The Mia sized version of the Boudreaux sized blog. This is mostly a BACK UP BLOG and a smaller version for smaller screens if the main blog is too hard to navigate. For complete posts, giveaways, corrected grammar and punctuation, the "rest of the story" and any additional posts that might not make it over here for some reason, please check the BOUDREAUX SIZED BLOG :-).
I haven't missed a day of the Tour this year. On a couple days I only spun for 10-15 minutes, but that's better than the zero minutes I was spinning before :-).
I've got all the Tunis spun and am working on chain plying it. Chain plying is taking your spun single and making a really long looped crochet stitch with it and then adding your ply twist and winding it on the bobbin. Make a loop, add twist, wind on the bobbin. Make a loop, add twist... You start with one strand of yarn and end up with basically a three ply yarn.
I washed Kaala's fleece yesterday...and my washing machine died on the final rinse (thanks, 2020 :-/). At least it was the final rinse. I'm hoping it can be fixed because the newfangled washing machines are not useful for washing wool and the old ones are hard to find. Kaala should be dry today and I'll start carding it. I'm planning on spinning six ounces.
The Leicester Longwool curls are also sitting out ready for some attention. I'm still trying to decide exactly what I want to do with them. There are four ounces of curls.
There's still a decent risk of a photo finish for the end of the Tour, but I'm hopeful I can complete my challenge before the end.
The first picture was good, but the fourth picture was better ;-). Less distracting sunburst and better composition.
Evening light is my favorite. Evening in general is my favorite. Everything seems to take a deep breath and slowly exhale. Some days it's the nice end to a good day. Some days it's just a we made it to the end. Or maybe this it's just a summer thing.
The trick to these pictures is waiting until the sunlight is perfect. Or noticing the sun is perfect and grabbing your camera and running out. It doesn't stay perfect for long. The Golden Hour doesn't last quite an hour I've found.
Once the sunlight is perfect, you still need to work a bit. It helps to filter the bright light through some trees. Move around and watch how your camera reacts. If it's too blown out, change your angle just a little. Too dark? Again, move around.
If you want to get more technical, read up on metering so you'll better understand how your camera is thinking. I also set my white balance to cloudy. White balance and exposure compensation are two very basic camera tools everyone should learn to use. Read your manual or look online.
The always photogenic Count Chocula.
This is too sunset-y, but I like the composition. Daniel, Liddy, Kaala.
Muuufin :-)
This is Baaxter with the sun shining from the side...
...and now shining from behind. I like the little bit more definition of the first picture, but the soft light of the second picture. The background of the second picture is more interesting as well.
And this was my favorite picture of the evening. Kaala with the light balanced just right behind the filtering trees. It's also a new puzzle :-).
We had a nice break in the weather Sunday so I headed out with the sheep for a late afternoon graze. The sheep were spread out between the Pond Field and the Lower Paddock. The Pond Field is...the one with the ponds in it, behind the arena. The Lower Paddock is the closer of those two paddocks next to the Front Field. I was sitting in the Lower Paddock with Kaala and about 12 other sheep.
We...well 20, Pip, Auntie Reg, Miss B and I...had a great weekend at the Kentucky Sheep and Fiber Festival. Tavia, Tabitha and Kaala...won't be going out in public ever again. They hated it. A lot. And Tabitha made sure everyone heard about how much they hated it. A lot.
This was the 10th year for this festival. Seems kind of crazy when I think about it. That just flew by! Here is a quick tour of the booth for anyone who wasn't able to go and would like to take a peek. You can even hear Tabitha...because I know everyone would like to hear what she had to say...all weekend long :-o.
We were stopped by a road block on our way out of the park last night. As the person walked up to my truck to explain why the road was going to be closed for a few minutes, she laughed and said "Oh, I don't need to tell you what's going on." The Bluegrass Classic Stockdog Trial was over and they were moving 500 sheep into a secure field for the night. I got out of the truck and walked up to watch.
Before there was a fiber festival I used to set up my Punkin's Patch booth down at the stockdog trial. It was my favorite weekend of the year. I'd be set up close enough to the trial field that I could watch the sheep and dogs all day long. I'd bring my spinning wheel and my dear old collie Sam. I made some really good friends down there over the years and it was like the best vacation ever.
I'd stay until the very end of each day because once the last handler finished they'd run all the sheep out into the open field to graze for the night. That was my favorite. I love big flocks of sheep and I wonder now if my love of big flocks came from watching all those sheep filter out across that big field each night.
I didn't have a good camera back then. Heck, I didn't even know I liked taking pictures in those days. Maybe that was a good thing. I might be able to still see things in my mind and heart that I probably couldn't have really captured on film. Now, 16 years later, I pulled out my iPhone and recorded some video as they trotted up the road.
I included a bit of that footage at the end of this compilation. I did that mostly because it is a treasured memory from my weekend. A little gift from the universe to a crazy sheep lady who, while she enjoys being a part of the fiber festival, sure wishes there was a way to be two places at once.
I also included it because there's something of Punkin's Patch significance at the very end. The man walking past in the red and white striped shirt is Paul Tucker, now one of those good dog trial friends. But I met Paul long before I knew anything about border collies or sheep or that I even liked sheep. 27 years ago he gave me a little bottle lamb...that I named Punkin.
Several times a day I go peek in on everyone to make sure all is well in the barn. This is one of my favorite things to do, especially on a sunny, but chilly "winter" day. As I quietly walked down the barn aisle I noticed Maisie cashed out (one of my most favorite sights) so I quietly walked out, grabbed my camera and snuck back in.
The little darlin'.
Jared, aka Big J, soaking up some sun.
I seldom catch Kaala asleep. She's always "busy".
Petunia, with Tavia and Clover Belly on the left.
Andy
Rebecca Boone, for the first time looking like she might be happy(ish) moved into Easy Breezy. I've been trying for several days to get her settled in there. A Cotswold with an opinion... ;-).
This is Kaala. She's a natural colored Clun Forest ewe who belongs to my friend Benita aka fiberpusher of Dyed in the Wool fame. She was part of a flock in Indianapolis that was being dispersed and needed a new home.
She's a funny little sheep with a big personality. Since I'm not familiar with the farm she came from, she's in quarantine for awhile. I wish it weren't so hot, but we're doing the best we can. Lila stepped in got tricked into babysitting her and she's settling in just fine.
