Anna brought new baby Ike by for his first visit to the barn. The last time he'd been here, he was still a bump. Now he's a doll--a gorgeous boy.
That's tough for big brother Brian to compete with, unless you blow bubbles in your water. That makes everybody smile.
Anela told her all about knitting with those mysterious double-point needles. Nothing to be scared of...
Karen got to be with us again today, and this time, she brought her amazing Drudik wheel. She got this wheel from the Oregonian wheel maker back when they didn't cost as much as a used car, like they do now. It's a beautiful wheel that spins like buttah.
Her daughter, Lisa, brought her bobbin lace project with all its pretty bobbins and beads and pins, on the velvet pillow... It's intricate and amazing, and I was fascinated watching her.
The lace formed steadily under her fingers, following the printed pattern, twist by twist and knot by knot. Watching her helped me understand the experience of an uninitiated person watching a lace knitter or a talented drop spindler. It's all magic, until you get the knack.
Rita took a break from knitting her wedding veil to work on knitting her lace garter. How amazing will that be?
We enjoyed finally getting to visit with Karen and Gail, who hadn't been able to come to the LRB in a while. Barbara came again this week, and invited her friend Linda.
Linda found herself adopted by Smokey, who draped herself across Linda's lap and didn't move for ages.
Virginia got to drop by, too, and she worked on a pretty kettle dyed wool purse. Maybe she'll felt it, or maybe she won't. Such are the quandaries of a fiber artist.
Leslie had really come to the farm to work, so we spent some time skirting and tumbling Solomon's black alpaca fleece. She caught on quickly, and now has achieved the elite rank of Certified Fiber Tumbler here at Jacob's Reward Farm. Solomon's pretty fleece is medium fine and open, so we had to spend some extra time opening the locks and blowing the dirt and grass away. But that shiny black fiber is so, so worth it. Great job, Leslie -- thanks!
You are always welcome at the Little Red Barn to share these days of friendship and fiber arts. Learn something, share something, experience something beautiful in this sweet little community. You make a difference... At the bottom of this page is our Google Calendar. That's where you'll find all of the goings on here at the farm. We'd love to have you join us!
