Happy Gnome Farm

new year

2009-01-21T10:16:00.000-08:00

well, we are back from vacation...

guess where we went?

more pictures are up on flickr...

except for the flu (first 3 days) and it was a bit cooler than usual....

we had a wonderful time.

Miss Boo was so happy to finally get her picture with minnie:)

My room at Riverside (alligator bayou section) was so much nicer than the room Andrew and I had (Magnolia Bend)...I would definately stay there again but would request Alligator Bayou

The Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor was definately worth the stop and so was the Toy Story Ride...and of course we visited old favorites and added all new thrill rides to Miss Boos list of "must do's"

I also went to the ever fantabulous "Rainbows End" quilt shop in Dunedin. I could go crazy but held back and came home with these beauties...and Miss boo got some fabrics to make clothing for her "build a bears"

Back to reality now....

Merry Christmas....

2008-12-25T15:41:00.000-08:00

crazy times...

let's see....

a dear previous boss of mine died....

then we lost power for 6 days with the ice storm (many of my employees lost it for 10, we had a generator so we did not lose any product but the hours were long, tedious, and all around stressful and exhausting...but we kept the business open and trudged along)

christmas came today....a bit chaotic but filled with family and fun...tomorrow night the niece and nephew are here along with my brother and his wife...should be lots of fun..

knitting and spinning...what's that??? hopefully will be able to get back in to the swing of things mid january...right now i am playing catch up after the storm....prepping for end of the year stuffola....and getting ready to escape with boo (desperately needed at this point)

through it all the sheep didn't notice much...boo was wonderful....she read bunches, was helpful and only got wonky a couple of times...

dh was good....it was so nutty...and keeping the generator and the systems all going....he was great...he also decided to make a turkey dinner for the whole town so last friday he ordered up a bunch of turkeys (apx. 200 lbs) and potatoes, green beans, gravy and rolls and cooked it on sunday and fed over 225 people at the school...people were thrilled and it was just what many of them needed....it just proves once again what I knew all along...he is a great guy!

Miss Boo is at the hotel with my family for the night...I am going to take advantage and get an early sleep...

Merry christmas to all...and a stay safe and warm!

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T15:25:00.001-08:00

I have been knitting a bit....

an adult hat, a baby hat....

in process....neckwarmer and another baby hat...

but today boo sewed...

she used my machine and her fabric stash and made a new pillowcase with french seams...

it is lovely and she did a fantabulous job...

and this week...I sewed 5 bags so far...

another 5 to 7 cut out and just need to be sewn....

and 2 ornaments...

but tomorrow morning I get to go play at the craft fair

and hopefully get to get some pottery from my favorite artist....woo hoo...

fingers crossed...

Happy Thanksgiving

got an egg....

2008-11-20T10:42:00.000-08:00

we got our first egg from the newly adopted chickens....ain't it a beaut...

the second one boo brought to school for lunch...

it is dang cold here...

i am attempting to motivate myself for the holidays...

i need to make ornaments for the swap and I just haven't hit on what exactly I want to and have time to make...i tend to overthink things and get a bit mentally elaborate...ugh...

what to make...what to make.....

Cliffy's hat

2008-11-15T12:07:00.000-08:00

This is cliffy's hat

I carded the wool and then did a two ply spin....sport weight...

it is delightful....

did i mention the chickens came today?

2008-11-15T11:58:00.000-08:00

so....you may think I was slugging off....

well...I did dye some mohair locks....
and you are seeing 3 hats and one neckwarmer....
I also have another hat on the scanner that I spun the yarn specifically for...

Okay...truthfully I could have accomplished more....but I have been a bit sluggish....it has been raining and damp...and I have registered so many deer that any thought of knitting would feel futile...hopefully this evening I can get to it

2008-11-06T10:55:00.000-08:00

where's my motivation...

it is a rainy day here.....I typed up the pie order sheets....labels for my superwash sock yarn....

I really should be knitting

(42 more hats to go for January....

when the blue one appears in Yankee Magazine....)

I should also be spinning...

3 buckets of carded fiber to go....

or carding....

all I am doing is dreaming of January vacation...thinking of christmas present possibilities...and putting larger piles into smaller piles ( and some piles are just going in the trash)...

again

2008-11-05T17:30:00.001-08:00

a few yarns I spun.....

so...I am attempting to keep up with my blog (again)....

the world is fine...the election is over....

pie season is about to begin....

knitting is on the needles....

spinning is on the bobbin....

fiber is prepped....

dyepot is on....

and this next week the birthing stalls and chicken coop will be built for the newly adopted chickens...

2008-08-20T16:06:00.000-07:00

so, what a wild summer it has been....I can't believe in a week school will be back in session...yikes...

Boo got her head gear....and as soon as those teeth come in...she will have braces, too...

she went to summer camp, camping in the adirondacks with her grandparents and cousins (aunt and uncle, too)....and this week she is with the other cousins and aunt and uncle...I am waiting for them to return from "Six Flags"....whew...she is going to need a week to catch up on her sleep and get her head in order for school....

the store has been crazy this summer....august last year was nuts at the begginning and mellowing out at the end...this year was the opposite and we have so much booked for this weekend and next, we feel our heads are spinning....I am exhausted and ever so grateful my vacation is only a month away...

and the Yankee Magazine is out with mention of the store...and a picture of me and the mister....

hopefully once chaos is over I will be able to blog a bit more regularly...and maybe make some stuff, too....

2008-04-30T10:22:00.000-07:00

Boo and dh went to Fenway during school break. She was so excited...delighted...surprised!

It was fantastic

here's dh at the game....he is looking fantastic, isn't he? :)

and Miss boo and myself got our ears pierced. it is funny how i didn't really think of the fact that my ears would be pierced...just thought I would get it done before her so she would know what to expect. They put them in the same spot they were pierced some 20 or so years ago....(and yep...they were closed up)...

back for a minute

2008-04-21T07:02:00.001-07:00

the sheep are sheared....what a wiggly event...and they were highly dramatic....bahhhing and worrisome running about while waiting for the others to get done...the littlest, blackberry, was last and they were all in a frenzy. I was worried Cornelia was going to charge the shearer in hopes of getting blackberry free....they all look so tiny now...but they are in great health and playing happily in the greening pastures....

Life has been going by quickly...haven't had much time to blog (everyone who gets my reply emails a week or so later knows this)....it is hard to believe a month ago the snow banks were higher than the stores front sign...

We are all fine... I have been spinning and washing up bits of fleece....some dying in the future too, I hope. I will have pictures of 5 or so skeins soon....dh and boo want hats from the sheep and I feel I must make a stuffed sheep from each animals fleece to commemorate their first shearing.

Dh and boo are in Boston watching her first Red Sox game. Dh kept it a secret until breakfast this morning and she nearly started crying she was so excited. I am so happy for them to have this experience together....she is tickled pink!

Speaking of tickled pink....I purchased an art doll from "Fabric of Meditation's" etsy sight this morning....just went there...saw it....hit purchase and it was done....I am soooooooo very excited. I know I need to purchase an embroidery from her this year also but I am waiting for that since I am about to purchase our flights for vacation (5 months from today!!!!)

and...the sheep and wool is coming up on mother's day...wooo hoooo.....

happy spring day to all!

I spun

2008-02-27T07:14:00.001-08:00

easter coil close
Originally uploaded by ladybugboo.

and I spun more and more and more and more.....all on flickr, ofcourse......

and now I am knitting :)

instant spring

2008-02-21T06:46:00.001-08:00

I really needed some instant spring....anyone who lives in this area knows it is true...almost 90 inches of snow this year, thus far....and more to come tomorrow night....

so here is my handspun....some flowers, some grass, and some blue sky....just makes me squeal to look at it on the mannequin....delightful....

I also figured out a much easier way to make the flowers with this spinning conquest....the old way...which involved slubs and needle felting has left a skein on the sewing table to be embellished...hopefully this time next week, that'll be accomplished....

Not much new here....just chugging away through February....went to the movies with dh and miss boo to see "Spiderwick Chronicles"....delightful movie but was quite different than the books.....so boo noticed all the changes and decided she did not need to own it when it came out on DVD....

more knitting completed...pictures on the flickr account....and just attempting to catch up on all the little bits that have been left by the wayside...(clothing repairs...etc)....hopefully will be able to spin a bit tonight while the dh is out....and sunday night is girlie night with boo, who knows what we will delight in...

funny compliment...

2008-02-11T07:46:00.000-08:00

this is one of the funniest compliments I have ever gotten....

from Dan...who is 70+ years old

"Now, M, you have lost weight...haven't you? You are looking beautiful. I can see you from angles you can't even see yourself"

weekend

2008-02-11T07:35:00.000-08:00

It was a weekend of fun....

Friday night boo and daddy built the box sled for fun at the winter day at DCS. Boo was a fierce competitor winning her first two heats and then all 4 sleds tied on the first of the final heat....so they did it again and she came in second.....

Here she is with her lovely sled and trophy (in her bedroom, along with her tent pitched beside it)....luckily the sled will move into the basement for tweaking for next years competition...

great job boo....

and I should have been working on the challenge yarn....but I spun it, washed it and hung it to dry....but it was sooo white.....eekss....I just couldn't deal with it...so, I spun up a big merino roving....which I needlefelted and will add some accoutrements to this week....and then you shall see....

but I leave you with the hat I knit, in the meantime....hell,when you work 16 hours a day, you need to keep those fingers busy...

finished

2008-02-05T06:23:00.000-08:00

this is the only bit of the scarf I finished that will be seen until August....

but I am spinning away and should have 2 yarns to show tomorrow, including the challenge yarn...but I leave you with the pill0w people

circle the wagons #1

2008-02-03T14:24:00.000-08:00

okay....gathered the materials.....scoured my boxes and mixed stuff....

ended up with wagon wheels (watch parts) and very simple hand cut vinatage mop (mother of pearl) buttons

and then I gathered a vintage ankle length apron out of muslin (muslin that was becoming pretty raw)....so I stripped it down and will spin it up with some white romney I have....then the embellishing will begin....I have decided at this time to make it a single ply and then sew the buttons and "wheels" on where I want them....the wheels are metal and I was concerned with them cutting the thread and some of the mop buttons won't fit through the orafice....so thus some handwork to be done...let's pretend I am doing it on the wagon....(but really chances are...I will be having a beer at the time...get it....)hee heee....

perfect superbowl handwork.....ya know...the patriots and stuff....

ski neck

2008-02-02T06:51:00.001-08:00

ski neck
Originally uploaded by ladybugboo.

my neckwarmer was completed this morning and I am absolutely delighted....the only thing that would have made it better is if it was all out of handspun....but hey....I will be delightfully warm and knittingly stylish on the slopes....

the pluckyfiber yarn sold last night......good bye sweet yarn...enjoy it christina....

so, what's on tap....a bit more work on the birthday scarf and getting things ready for Spin challenge #5 At the Yarn Museum....I am gathering my supplies....;)

lucious yarn

2008-02-01T06:01:00.001-08:00

lucious yarn
Originally uploaded by ladybugboo.

Back and in action....

whew...what a crazy and stressful bunch of months it has been....hopefully I will be back blogging regularly again...and creating too!

Christmas was a whirlwind of family. We were all together for the first time in years and the children enjoyed eachother so much. It was soooooo nice!

We made an offer on 8 acres of land here....a few doors down...offer was accepted and we closed on the 30th....between the bank, the accountant and just plain old me stressing to no end (it is our quietest time of year).... it is done....we are fine...a flu (lost my voice for 4 days...not even a squeak) and a cold later....I finally feel more at ease. Bring on February, dammit!!!!

I went away at the beginning of January with miss boo....we had a great time....few bumps in the road....day we left- my dear sweet princess kitty died after a short battle with liver issues....it was rotten and I miss her terribly....still makes me weepy to think about it..

On vacation Miss Boo got a stomach virus while at Epcot and Disney Hollywood studios....she was a trooper. Luckily 24 or so hours later she was ready to enjoy again...

Finally I got a burst of creative energy and spun 4 skeins of yarn (pictures on flickr).....and knit 3 hats and one neckwarmer. I think February will be the month of purple....birthday gift halfway done....neckwarmer for me (for skiing)....and then various hats and such to use up the left overs....and there are some fibers carded and ready for spinning and some stuff on the bobbin waiting for that something special :)

Phew....sweet relief....

elf hat i

2007-11-24T11:02:00.001-08:00

elf hat i
Originally uploaded by ladybugboo.

I have been a knitting and spinning fool this last week....
1 shawl
2 hats
1 sock

1 neckwarmer......

and various yarns in stages of spun....woo hoo......

more at my flickr account

silly sheep

2007-11-16T12:08:00.001-08:00

silly sheep
Originally uploaded by ladybugboo.

luckily, not a drawing of my sheep....I try to keep the maracas in the house...

pluckyfiber

2007-11-05T10:33:00.001-08:00

pluckyfiber
Originally uploaded by ladybugboo.

yep...I spun.....
the skein from the pluckyfluff fiber I had....a bit scratchy but oh so full of interesting stuff....mmmm.....

wow....in a little over a week I will be 37...should start thinking of my 37 things to do in this next year.....yikes.

the little devil

2007-11-04T12:11:00.001-08:00

the little devil
Originally uploaded by ladybugboo.

Many have asked...the costume is not a hand me down.....

After a month of crazy...vacations...sheep arriving....house overhalling....I am finally getting on with playing a bit...

tonight boo and dh are going to eat...and I am adding to the pillow extravaganza in the livingroom.....woo hooo.....and then who knows what else I may end up sewing....we'll see.....

the schwartzs

2007-10-18T06:58:00.001-07:00

the schwartz
Originally uploaded by ladybugboo.

welcome home Corneilia and Harvey!

They are a lovely pair....Harvey is still a bit shy but cornielia loves her scratches....

life has been busy....vacation...sheeps....and prep for dh to go away.....maybe the second half of october will have a greater opportunity for blog notes.....

but I am in love.....

blue and brown

2007-09-09T14:35:00.001-07:00

blue and brown
Originally uploaded by ladybugboo.

s is for spun

finally a scan of the blue and bits of brown super soft yarn....73 yards...

tonight there is dying, spinning and laundry happening....woo hoo