More signs of Spring
Mood:  energetic
Now Playing: Four Tops "When She Was My Girl"
Topic: Various things

What can I say? Bob and Phyllis from the Wool Connection provided a lovely weekend (again) for knitters in New England. Although this year, I met one woman from Cincinnati, and I heard there was another knitter there from Virginia.

I was unable to make it to yesterday's class lineup, due to both of my boy's having their birthday parties, but I was there today, taking "Muchos Ponchos" by Melissa Leapman. I must say that Melissa is one of my favorite teachers of all time. She works us hard, and expects us to learn, but she also makes class a lot of fun, and I've always come away with a new way of looking at things, and new techniques. Plus, she has the BEST handouts, which is always a plus for me.

After the class, I went up to the WC, which was open today for those of us in the classes, and purchased "Cozy Crochet" by Melissa, some Kiogu so that I can make a quick shawlette for a shawl exchange I'm in, and some notions that I've needed.

All in all, I had a wonderful day. To me, the EW is one of those "signs of Spring" for me. This was the 8th year that I've gone, and I wouldn't miss it for the world. I'm completely jazzed by spending the day with like minded people, and teachers that inspire us to stretch our minds and boundaries in our fiber arts.

Here is my small haul from the WC:

And for those that need a bunny fix, here they are at 9 days old:

They just came in from their daily feeding with Mia, and are plump, happy and content. It's snooze time for them. :)

I've also set up the classes with Melissa Leapman to be held in Amherst in September. We'll do one day of knitting classes, and one day of crochet classes. Melissa has released "Cozy Crochet" which is for those of us that are crochet impaired. It has projects for beginning and intermediate crocheters. Her next book, called "Cool Crochet" will be out next month, and is fantastic! None of those crocheted things that we remember from the 70's, but designs that inspire and are fresh. She'll be bringing copies of "Hot Knits", "Cozy Crochet" and "Cool Crochet" in September to sell, which she will also autograph. So be prepared to be dazzled! Bay Colony Farm will also be selling Grafton Fibers crochet hooks and knitting needles (straights and circulars) at the classes too. A list of the classes will be put on the Bay Colony Farm list on Yahoogroups (to subscribe, send me an e-mail, or go to www.baycolonyfarm.com and you can subscribe at the bottom of the home page) and also on the website (but the website might take a few days, as my webmistress is up to her eyeballs in work). Stay tuned!

Pictures, finally
Mood:  cool
Now Playing: "Dancing in the Sheets" by Shalimar
Topic: Various things
A long time ago, I had promised some pictures. Well, I'm finally getting around to uploading them.

First, my boys at Halloween. Spiderman and "an Army Guy" made an appearance.



Then, here is a picture of the bunnies from Annie's litter. In this pic, they are about 1.5 months old. And there is always one that thinks that anywhere else but in the cage is more interesting. Don't they look adorable? And notice the lovely coats on these kids!



And then this is the picture I took in mid-October of the view of the fall foliage from my barn. Annie, Cassie and Cosmos were able to look out and see this.

Tonight I plan to sit down and knit some. It has been ages since I've been able to do that, and I want to start on that sweater out of the Debbie Bliss book for Cashmerino. The sweater is just gorgeous looking, and hides a multitude of physical flaws. ;-)

One very long but great weekend
Mood:  celebratory
Now Playing: "Beach Baby" by First Class on AOL's Summer Daze
Topic: Various things
We had a wonderful weekend. The July 4th parade was a great success. We attended three different parties on July 4th in the evening, and yesterday was spent shopping for a pool.

The pool is one of those big blue things that are showing up in yards all over the country. They are much less expensive than a regular above ground pool, but a starting place to see if we like the work involved in owning a pool.

So far, it took us 10 hours to fill it; yes, it is that big. But I've been trying to set up the ladder so the boys can go into it, and I'm not having much success. So we are waiting for DH to get home to do the job; he'll probably have it together in 10 minutes as opposed to my hour tangling with it. :)

Other than that, not much else is going on. The rabbits are doing well, and now that we are having days in the mid 70's, they are much more comfortable. Merlot, my newest buck was shorn 10-14 days before coming here the first week of June; his fur is now over 2 inches long. I'm seeing over 1/4" of growth each week, and I'm really impressed with this. For a summer growth, that is spectacular.

Annie's babies are almost 4 months old. I'm seeing great shoulder width on Jack Frost along with a good coat, who is going to a nice lady up in Maine, and the other three does are showing good coats too. Once they are at 4 months, I plan to evaluate them according to IAGARB, and figure out which doe stays here, and which ones go to their new homes.

On the plus side....
Topic: Various things
Annie, my German doe from Leslie, appears to be in nest building mode. Please keep your fingers crossed for a successful delivery.

I had another nice chat with Leslie today. We spent a great deal of time discussing IAGARB, and the direction it is headed in. Primarily, wool production records. That said, I really need to get a scale that gives me weight in grams, rather than ounces, as it is more accurate. Wool production records are going to become more and more important as time goes by, and let's face it, besides having these beautiful animals, and loving them, we all want to make some money to help cover the cost of having them, yes?

Another day off
Mood:  lazy
Now Playing: Toto "99"
Topic: Various things
I've figured out that I don't really like the month of January. It's not the post holiday let down that most people deal with, but for me, it's the weather. I think I like February much better, since we tend to get days then when the snow melts, and there is a hint of Spring in the air. Those are the days I go buy flowers for my kitchen table.

I am looking forward to getting the brochure from the Wool Connection for the Ewephoric Weekend at the end of March. I'm thinking that this year, I might consider going for the full two days, instead of just one afternoon as it is within easy driving distance.

I'm also contemplating a trip down to the Wool Connection this afternoon. I'll have to see if my parents are feeling up to making the trip, as DH has to work today, and I'd be without babysitters. If they don't want to go, then I'll just work on my sweater, and possibly start a pair of socks. I dug out a sock kit from Countrywool yesterday, the Nordic Socks. The colors aren't my favorite (my fault, as I think I was planning to make these from my husband, and not myself), but I'll make them anyway, and practice knitting with two colors.