T13:59:00.001-05:00

I've written before about how this time in January is a time of transition - a quiet time, really. The daily chores are pretty much the same every day and right now it takes hours to complete them. Mornings, I'm feeding hay to the sheep, llamas and alpacas, feeding mash and corn to the chickens and peafowl. A little grain and more hay to the sheep in the evenings, hay and alpaca pellets to the fiber boys, hay and pellets to Pippi and Strawberry. They are all ravenous, twice a day. They would have you believe they are actually starving. I think they are sometimes bored. Mr. Bates has taken to heading straight for the alpaca's mineral feeder when I let him out in the mornings. If I don't get there first, he bashes it until it falls to the ground....just because he can. (If only I could teach him to use Pinterest!) Soon though, the grass will start greening (hard to believe, looking at it now) and lambs will start being born and there will be plenty to distract us all.

(Needle size US 35, anyone?)

I am never bored. Seriously. Never, ever bored. There is so much I want to do (let's not mention all those chores I must and need to do) and not nearly enough time to do it all. I have UFO's (unfinished objects) aplenty and even more I'd like to cast on right now, but I'm sticking to my resolve to work on the backlog of knitting and hope to have a few new/old finished knits to show soon.

And, then there is my full-time job as personal servant to Carson.....who comes to the back door of the studio more times than I can count every day. He walks in, as though he owns the place, nibbles a few morsels of food, sometimes pauses for a little lie-down and then saunters to the front door and requests the door-person to let him out.


(I suppose I can be grateful that the sheep are not able to follow Carson's lead!)

*And speaking of my Mr. Bates, I'm sorry but I'm a little worried. I hope I don't regret naming my favorite ram lamb after this Mr. Bates!

Common Ground

2013-01-11T16:41:00.000-05:00

Last night, as part of my working on the entertainment committee for the Kentucky Sheep and Fiber Festival in May, we went out for a casual dinner with our friends, Richard and Teresa, to a local barbeque place. The owner is a big supporter of bluegrass music and a fine banjo player himself, so there is nearly always live bluegrass music on the stage. I was hoping for the chance to talk to him about scheduling some good bands to play at the festival. Unfortunately, he wasn't there last night, so I'm still working on that, but the evening turned out to be good for several reasons. We don't often find ourselves in places where there might be live honky-tonk music being played, but that's what we got last night and it was fun. (Plus, the barbeque was excellent!) The band, Kentucky Hoss Cats, played a good selection of what I would call "classic country" (Merle Haggard, Hank Williams, Sr.) and were quite good and entertaining to watch. (I have little to no tolerance for the "new" country sound, but love the old-timers like Patsy Cline and Merle Haggard.) So, here's what I'm finally getting to in the title of this post. Feeling a little out of my element, what would you guess might make me feel I had something in common with the folks sitting around us? Why, discovering another fiber person, that's what! Just before our food arrived at the table, I was looking around the room and here's what I saw, sitting under the big screen television that was showing the University of Kentucky basketball game.

(Don't you love the glance from the guy down the way?"

This is Albert and as soon as we saw him, Teresa and I were all about getting to talk to him and admire his crocheting. Albert told us that he knits too, but finds crochet more relaxing (it has the opposite effect on me, mainly because I don't know what I'm doing!) When I asked if it would be okay to take his picture and blog about meeting him, he didn't even hesitate to give me his okay. In what other context would that have been possible? Not many that I know of. I feel like I made a new friend in the fiber community and the whole experience makes me smile every time I think about it.

It also makes me think I need to haul out my yarn and knit pretty much anywhere I feel like it. That doesn't make me quite as brave as Albert, but I'm going to work on it. Who knows how many nice people I might get to meet!

In with the (sort of) new

2013-01-07T15:49:00.000-05:00

Here's a smiling girl you haven't seen much of lately. Our girl Pippi is happy and healthy and spending her days out in the big pasture with her mom, Strawberry, and the adult ewes. In a few weeks I'll need to do a group shuffle to bring the pregnant ewes into a field adjoining the barn. Our first lambs should be arriving around the first of March and the Lamb-Cam will be reinstated by mid-February. The lamb crop will be small this year. After agonizing about it for weeks, I decided to keep the work load a little lighter and only bred six ewes. I kept nearly all of my ewe lambs from last spring that were sired by the Wensleydale ram. I don't usually keep back so many lambs, but their fleeces were so outstanding, I wanted to keep them all. I couldn't stand the idea of not having any babies born this spring, but also know I am approaching the limits of my energy levels. I'm really glad to have made that decision now that I'm dealing with this rotator cuff injury.

(the wonder of organization - how long will it last?)

A few days into the new year, I decided to Organize The Yarn. Ugh! It was not such a fun couple of days (yes, it took a few days). In the studio, I'm lucky to have a laundry/storage room to keep washed fleeces, processed roving and bins (many bins) of yarn. Some of it has been in the stash for years and a lot of it is handspun yarn that might be considered "vintage" by now! Amongst all that yarn and fiber were also lots of UFO's (unfinished projects). I was in the right frame of mind (ruthless) and made some hard decisions about whether I would ever finish some of those things or should I move on and not look back. The keepers are in a bin and rest were frogged, re-skeined, washed and either belong to someone else now or are awaiting a new project. It feels so good to walk into that room and be able to see all of the floor and the tops of the washer and dryer!

I'm happy to report that I'm making some progress with my new resolve to "Finish What I Start". You know how those financial advisers on television always say start with the small things on your debt list? Well, I've applied that strategy to tackling my knitting project backlog and it's working for me! I've started with hats and mittens and these are the ones I've completed in the last week. I'm still knitting on a few other projects, but have managed to not cast on anything new, which has been the most difficult thing of all (and my history of succumbing to that urge is why I have such an abundance of UFO's).

(Several boy hats, a little girl hat, a barn hat for me and some recently frogged handspun)

So, what's happening at your house these days? New knitting, old knitting, no time for knitting?