SHEEP SHEARING.
On Thursday, we helped Cher shear her Shetlands (tongue twister!) Jesse and I still have a dream of our own wool sheep, so it was fun to get some experience. The kids gathered around while they took breaks from hunting for fiddlehead ferns and morels. It was a long day filled with sore backs, but a day spent with the Bugtussle family is a day well spent.- Hannah.
ANIMALS LATELY.
We have been visiting lots of farming friends lately, and these kind of visits always leave us inspired, challenged, and most of all - lusting after all the amazing animals. Jesse and I have tried hard to be patient - we really have. All last year we avoided Craigslist as much as possible, trying to resist all the "free to a good home" donkeys and goats. We almost broke down many times for random creatures for sale - but we were strong! In the fall, when we found ourselves financially able to purchase the little farm animals we were dreaming of, we bought a solar charger and fencing instead! So now, with the infrastructure, and because of the patience, we are starting to actually feel ready.We are still in the lovely winter stages of planning - drawing up diagrams for the garden, ordering seeds, carving out a vision for the year - but all these recent trips have really got us itching for our own little barnyard critters. Here are some of what we're longing for this year (from our visits to River Cottage Farm and Hill and Hollow).
Like I said - WE ARE STILL PLANNING - but those littlest of piggies might be coming home with us sometime soon.- Hannah.
THE GIFT OF SPINNING.
On my recent trip to Chicago, not only did I get to spend lots of time with my extended family - but I also got to bring home a very special gift: my sweet aunt's spinning wheel! She was a weaver in college, and this spinning wheel has been in her family for ages - we have no idea how old it is. It is honestly the most wonderful present. I have lovely dreams of the day we have our own sheep - shearing them, dying the wool, spinning it into yarn, knitting our own clothes. I am so excited to learn how to spin, but I have NO idea where to start. I do know that the wheel is missing a few parts, so I am planning on contacting a local spinning guild here in Nashville for some help.Any spinners out there with tips or advice?- Hannah.
EARLY CHRISTMAS.
Jesse, being the wonderful human that he is, gave me my Christmas present early this year - knitting needles and yarn and this book! I have been wanting to learn how to knit for a long time, and since I have had an abundance of free time here in Nashville while he is at work, Jesse decided not to wait til December 25. Bless him.I have only been at it a couple of days, but I love it so much. I am still learning (a.k.a. messing up often and accidentally letting the stitches slide off the needles and having to start over) but I am excited about the possibilities. Besides just wanting to knit for knitting's sake....this is also an investment of sorts. Jesse and I dream of raising fiber sheep (and possibly angora rabbits), and we want to be involved in that entire process: raising the sheep, shearing the sheep, dyeing the wool with our own handmade dyes, spinning the wool, and then the knitting! Whew! It is a dream that seems a little far off, but sitting here with my blistered fingers and my first half-finished scarf beside me - it feels one step closer.- Hannah.