Vertigo....

I went to the doctor last week.

He said that I have Vertigo.  (you were right, Jean)

He gave me some pills to help with the nausea and dizziness and some exercises to do, once the dizziness was under control.

Unfortunately, the medicine doesn't seem to be helping.

:-(

I'm still feeling dizzy and queasy.

I still went to my 'retreat' over the weekend and it was SOOO much fun, in spite of frequent dizzy spells.

It was great getting together with friends and playing with fiber!

I  dyed mohair locks (above) and a couple of skeins of  yarn that I had spun up previously, from Alice.  For the record, all three piles of locks were dyed at the same time, in the same jar!

The 'apricot' yarn looks great with a pale green skein that I had dyed at home, previously.

It reminds me of Cantaloupe!

I am amazed that I got so much accomplished during the retreat  because  I was (of course) not feeling well after dinner on Saturday evening so I went up to my room to lie down for "a few minutes" and didn't wake up until after breakfast on Sunday!

It was wonderful getting together with friends to spin and knit and dye fiber.  We talked and laughed and learned from and inspired each other. 

Look at the tiny little baskets & furniture that Alan Greene weaves!

We're going get together again in the fall.   We were all imagining sitting on the big porch of the  Amish B & B and spinning or knitting as we watch the Amish , horse drawn, buggies go by...

 I can't wait!

DREAM says...

"I'm glad you're back home, Mom.  I MISS YOU when you're gone!"

I miss you too, Dreamer. 

It's great to get away but it's always wonderful to come back home.



Hug A Sheep Day ~ two days later!

I'm sorry for not posting sooner but I was SO exhausted after preparing for and experiencing  the first annual Hug A Sheep day , Open House and Fiber Festival at Bluff Country Shetlands (and Backyard Chickens!) that I got absolutely nothing done yesterday.  After sleeping until noon, I got up and fed the animals, sat with the sheep, then sat on the couch, spinning and watching television all night.  Good Grief!  Imagine if I actually had to WORK.  Scary thought...

Hug A Sheep day was FUN! 

I met some very nice women and I think may just have begun a new friendship or two.  I certainly hope so, anyway.

There was NOT a lot of actual sheep hugging going on.  I believe you can see in the above photo, just how excited Alice was about the prospect!  It seems the other girls were equally enthused.  Although, as you can see in the first picture, Diane did get some lamb kisses from Duke.  Everyone came up for cookies but nobody stuck around for hugs. 

If you want to see some really cute sheep HUG photos, check out the Crazy Sheep Lady's post at Punkin's Patch.  Next year, I will be sure to have a few of the sheep outside of the pasture before guests arrive...

There was some hugging going around:

Josh posed with Sable and Bella
(shown voicing their opinions of hug a sheep day)

Bella Kitty came home from hunting to a FAMILY REUNION! 

The family that loves her so that they let her come live in the country because it was obvious she didn't want to be a house-kitty anymore, came out to visit their beloved Bella.  She was so happy to see them that she brought them a present! 

Fortunately, Bella's family had left by the time she returned with her 'gift'.

;-)

There was lots of spinning in the sunshine and fresh air:

Even some spinning lessons indoors, on my Roberta, electronic spinner:

Diane is an experienced spinner but has never tried an electronic wheel.

  

I knew she'd love it!

You'll have to come back and spin some more, Diane!

For any of you who saw my needle felted had (in progress) on television last week, here's my middle grandson, Matt, modeling it Saturday:

It's still not done but it's sure looking a lot better than it did on TV!!!

We had home-spun yarn on display

And all sorts of homemade goat milk soap!

j

My friend, Katie, was so proud that almost all of the Black Raspberry,Vanilla soap that she made when I was giving her a lesson, sold out.

I made up lots of cute, gift-baskets with teddy bears and soap and or roving or yarn.  I think they'll be good sellers for Christmas.

My friend, Mary, brought all sorts of colored roving and sheets of felt ~ gorgeous stuff!

In spite of the fact that it's not quite finished yet, I have to admit that even I like my needle felted hat!  I having fun considering options regarding how to finish it...

All in all, it was a great day! 

I will definitely have some sheep out with the guests, next year ~ rather than taking the guests into the pasture.   I do think that everyone had a nice time and I learned a lot about what to do and what not to do in the future. 

And when it was all done...

DREAM says...

"Mom came out and sat with us for a long time

and

hugged

ME."

You're Invited to...

Hug A Sheep!

The first, annual Hug A Sheep (HAS) Day will be on Saturday, October 30, 2010.  There will be an Open House and Fiber Festival (complete with vendors, demonstrations and a needle felting class!) at Bluff Country Shetlands in Houston, MN.  from 1:00 to 4:00 pm.   "The Crazy Sheep Lady" of Punkin's Patch will also be hosting a HAS Day Open House in Cynthiana, KY.  We hope that others will jump on the bandwagon and share the joys of sheep and shepherding with others by hosting Open Houses or other events to promote our wonderful, woolly friends!

Feel free to vote for the sheep that you'd most like to hug at the Open House in the Bluff Country  ~ see the poll added to the side bar on this blog.  I will be offering photos taken at the Open House and Fiber Festival for those who chose to Hug A Sheep.  I will also be teaching a beginning needle felting class, at two o'clock and will have needle felting kits available for those who want to take one home and make their own fluffy sheep or soap in a blanket.  There will also be wool carding, spinning, knitting, felting and weaving demonstrations as well as a variety of wool items to show some of the wonderful things that can be made with the fleece from a sheep. Learn about how a sheep is sheared (it's just like getting a haircut!) and how to process the wool into usable items of clothing or works of art.

There will also be vendors on site, offering wool related articles ~ from raw fleece to roving to homespun yarns or knitted or felted items.  Be the first to purchase my homemade,  goat milk soap or add a colorful lamb or even a beautiful chicken to your existing flock ~ or start your very own flock!

You'll have the opportunity to sign up for beginning spinning, knitting, felting or soap making classes.  Enjoy the process of turning wool into  family heirlooms  or treasured gifts.  Those in attendance at the Open House will also have the chance to win a sheep figurine by voting for or suggesting a name for the new, home-based Fiber and Goat Milk Soap business that the Shepherdess will be operating from Bluff Country Shetlands.

Meet the  dogs, cats, mille fleur bantam cochin chickens, blue laced red Wyandotte chickens, and of course the delightful Shetland Sheep that make Bluff Country Shetlands (and Backyard Chickens!) a wonderful place to live ~ to learn ~  and to visit. 

DREAM says...

"I sure hope you can make it to our HAS (Hug A Sheep) Open House and Fall Fiber Festival!  Just think...you might even get your picture taken with ME! 

Donations of (uncarved) pumpkins and animal crackers are welcome and appreciated"...

Dream!

Please forgive her. 

 She gets a bit carried away...

For more information on the Hug A Sheep Day Open House and Fall Fiber Festival  email me at nkmajik@acegroup.cc  or call me at:  (507) 896-2487

All in a Day's Work...

I've been SPINNING! ALL day long. And THIS:

is all that I have accomplished! That's not even a half of a bobbin.

In my defense, I will say that it's pretty Fine. Even Bella thinks so! I actually had some problems with spinning it because my right hand and arm kept going all numb and tingly on me. :-( I had to stop, every few minutes, and shake it out. Not sure what that's all about but I hope it's not an ongoing problem! I'm spinning Alice's fleece up for a * Very Special Project* and have LOTS of roving left to do...

I only worked on Alice today, but this photo shows some of my other spinning projects. On the far left is part of a bobbin of black, singles in a bulky size. That's what was left on the bobbin after I plied some for the bag that I'm working on.


The white (it's actually light Musket) is another bobbin of Alice that I've been working on. Unfortunately, the yarn broke and I can't ~ for the LIFE of me ~ find the end. Yes, I tried spinning it backward and using masking tape. No luck. So, I started another bobbin. ;-)

The multi-colored yarn is a bobbin of fingering weight, singles that I'm making using locks of fleece that I rooed from my girls, last Spring. It's my first attempt at spinning from the lock ~ and "in the grease" ~ and I Hate it!! But I do think that the yarn will be very pretty....

DREAM says...

..."Wasn't I just the cutest, little thing you EVER did see? Mom keeps telling me that the grass will come back but I don't know. The weather forecast is for a MAJOR winter storm tomorrow and Mom's supposed to WORK! I think she should stay home!"