MAUDE-ANOTHER QUILT-DYEING WOOL STRIPS

GREETINGS

We are having a cold snap again but warmer next week.  The ground is still frozen can’t wait to plant some peas .

MAUDE

Poor Maude.  I noticed that she wasn’t rushing to get grain and not eating right so I called the vet.  She came Wednesday morning and its probably an infection.  By the time she came her face was swollen and her eye shut.  She gave her a three day antibiotic shot and some pain meds.  She did eat some Denji last night but would not take  the sheep drench which would giver her body a boost..

She was hard to catch and now is afraid of me  Although Maude and Carol K. were socialized with people the other two sheep were not.  My Border Leicester were trained as lambs to come when called .  I spent countless hours with them and it paid off many times over  Maude is scared.  At noon yesterday I brought up some grain and Denji and she came right over to the fence and ate it.  I was also able to give her her pain medication before that.  I hope to do the same today.

ANOTHER QUILT

This is another quilt my Grandmother put together.  I like it a lot.  I am gong to keep it on the dining room table and work on it there.  I will have to try and find some old fabric or new reproductions of old fabric.  They have it at my local fabric store.

When I look at the quilt I see pieces of fabric that my Mom must have gotten with the old treadle sewing machine that my Grandmother had.  I think of all the clothes my Grandmother made for her family of 8. 

DYEING WOOL STRIPS

I have been dyeing wool strips that I have had around getting them ready for The Massachusetts Sheep and Woolcraft Fair.  Some I overdyed with black walnut and others I dyed with with Chemical Dyes.  I am getting rid of a big part of my stash of wool fabric.  I have so much handspun to make rugs out of that I just don’t need it all anymore.  Look for it at the show on Memorial Day Weekend.

Many thanks for reading my blog today and I hope you have a wonderful day.  Carole

 

KNIT ME SOME HAPPINESS-THE GARDEN-CAMP WOOL-FREE MANURE

GREETINGS

Its a beautiful, crisp morning with a hint of fall in the air.   Tomorrow the men come to do the drainage in the back of the barn.  Lots of fencing has to come down this afternoon.  It will be great to have that done. I have had some computer woes this week.  Updating and cleaning up has caused havoc.  I upgraded my iPad and now I can’t do anything with it.  THANKS APPLE, I WILL NEVER UPGRADE AGAIN!!!!! My lap top I did manage to get it going again but when Chris comes he will have to  work on it.  He will have it fixed in a jiffy.

Knit Me Some Happiness

utube GEM 

Knit

 

I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.

THE GARDEN

Because of the work being done in the back some things have to be picked now.  I pulled up this gigantic heirloom  radish.  I will try it in my next salad.

I also planted leeks this year and had to pull up some.   They will be frozen in slices for soups or tarts.

DYEING WOOL

I have been busy dyeing wool this week for CAMP WOOL in Kennebunk, Maine.  (If you haven’t been there its a wonderful place for lovers of all wool crafts) I hope to have it all dried and sent out soon.  

FREE MANURE

Why buy when you can get it for free right on the farm.   Great for starting new gardens just spread it on top and let winter do its work.  Bring a truck or bags.  Ingredients: sheep poop, some hay and shavings.  Most of it has been brewing all summer so its safe to put right around plants now.

Many thanks for reading my blog today and I hope you have a lovely day.  Carole

 

MISCHIEVOUS CATS-POD CAST FOR KNITTERS-DYEING WOOL

GREETINGS

Warm days and cool nights are perfect.  The leaves in the back mountain are ever so slightly showing changes.  This summer has been a funny one.  With torrential rains and cool enough temperatures to warrant a wood stove being lit.  Terrible fires in the west with flooding everywhere.  Climate change is here to stay and we have to learn to live with the abrupt changes.

MISCHIEVOUS CATS

Packing up for the show I found my Cat Pincushions.  Well should I say what was left of two of them.  The cats found them and thought that they were cat toys and ripped them open only to find that there was no catnip in them only walnut shells.  I will have to make sure that the new ones I make are in cat proof boxes.

PODCAST FOR KNITTERS

I have found a great Podcast for knitters called KnitBritish.  The pod cast are many and they want British people to buy wool grown and spun  in Britain.  I love it and encourage all you knitters here in the states to follow suit and buy only wool grown here when you can.   Not enough is done to encourage that but I do know that Liz of Sheep and Shawl carries many wool’s grown locally.

 I love listening to the podcast for he  helpful hints and interesting facts about the wool’s she finds.  It inspires me while I am working on my projects for shows.

DYEING WOOL

I have been getting another order ready for Camp Wool in Kennebunk, Maine.  I have finished the purples today and am onto the flesh  and pumpkin colors .

 

 

Hope you have a wonderful day and many thanks for reading my blog today.  Carole

lunch today

 

 

 

 

THE COLD IS HERE- DYE DAY-ROOM FOR ONE MORE TO NOVA SCOTA IN SEPT.- FINISHED SEAT PAD FINALLY DYEING WOOL TODAY

GREETINGS

THE ICE STORM A FEW DAYS AGO

THE COLD IS HERE

It is very cold this morning but Thursday morning could be 10 below.  Yesterday I replaced the gasket on the wood stove.  Never having done such a thing before it went a lot easier than I thought it would.  It kept the kitchen warm all night and will be going all night through this cold snap.  This wood stove doesn’t go through the night but I get up several times during the night and load it up.  Today my son will try and get the pellet stove going.  With all three going this old house will be comfortable.  It is hard to keep an old house warm especially if its not insulated properly .  This house is made of cement (back in the 1800’s) It is 2 feet thick with rocks in the center of the cement and someone put foam sheets on the walls then sheet rock.  SO it insulated as much as it can be.  I have added another layer of sheet rock to most of the outside walls.  Adding heavy curtains on the doors and closing the curtains helps keep the heat in.

Elliott moves slowly in this cold but he is moving and thats a good thing.

TRIP TO NOVA SCOTIA

There is room for one more on the rug hooking trip to Nova Scotia.  A wonderful trip has been planned and its very reasonable and all inclusive.  E-mail me for more details.  You don’t want to miss out on this fun adventure.  It is in September which will be lovely traveling weather.

DYE DAY

I have this old woolen blanket made in Ireland.  Its been well used and has gotten stained over the years and has felted.  I decided that I would use it in some hooking.  Its thick and will make some really nice chair pads.  I was trying to follow a primitive dye book but my dyes are old and old dyes rarely dye true to their color.  I have some wonderful primitive colors just not what I was planning.  They will look great done up.

Many thanks for reading my blog on this cold, blustery day.  Carole

 

A CHANGE OF WEATHER-WILLIE-NEW PRODUCTS-PEACHES-DYED WOOL

GREETINGS

A CHANGE OF WEATHER

I woke up at 4 am to feel the gentle cool breezes of a change of  weather.  The humidity is gone and the air is fresh.  We also had a little gentle rain. All the animals have perked up too.

WILLIE

Willie was off to the vets today. He has been coughing and sneezing and with Big Sam just recovering from a respiratory illness I want to make sure he is okay before Sam arrives.  He has a sinus infection and has to take some antibiotics.  This is not the first time this has happened and  he may have to be on them off and on the rest of his life.  Willie  is just a beautiful, loving cat.  People moved out of a rental house down the street and just left  cats there.  You just wonder how people can do that.  He showed up on the porch and me vowing no more cats, I had a house full at that time, Needless to say he ended up here to stay.  He had a hard time adjusting to living inside but now he is a happy inside cat.   Of course bird watching is a favorite pastime. He is younger than the other cats and will soon have someone to play with.

HOOKED ON RUG HOOKING

A friend Jan  had decided to learn to Hook Rugs and since she now lives in another state I suggested that she go onto Deanne Fitzpatrick’s site and watch some video’s.  These are her first two projects.  They are wonderful.  I can’t wait to see her next project.

 

NEW PRODUCTS

I have been making candles for years and even made them with my Mom when I was young.  A month before Christmas we would make square candles in milk cartons and then she would melt wax and we would both beat the wax with a hand crank beater till it was fluffy and she would put it all over the box candle and tie a ribbon on it with some Holly.  They were  a very popular Christmas present.

For years I have sold Bee’s Wax candles, they are very popular and I have a wonderful source for fragrant wax.  This year I have decided to make a few Soy Way candles.  Maybe only two or three varieties.  I am also going to make some simmering spices for simmering on the wood stove too. I use them all winter.  I also mix up essential oils and put them in a cast iron pot with water  on the stove.  The scent permeates throughout the house.  Everyone has been after me to sell these so I hope to get them out this fall.  

THE PEACH TREE

I was surprised to see all these peaches on the tree.  I hope they ripen before bugs get them.

Some Dyeing

This was a woman’s jacket, now it will be used to make Primitive Sunflowers.

Wish I had more of this, probably have some in my stash.

Many thanks for reading my blog hope you had a nice day.   Carole