You Gotta Have Friends

Spring has sprung (finally) here in Michigan.  It was a sunny, warm, happy day.  Now that the rain has gone, the animals seem to be in a festive mood and they are enjoying the bright sunshine.

Miss Emma has made some new friends in her little corner of the world.  She makes me laugh because she is such a curious girl.  I swear she's not afraid of anything!

 A male and female goose have been hanging around so Emma decided to be a good neighbor and say howdy.

 

 "Good Morning," says Emma, "Won't you stay and sit for awhile?"

Emma decides there wasn't much to the conversation.  "Humph!"

A nice little nap in the sunshine works wonders for the soul, especially when you can share it with a friend.

And here are Emma's other friends.  They were living below her hay feeder, all safe and snug.  I'm sure they enjoyed all the bits of alfalfa that Emma dropped while she was eating (looks like one is wearing a piece of alfalfa on its head!)

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Next week-end (May 7th & 8th) is the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival...I don't need to tell you how excited I am to be attending!  If you happen to go, please look me up and say hello...I'll be in Barn 5, space 8.  I plan on taking lots of pictures too!   In the meantime, there is a flurry of activity to get ready for the trip!
P.S.:  If you want to see more pictures from my class at the Ohio Rug Camp at Punderson, click on the link to go to Liz's blog.  Scroll down and you'll see lots of nice pictures.  Thanks for sharing, Liz!

Welcome to Michigan

That was my husband's exclaimation when we got up this morning and discovered this:

 

...and it's still coming down....

Don't get me wrong, I love snow...but not in April when my daffodils are struggling to come up and show their little yellow heads.

We bought my neighbor's used tractor yesterday and it came home with the snow blower attachment still on the front.  Gee, did we jinx something???? 

Happy Wool Day!

Today is rainy and gray so I am spending the entire day in my studio, straightening up my wool supply.  It REALLY needs some reorganization!  So I am restocking shelves, and to make room for new wool textures, I am pulling out the "old" wool that I want to sell at my tent sale in June (there will be plenty!).  I never thought in my whole life that I would have THIS much wool...seriously!  My collection is not epic, like Barb Carroll's wool stash, but let's just say that I'm moving my office upstairs so I will have a larger space to put out more wool.  I have completely run out of room.

Things could get lost in all that wool.....

Ummm....OK, Riley....you're not really blending in....I can see you......

Hope your week-end is a cozy one and you get to play with some wool!

Rugs From Ohio Rug Camp

I was honored to be a teacher at the Ohio Rug Camp last week and despite the dreary weather, we had a terrific time!  In hindsight, I wish I would have taken some time to get a few pictures of my class....they were all such wonderful students!  However if you click on this link to Andrea's blog, you will see a few pictures of what folks were working on (scroll down to the Ohio Rug Camp post, then there are several entries after that).

I did enjoy the rug show that was laid out for the campers and the public to enjoy.  I took a few pictures of Spruce Ridge Studios patterns and here they are:

This little glowing gem was hooked by Cynthia Norwood.  This is Pear Tree (AKA Yuletide...because you can order it to say either of these phrases), an adaptation of Lori Brechlin's folk art by Spruce Ridge Studios.  Cynthia chose not to hook the words.  The reason why it glows is because Cynthia used a multitude of antique paisley in this rug.  Here's a close-up of some of the paisley pears:

 Spectacular!

 This is Conquest of Queen Anne, a Cindi Gay design, hooked by Janet Watson.  This rug is very near and dear to my heart because I helped Janet with most of the color planning last June at her guild's rug camp at Cherry Valley Lodge.  I must admit, I was a little concerned when Janet announced that she wanted a red background!  But the end result is another stunning rug!

This is Merry Christmastime, a Keith Kemmer design, and hooked by Jane Doppke.  Jane is a relatively new rug hooker but so far, she is doing a terrific job!  The most wonderful thing about this rug is that Jane hooked some nubby yarn to represent the snow.  I don't think it shows up in the picture as nicely as it did in person.  Also note the roving beard on Santa.

And lastly, here is Emma's Garden hooked by Judy Paterson.  This is not a typical color plan that you would expect for this rug but I LOVE it!  Here is a close-up of the little sheep:

What a sweet little lamb!
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I am now working like a mad woman to get ready for the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival which takes place on May 7th and 8th.  I have never been there but have always wanted to go.  It's such a big deal in the sheep/goat world...sort of like going to a Royal Wedding!  LOL! 

I'm not foolin'

No fooling....we're having another Tent Sale and Open House this year!

Back by popular demand!

Spruce Ridge Studios

Open House and Tent Sale

Saturday June 18, 2011

10 am to 2 pm

(sale starts at 10 am sharp-no early sales please)

There will be clearance-priced wool and rug hooking patterns, and lots of other fun fiber-related items at reduced prices....you never know what you'll find!  Maybe some stuff from my craft closet, maybe some antiques or collectibles.

All sales items will be under the tent.

For your regular shopping needs, my studio will be open during the sale.

Visa and Master Card accepted.

 Kindly contact me for directions.