Emma and Lumi's Pumpkin Patch

We have a lovely pumpkin patch growing in the sheep's pen this year. They are "accidental" plants...in the fall, we give the sheep pumpkins to eat, so these plants sprouted from seeds left on the ground last year. The plants are sturdy and strong and already have several elongated green pumpkins which are growing rapidly. I love the vibrant green leaves and bright yellow flowers.

Emma and Lumi graze around the pumpkin plants and haven't disturbed them yet. Maybe the leaves are too prickly for their taste. So far they haven't seen the green pumpkins (I think they would eat those). Hopefully we'll have a few delightful orange pumpkins to decorate our porch come October!LOL! The camera flash made Emma's eyes glow... spooky things are already happening in the pumpkin patch!

Emma's British Relatives?

In May of 2006, I traveled to England with a rug hooking group organized by Barb Carroll. We stayed in a youth hostel outside the town of Reeth in the Yorkshire Dales. One day we were able to visit a charming little wool shop in the countryside. It was full of hand-knit sweaters, scarves, yarn, and other wool products made from Wensleydale sheep wool. The owner's husband took some of us down the road to see his flock of Wensleydale sheep. I had heard of Wensleydales before, but I think this is when I became fascinated with the breed. The farmer had a can of feed and when he shook it, the sheep came running from far and wide. It's not easy to get a picture when they are milling around looking for a snack!

I was looking at my pictures the other night and saw a little lamb in the corner of one of the photos. Yikes! I think it looks like Emma, don't you?

(if you need to take a closer look, click on the picture to make it bigger)
It made me excited to think that Emma looks like some of her British relatives! Maybe this is a cousin from way back in her bloodline...you just never know!
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My "petting for food" bribe has been working very well. Last night I was able to get Emma to lift her head out of the hay feeder and she actually looked at me while I scratched her nose and her chin!

The (attempted) Taming of Emma

I'm a real "hands-on" person with my sheep and goats. They all get petted, scratched, patted, cuddled, hugged and sometimes even get a kiss on the nose. They are used to me handling them so they are really friendly. OK, I'll admit, we've owned Emma for less than 3 weeks but I'm really craving to scratch that fuzzy little head! Emma always stays about an arm's length away from me. She'd rather not be bothered...all she would rather do is eat....ah ha! I think I'm going to take advantage of that!

Emma must be going through a growing spurt because she is one lean-mean-eating-machine. When she sees me open the barn door, she hollers at me to bring that hay out...pronto! Then she buries her head up to her ears in the hay feeder. All you can hear is crunching and tiny satisfied grunts. She gets herself so wrapped up in eating that she is oblivious to anything else that goes on....

......hee hee..... So I've been sneaking in some good scratching and petting sessions while she's stuffing her face with alfalfa and grass. I figure that she'll eventually get used to me touching her and she'll warm up to the idea that being petted is good.
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Did I dazzle you with my photographic multi-tasking??? I took the picture (above) while leaning over Lumi, petting Emma with one hand, and balancing the camera while I pushed the button with my other hand to take the picture...wow! Now that's real talent for a "technology-impaired" farmer girl! I guess Emma and I are both learning some new tricks!!!

Lounging on a Lazy Day

It was a beautiful sunny day here in Michigan...perfect for lounging around in the shade and taking a nap. So that's exactly what Lumi and Emma did today! They are the best of friends now. Although Emma tends to "hog" the hay feeder, Lumi graciously allows Emma to eat her fill first.

When I walked out my back door yesterday evening to feed the animals, I heard a loud "whooshing" noise. Two hot air balloons glided right through my back yard!

Have a great week-end!

***July 4th ****

Happy Independence Day

She's a Grand Old Flag....Long may she wave over America, my beautiful Country!!!

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Yankee Doodle Birthdays

Ooops! Forgot to wish happy birthday to my goat, Bella, who turned 3 years old today...we do celebrate our pets' birthdates...and to my cat, Cleo, who turned 19 years old. Yes, that's right! 19 years old, still going strong, and not a gray hair on her !!!

Beautiful Lake Michigan

Oh, how I love Lake Michigan! My sister and I tried to go down to the beach on Friday night...we were merely one block from the sand when the skies opened up and poured down rain, causing us to run quickly back to the car. We tried again on Saturday evening. This time, the weather cooperated and we had a REALLY fun time! Here's Amanda walking on the beach...

We walked to the end of a cement pier that jutted out into the lake. Across from where we were walking, there was another pier and this quaint little lighthouse.
Then we came across a man on the beach who was sitting at a picnic table with 2 parrots. This white one was named Peaches and she was quite friendly. The man said Peaches wanted to sit on my arm...so I gave it a try! As you can see, Peaches began to fluff herself up, flap her wings, and chattered at me in "parrot talk" (she did say "Hi baby" plainly)! Parrots on the beach? Not what I expected!

We were able to sit on a picnic table and watch the sun set over Lake Michigan....simply spectacular! The picture says it all.
OK, here's my most favorite part of the whole week-end....on Sunday, I met a lovely 11 year old girl named Rachel. After seeing some of the rugs and wool in my booth, she thought she might like to try her hand at rug hooking. So I taught her how to hook while her mother walked around the quilt show. In one hour's time, she was pulling up even loops and she was absolutely "hooked" on rug hooking. Her first attempt was beautifully done.

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You go, girl! I'm proud of you!

Maybe one day, we'll see Rachel's rugs at the Michigan State Fair...or even in Rug Hooking Magazine!

Fun at the Quilt Show

My sister drove up from Nashville, TN on Friday to help me at the quilt show in Benton Harbor, MI on Saturday and Sunday. We had so much fun! And what a beautiful show! The quilt display was more like an art show. Here is the quilt that I looked at every day because it was across from my booth. It won a third place ribbon in the Large Quilt category. This quilt was called "Crazy Scraps" and Doris M. Petznick is the maker:

This quilt was in the "Junior Member" category and was made by Amanda Monroe. It's called "Goats of the World". It was one of my favorites! Oh gosh, there were so many good ones!

The quilter below is Sharon Mason. Her quilt is named "Grandma's Garden/Trip Around The World". She won a first-place ribbon in the Large Quilt category. She generously shared her quilt story with us.

I thought you might like to see the quilt that won Best of Show or People's Choice. It was called "March of the Elephants" and made by Vicki Nitz. It had many batik fabrics in it. Words and pictures cannot describe how truly wonderful this quilt is. The sewing and details in the design were astonishing!

I'm not a quilter but this show would certainly inspire you to take up this beautiful sewing art!

My sister and I went to the Lake Michigan shore on Saturday evening and I'll post some of those pictures tomorrow.

The Game Emma Plays

We keep loose minerals available all the time for the goats and sheep to eat. It looks like sand but it contains salt and vitamins and minerals which are essential to keep them healthy. They love to eat it, especially when I bring out a fresh supply. We pour it in a plastic container which is made to hook over a board or fence. We have kept the sheep minerals under their shelter for close to 4 years with nary a screw or nail to hold it. We have simply hooked it over a board and it stayed in its place. Emma has decided to make a game of this.....

Emma has decided that it would be real fun to flip the plastic mineral container out of the shelter. It lands in about the same place every time. Each time she knocks it out, I go out to pick it up and replace it on the board. Pretty soon, she flips it out on the ground again. And then I come outside again....this has happened at least 6 times in the past 3 days....can you see a pattern here? LOL! I wouldn't mind it so much except that the minerals get dumped out and it's becoming a costly game. Looks like Ken is going to have to get out his power drill and some screws this week-end!

Years ago, someone once told me that they thought sheep were dumb and had no intelligence. I'm betting that person never owned sheep before.

Have a great week-end!

Quilt Show

I'll be vending at a quilt show this week-end sponsored by the Berrien Towne & Country Quilt Guild. It takes place Saturday June 28th and Sunday June 29th from 10 am to 5 pm at the Lake Michigan College Mendel Center, Upton Hall, 2755 E. Napier Ave., Benton Harbor, MI (if you are on I-94, it is at Exit 30). Admission is $5.00, children under 12 are free.

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I've been putting together special wool bundles in yummy colors for wool applique, penny rug making, quilting, or rug hooking. And I'll be bringing lots and lots of other overdyed and as-is wool along with beautiful hand-turned wooden sewing accessories for the discriminating fiber artist. Also a few rug hooking kits and some books.

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It will be a lovely week-end to view the quilts and do some shopping...hope to see you there! I plan on visiting the Lake Michigan shore for a little relaxation in the evening!

A fun time at the Mansfield Hook-In

We had a great time on Saturday at the Kingwood Center in Mansfield Ohio. Many heart-felt thank-you's to Katie Allman for putting on a fun and special day to rug hook, shop, and visit with friends. The rug display was absolutely wonderful. I wish I would have taken more pictures of the rugs. This was one of my favorites:

A gorgeous proddy rug! This was made by Ruth Treen. It reminds me of the proddy rugs I saw in England (Thanks to Katie Allman for identifying the maker of the rug).

Emma has settled down a little bit today and she is not rattling our windows with her baa-ing. She still "talks" but it is more gentle and quiet and sounds like a purr-like baa. She is trying to buddy up with Lumi. She still avoids me at all cost but she is constantly curious about what is going on while I am doing my chores. She walks down to the end of the pen and "talks" to the goats too. They just can't figure her out!

Welcome home, little Emma!

Well, it certainly has been an exciting day for both human and sheep here at Spruce Ridge Studios! This evening we picked up Emma from Neil's farm and brought her home.

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Here's Neil carrying Emma out of his barn to load her in our truck. (Good grief, she's being carried? Just a little spoiled already, wouldn't you say?!?) Kind of hard to believe that this is a 3 month old lamb!

Emma and Lumi meeting for the first time:

And now, nose to nose!

Such a cute face (I think I've said this before)! And look at those curls!

A growing girl needs to eat.....yum, there's some good hay here....

And now for some grass and clover....

But this is what Emma has done the most since she's gotten here....

BAAAA!!! BAAAA!!! BAAAA!!!

She is quite "vocal" and has a loud voice to match. Poor girl, it's so hard for her to be separated from her mom and and the familiar surroundings where she grew up.

(I hope my neighbors are very understanding)

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We had a terrific time at the Mansfield Hook-In at the Kingwood Center on Saturday. I'll post a couple of pictures tomorrow. Time for this "sheep mama" to go to bed!

Hex and Frex is finished!

Hex and Frex, an adaptation of Lori Brechlin Folk Art by Spruce Ridge Studios/Kris Miller (c)2007

I finished Hex and Frex last week. I was watching the Red Wings win the Stanley Cup and pulled up the last loop as they were celebrating their win. This rug is hooked in all textures with a #8.5 cut throughout. I love everything about this rug! I love the dark colors and the sparks of turquoise that march around the border. I love the round little eyes of the cat on the left. Simple, yes, but it gives him a personality. I love the "straight-line hooking" on the body of the cat on the right, this gives the rug an "old" feeling.

My favorite color combo is the hex sign...love the combination of the maroon and dirty turquoise textures!

Thanks so much to Jayne Hester for her delicious color planning !

Hooked Rug Show and Hook-In in Mansfield, Ohio

Isn't this a beautiful setting? This is the Kingwood Center in Mansfield, Ohio. I will be vending at the hooked rug show/hook-in that takes place here on Saturday June 21, 2008. The hours of the show are 10 am to 4pm and admission is absolutely free and open to the public! Come enjoy the rugs in the Meeting Hall, and the lush flowers and gardens on the grounds (I have never been here but I'm told it's a wonderful place to visit). Stop by my booth and say hello! If you have any other questions, you may call Katie Allman at 419-685-4490.

Thank You!

Thanks to all of you who attended the Tent Sale and Studio Open House! We had a wonderful turn-out of shoppers. It was very fun to see everyone and share the enthusiasm of rug hooking and fiber arts in general. I got so carried away that I forgot to take pictures! I've decided that it should probably be an annual event so I'll see you next year!

One Week Until Spruce Ridge Studios Open House and Tent Sale!

Here's what part of my studio looked like a couple of weeks ago as I was cleaning out cabinets and closets for the Tent Sale. The dark green cabinet on the right stores my private stash of wool, a "no-share zone" as my friend Wendy Miller calls it! Here's proof to my friends that I do occasionally clean out my stash and offer it for sale. The Tent Sale will have lots of clearance-priced rug hooking wool and a selection of rug hooking patterns that are 25% to 50% off the regular retail price.

I wonder if anyone still sews. I have been away from the sewing world for such a long time. I have cleaned out all of my nice dress-making fabric, literally more than 200 yards of fabric and most of it is priced at $1.00 per yard, nothing over $3.50/yard. There's all sorts of cottons, batik, velvet, broadcloth, georgette, denims, rayons, wool blends, knits, polar fleece, linen, a few pieces of silk, and more. Tell your sewing friends about this!

I'll also be parting with a few vintage/antique pieces of collectible things ... you'll have to come by to see what they are. And I'm still digging around to find a huge box of recycled wool garments. Each piece will be priced at $1.50. There's so many other fiber items that are too numerous to list (roving, buttons, yarn, etc).

I do hope you'll stop by and find a treasure to take home! The sale goes on, rain or shine (but we're praying for sunshine)...and my studio will be open all day for your regular rug hooking needs as well.

See you next Saturday!

Name That Fungus

OK, so I'm sure you were up all night, wondering what type of fungus I have growing on a tree in my backyard (see yesterday's post). I won't keep you in suspense any longer:

The name of the fungus is Dryad's Saddle or also known as Pheasant's Back Mushroom. This type of bracket fungus grows mostly on dead trees but may also be found on trees with injuries, which is probably what is going on with my tree. It is not poisonous.

I'm sure you'll agree that it does look like the back of a pheasant with its feathery pattern and soft brown colors. But what, you ask, is a dryad? In Greek mythology, a dryad is a wood nymph. Could it be that forest faeries have been frolicking in the trees and watching us from afar?

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(Emma and her mom - picture taken at the end of April)

I have been told that Emma will be ready to come home to our farm in about 2 weeks! I have not been out to Neil's farm to see her recently but he tells me that she's getting big and she has lots of curls.

Have a great week-end!

Can you guess what this is?

Take a look at this photo and guess what this is.....

It looks soft...

delicate....

beautiful taupey-brown colors...

feather-like....

Almost looks like a bird's wing....

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Have you guessed what it is?????
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I'll bet you don't know!

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Look at the picture below!

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It's a bracket fungus that is growing on a tree in my backyard! Beautiful!

For a fiber artist, color and texture inspirations are everywhere!

Now, can you guess what kind of bracket fungus this is? Leave me a comment if you know. I'll post the answer tomorrow!

Go Red Wings!

Everyone in this family is a BIG hockey fan so there's lots of excitement over the Stanley Cup finals! We have been big-time "Wing Nuts" for years. My son Kevin went to the Red Wings game on Monday night and took these pictures:

Pittsburgh Penquins and Detroit Red Wings

Wouldn't be a hockey game without a little pushing and shoving!

The end of the game and the players are celebrating win #2.
We are merely two wins away from Lord Stanley's Cup!
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Happy Memorial Day

Home Sweet Home, an adaptation of a design by Lori Brechlin/Notforgotten Farm,

available at Spruce Ridge Studios

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A tribute to all the men and women who have proudly served to make our country "land of the free and home of the brave". Thank you for your sacrifices.

Last week...in photos

It was a busy week...and here are the photos to prove it!

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Saturday May 24, 2008

It was a beautiful, warm sunny day so we finished shearing the last four goats. Ken accidentally broke a big branch off of a tree so it became a feast for all the goats. Here's the feeding frenzy:

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Sunday May 18th - Thursday May 22nd

Another rug camp! I went back to Ligonier, PA for a workshop at the Woolley Fox with Barb Carroll. Lots and lots and lots of hooking was done! Here are some of my friends... such busy little hookers! (L to R: Polly, Connie, Janet)

And here is Janet, proudly displaying her rug in progress, Oh Glorious Day. This rug will automatically make you smile!

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Saturday, May 17, 2008

Congratulations to my brother, Erik Johnson, on his graduation (summa cum laude) and business degree from Northwood University. Way to go, Bro!

The happy graduate and his proud sister