A Very Pretty And Special Thing

Annette Browning of Kentucky Blue Fiber Co. had the most beautiful shawl on display at the Kentucky Wool Festival this past fall.  It was very unique, hand crafted and I couldn't keep my eyes off it.  At the end of the weekend I asked her if she would be interested in making a custom shawl for me.  From someone very special.  She said yes.  It arrived the other day.

 

Thank you Annette.  There are no words.  It's beyond beautiful.

For more information and a link to Annette's blog...

Sunday Stills - Big Sky

So for this challenge use the rule of thirds and set your horizon in the bottom third of the pic and get some great sky shots. Day or night, cloudy or sunny. Cool blue or white from total cloud cover or spotty clouds. Even use sunrises and sunsets, the possibilities are endless…. 

Not exactly what I was hoping for but I am so tired of missing Sunday Stills.  This is my favorite time of day and I do love to see the sun set over the side sheep field...

For more Sunday Stills Skies...

So No One Has Maisie Withdrawals

Not to short change the bee party, but this is what I found when I came in from feeding this evening.  Yes, this is our kitchen. In the house.  Not the barn. 

It's a good thing she's cute ;-).

Anatomy Of A Bee Party

Bees hunker down for the winter and survive in amazingly cold climates.  Around Kentucky, a warm spell in the middle of winter isn't unheard of though, so I keep a bottle of honey on hand for those days when the temperature reaches 50 degrees and I know Stella's bees will be out an about.

First one bee will show up, scouting around, basically knocking on my door.  That's my cue to pour out a little honey.

A second bee shows up.  They go back and tell their sisters and...

...more bees show up.

And what we've got here is a full blown bee party!

Bellying up to the bar.

Or gathering around a puddle.

Happy bees.

And never fear, they clean up after themselves quite well.

Every last drip.

And as the sun starts to set and the temperature drops, they all head back home.

A Desperate Plea

With Maisie feeling a little better today, I took a few minutes to stop in the Wool House this afternoon before I did evening chores to pull down some of Woolliam's curls to test blend with Marcel's roving. That I was so sure was there. Already washed and processed. In a big bag on the right hand side of the loft. Right?

Right??

Please???

That I sold back last spring.

When I never dreamed that favorite sheep wouldn't live forever.

I'm hoping the spinner who purchased his fleece is a blog reader and might see this. And maybe hasn't already used it. And would be interested in selling it back to me.

It would mean the world to me.

 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

If you sit down in the barn sobbing, Hank will come over and wash your face just like he used to wash Marcel's. It only helps a little, but oh, such a sweet dog.

Crossing Fingers And Toes

I am cautiously optimistic things are improving.  After a rough day and night yesterday, there are signs (little dark brown, round raisinette signs ;-) that maybe the tides are turning this morning.  In fact, Maisie even felt well enough to go out to the barn with me this morning!  There is a cute Twitter picture of her on the Wool House porch. 

She stayed out on the back porch for a few minutes when we got back so I could do a quick stall kitchen cleaning.

Feed bags are a good Maisie toy.

She pushes them all over, back and forth, and they are noisy (which is apparently excellent) if you paw them.

When she came in, she and Betsy checked out the new digs in their "house" and went over and nibbled on some grass and minerals together.  How stinkin' cute is that!

A Little Fibery Goodness

And I'm not talking about fiber for Maisie. I have to clarify that because that's usually what I've had to talk about lately.  It's been an ongoing topic of conversation these days and let me tell you...I'm tired of talking about poop, cleaning up poop, praying for better poop...  Poor Maisie.  

The Always Amazing Aaron came to visit over the weekend.  I welcomed his visit because I knew he wouldn't come empty handed and he didn't disappoint.

Guess who this is?  The brown handspun.  And yes, Aaron's wrong side knitting is just as nice as his right side.  

It's Marcel!  From his lamb shearing.  I have a very special story to share about Marcel, but I'm not ready.  I still think I see him sometimes and it catches my breath and I have to look twice.  I love all my sheep.  I really do.  Even stupid ole Beanie Baby.  Some of them though...  Okay, moving on!

Aaron's spinning that perfect (as always) yarn to accent a blue sweater.  Lovely.  I am planning a Marcel sweater myself.  The Market Jacket from November Knits.  I'm going to blend Marcel's two year old shearing with some of Woolliam's Cotswoldy curls and I can't wait to get started. 

This is one of B. Willard's Border Leicester lamb cousins.  The gray fleece had some subtle color changes so Aaron separated it out and I think it's gorgeous.

And his WeSoInNo (Weave Something In November) project.  Yardage for a woven bag.  All handspun, warp and weft, and woven on one of his handmade looms.

And last, but not least, some Kool Aid dyed handspun. 

We'd had a couple warm winter days and the bees were having a honey party on the porch while we were taking pictures.  I love to drizzle honey on the railing and watch them come in and gobble it up.  It's enjoyable for me and helpful to them - gives them a winter boost.  I'm sure it was quite a sight with silly Maisie bebopping around, bees buzzing all over, knitting and fleeces strewn around the porch and me snapping pictures.  At this point I'm afraid I'm probably become more just theplaincrazylady. 

Maisie's fully transitioned over to the goat milk.  I thought we were golden last night.  She was happy and seemed to be feeling good, racing all over and pooping (see, there I go again) normal for the first time in many days.  This morning she tanked again.  We're hoping it's just her body trying to regulate itself and are trying to be patient.  She's hanging in there...with Betsy at her side.  Keep the prayers and good thoughts coming please.