All was well.....

All was well on the little farm. Peaceful and good, sunny and bright. And then one morning, the mercury on the thermometer rose ...and rose ... and suddenly the chickens were panting, beaks ajar, panting as if they were dogs and fanning their wings to keep cool The sheep hid in the dark barn, and the ponies lay in the shade of the maple tree. No one came out in the heat of the day, no one except Joker, who stood in the hot sun and protested the heat. His loud "burp-like" baaaaaas came from deep within him, and suddenly I remembered. He had not been shorn in the spring, Joker needed relief!!!!

A quick call to Jeff, our shearer, and within 20 minutes he had shorn Joker, along with Mabel and Vespa, my two Border Leicesters. As always, Joker's fleece came off looking like a bear rug.

The it was Alice & Mello-Yellow's turn to find relief. My scissors flew around the bunnies' backs and up their bellies. Ahhhhhhhhhh ....what a relief it must be for them. And a treat for me to have these fleeces and beautiful Angora fur to blend into soft roving for spinning.

Today the temperature reached 104 on my deck. Of Course it is in the direct sun with no shade. Standing in the shade makes the outdoors bearable, but still the night time relief is welcome.

After 4 o'clock chores, we are headed for the beach.:)

Maine Fiberarts Tour Weekend ...a great success!

This past weekend, many folks stopped in as they toured farms and studios across Maine. Romeo, exhausted from guiding folks around the farm, pulling zippers on coats and purses, bumming food, and pulling tags off my yarn, finally took a rest on his "front step throne".

Over 65 visitors came, some from as far away as Finland and England, who told me that my yarn was some of the nicest they had seen ( yes my head is swelling ) and bought skeins to take back as gifts for their families ( yes, I am very proud ).

My good friend and weaver Susan Perrine brought over her loom and we designed what we are calling The Kelly-Green Scarf. It is woven from hand-dyed skeins in two weights, in shades of greens and a slight bit of blue. I could have sold it a few times, but instead took orders ....I am wearing this one to the show in Camden, this September!:)

Greens seem to be the "in" color this year.

Two years ago I couldn't keep up with the purples, then it was teals and blues. The colors change with the seasons as well, more natural colored greys and charcoals leave in the hands of knitters, and DK weights go fast in the fall as the sock knitters are replenishing there stash for winter knitting. The last batch of DK yarn that I dyed was in late summer colors ...golden yellows and crisp blues look stunning along with deep spruce greens, and dark turquoise.
August is a lazy feeling month on our farm. The heat of the day causes large woolly creatures to lay in sleepy lumps in the paddocks. Fat ewes and babies pile together like hound dogs on a porch, chickens stretch out in the dust and sun themselves, and freshly clipped Angora bunnies are relax in front of fans in the barn. Uma and Tomday have decided to be "lawn ornaments" like Romeo. Each morning they sneak under the fence to eat grass all day, then relax and digest on the front steps. If we ever get the deck built, we will have to pull the current steps off the house and attach them beside the new deck so the goats can continue their reign.

This morning I delivered more washed fleece to the spinnery. After this run I am going to have a nice fat bulky spun, then more DK weight. Only 3200 lbs of fleece left to work through!