Summertime... Fleece, Fabric & the Return of ...



Oh my heavens... Where is the summer going?  I have been so busy!  Here is a little bit of my summer antics.  First, I got some cool new combs and another carder for processing all of that Shetland wool.   Also, I have been doing loads of reading on Ravelry regarding the processing and spinning of raw fleeces.  I have learned so much that I will need to revamp my tutorial on "how to wash raw fleece".   And oh the lovely fleeces!!!  There are many wonderful caring shepherds selling their wares on Etsy and Ravelry... got to have more than just Shetland to spin. ;)   (More on that in future posts!)

 

Here is my latest processed fleece.  The taupe colored fleece is from Farmerboy's Ariel.   The gray bun in the upper left corner is from Lego.   They were two of the original 3 that started out this crazy group.   Beneath the gray, there is some Targhee / Rambouillet fiber from Kami over at "Ranching Traditions".  I haven't spun the fiber yet, but this stuff is spongy and destined to be socks.  So, let the fine spinning begin!

 

At present, I'm still messing around with combed top purchased from "Edgewood Garden Studios" on Etsy...  Love her colors. :)  It is really good practice.   And hey... It  actually looks like yarn!  LOL 

 

 

Did you think I was too busy for the Flea Markets?  Of course not! ;)   Mr. Hollow and I just went up to Jefferson, Wisconsin this morning and had to bring home some vintage fabric.   Although we did not go on the 127 this year (the first time of being a no show in 14 years),  we have been hitting a lot of the smaller venues.   One of the vendors today had an old Viking machine in its original case (heavy metal at its finest)  and also there was an old treadle White, but I managed to pass them up without too much regret.  I am in the process of getting a studio area set up in my house, so my spending has been sparse until my room is semi functional... At least for bigger items anyways! ;)   There aren't enough words to convey how thrilling it will be to get my sewing machines and fabric easily accessible to me... Whenever, I feel the need.  Yipee!!

At the beginning of the summer, Mr. Hollow and I discussed removing the pond from our back yard.  It was June already with no sign of Gary, and Farmerboy is moving out with the purchase of a farmette.  (How cool is that?)  The pond had always been his project.  And as of the last few years, Mr. Hollow has gotten stuck with the cleaning of it anyways. :(  LOL  Not two days later after discussing the demolition, I looked out the back window and guess who was walking across the yard?  Yeah, you know who.  Mr. Gary made his appearance ambling around, sniffing the air and going plunk right into his pond.   Apparently, he winters in our back yard under one of Farmerboy's sheds that he is not planning on moving... Lucky for Gary right?  ;)  Guess that means the pond is staying.

The "Gas and Steam Engine Show" will be in Baraboo this next weekend.  I am very excited to attend.  Hopefully, the rain they are predicting will move out of the weather forecast. :(  I finally purchased a new memory card for my camera and will get plenty of photos. 

Holiday Fairy Garden

 I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!  We had warm weather here in Northern Illinois.  It certainly made the travelling less stressful.  Not the "White Christmas" that we sing about, but a few evening snow showers on the way home brought some smiles.  All the relatives are healthy and happy... What more can one ask for?   I absolutely LOVE this time of year!  :)

The Christmas holiday for me has always centered on the reason for my nativity being displayed and  spending time with loved ones... not so much the gift giving.  In fact, my only shopping  was for Farmer boy and his fiancé... Okay, a few for Mr. Hollow too!   It is funny, since I absolutely loved working in retail and enjoy finding gifts that hopefully will make the recipient smile.  While finding their presents, it is well known that I shop for my "gifts" as well for under the tree.  Trust me, this is NOT a bad thing.  They don't even require wrapping! LOL  Although my want list is really short, I usually have a few dream items I fulfill for the holiday.  Yes... I could buy them during the year, but Christmas has always been a time for me to do some self reflection.  The season is a time of looking forward to the coming year and realizing what frivolous or useful items will help realize some of my new resolutions.  I am very excited about a few of my items and will share them over the next month, but this post is about an unexpected gift from the newest member of our family... my soon to be in 2016 daughter-in-law... The gift of a charming fairy garden. 

Instead of buying a premade garden, she made this little scene for me.  I pride myself on being hard to buy for, but this little forest is absolutely perfect for me. :)  It is green, rustic and contains a rendition of two little critters that make me laugh to watch in nature through out the year... Squirrels!  Look at the little squirrel on the front of the log whistling as he prances across.  It makes me smile every time I glance his way.  Very symbolic of the carefree nature of the animal in the wild. LOL  And of course there are two of them!  Trouble will always run in pairs. ;)

I had to show this overhead shot.  There is a moss base in the front and back.  Hopefully, I can find a way to keep the moss healthy... Yikes!  In between the moss is a little path of tiny pebbles.

To the back of the garden, there is a wee trellis.  A tiny little vine is climbing it.

Look at the pot... orange, my favorite color!  It is such a lovely and inspiring little garden -- right out of the pages of Beatrix Potter.    Makes me wish that I had a large well lit studio area to keep it in.  *sigh*  But for or right now, I believe that the best spot is in my work area to the front of the house.  That particular work area is where I do most of my writing and idea formulating.  It will be a little magical garden of ideas... Especially, when the days DO decide to become wintry!  :)

Christmas Cactus Update & Gary's Back!!

Remember the Christmas and Thanksgiving Cacti cuttings that I was rooting back in the beginning of March?  (Click Here to Revisit)  Over two months and a whole lot of newly found patience later, I am proud to show you the new little plants.  The pot below houses 5 little transplants. If you look at the two center cuttings, there are some wee little segments growing.  The older Christmas Cactus variety seemed to root a whole lot faster than the Thanksgiving variety.  Trust me on this one, I was watching very closely....   Can you hear the stress in that statement? LOL 



 

 

One of the Thanksgiving clippings has a nice sized segment growing.  Once it got started, the new growth has had rapid development.

I know, I know... Patience is a virtue.  This little excursion was packed full of that lesson in life.  It really has been such a fun experience for me.  I only lost one of the clippings... Pretty good average.  :)  The only thing that I would have done different-- I would have planted  a bunch of clippings in one larger pot that they could grow for a few years in.  Other than that, I would call this a successful adventure.

How about a little Mother's Day surprise?  I got home from work yesterday and look who was waiting for me out in the pond...  Gary the snapping turtle!   He was all muddy.  Mr. Hollow spotted him first when he arrived home shortly before me.  It appears as though Gary had just arrived to his summer digs.   I was so excited!!  For three years in a row, this little guy has appeared in the Spring and disappeared in the Fall.  He is a true wonder of nature.  I couldn't have asked for a better kick off to Mother's Day weekend.  :)

To All The Mom's Out There 

Happy Mother's Day!

Sphinx Hummingbird Moth

Look who came to visit my plants.  Although I would have swore it was a mini version of a Hummingbird, this little guy is actually a moth.  He is a Sphinx Hummingbird Moth that sports the most beautiful brown and burnt orange colors.  (My favorites! :) )  

 

 

It is so amazing to see how fast his wings flutter.  He has such an exotic "zebra-style" print on his head.  :)

His actions and movements are spot on for a Hummingbird.  I followed him around for 20 minutes and came across a second one that was photo shy.  It decided to flit across to the neighbors plants.  :(

This picture was taken by a group of plants directly under our Hummingbird feeder.  Right now, the Hummingbirds are fighting like mad!  This little guy paid no attention to the feeder, and the birds hadn't the least bit of interest in him.  :)

Backyard Pond Critters

I have been spending my free time enjoying the natural wonders in our small pond.  Each year we stock the water feature with fish, but this year was different.  We decided to let the pond have a more natural overgrown appearance.  The pond lilies look wonderful, since they have kicked into high growth this year.  While the fish are still enjoying themselves in the indoor tank, the little critters in nature were allowed to take over the pond.  

 

There were days and nights when the visiting frogs were so loud!  It was the meet and greet spot and apparently a little bit more... Since there weren't any fish to spoil their activities, it wasn't long before the pond was filled with tadpoles.  It was so exciting to watch them get their little feet.  I haven't observed this phenomenon for years. :)

They love to munch on the algae surrounding the lily pads. 

Here is one of the little guys that already has his legs and is a fully developed frog.  He is still sporting a tail...  The last remnant of his early aquatic life. *sigh* 

While watching the bugs skate on the surface of the water, I had an unexpected visitor swim up to check out the action...  A snapping turtle who had made a very long journey to our pond.  He has been named Gary T. Snapper and is the self professed King of the pond.   It is so much fun watching him swim between the lilies and sun himself.  I've spent many a moment pondering how he made the journey to this small obscure pond.  He has definitely earned the right to claim this water as his home.  :)  

New Addition to the Household

Here is the latest addition to the Pumpkin Hollow household.  His name is Davey.  He is a brave little guy, who is the sole survivor from an attack on our baby chicks.  My son decided to bring Davey into the house, until he gets some size to him.  I have found out that he is quite the escape artist and spent some time chasing him around my son's room yesterday.   It has been awhile since we have had chicks in our home.  Davey is a nice little reminder of how wonderful new life can be... :)  

Farmerboy has just recently purchased some lambs to raise, also.  I will have to get some photos of them to share.  They  have light and dark colored coats.  This will be a new adventure for us.   It will be exciting to have some natural wool to play with!  ;)

Baby Jack in the Pulpit ~ Welcome Spring!

The warm weather in Illinois has certainly had an impact on the plant life.  Early growth has been threatened by the touches of frost on a few chilly nights around here.  Thank the heavens that my plants have not suffered to much from the frigid temps.  My personal favorites are the Jack in the Pulpits.  I have loved them since first sight on a field trip back in grade school.  :)  A few years ago, my son and I transplanted a large Jack in the Pulpit and a few smaller ones that were about to be lost in the process of a new shed being constructed.  This last week, they began to send their shoots up and luckily missed the frost!  I haven't seen my large Jack yet, but several of these little six inch guys are popping up everywhere.  I am thrilled that they are taking so well to their new environment.  My goal is to eventually transplant some of them over onto our empty lots and create a little forest.  :) 

The Irony of Nature

How is that for an inquisitive face?  Almost want to give him a little rub on the head, huh?  I would have loved to but didn't dare.  I love having my fingers much more!  This photo op  is of a slinky little fellow that stopped by the house today on his way to being released back into the wild.  By looks and length, he appeared to be a mink.  My son trapped him and brought him by so I could get pics for future artwork. 

Nature is just awesome.  I sat watching him completely enthralled by his every move, fascinated by his vast intelligence to survive in the wild, and respectful of his ferocity to defend himself.  Maybe being a little surprised at myself for being so captivated by this beautiful sleek animal.  Why the surprise you ask?  Well, this darling little guy killed 15 of my son's chickens before being caught.  Just another little guy trying to survive... I guess...