Lil Witchy-Poo!

Isn't my little witch adorable??? I thought I'd share my progress on Smell My Feet. My time at my rug hooking frame has been limited lately since I've been dyeing wool and drawing patterns for the Newtown Hooked Rug show next week-end. But I've tried to sneak in a few moments here and there to pull up a few loops. Her hair is hooked from Wensleydale locks that I dyed a bright magenta hue (a real shock to my primitive mind but oh, so fun!) The next step was "dressing" her up in a purple dress with a prodded collar. I also prodded down the front of the dress and added "beading" accents. In case you don't know what "beading" is: it is hooking with two different colored wool strips at the same time, and each color is alternated. So much fun to do! Here's a close-up of my beading:

I have three old black glass buttons that I'm going to sew in between the rows of beading...Lil Witchy-Poo will have such a fancy dress! Doesn't she look so pleased to be wearing her favorite Halloween finery?

There's a few other little accents that I'd like to try (think glittery cording for stars)...but I'll save that for another time.

Have a great week-end!

Gobble, Gobble! A Feast For Your Eyes

"Tom" - adapted from Lori Brechlin Folk Art by Spruce Ridge Studios - - - (c) 2008 Kris Miller

Wowzers! Don't you absolutely love this rug?
This is Tom, a new pattern adapted from Lori Brechlin folk art. It was hooked by my good friend, Vicki Monroe and it took her less than two weeks to complete! She used a lot of Rebecca Erb's textured wools. I like everything about this rug but especially the tail feathers. They are turkey-perfect! Another great possibility would be to dig into your left-over scraps and hook the feathers in a hit-or-miss manner. Then use some of those "tail colors" in the triangles along the border to pull it all together. Let your imagination run wild!
Thanks, Vicki, for sharing your fun holiday mat!

What I'm Hooking Right Now...

Lately I've been trying to get back to my rug hooking. The evenings are getting cooler and it's getting darker earlier. It feels more like fall which makes me want to sit down and hook in the evening when the day is done! I'm actually hooking two projects at the same time. I switch back and forth, depending on my mood; if I'm tired...or inspired! When I want a nice easy thing to hook, I work on Lion and Lamb.

I am mixing three neutral textured wools for the background. The mixture gives so much more interest to the background than if I just used one. I like to work on the background because it doesn't require a lot of thinking...just cut up equal amounts of the three wools, toss them together in a plastic bag, and pull out strips randomly to hook. I hook round and round, echoing the shapes of the leaves and the animals....a great way to get a nice soft movement to the background.

Here's a close-up of the lamb...I used a nubby textured off-white wool and outlined with a soft gray boucle.

Here's a close-up of the lion. I am really pleased with the way his mane hooked up. I used a gold striped wool and cut it along the stripes. Then I hooked the wool in, being careful to place the stripes in such a way that they didn't blend with each other too much. Voila!

This whole rug has nice soft neutral colors, just so restful and lovely to work on. Ahhhh....

Below is my second project! I've been hooking on this a lot lately because I have had so many delightful ideas running through my head! I've decided to let myself have some fun and go a little crazy with colors and techniques. This is Smell My Feet, one of the newest patterns adapted from a notecard by Lori Brechlin/Notforgotten Farm. I fell in love with this little witch's hair! It's just so wacky and wonderful! This rug really gets my creativity revved up...

Getting back to my rug hooking frame has made me take inventory of all the unfinished rugs that are waiting to be completed. I tried to count...not figuring in the rugs that were completed but not hemmed (hey, the hooking part is completed, right?)...I determined that I had 5 unfinished rugs. Oops! Then I ran across another one in my wool closet so that made 6! It's OK, I know I'll finish them at some point. I love them all and they are just waiting for me to come back to them.
So how many unfinished rugs do you have? It's OK, you can confess! No one will know! Take part in my poll. It will be fun to see what the results are!

Yikes! It's Ike!

Hurricane Ike (ok, "tropical depression Ike") has passed just to the south of us today and has given us torrential downpours and cold gusty winds. We have already had too much rain this week-end! Our pond has overflowed its banks and there is low-lying flooding. We lost power for 18 hours...and the lights just dimmed again a few minutes ago. Are we in for another dark night? Michiganders are not used to this hurricane stuff! The goats and sheep are hunkered down in their little shelters, trying to stay out of the worst of it. They are probably soaked to the skin.

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If we don't lose power again tonight, I'm going to sit down with a nice hot cup of tea and work on my rug hooking. I haven't posted about my rug hooking in such a long time ... got to get back to what I love to do ... more tomorrow .....

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I hope you stayed dry this week-end!

I Love This Photo

My sister and I drove up to Michigan's Upper Peninsula at the beginning of the week. We came across this sign in a park at the Mackinaw Bridge and I just had to laugh! I think this picture needs a witty caption but I can't come up with anything appropriate. Leave me a comment with your captions and I'll pick the one that I like the best.

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Ready? Set? Start leaving those captions!!!

The Truth About Goats

"Do goats really eat tin cans?"

This question usually comes up after I've been talking to someone for a while and they find out I have angora goats. I don't know why folks automatically connect goats with tin cans, except that maybe we all watched too many cartoons when we were younger.

My answer to them is "No, they don't eat tin cans but....."

The best way to describe goat behavior is to compare them to a three-year-old child. They are constantly curious, always exploring, touching, tasting, and fiddling with things....except goats don't have little fingers like a three-year-old, so they use their mouth. How else could they explore the world around them? Zack (pictured above) is the master of chewing and "fiddling." He's learned to unlatch the gate (from the inside-thus we have double latches), he chews on my shirt and shoes or any loose thread on my jacket, and he's been known to take off with a stray paper towel or a pair of scissors. One of my older goats used to pull my husband's screw driver out of his tool belt (while my husband was wearing it!) and he'd turn and run as fast as he could across the pen. Trust me, goats love the chase and it's hard to get that stuff back once it's in their mouth!

I imagine that a tin can might contain some remnants of tasty food or maybe the label has been stuck on with some yummy glue. Or maybe it's just shiny and interesting to touch. So to answer the proverbial question...no, goats don't eat tin cans....but they would probably chew on it instead!

Oh, by the way, Zack also likes to chew on the fence post....

And the wire fence tastes good too...especially with a fresh crunchy coating of icicles!

That's Zack's twin brother, Zion, on the left. He's the Second Commander of the Chewing Brigade.

Moon Flowers

Ken and I went to a flea market in mid-July. We go to this particular flea market every year and I always find some sort of special antique treasure to drag home. This year, I did not find any antiques that spoke to my heart. But I did buy 4 little Moon Flower plants with the hope that I might nurture them along and enjoy the flowers. God may have given me a talent for raising animals but just about every plant that I touch is doomed. I can not get a plant to thrive unless it's a perennial like hostas or peonies, which come up every year and sort of take care of themselves without any fuss or effort on my part. I am always envious of other people's lush green gardens and colorful flower beds. I am a "green thumb-deficient" person.

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Imagine my delight when my Moon Flowers started to bloom last night! They remind me of the big floppy flowers in a Georgia O'Keeffe painting. There are lots of flower buds that are ready to burst open. Maybe the Moon Flowers and I will get along just fine.

Growing Up With Emma

Since I see Emma nearly every day, it's hard for me to tell if she's getting any bigger in size. However, she has lost the "baby wool" that was growing on her nose and she's looking more like an adult Wensleydale ewe. Her nose is the characteristic "blue" now (it is actually a dark gray). It's hard to believe that she's not yet 5 months old!

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She seems to act like a "teenager" now...still that silly youthful exuberance! She LOVES to eat and does a funny little bouncy-run all the way to the feeder when I come in the pen with an armload of hay. That makes me laugh which probably encourages her to be even more silly. She is constantly in motion which makes it hard to get a good picture! She's quite a "talker" too, so she gets fed first to minimize all the baa-ing that goes on when she sees the barn door open up. Believe me, she has a loud voice and she makes sure that we hear it!!!

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Her fleece is getting quite long and we're arranging to have her sheared this fall (don't worry, we have a little sheep coat that she can wear if she gets cold). I think her locks are at least 6" long!!! She will probably always have to be sheared twice a year.

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Emma loves to be petted and scratched...there's no bribery involved anymore. She come right up to the gate for a scratch on the head or shoulders. She even lets me put my arm around her neck to get her chest scratched. Of course, this makes Lumi quite jealous so I am often seen kneeling in between the two of them, scratching both sheep at once!

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Gee, do you think they are spoiled?

My Wonderful Week of Wool

Every year I look forward to the second full week of August, also known as my "wonderful week of wool." That's when all of us rug hookers converge on Sauder Village in Ohio to shop, visit, and view the best rug show in the Midwest. Then, at the end of the week, I like to attend the Michigan Fiber Festival in Allegan, Michigan. That's when all of us fiber enthusiasts gather together to celebrate the wonderful world of fiber...knitting, spinning, weaving, rug hooking, etc. Lots of shopping! It is also one of the best places in Michigan to see beautiful fiber animals such as angora goats, sheep, llamas, alpacas, and angora rabbits.

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Here's Rebecca Erb's booth at Sauder Village. Look at all that luscious wool fabric stacked up! That was before the shoppers swooped down to grab what they could for their stash.

Here's a pillow made from Not Forgotten Flowers, a Spruce Ridge Studios pattern adapted from Lori Brechlin folk art. I love the soft blue colors. I also love how this rug hooker hooked the little sunflower. I didn't get the name of the maker so if anyone knows, please leave me a comment and I will certainly give credit.
Here's the gang from Rug Hooking Magazine. They had a beautiful display! We all grabbed a copy of the newest Celebrations issue. What a treat to see some of the winning Celebrations rugs in the exhibit!

OK, now we have to shift our focus to the Michigan Fiber Festival! I was a vendor there this year and had a small booth. Thanks to all who visited and shopped!

Even though we were busy tending the booth, I still took a few moments to walk over to the animal barns to see the beautiful angora goats and sheep. Neil brought 18 Wensleydale sheep this year and won several awards (I'm sorry, I can't remember exactly, but I think he said "best ewe, best ram, best pen of lambs." I ought to check that out). Neil was primping and combing two ram lambs for the sheep show while I was visiting and chatting with him. I was scratching and petting one of the ram lambs and held his little chin in the palm of my hand. "Wow, Neil," I said, "this little guy is really sweet and has such a nice personality" and I looked down at the lamb's farm tag....you guessed it! It was Emma's brother!!! I wonder if the little ram knew I had a family connection to him?!?!

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While I was at Fiber Fest, I bought a great little book written by Letty Klein and I'm going to teach myself a new craft in my spare time (a little voice in my head is saying "another new craft? what spare time?" Yeah, working with fiber is a true addiction, isn't it??? Never can get enough of it). You make long braids with roving, wash them in the washing machine to felt them, and then you sew them together like a braided rug...well, actually, it is a braided rug but it's made of warm, wonderful roving. I can't wait to get started!

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I'll post a little something about Emma tomorrow. She's growing into a lovely little lady.

Pumpkin Eaters!

It didn't take long for those wooly little rascals to figure out that pumpkin plants and tender green pumpkins make a tasty summer treat. Here's Lumi at the scene of the crime and what's left of the evidence....

And here's Emma, caught in the act of taking a bite!

I guess I'm going to have to buy my fall pumpkins at the farmer's market this year!

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Here's my honey feeding the goats some leafy treats. Today is our 33rd wedding anniversary. Yes, it's true....if you do the math, I was only 7 years old when I got married. You know, we did things different way back then...we were happy, we hardly had anything to call our own, and we didn't know any better!

Thanks Alice!

Thanks to Alice Frazier for giving me this lovely blog award earlier this week. I am so honored to receive it! Now I am supposed to pass the "torch" along with these rules:

1.The winner may put this logo on her blog!
2.Post a link to the person who gave you the award!
3.Nominate 5 of your favorite blogs and post their links!
4.Leave a message for them on their blog!

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I'm not real savvy when it comes to all this blogging stuff and I don't always have enough time for visiting other blogs. My list of favorite blogs are not that long but here are some that I would like to nominate:

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Maria Barton's Blog (come on, Maria, post something for us to read! We love your work!)

Lori Brechlin

Scary's West (this gal doesn't even know me but she was a "Blog of Interest" a while back and I've enjoyed her stories and photos ever since I found her--you'll like her blog too)

The Smiling Goat (OK, this gal doesn't know me either but I found her blog as I was lurking around the other day....I love the name of her blog ~tee hee~ and her primitive dolls are just adorable)

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Sorry, I can only think of these four right now but I hope you enjoy them!

The Hay Wagon Cometh....

The hay wagon came today. We had 155 bales of second cutting hay delivered right to the barn door....now someone has to unload those bales and stack them in the pole barn. Before it rains.

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Stacking hay is hard work. I can't even imagine what hard work my farmer friends go through to get it cut, raked, baled and put on the wagon to bring it here. All I know is that it is a dusty, dirty job to get that hay off the wagon and into our barn. I'm talking LOTS of dust swirling in the air and tiny bits of loose hay falling in your hair and getting stuck to your sweaty skin. It gets into your clothes, in your bra and underwear, into your shoes and pretty much permanently stuck in your socks. Your arms get scratched and if you don't wear long pants, your legs get scratched up too. Ouch.

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On the other hand, I love this time of year when the hay wagon comes. It means that, for a time, I have an abundance of food for the goats and sheep. I always feel better knowing that I've got enough food put away for them and it's going to last a while.

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The very best benefit about getting fresh hay is the SMELL! Ahhh! Have you ever smelled fresh baled hay? It it absolutely the most wonderful smell in the whole world...sort of spicy-sweet and clean...better than the aroma of bread baking! When we get a load of freshly cut hay, I can smell it all the way up to the house for days and days. The animals can smell it too...when the hay wagon arrives, they all chatter excitedly and pace back and forth along the fence lines...maybe someone will give them a handful of loose, fresh hay that fell off the wagon during the unloading....

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I hope that when I cross through those Pearly Gates in Heaven, St. Peter puts me on the side that smells like heavenly hay! Ha!

This Is How I Am Greeted Every Day....

"Good Morning, Emma!" (scratch, scratch on the top of her fuzzy little head)

"Yup, 'morning, Mom......where's my breakfast???"

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.