Still Here!

Where has the time gone? It certainly doesn't count that I've thought about getting entries done but let me catch everyone up starting with last to first.

On May 18th we had a Fiber Day at the Farm which was a whole lot of fun for me but required an embarrassing amount of work. The house inside was a wreck and much detritus around outside also had to be taken away. Recycling is a good thing but only if the stuff gets to the recyclers! Bob took 2 days holiday just before and did a huge amount of the outside work, especially on Saturday whilst I went of to do the Market. Believe me, I had it easy. But it all came together with lots of help and I think we all had a good time if the level of laughter in our screen porch was any indication. People really came quite a distance, including Meg and her husband who drove 3 hours one way to be with us! She had blended up the most elegantly coloured batts, which she is selling. Send her an email if you'd like something custom, hollowoakfarm@yahoo.com. Thanks to Anne aka Carpoolknitter for taking photos!

The week before the party my Mother and Grandmother stopped for a couple of days and helped with the inside wreckage. My wonderful 92 year old grandmother washed and cleaned up the kitchen and then lent a hand with pinning up a lap quilt. My mother threw herself into organizing the rest of the place but I do have to admit that the pile of library books has now crept out of the study and back to their accustomed place next to the chair. Mother also came up with the way to finish the afore mentioned quilt - although I had gotten lovely advice from others when I posted earlier, I did a simple hand sewn edge after Mum and Ranny spent an hour kneeling on the floor pinning. It may not be the best edging choice
for a heavily used and washed quilt but since the batting is wool from a Faye fleece that I carded up, machine washing isn't an option anyway. It is extremely light and warm, perfect for the cool spring mornings right now.

The weekend of May 3, was the opening of the Rockingham County Farmer's Market, a new market for me that is slightly closer to home than last years venue and hopefully more lucrative. Bob, who normally stays home, came with me to man the table whilst I sat at the spinning wheel. I didn't take any pictures myself but the local newspaper covered it and I had my moment a fame being pictured spinning. It was a good turnout and I met many knitters and would be knitters, as well as, would be spinners. So I'm hoping to get those " would be's" going by teaching at the Market when time allows. Last Saturday was a bit quiet and it's anyone's guess what tomorrow will be like but I will try to bring the camera.

So that pretty much brings us up to date on May. Farm news wise it has been a excellent month for rain, the pastures are green though headed out and need cutting. Bob has been battling a fuel leakage problem on our old tractor but hopefully he'll have that under control soon. The goatlings have been growing like crazy, besides just being crazy. The play on the old wire spools gets quite rambunctious at times. Grace's twins Katie and Muggins are still managing to squirm through the field fencing but it's getting to be a tighter squeeze as they get bigger. Still at about 4 in the afternoon they are hanging out at the back door wondering when dinner will be served. I have gotten half the garden planted but have more beds to prepare and areas for the corn - it's getting quite late for planting but we do what we can. At least the potatoes are doing well. The lone apple tree has some apples beginning to swell but I'm having a terrible time keeping the llamas and big girls from it when they're out for a walk. When there is so much that they should be eating I don't know why they head for what they know is off limits. But we let them out to eat down the explosion of poison ivy, honey suckle and rose brier that threatens to engulf the place.

Currently on the spinning agenda is Dorset sock yarn which I spent 3 hours carding up yesterday and started spinning today. The Glimakra is half warped for blankets but I did finish 2 on the LeClerc. The colour selection requested by the client was so cheerful to work with that I plan to do more things in warm palettes in the winter. These baby blankets were woven in 10/2 pearl cotton with 24 epi and in a 2/2 twill. The one shown here was woven first and then the commissioned blanket second with 6" wide stripes. In person the larger check had a folksier feel compared to this one which reminds me of Bauhaus designs.

Well, now we are truly all caught up. I sure enjoy sharing our news with you and hope that you have a great Memorial Weekend. Our weekend plans are to build a better hen house - pictures coming!