I know I said I would be better about posting, but truly I have been away for a good reason. :-)  It's my yearly fiber participation at Fryeburg Fair, which means I am there from 8am until 9pm for the week, except for today (so I can do my real job)….but it's all good!

I work with a group of incredibly talented women.  Each is gifted with a talent that is a little different than the next which makes it all work so well.

I always purchase a piece of art from my dear friend Julie of Kick the Moon Farm.  This year as I strolled into her booth, can you believe what was facing me?  Holy crap, that little Fairy Queen Bee was meant just for me……….don't you agree?

I'll be back soon…I promise. 🙂

This week has been a crazy week….typical of the week before Fryeburg Fair. 

This year I thought I would try something different for the loom demonstration….working on a rigid heddle loom using 2 heddles.  Sounds pretty straightforward in the book and the videos….especially the part about direct warping.

I am a distributor for Schacht, so I brought in one of their Flip Rigid Heddle looms.  Figuring I should learn how to be able to teach people how to warp their loom in the "direct warping" method that is shown in the instruction book, I set about warping my loom.

Umm…..when you are warping close to 400 ends that is a TON of walking on a 6 yard warp…..so last night when I was looking at facebook and one of Courtney's friends who much to her dismay is one of my friends….LOL… had the following status:

If I get drunk yes I know I'm gonna be, I'm gonna be the man who gets drunk next to you

I had to laugh…..being the music junkie that I am, I know that the following lines are:

I would walk 500 miles and I would walk 500 more just to be that man who walks a thousand miles to fall down at your door….

Man o man…..I think I walked those 500 miles warping that loom!!!  Next time back to the warping board….just sayin'. 🙂

Sometimes you just never know where your blogging inspiration is going to come from…LOL!!!

…..have you any wool…….

 
Yes sir, yes sir….but lots more than 3!

I used to have a fabulous fiber processor up in Hampden Maine.  Her name was Val and she was wonderful!  She and her husband had this huge beast of a carder.  While her husband fed the wool into the carding machine, Val would sit in front of it and diz the roving into the bag.  She would always include a little card with what her thoughts were on the fleece…good and bad.  If the fleece was one that she didn't think should be carded because it was weak, she would call first.  I miss Val!

Because I have had a few bad fiber processing experiences, I have been SOOOO hesitant in sending off any of the fleeces I had. 

Do you think it stopped me from buying new ones……of course not!  There is something so wonderful about a gorgeous fleece that comes off of a clean sheep.  It's addicting!  I do think though that I will no longer visit the fleece barns for at least a few years. (no more fleeces…)

The grrls here in New England have been singing the praises of the Morro Fleece Works processing mill, so I packed up my coats of many natural colors and blends and shipped them off to California…all 16 of them…eek! (no more fleeces)

I did keep one very pretty Romney to process here though…the one pictured in the basket.  The lock definition is just SO nice and the wool is extra soft for a romney….
(no more fleeces..)

It is absolutely amazing how different a garden can be from one summer to the next!  You may remember last year where my entire tomato crop was wiped out…so disappointing! 

This year however has been an entirely different scenario.  The tomatoes have been abounding.  Baskets such as the one above has been filled over and over and then over again.  So far we have 20 quarts of tomato sauce and a few pounds of tomatoes in the freezer …wheee! 

Now the next part may make you laugh………..I truly hate eating tomatoes…  Can you believe it?  I really love the flavor but hate the texture.  The pulp, the seeds, the skin how it pops in your mouth…ewww. 

This is why most of my tomatoes end up as sauce.  Interestingly enough though I found this tomato dressing that I absolutely love via tastespotting.  I get the flavor of tomatoes in my salad without any of my texture "issues" ..LOL.  I'm betting you will love it too!

Pomme D’Amour Tomato Dressing

Try this fresh slightly spicy tomato dressing on your next salad or as a dip with fresh vegetables.

2 medium tomatoes, slice into quarter wedges
¼ cup cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon fresh cracked mixed pepper
1 teaspoon paprika, I like to use Hungarian paprika

Put all ingredients into the blender, except olive oil, and blend until mixed. While blender is still running slowly pour in olive oil, blend well. Serve immediately or store in a salad dressing bottle or container with a lid in the refrigerate. Keeps about 5 days. Shake or stir well before serving.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups

Enjoy!!

Rain comes, and birds —
Silhouettes against the pearlescent sky–
Respond excitedly in song.
They open their throats to heaven's nectar,
And rhyme with the drops.
Deng Ming~Dao

I wish you could all read the meditation that is attached to the above verse, but it is too long for me to type out.  To sum it up….it is up to each of us to sing as we feel moved by the overall song of life.  Do we harmonize with it? Do we sing a counterpoint?  Do we purposefully sound discordant tones or do we sing with joy?

It is up to us to fit into it, go against it or even flutter off on oblique angles.  Look to the birds who sing in the rain and know what to do when winter comes… and will sing a counterpoint when they need to….who will sing poetry that is discordant when it must be and rhymes when it is proper.

There is no doubt that this has been a hard summer for me….that sunflower really inhabits how I feel right now but I am pushing on and doing what I need to do to feel good again and feeling hopeful. :-)  Verses from my favorite little Tao book are always an inspiration. 🙂

I have decided that I will try to do shorter daily posts instead of the long posts that I tend to do when so much time goes by.  This way I can stay in touch with you more regularly as I deeply miss your companionship and company when I am away for so long. 

So….I will try to catch up with what I have been working on.  My knitting this summer has been a bit scattered, but it has been a happening all the same.  The sock above is another Keukenhof set done in my Pearl sock yarn.  I did switch out the short row heel and substituted it with a flap heel.  (I am so not a fan of short row heels…just sayin').  The first sock is finished and the second one is started. 🙂

Next on the needles is Pea Vines and it is such a beeutiful stitch pattern!  I have to admit I am struggling with loving the nupps, but the complexities of the pattern keep me moving forward….it is going to be one stunning shawl when it is finished!

Last on the needles is my favorite vest pattern.  Ken likes to refer to the one I currently wear as my "dye uniform".  I LOVE that vest because it keeps me warm and cool all at the same time, which is why I wear it when I am working.

The yarn I am using for the new one is hand spun as was the first one and so far I am loving the fabric.  I love the mindlessness that this knitting project gives me right now, so this is the one that I tend to turn to at the end of the day.  I'm thinking I will have a new vest very soon. 🙂

It's good to be back!!!

It's been a while since I have visited with you hasn't it?  I have had some ongoing back issues that have kept me from being able to sit behind my computer for extended periods of time, but I just wanted to pop in and say hello and let you know I miss you all!

Hopefully I will be back to normal soon with lots of things share, but for now I am working on healing, so I will visit again as soon as I can.  I hope your summer has been an enjoyable one!

Buzzzzzzzzzzzz…………..

I am working hard at finishing up something special to show you on the blog, so while I am knitting away this weekend I thought I would share Ashley’s latest weekend gift to me………..of course she knows just how much I love this Josh Ritter song. 

Thank you Ashley!