On Your Mark

Miss Ewenice is getting pretty excited about the Tour de Fleece this year. She loves to be the center of attention. The life of the party. She's a diva. Her needle felted likeness - the prize to be drawn from the successful participants of Team My Favorite Sheep - meets her approval.

I took it out to the barn first. I like to photograph in the barn because the lighting is really important if I'm trying to take a picture of a white on white sheep. If I'm out in bright sun, no matter how pretty the background, it's a complete wash out.

Strangely, the pictures in the barn, with the sheep in the background, didn't do much for me. I tried the hay stall. Inside the wool house. I liked the red and orange flowers in the rock planter out front and snapped a couple shots there. With a glance down the sidewalk, I realized exactly where she wanted to sit.



The Doone Valley Thyme.



With its delicate purple flowers.



I realize the light is still not perfect, but sometimes it's the thought that counts most.

Lorna Doone Buggy was one of my very favorite sheep. She was probably Miss Ewenice's favorite sheep as well. I hate to remember that horrible time, but I doubt I'll ever forget. I think the flowers blooming now are a beautiful tribute.

Two nights ago Hank was upset, barking all night long. I hate to hear a dog barking, but after the events of last summer realized I was going to have to learn to live with it. I was told it wasn't the same as the random neighbor dog yapping at the moonlight. That the sound was different. Low and almost soothing because you know when you hear your livestock guardian dog barking that they are on the job and working hard. Turns out it's true. Hank's barking doesn't bother me.

What did bother me though as my sleepy brain cleared was the realization that even though we now had an excellent guardian dog, that we had two pens of young sheep separated from the main flock...and Hank couldn't get to them. At the back of the barn. Closest to the coyotes. Who are most likely again feeding hungry pups this time of year. Last night the four lambs were locked securely inside the barn. The hard lesson was learned and I'm going to stop crying now and get back to something fun.



The Tour de Fleece is open to anyone. You do not have to commit to spin every day. That's just what I chose to do. You could challenge yourself to learn a new technique, learn to use a drop spindle, spin everything in your stash that's orange, spin a special sheep's wool into enough yarn to knit a fancy lace shawl, heck, even just learn to spin... It just has to be a challenge that fits you and your crazy life. It should be an honest challenge, but something that you'll enjoy working towards.

Several people have already signed up on the Ravelry site and I've enjoyed meeting the "new" folks and visiting with the "old" ;-). It's fun to hear what everyone's going to be working on. I'm going to figure out the photo posting dealy and hopefully people will post some pictures as the tour progresses.

Come join us! You'll have some fun, your spinning will improve and you might even win a miniature Miss Ewenice, surely one of everybody's favorite sheep.