Me in 2021

Has it really been seven years since I last blogged?

We survived COVID-19!  We masked, we sanitized and barely left the farm from March 2020 to May 2021.  It wasn't easy to handle the isolation but we survived. Nearly lost my sanity through zoom! It is good to have a support network - know what I mean? Our darling daughter has graduated high school and is nearly ready to graduate college with an under grad biology degree.  

Big Island

                       We took a trip to Hawaii.  

Frida Afghan 2016

Lizzie Sweater 2017

I won Sweepstakes and Grand Champion at the state fair twice with my needlework. 

Me and Dolly

 My gorgeous sister is a multi-entrepreneur, with many shops and even a toy store, McWhiggins Wonder Emporium in Madison, Indiana, multiple renovations and her current project is renovating a 1860's mansion.  My mom lives with her now which is convenient and revealing - I understand a lot more about my childhood. 

 

Luna and Gorgeous, Patriotic Sister

My niece manages the McW and she's a mom of two fabulous kids which makes my sister Geeg and me GAM (great aunt Melissa.)  Lizzie and I love crafting together and it makes her "sad" when we get disconnected. I feel the same way. Mickie is a coddler and a fighter. Kind of like that song - I'm a lover, I'm a fighter, I'm a midnight rider....better check those lyrics because I am known for my inaccuracy. (And I just did and I have most of the lyrics correct, just not even close to the right order.) Sorry Steve Miller Band.

Darling Daughter and Kevin, 2017 

Thistle Dew Farm is doing great - it's now twelve years old, complete with a horse, a flock of chickens and lots to keep the Hubby busy.

Lots of road trips happened with my sister, my friend - it has become our thing now. 

Trip 2017 was a fly and drive road trip to visit Baby Bryce in Texas. Our first cattle drive and it was fabulous.  My brother and his family took care of us in high Texas hospitality. 

Trip 2018 was Into the West.  From Louisville Kentucky across the mighty Mississip with a ride to the top of the St. Louis Arch, a cattle drive in Kansas (gorgeous sunsets), a mournful visit to Little Big Horn, hit a pawn shop in Billings, Montana and got outta town by sundown as advised.  Onward to Calgary, and ultimately Sunnynook, Canada to visit fam on the Solberg Ranch. We delivered a truck load of stuff to baby Lizzie and paid for our room and board by helping brand the calves. 

We hit Mt Rushmore and Rapid City (highly recommend) on our way back.

The 2019 road trip was named the Freedom Tour to celebrate my liberation from academia with a Master's Degree in Human Resources Talent Development traveling from Bern to Alliance, Ohio (troll house), to Somerset (Flight 93 crash site) ,Gettysburg, and Hersey PA, hitting Philadelphia to ring the liberty bell and visit Arch Street Friends Meeting before heading back to La Grange, Kentucky. 

2021 was the Super Tour starting with visiting our Super Aunt in Lexington Kentucky, headed across the state through Super President Abraham Lincoln country to Munfordville to see Kentucky Stonehenge (super awesome personal landscaping), to Horse Cave and Big Mike's (super) Rock Shop. Kentucky Down Under to pet kangaroos was the highlight of the trip. Then in Paducah we got a super accurate reading from Moonstina at the Wild Hair, and then on to our ultimate destination - Metropolis, Illinois. Haven't heard of it - that's ok.  

Now that you're all caught up with me, what's next?

Just received a box of fabulous cotton wool mix yarn from Brown Sheep.  Have a few projects in mind to test it out.  Now, to decide which color combinations......hmmmm.

Spring creating

It's almost spring, but just enough to make you want to do gardening you'll regret.  If you've been listening to the weather forecast you know that snow is on it's way again.  We've had more cold weather lately than all winter.  So that makes me happy to work with wool. Which is a good thing since I am getting ready for the Kentucky Fiber Festival.  Tayler will be exhibiting her fleeces and have plenty of wool/yarn for sale.

Here is what I am working on with her wool.

Love working this pattern which shows off the nice texture of this soft yarn.

Wooly Meadows Yarn - mmmm possibility!



A few days after shearing, last spring.

Aren’t these girls cuties?  Simply Baaaautiful!
They live and work at Wooly Meadows, Sulphur Kentucky.

Bulky weight yarn.

After a trip to the beauty salon,  ta da.....just look at what they have produced?  My beauty treatments never result in a by-product!  I am so excited to get my hands on this yarn and make something gorgeous.  A cuddly scarf, snuggly hat, or a warm sweater....hmmm, the dreamy imagery it invokes.   Speaking of dreamy, doesn't the yarn seem to be begging for dye?  How about blues and greens to mimic the bluegrass of Kentucky? Or the golden and copper colors of bourbon? Learning to dye wool is something I’ve always wanted to try, but let’s be honest – it intimidates me!  Not just the process, but I’m not sure I could actually make a decision on color….I just love color and texture, it mesmerizes me, and then paralyizes me and I can’t move forward because of all the decisions to make.... Well now I’ve got inspiration to step off the diving board and jump right in. The possibility and wonder of it all!

Here is the master of the flock, my fabulous niece Tayler, the best shepardess I know - there may be a little bit of partiality on my part.  Her flock happily resides at Wooly Meadows in Kentucky along the bourbon trail.  They are the happiest group of sheep I have ever seen, maybe there is bourbon in the water or perhaps it’s the love and attention from a girl who is obsessed with her flock?  The product from these girls is a fabulous quality yarn that is so snowy white even though it was spun in the grease.  I am very excited to get a hank, wash it up and dare I say dye a batch and start a project?

Here is Tayler a few years ago with my Mom preparing for the 4-H show season….champions all around!





 

In a quiet summer outdoor ceremony the ewes were married to this handsome gentleman - Nash.  Nash is a natural colored Columbia/Rambouillet breeding ram producing medium fine wool sheep and nice meat lambs.  She’ll keep a few ewe lambs with potential high quality fleeces to see how there hogget fleece turns out.  (Crazy name for the first shearing of a sheep - hogget!)  Since this is the finest fleece the sheep will ever produce, if it doesn’t meet Tayler’s expectations, she will not continue to process wool from that particular sheep. This girl is a stickler for quality. This year she showed fleeces at NAILE with great success – earning ribbons and accolades.  She even sold one fleece to a judging team!  

Corriedale ewe with crossbreed lamb

Here is one of the results the corriedale ewe pairing with the columbia/rambouillet ram netted. 

Back to the yarn story, Tayler selected four of the finest fleeces and off they went to the Ohio Valley Natural Fibers Woolen Mill for custom processing.  Little did we realize the amount of yarn this would make!  So, to market we go not to buy a fat pig as the old nursery rhyme goes, but to sell some fine yarn.  With four fleeces there is plenty of yarn for her to sell at The Fiber Event, in Greencastle Indiana.  We’ll be there with a booth on April 19-20^th, 2013. Come see us.  I'll post more about the yarn later....once I finish dreaming and decide what to do with it....

 

Spring - is that you?

Love Spring! Tulips are poking up their stems, the garlic is doing nicely. I'm making lots of fun things with crochet including a plant sweater I developed. originally it was Mother's Day gifts but I've been asked to provide them for a fabulous shop in LaGrange, Kentucky called 1887 The Corner Shop. They have asked for other handcrafted items so it's time to step up the crafting!

Crochet Crochet.....

I have been having a great fall crocheting this year....super inspired. Seems like hand crafting is back/still in vogue - yippee!

Here's what I've been working on.

And some of these,

Cupcake Marathon

Two of my favorite things - running and cupcakes. That's right, they don't seem to go together, but I have found a way to have my cake and eat it too. Running. If I want to eat, I have to run....that's just the plan hard truth.

So, Jason at Cook, Train, Eat, Race has a competition - giveaway. Run a marathon distance over two weeks and you could win great prizes. I have decided to donate a crochet cupcake - isn't it the cutest ever? Best part - fat free, gluten free, vegan.... and the wrapper comes off - cause you should never eat a cupcake with the wrapper still on!