Settled into Farm Life

 Yesterday I took a lovely drive to Halifax, PA, to pick up my roving from Gurdy Run. 32 bags and all lovelier than it left the farm! A few of the bags had already made it upstairs before this photo. I have been taking fiber that was washed and dyed in Tucson. The washing months here are too short for me to keep up. I am also spending a fair amount of time shearing, so I needed a way to spin faster. Most of the fiber is a blend of really nice (in some cases kid/lamb) fiber. I am selling starting at $7.50 an ounce. Discounts are available for quantities over a pound. The more you buy - the more I discount. I will be bringing some to Stitches East, but the bulk will go in my attic for me to spin.

 Marc went with me to the mill the first time and was fascinated with the ducks running all over the place. I brought him home four Muscovy ducklings in a beer box. It was a gift for him and better than beer. He laughed. They are currently in my wash room. They do not have real feathers yet. We plan to let them free range when they are old enough. Might have to clip their wings the first year to make sure that they stay.

 If you ever visited the shop in Tucson, you might have met Charcoal, the resident studio cat. She spent the first year here in Maryland under my clothes in the closet, only coming out to eat or take care of other necessary business. In early spring, she ventured out and has been living in the mud room, when she is not roaming my red bank barn catching mice. She now follows me around, but does not venture into the sheep and goat areas. We have three kittens wandering those areas.

 The Shetland sheep are on our original pasture. We are going to move them to the hayfield which is being fenced in right now. Having someone cut hay is expensive and we are at the mercy of the farmer. We are last on his cutting list, so the hay was never cut at the optimal time. For pasture rotation and less parasite issues, the expense of fencing will pay for itself.

I am always surprised that this pine tree is surviving, since its roots are in the pond. The cattails in the foreground were not as numerous this year. The beaver cleaned out a lot of the pond while building his lodge and trying to keep his dam going. I am hoping that he will come back this year.

I head out next Wednesday for Stitches East. My shop is open tomorrow, but will probably remain closed till after the Gaithersburg show which is the weekend before Thanksgiving. Happy knitting, spinning, felting, weaving and crocheting!