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Friday, May 27, 2011

Show And Tell



Monday (yes, five days ago - you gotta give me a break, blogger and the latest Firefox upgrade were having issues) the wool house porch was abuzz with color and talent.

Several years ago a neighbor (we're all neighbors in Cynthiana/Harrison County) called to ask if she could set up a farm visit while her sister from NH was in town. Of course. And from that visit I made some more new, fun and interesting friends.



If you've seen/tried to steal my gorgeous felted laptop bag, this is the artist. She is never allowed to visit without show and tell! Grab a cup of coffee and spend a few minutes. This should really be a 40 picture post.



A nuno felted scarf she made for the "local" sister. Could the colors be any more perfect?



She brought so many beautiful projects, but this was my favorite. Felted from an heirloom wool scarf and (insert something exotic that I can't remember) wool batts. Can you see the scarf showing through?



She picked up a set of beautiful leather handles from Homestead Heirlooms at the festival. The perfect finishing touch.



And she knits too. Yet another first lace project. BOOOO!!!!!



Even more interestingly, my connection to this fun group of sisters could have begun years ago. I took a (required) college art history class from the sister in the top photo. Who's also a felter. Look how the colors in her painting match the colors in the back yard.



And a weaver.



So colorful. If I'd known "x" years ago that I had any interest in art...



And they can make derby hats too :-D.



Stella thought she didn't have any show and tell, but her lovely knitted lace afghan lives in the wool house and one of my most treasured gifts.



And the grand finale - Miss Renny! Remember Cathy's painting of Hank? Just amazing. And it's even more amazing than it looks. Due to my negligent photography you are missing that it's three dimensional. Looks like she'll need to come back for another visit!

So everyone had some show and tell. And then they turned to me.

"I got nothing."

It's probably not a good sign when you can summarize things with yet another famous City Boy quote ;-).

I don't have the Punkin throw finished, Janbaby's KAL scarf, the striped knit shawl. I have "x" fleeces stashed in the loft. I didn't get my yarn spun for the skein competition. I haven't painted anything since Christmas. The list is endless...and depressing.

However - and I'm not exactly sure what I'm trying to say - we have a nice, friendly, peaceful farm where the work isn't horribly behind (okay, it's behind, but not horribly - come on, it's springtime and it won't stop raining ;-). We all lived through the 2nd Kentucky Sheep and Fiber Festival and while I'm never completely happy, for the most part everything went really well and we were proud to be a part of it.

I'm pretty good at teaching people how to take care of/work with wool. I have a darling bottle baby who's delighted so many people this spring. I take decent photos and enjoy sharing as many stories as I can, time permitting, and I can put together a heck of a porch party - well, except for food, beverages, basic vacuuming... Sigh.

For now, at this point in my life, I think that's my show and tell. A little bit of everything, all jumbled together, like the colors in Jinney's rugs, the wisps of magic in June's scarves, the pieces of tin foil (I kid you not) adorning Beth's derby hat, the steadiness of Stella's knitting and the light in Renny's eye.

And maybe that's okay.

19 comments:

Sheepmom said...

Wow, all that talent gathered together..... Great pics, ( I keep telling you that you could do portraits....), super creativity. All that stuff is Art That Has a Function. Lovely AND useful.

I'm with you - my Show and Tell is out walking around in the pasture, the occasionally well-groomed lawn, a very happy dog, nice food on the table on a daily basis.... And when I can pull off something like a pair of mittens it's just frosting!

farmlady said...

Wonderful post. It says that one of the things we do, as artists, is to share one another. Show and Tell isn't always about what we accomplish... sometimes it's about our appreciating of an art that we love.
I have many unfinished pieces of knitting and felting. Do I feel bad about it?... yes... but have I learned something from each piece? You bet! I have and I WILL finish them in my own time. I have happy dogs, a great garden and a good life. All my unfinished projects will be finished at some point.
Never doubt your abilities.
I love your blog. It's a creation too, you know.

Anonymous said...

You forgot to mention you been sick, forever!
Debbie B.

Spinners End Farm said...

Sister, you've got everything! :)

flowerweaver said...

Wonderful show and tell! Love the wool painting of Renny!

Michelle said...

RENNY is your show and tell! Without all your time, love and dedication, there would be no Renny to portray. You done GOOD, shepherd lady!

Lori Skoog said...

Oooooooo! Such beautiful work! You have some very talented friends. A great show and tell. Give my best to Lila.

Christine said...

It is perfectly okay because I am right there with ya! Thank you for sharing all the amazing projects, what fabulous inspiration!

Alice said...

More fabulous, talented people to add to the circle I have met. You are one blessed lady with enough talents to show and tell to fill a day, and we love them all!

Ed said...

Pretty cool, speaking of Renny, how is she doing?

thecrazysheeplady said...

Renny's good. Fat and sassy :-).

Jody said...

Yes you do have something to show....your wonderful, adoring animals :-) Biggest prize of all is their luv.
What talented ladies...wish I could vist too!!!

Anonymous said...

Sara, to us, YOU, your farm, and all the animals are our inspiration! The KY Wool and Fiber Festival was your show and tell on a GRAND Scale - a huge feat and a great accomplishment. Give yourself a big pat on the back for me! Thank you for the lovely pictures of my sisters, niece, Stella, and myself - and the beautifully written descriptions. Love ya very much even if you are standing deep in wet mud and sheep ....
NH June

Anonymous said...

I don't know when you possibly had time to create!!!!such a beautiful posts with lovely photos and words, since you had to be exhausted. Thanks for letting us come by and visit. I loved your animals, farm, festival, show and tell---pat yourself on the back. It was so inspiring. I'm thrilled to touch base with you once again.Ohio Jinney

CathyD. said...

Here's a great big giant "Second!" to Michele's comment. Renny is your greatest show & tell.
To see her standing there in the middle of the flock, healthy, beautiful, accepted by her friends, and, I swear, smiling. It just melts my heart and makes me proud to call you my friend.

And then, there's Lila and all the other animals, the gorgeous photography, the entertaining and educational posts and I could go on and on....

Thank YOU for soo much inspiration!

Linda said...

I AM AMAZED! You are just as talented I know I have been following your blog for sometime now.

Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
http://deltacountyhistoricalsociety.wordpress.com/

small farm girl said...

Honey, if you didn't have any projects undone, you wouldn't be human. You would be......a mutant. lol.

Mistene said...

Love to see all these beautiful projects!

gowestferalwoman said...

Very okay...