This...

is what I have to knit. I bought the exact same yarn and got the pattern with it. It's an alpaca, angora and silk blend yarn. It's beautiful and soft and amazing! BUT, I need help reading this pattern. Because I have to start at the top in the middle. So the next knitting class I take is going to be on how to read a pattern. Because I really really want to knit this shawl. Like really bad. And it cost me $45. So I have to knit this shawl. They of course said it was really easy. And that I could do it. Ya think? I love it!

                                       It looks white in these pictures, but it's a really soft gray.

So many sheep. And goats.

This is the sheep and goat arena at SAFF. SO many sheep! All colors and sizes and breeds.

This is a Romney ram. For sale. Isn't he handsome? I love the color. That's my dream, to have a Romney ram this color to breed my Finn sheep with. One day.

                                                       All Romney rams. And for sale too.

This is a Shetland. She's beautiful. I love their faces. They have such sweet faces and the colors are all so different on each one.

                              A Tunis. I love them too! I love their red faces. And look at those ears!

                                     I think this is a Shetland ram here. This is my favorite color.

And some sheep with dread locks!! How cool is this? I think these are a Wenslydale-Teeswater cross. Love it! They are cool and they know it!

                                                 Then I think this guy is a Cotswold? So cool!

                               And a few sheep. Isn't this color amazing? And they are SO soft too.

And this one! I wanted to take this one home with me, just so I could run my hands through the fiber all the time.

So so many sheep. They were all beautiful and their wool was just amazing.

With all the rain we've been having here, my sheep's wool is so clean and pretty. That's the only good thing about the rain right now. I can see the crimp and color so much better when it's wet.

But, days like these, I want to just sell all my animals and the farm and move to a high rise condo in the middle of Chattanooga. I HATE the mud and much and mess of it all. And it's just November. It's going to be like this til June. UGH!!! Seems like fall and winter has been like this now for years. I just hate it. I just slip and slide all over. I'm trying to lay old hay along the paths where the animals and I have to walk all the time, to make it a little easier. But then I'm sneezing and itching all over.

Speaking of hay, I have to get another round bale for the sheep and more squares for the goats. I gave Inga and Alva to my friend Cara, so just have Freja and Olga and the stinky buck. I have to get rid of him now. He's just not friendly at all. But I have about 4 months to find a home for him. And I need to make sure the girls are bred too.

I hope it's a little drier where y'all are. It's going to be in the 70'2 here! At least it's warm.

Oh the colors!

 Color overload! Just look at all these amazing colors!

My niece Jill and I went to SAFF this weekend in Asheville, N.C. It was SO fun! So much to see and touch and smell. I was in fiber heaven, let me tell you. Just amazing. So many wonderful creative people there.

Just feast your eyes on all this fibery goodness!

                                         This is the back of Jill. looking at a beautiful sweater.

It was almost too much to see. And not enough time! And every time we'd walk back through the same place we'd just been, we'd see more that we missed the first time.

We didn't even go to the alpaca and llama barn or the fleece barn. Just so much to see and do. It was amazing. I can hardly wait to go back next year.

I got some yarn and roving. And a beautiful kit to make a shawl. I'll show all that later. And some beautiful sheep.

37 years...

 and wouldn't trade it for anything..

I was at lunch today with my mom and looked at the date and realized it was my anniversary.  Isn't that crazy? Just forget something like that?

This guy is amazing. I first met him in St. Elmo all those years ago. It was like we looked at each other and knew each other. I didn't live here. Me and a friend had come up here looking for her friend. And met my future husband. We stayed here a few days, then went back to South Ga. I had his phone number. I didn't call him for a few weeks. When I did, he said he wanted me to come back. He had a little house he'd just bought and it would be perfect for us. So I did. I was just 20 years old. He was 30. That was in June. We got married in October.

I loaded up all my belongings in my Pinto and drove up here to Chattanooga. Been here ever since. 37 years now. This is home. We've raised to beautiful daughters. And now have 3 beautiful grand daughters. It's been a good life. Not always happy. Not always fun. But we never gave up. There were times when I wanted to leave. And did a few times. But I could never give up on what we have.

Tiny is a good man. And good father. A great husband. He'd do anything for me. And for his kids. And for his friends. He's so giving and loving and kind. And such a hard worker too. I love this man. Through thick and thin. Good times and bad. Rich and lean. It's always been good.

I hope to have 37 more years with him.

Mrs. T.

 This is Mrs. T. I am just one of her many caretakers. She's 98 and says she feels it every day. She's a sweet lady. Her kids send her flowers about once a month. My friend Faith owns the flower shop shop now. She did this arrangement herself, just for Mrs. T. She really did a beautiful job on this one.

                                                                       This is the back.

                                                                      And the front.

Just beautiful all the way around. And it smells amazing too.

Rainy Monday

It is really raining out there today. Since this morning, nothing but rain. It's cold too. Going to be like this til Thursday, according to the weather people. My husband pulled up the weather app on his phone and asked if I wanted to see it. While he's got the weather channel on tv watching it. Really? No, I can look out the flippin' windows! Thanks anyway.

I am cold and tired. Long weekend.

I need to make soap but don't want to.

Why are potato chips so good??????

And apples with peanut butter... and roasted almonds.,,, and cottage cheese with pears... UGH!

It's so quiet in my studio, except for the rain falling outside. Freja was making a lot of noise when I first got here. Even she's quiet now. All I can hear is rain.  

The buck jumped over the fence last week. He's been with the girls since. He likes it this way.

Happy Monday!

This Old House. And barn.

 Yesterday, I got a call from the caretaker at Cloudland Station. It's about 12 miles North of me on 193. A beautiful gated community where the homes are built like they were from a hundred years ago. I don't think they use power tools. They were having an open house this weekend. The reason he called was he heard I sold honey. I told him I had bees but don't sell the honey yet. We got to talking about other things which led to goats and goat milk soap and he asked me if I'd like to come set up at the open house? Well yes please, I'd love to! He said there was no vendor fee. Another yes! And the location is amazing! Another yes. And it's from 12-6. BIG YES! ( I love spur of the moment things like this. No time to think about it. Just do it.)

So that gave me plenty of time to get home from Mrs. T's. I had to stay til 6. Got home, wrapped the rest of my soap. Got everything packed up and ready to go. Got it all loaded up this morning with plenty of time to get there and set up. And I made a LOT of money! So I am going back tomorrow. My daughters are going to take care of my booth til I can get there about 3:30.

It was so much fun! Met lots of great people. So many from out of town. Lots of people have built homes there and come up for weekends or vacations.

The vendors were in the old 1800's barn. They bought this barn from somewhere in Pennsylvania and had it taken apart and brought here. They have weddings and other things in the barn. There was a wedding here last night. It's beautiful.

My booth is right at the door to the right. I have a really good spot. People came in through this door and a back door, right past me both ways. The smell of the soaps lured them in!

                                                This is inside, looking up. I love these lights.    

                                   From upstairs. There were several other vendors in here too.

      Not sure what this used to be, but now it's the bridal house. I love it. It's a little back behind and to the side of the barn, which is to the left here. There were bands playing during the open house.

And this house. Oh my goodness. It's so cute! This Old House, from the PBS show, came and built this house. I want to live in this house. I love every little thing about it. And the doors are all bright green! Loved it. But it was already sold. I wonder for how much?

I had such a good time today. Can't wait to go back. I sold a lot of soap. And lotion bars. And I sold a hat! My first hat I ever sold. It was from a pattern I got from Taproot magazine. I have to make more now. I also sold a lot of my salves too. So fun! I love good shows like this.

I hope you all are having a good weekend!