Productive Fun

A whole ‘nother weekend busy, and no photos to show for most of it. My excuse is that I was too busy to take pictures (really I just forgot – ssssh!). Saturday and Monday were spent at the Experimental Farm for their sheep-shearing festival. Besides shearing, there were dog trials, and demonstrations of fiber crafts, showing the kids (and parents) what happens to the fleece - knitting, spinning, weaving and finger-weaving (ceinture flechee).

And a lot of them wanted to try their hands at things. So fascinating, watching the cool preteen’s eyes widen as they get the drop spindle to work, or the reluctant boy go from prodded by the parents to enthusiastic must-do-another-row on the loom, as they realize that you can MAKE things. The little ones are fun too, especially when you get the occasional REALLY enthusiastic ones who want to do it all themselves, right away, and who are therefore trying to sit on my lap and remove my hands from the roving about 10 seconds in at the spinning wheel, before they’ve even attempted to treadle.

Despite all the help, I got two skeins of this spun and Navajo-plied over the two days. Wool/mohair/angora batt picked up at Rhinebeck a few years ago from Maggie’s Farm. I have a kilo of the stuff, it’s soft and gorgeous and I’m spinning more or less right out of the bag, just fluffing it a bit first.

Sunday, for a change of pace, I gardened. Not even mine. A family friend broke her foot, and hasn’t been able to get in and do any work this season, and the weeds were taking full advantage. More than half a leaf bag later, things are looking better but not done, so I may go again. It may be more work to weed a bed when it’s getting overgrown, but the results are as dramatic as one of those super makeovers, and very satisfying to look at.