Sainthood?

So...even as only a casual hockey fan I am aware of the practice of growing out your "Playoff Beard".  Yes, there's a Wikipedia page for Playoff Beard (shaking head...).  Saint Tim somehow ended up growing not just a beard, but also his hair.

His Chicago Blackhawks made it all the way through the long playoff season (hair growing), culminating in winning the coveted Stanley Cup.   The night they won I happily stupidly posted this on Twitter.

Tim and his brothers are huge hockey fans.  Obviously.  They are also consummate smart [alecs].  Tim decided he was going to leave his hair long until July 4th when he was headed to Chicago to see them.  Then he had the brilliant idea to have me cut it into a mullet like one of their favorite players, Patrick Kane.  Somehow I fell for this Tim assured me that he would have it cut "normal" before the trip back home and even took the clippers with him.

The "sweet, sweet mullet" was well received.  Too well received.  He wore it home.  And through the weekend.  And last night when our neighborhood WORKED THE GATE AT THE COUNTY FAIR!  

"Sweet mullet!"

"I wish I could grow one!"

"I can't take my eyes off it!"

"We should call it the Hawk's Nest!"  

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Are you kidding me?!?

Apparently sainthood is bestowed after proof that someone has performed a miracle.  I think it's a miracle that I haven't killed him...yet ;-).

Let's vote on it!  Should Saint Tim get his haircut?  (poll on upper right)

Sunday Stills - Yellow Flowers

I watched some yellow buds in the dye garden all week, hoping they'd open in time for today's challenge.  Had a little color this morning :-).

Yellow(ish) cat surrounded by yellow(ish) flowers.

Comby will follow me anywhere, even in the rain.

Last night's yellow field.  This must have something to do with the sun coming out after a big rain.  Or maybe it's just that it's been so long since we've seen the sun it seems extra golden ;-).

For more Sunday Stills...

Sheep Heid - Jacob Style

Every July 4th I remember the Fourth that I spent parked in the truck just outside the barn watching fireworks out the front window and a small Jacob ewe out the driver's side window.  Jacobs are sneaky sneaky when they are going to lamb and I knew she was ready but also knew that if I was there watching it wouldn't happen. 

I'd made Heidi a lambing stall in the barn aisle where I could see her from the truck.  Stella and I had watched the neighboring town's fireworks from up on her hill for awhile and then I headed back to the barn.  I pulled up out front and watched Sunshine being born. I checked to make sure her nose was clear and then stepped back. 

Jacobs are usually up right away, but Sunshine didn't get up.  Heidi did all the right things, but the tiny lamb was unable to stand.  I tried to help her but she was just. couldn't. do. it.  Heidi let me hand milk her and I dribbled milk into her baby's mouth for about an hour and finally if I held her up she could nurse on her own.  That's when I realized there was something wrong.  Her spine looked like an accordion.

I stayed with them to the wee hours of the morning hoping eventually the little lamb would strengthen up.  I knew I'd intervened with something that nature probably would have dealt with differently.  Heidi loved her though and the little lamb didn't know any different so I got her latched on for one last drink and headed to bed. 

The next 36 hours continued in this way.   We didn't name her and figured we were just putting off the inevitable, but couldn't stop trying to help Heidi take care of her.  The third morning I walked into the barn and found her standing up, just as bright and perky as could be.

"Good morning, Sunshine!" 

And that's how she got her name :-).

Sunshine had a variety of medical issues including no bladder control.  We knew we were going to have to be able to catch her and wash her every day and since Jacobs are not known for being super chummy...we got her eating cookies.

And that's how the cookie eating got started :-).

Sunshine was a delightful lamb.  She didn't live quite a year, but she packed a lot of joy (her own and ours) into those months.  It's fun to scroll back and remember.  She was the princess of the farm.  Everyone loved Sunshine.

Kate Davies' Sheep Heid was designed as a Shetland pattern, featuring nine different colors of Shetland wool...from nine different sheep.  I instantly fell in love with the pattern and thought it would be fun to try to  make it from just one sheep.   

By blending different amounts of Sunshine's black and white wool I was able to come up with six of the nine colors.  Janbaby re-worked the original pattern to accommodate those colors and the pattern knit up like a charm. 

I used duplicate stitch to add some different markings and horns to the thirteen sheep around the bottom.  Sunshine had more black than white so while these aren't true to breed standard they are pretty close to Sunshine :-).

I changed the pattern to knit white stitches down the middle of the faces around the top to look more like Jacob sheep.

And I like how they all look a bit different too.  Sometimes the inconsistent thicker and thinner of handspun comes in handy ;-).

Loved the crown shaping.  Such a clever design.

Sunshine

Spinning Wheels

I'm counting any wool work as applying to my Tour de Fleece challenge this year.  This includes washing fleeces, prepping washed wool, spinning wheel maintenance, sampling...and of course, spinning.

My Jensen wheel was in dire need of a good cleaning and reconditioning.  Anytime you need steel wool to remove dust from something...  A little elbow grease?  Good as new :-).  Such a pretty wheel.

Here are some freshly washed Buddy curls ready for the combs.

I love how the Cotswold curls remain even after carding or combing.

A small sample - ready to Andean ply.

40 wraps per inch.  Within the range I want (36-40), but I'd like to try for just a tiny bit thinner.

But see how the curls shine through even after spinning?  Cotswold is fun :-).  Buddy's going to make a beautiful lace project.

Basket Weave

This has been a spring (and into summer) of big projects.  Well, they're actually small projects, but they seem big.  Or maybe just seem big at the time ;-).  Bricking the garden areas has been my favorite.

Years ago I boarded my horses and Punkin at a farm near downtown Lexington.  It was known as the last green holdout in the midst of city development and it was a fantastic old rundown farm full of foxes, rabbits, birds, raccoons and even a few deer.  I tried to win the lottery to save it.  It's now long gone. 

These are no ordinary bricks.  Well, I guess to some people they'd be ordinary, but ordinary in the same way handspun yarn is ordinary.  These bricks were made on that farm and  I'd love to know how many years ago.  They were used to build the stud barn, which by the time I got there was just a neat old falling down barn tucked deep into a wooded lot.  The wooded lot is now gone as well.

Saint Tim noticed the bulldozers moving in on his way to work one morning and stopped and loaded up the back of his car (and tore something up too if I remember correctly, maybe due to weight?) before they all hit the dumpster.  They've been stacked outside our barn ever since, just waiting for a new job.   I now can't imagine the garden areas without them.

Other that the brutal digging out of the dirt and sod (again a big thanks to Saint Tim), laying the bricks was a fun project.  Once the area has been dug out and leveled, you put down about 3 inches of special gravel, level that and then cover with about a inch of special sand.  You then place your bricks (I used a basic weaving pattern, Basket Weave, to give it a good Wool House feel ;-) and then brush more sand over the top to fill the cracks.

There are gates on each end of the lavender garden.

A small pad in front of the new garden shed.

Larger pad in front of the (new) raised sunflower bed.  Side note, there is a slight slope to this area and I'm having trouble getting the sand between the bricks to stay put during big rains.  If anyone has any suggestions, please jump in.

Between the zinnias and the dye garden.

The lavender continues to be a highlight, especially now with some freshened up mulch.

These pictures are all from over a week ago.  The Grosso in the foreground is now waist high and in full bloom.  The bees are in heaven.  

And so is Newtown Spring Farm, but a little piece of it lives on here and in our hearts.