This Week's Spinning

Did a bit of spinning this week. 

A "Piece of Cake" sample from the shop.  This was soooooo much fun to spin!  The tencel nepps are a kick in the pants and the colors are so delicious!

I also held onto a "Hopper" sample.  The merinos in this one are extremely soft.  I love the bold colors and the funky pink sparkles are a hoot!  I thread plied it with some beads.

And, I worked on a custom yarn order for a special someone.  It's a CCR themed package.  Here you see "Jeremiah Was a Bullfrog", "All the Little Fishes" and "In the Deep Blue Sea".  I'm still spinning "Was a Good Friend of Mine" and "I Helped Him Drink His Wine".  Sooooooo loving how this is coming together!  The whole package is going to rock!

Nice Ta Meet You!

Spring is a busy time for so many people.  It's no exception here on the 'stead.  We're in high gear doing cleanup after a winter of sloth and 'just getting by' plus we're gearing up for summer and the garden.  We've been getting all the beds ready to accept this year's seed and plants, plus we've added some new beds to enlarge our garden space.

One new addition is this strawberry bed.  I'm so excited to get this one up and going!  A friend had a bed of strawberries that they were planning to take out and they offered the plants to us.  We built a nice home for them and then went over and dug up all these treasures last night and brough them here to their new digs.  Yay!

Right next door to the strawberries is this bed which is planted in potatoes.  We have two large potato beds planted this year. 

Look!  Some lettuce is coming up!  Yay!  Salads aren't far away!!

Tulips!  I'm so happy to see you.

And, look, there's Mr. Grapvine!  Wake up Sleepyhead!

And meet Mrs. Scarecrow.  The girls made her yesterday and got her all situated here in the garden.  Then, Baby Girl the Little'un came out and found her.  It melted me all over to watch her walk right up, shake the scarecrow by the sleeve and say, "Hello, nice ta meet you!"  My sentiments exactly, my Little Sweet Potato.  Well said!

The Studio is Humming!

I have stuff in the Tumbler...

And drying on the racks...

And waiting to be carded...

 

Also have a bathtub full washing and dye pots on the stove.  Lots of fiber in the works!

Meet and Greet

Meet Bess.  She is an agouti pygmy doe who just came to live with us.  Isn't she a sweet potata?  We think she's just as cute as can be and look forward to having her company in our barnyard!

 

Other doings around the 'stead include a major cleanup day of the rabbit commune.  Much raking and tray emptying was done by the worker bees here.  We repaired some caging and prepped some new ones that we want to put in.  It's looking pretty good over there.  We also got the posts put in for the area between the rabbits and the turkeys that we want to get covered.  It will mean shade in the summer for everyone and a drier walk and feeding experience in the winter.  Yay!

Next on the agenda is to get garden beds prepped, empty last year's compost bin, and clean out the goat barn to fill the compost bin back up again.  Hooray for compost!

More Spring Critter Pics

Star Spangled.  He's such a silly boy!

Muddy lambs.  Don't they look like they are about to get up to some trouble?

Blue Moon.  Hello, pretty girl!

Oh, the Babies We've had!!!

So many lovely new babies running around the 'stead!  Lambs and kids are playing in the yards again and it does my heart so much good!  I thought I'd share some gratuitious baby pics just to prove that Spring Is here!!!!

 

Inspiration and Spinning Unite!

A very exciting project is on the horizon for me and several of my indie artist friends. In June we plan to debut a monthly spinning treat for the peeps we serve. It's called Inspineration!

What is Inspineration? It's spinning. It's inspiration. It's a treat for the senses! Each month we will be uniting to explore a common theme through the creation of fabulous art batts and fibers. We will then package a variety of those fibers into a unique package and make the whole thing available to discerning spinners! Inspineration!

Who are the uber cool artists who are providing delicious themed fibers? First we have the always classy, ultra chic Melissa of Banana Migraine. Melissa's fibers are hip and edgy with a focus on raw color and emotion. Next we have the oh so sophisticated, ever elegant Dawn of Dawning Dreams. Dawn provides fibers with heart and texture. Her fibers ooze taste and refinement without overlooking fun and a touch of your inner child. Then, we have the zany, creative and vivacious Sue of The Critter Ranch. Sue brings the farm to you with farm fresh fibers. Always fun with a twist, Sue's fibers will delight, amaze and uplift you. Finally, I round out the team with penache and a Desert Garden Flair.

Each box will contain a one ounce offering from each of these super shops. The first month's theme will focus on an 80's Flashback! Other eras will follow. Stay tuned and watch our groups, shops and tweets for more information to come. Inspineration is on the way!