Fiber Festival in Townsend, Tennessee

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned I was going to go the Fiber Festival. I had a blast. But I didn't do very well with my photography. Been knitting too much and not going out with my camera enough. Forgot a very basic rule. The sun was not shining on their faces and I didn't turn on the flash. Nor did I up the ISO. Hence, cannot see their faces, too dark.

I learned just a little about different sheep. These are Suffolk Sheep. And they herd with Border Collies.
They all want to stay real close to each other, and do not like it when one is separated to be sheared.

And the one being captured to be sheared isn't too excited about it either.
But once the shearing begins the sheep are really very calm.

Every few minutes could hear a very quiet "Bhah, Bhah"

And look at the wool off just one sheep. I am sure there is some work to do with it before it gets to the consumer (me) even when we get it in close to raw form for needle felting.

I bought lots of rovering for my needle felting and even found a wonderful blue for bluebirds. Now if I can just needle felt a bluebird I am satisfied with. I only get to keep the purses to use for myself when I don't think they are quite up to selling quality. Ladies, it looks like I might be getting the first one. No, I didn't do this on purpose so I could have the first one.

Spring is in the air

When we first bought the property we now live at I planted crocus on the bank at the road. We bought the property in 2004. I had forgotten about the crocus, until this year, when they finally decided to bloom.
They are scattered across the 300 yards of road frontage.
Hopefully they will get thicker over time.

On that same embankment I also planted extra daffodils. They have been doing very good and begin blooming every year before the ones in my yard bloom. This is due to the way the sun hits that small hill.

But when Granny Sorrells' daffodils begin blooming is when I really get excited.

This row of Granny's daffodils is the width of an old style tiller. Jimmy tilled 140ft strip to plant these numerous blubs in. Then I sat and planted one bulb in each hole I made. These were planted in October 2004. One week after the closing of property purchase. After all, I have to keep my priorities in order. Notice Jimmy also lined both sides with a brick border.

Here is last year's post about Granny's daffodils. The daffodils were further in the season than they are right now, so they look alot thicker.

Mason (at 2 years old) loves his Granny's daffodils. Someday he will know they are actually his Great-Great Granny's daffodils. I hope he (and all my grandchildren) will cherish them as much as I do.

A Couple of Brown Headed Nuthatch

These photographs of a pair of Brown Headed Nuthatch were taken one year ago this Sunday at our house in Rockwood. Brown Headed Nuthatch do not go as far north as Knoxville and until Jimmy's job moved to Spring City I had never seen one. I was wandering around the Veteran's Park in Spring City with camera in hand when I saw my first one. (Don't we all remember those lifer days of a particular bird?)
Clearly on the map they just barely get that far north in Tennessee. Rockwood is 10 miles north of Spring City and I was really excited the first time I saw them in our own yard. If the pair stayed there all summer I was not aware of them.

But they brought a smile to my face that day as I sat in our yard in my photographer's blind.

Birds bring such joy to our lives if we just give them a chance.

Maybe this year they will nest there and have their babies. Sorry, Betsy, I think they would be out of range if they are seen on the plateau.

Lynne from Hasty Brook purchased my Chickadee purse from the post below. I have had some inquiries about future bird needle felted purses, so I guess I better get busy knitting and designing. Thanks Lynne for the purchase, it will be shipped today.

My needle felting purse

The company I purchase my needle felting supplies from sends out a newsletter every week. This week my needle felted purse is featured on it, with a link to their blog. On the blog they have the same 4 photos I have below. I can't figure out how to get the newsletter linked here, but you can click here for the link to their blog to see my purse on their blog.

I 'had' to add a bead for the eye. We need that shine in the eye when we photograph them, so I wanted it in my needle felting.

I put a pocket on the back of the purse (thanks, Wendy of It's Just Me for the idea) and added sead beads in the center of the dogwood blooms.
The purse is listed on Etsy, to see my Etsy listing click here. From there you can go to 'shop' on the right side and see all my needle felted purses that I have currently for sale. I have sold 3 locally.

In the needle felting world the thing to try is 3D. So after needle felting a few of my felted purses I decided it was time to try my hand at the 3D of needle felting. My first (and only, so far) is pictured above. This is a very time consuming art form. Not sure how many of these I will do, but it does have my interest right now. This little bear has moving parts. His head, arms and legs move. Notice the eyes are also beads.

The link to Living Felt for needle felting supplies is http://www.livingfelt.com/ they are great. Real fast shipping. and they accept Paypal.

By the way....here in East Tennessee we were teased by spring last week. Although I was way too sick to get out in the pretty weather. Now I am feeling much better and it is gloomy and cold again. Hopefully before too long Granny Sorrells' daffodils will be blooming and they will drag me away from knitting and needle felting to photograph them.

This weekend is a fiber festival in Townsend, Tennessee. The quiet side of the Smokies. I hope to go and photograph the sheep, some as they are sheared. I am also going to Stitches South in Atlanta late April to learn more about knitting and needle felting. If any of you that knit are going to Atlanta please let me know, maybe we can meet up there.

Signs of Spring

I am only wishing...these photographs were all taken Spring 2009, late March and early April. So I have to wait alittle longer to see these signs here.

It does give us something to look forward too. I am so tired of the cold.

I hope everybody is doing well.