Halloween

Gordo and his Crow 

wish all kiddies, young and old alike, a fun filled, safe Halloween!

October Snow

Brrr... We do not have a lot of snow but very windy and still flurrying.

Some areas around us especially the TN/NC border has quite a bit of snow.

Thankfully we have had no power loss and only one tree to come down in the woods.

It's a good day to be at home with the warmth of the wood stove, a pot of soup bubbling, cornbread in the oven and  weaving rugs!

Still wishing everyone a safe journey thru this storm.

Flea Market Finds

Our local community center had their annual fund raising flea market last Saturday. I got there early and found a very grungy, dirty, Ashford spinning wheel for fifty dollars.  I debated on whether to buy it, and had walked away to find a few other treasures; but in the end I went back for it.

It's very dirty but in good shape.

I already have an Ashford; but since I have extra spinning heads and spools that fit this wheel, I knew it would clean up to be a great extra wheel until someone else may want it.  I just couldn’t pass it up. They usually sell for six to eight hundred dollars new!

What an odd coincidence that on Friday I bought fleeces to spin this winter, and then to find a wheel at the yard sale! I think the “powers that be” are trying to tell me something!

Cold, very windy and blowing some snow this morning. The wood stove feels very good this morning. Sadie is lying beside it soaking up the heat.

Sadie doesn't like her picture taken. She looks a little grumpy because I disturbed her nap!

Pog made popovers this morning. A treat before possible power outages!  

 

The two bowls are marked "Made in England" for 4 dollars each. 

The Christmas ornaments were 2 dollars each at a junk store.

The bag of old lace collars was five dollars. They will be great for my dolls!

My rug looms do not run on electricity so I am busy weaving more rugs today.

Wishing everyone a safe journey. 

Praying you are safe, warm and cozy this blustery morn.

SAFF

View of the main arena's sales area.

On Friday, Pog and I went to the Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair (SAFF), which is held in Asheville each year. I love to see the sheep, llamas, alpaca’s and angora rabbits. The amount of yarn, fiber, and equipment can be overwhelming, but I went with one thing in mind. This winter I am going to dust off my unused spinning wheel and start spinning again.

I bought a couple of wool fleeces. One is a Corriedale and the other fleece is a mix of Romeldale/ CVM sheep, which are coarser wools but will spin up very well for what I have in mind.

The two fleeces I bought.

I got the mixed fleece for only eleven dollars, which is a great price. I wish I could have afforded some of the angora, but it was too pricey for me to learn to spin on again. Back in the 80’s, I had my own spinning flock and had taken a class with Persis Grayson at Penland School of Crafts. I haven’t done a whole lot of spinning since then.

Baby Alpaca.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Angora Goat

Llamas

A lot of beautiful yarns to pick from!

Pog and I were busy yesterday getting things outside put away, flowers brought in and the wood box filled. The mountains are expecting wind, snow flurries and our first frost/freeze at the first of the week. The temp has been dropping this afternoon and the wind picking up. You can feel the chill in the air now. I don’t mind the snow but high winds can be dangerous when you live in the woods.

You can see the clouds and rain coming over the mountains.

Wishing everyone a safe ride thru the coming storm.

A View From Down Under

No not from Australia, but from down under a loom. 

 

 

I’ve spent the last couple of days warping and tying-up the Toika. It has been a while since I had tied-up treadles on a countermarch loom. It took time to “wrap my head” around what harnesses and lams should go up and down, and which gets tied to what!  I finally got It, and it is now warped with carpet warp for rugs. I think that I am really going to like this loom. It is very quiet and smooth operating and the tension is perfect.

One day I am going to be too old to be crawling around, under and in looms! 

It is not easy on your back and knees! 

After I got the loom going and started weaving it all seemed to be worth it when

 I saw how nice these rugs are going to be!

Morning Sun

Mt Mitchell

The sun was so beautiful this morning!

I am afraid our leaves are rather dull this year but there are still beautiful views.

Mt. Celo

Wishing you a sunny Tuesday!

Good Things Come In The Mail

I love to get mail. I am still one of those people who love real magazines, books, cards and letters. I never get a letter anymore. When my Mom was alive and I first moved away from home, almost every week I got a newsy letter from her. I still have all of them, treasured for her handwriting and the memories it brings back. Gradually we stopped sending letters to each other and then it was phone calls. Now it is mostly emails, but our family still sends cards.

I like email and modern technology but only to a certain point. To see a friend or family member’s handwriting on the envelope and card, means they took the time to make/pick out a card, look up your address, sign their name and give thought to a message for me.

 The Nooks and Kindles are great but to me there is nothing to compare than cozying up with a cup of tea, feel a book in my hands, turning the pages and sometimes dogearing a passage. My bookmark is one that Mom gave me and every time it marks where I left off, I think of her. Asheville has a great used bookstore called Mr. K’s. It is one of my favorite places.

I have tons of magazines from the 70’s to the present. I go through them over and over whenever new ideas or inspiration needs a spark. I especially love the old 

Country Livings and Country Homes.

Today was a great mail day! Wool, fabric, books and new magazines, were stuffed in our largest size of mailbox Lowes has to offer.

Judy Condon and Jill Peterson's new books and Primitive Quilts great magazine.

The red wool is from Heavens to Betsy and the other three are from Rebecca Erb.

Heritage Prints by Benartex.

This reversible wool from Rebecca Erb is wonderful!

I didn’t plan for them to come all at the same time, but it was a lot of fun

 and made me smile!

October Days

The days are getting shorter. The light is changing and color is coming to the mountains. There is a smell of wood smoke from the stove now, and from the feel in the air, frost is soon to follow.

I am an October baby and so is my daughter.

I love this time of year when everything starts to slow down, becoming more peaceful with one last colorful hoorah before the silence of winter snows and cold, frosty mornings.

I have been hooking ears of corn. I like how they turned out much better than the first wooly ear I did. I don’t have much time to work on rug hooking so it is usually making small things such as ornaments. I would really like to make a large rug or wall hanging again, but that will have to wait till after the next studio tour and I finish my quilt.

Trencher full of wooly pumpkins, cats and ears of corn.

There is always too much to do and too little time. Another reason I like fall and winter.

It is a time to slow down, savor and enjoy!

A Little of This and a Little of That

Yep, that’s the way I have been working lately. I can’t seem to get into any rhythm of working in the studio. A little quilting, a little weaving, a little crocheting and a few other odds and ends, its not the productive way to work but that is the way it has been lately. 

I am still following along with Kathleen Tracy at The Sentimental Quilter by making one small quilt a month. A few UFO’s have been finished and lots of sketching for future critter’s to be made this winter.

My block for September. Pattern by Kathleen Tracy.

Nice fall colors, made to fit my little barrel and cutting board table.

This is a pattern from the spring issue of Primitive Quilts. Wool applique & quilting combined.

I made it to fit under one of my large yellow ware bowls. The bowl is filled with old wooden bobbins & spindles.

  

My trencher is not full yet but there are a couple of new pumpkins, two scary cats and one big pumpkin. I’m still working on ears of corn, made from wool and probably need to make an orange pumpkin to mix in and brighten it up a little. I’ll just see how it goes. It may end up “A little of this and a little of that”!!