Crossing it off the list .....

Good afternoon, all.  I'm able to cross a major event off the to-do list now.  The Kentucky Sheep and Fiber Festival was last weekend and it went off without a hitch.  The workshops were well attended, sales looked to be very good (I did my part in helping boost sales, after all, it was the least I could do, right?).  I bought some (okay, maybe a little more than some) of Anne Hanson's Bare Naked Wool and have already cast on for the Tidal Sands Infinity cowl, using BNW Breakfast Blend DK in Cocoa. Anne's patterns are perfection and the various natural shades of the Bare Naked Wool line are especially beautiful when seen displayed altogether. I could not resist!  Be sure to check out Anne's write up of her time here in Kentucky.

After the festival I had the pleasure of hosting Mary Jane Mucklestone and Dagmar and Chet Klos at the farm for overnight visits.  It was wonderful to spend time with each of them and get to know them a little better.  Regular readers might remember than Dagmar did a fabulous natural dye workshop here at the farm last May and we're doing a little thinking and planning in hopes of putting together another one in the future.

Midgie and Phaedra went to the festival with me on Saturday because they are still getting several bottles a day and there was no one at home on the farm to do that.  I set up their pen under a shade tree outside the workshop building and they got lots of visits from friendly people, had their pictures taken a bunch and even got to take several walk-abouts.  (Phaedra got lots of compliments on her beautiful fleece coloring.)  My grandson, Coleman, and I used the opportunity to train the girls to walk on a lead and they spent some time visiting at the Locust Trace plant sale booth.  Halter training them is a gift that will keep on giving because from this time forward, I'll be able to take them almost anywhere and be confident that they won't have a nervous breakdown (nor will I).  By the way, those teeny little halters are actually extra small alpaca halters and they work great on lambs.

Meanwhile, here on the farm, the grass seems to have grown about 2 feet while I was otherwise occupied.  I'm seeing a fair amount of time on the ZTR mower and the tractor in my future.  It's hard to complain about having lush grass when I know there are parts of the country that haven't had rain in ages.  Once again, it's important to be grateful for where I am.

Starting tomorrow I have the pleasure of taking part in a two day workshop Nicola Brown is teaching in Lexington.  As part of my continuing quest to learn more about natural dyes, I'm excited to have a chance to do some eco-dyeing.  We'll be printing on fabric with leaves, onion skins, flowers and who knows what else.  Workshops with Nicola are always fun so I have a lot to look forward to.

This week it's been back to my real life.  There are fleeces waiting to be skirted and fleeces waiting to be washed and shipped off to their new owners. There is grass that needs immediate attention and a garden that will soon disappear under the weeds.  I am much more interested in catching up on "Call the Midwife" and "Mr. Selfridge", reading Heather Ross's new book and knitting on my cowl.  It's not at all like me, but I may even be a little bit interested in taking a nap or two.