~ Wool Gathering ~

wool·gath·er·ing

ˈwo͝olˌɡaT͟H(ə)riNG/

noun

noun: wool-gathering

1. indulgence in aimless thought or dreamy imagining; absentmindedness.

   "she wanted to be free to indulge her woolgathering"

   Synonyms: daydreaming, reverie, dreaming, musing, abstraction, preoccupation;  absentmindedness, forgetfulness Usage:"She was free to indulge her everlasting woolgathering"

** "Woolgathering" 

once literally referred to the act of gathering loose tufts of wool 

that had gotten caught on bushes and fences as sheep passed by. 

… Woolgatherers must have seemed to wander aimlessly, 

gaining little for their efforts ~ for in the mid-16th century 

"woolgathering" began to appear in figurative phrases such as:

 "my wits (or my mind) went a-woolgathering" 

- in other words, "my mind went wandering aimlessly." 

From there, 

it wasn't long before the word "woolgathering"

 came to suggest the act of indulging in purposeless mind-wandering. ~ 

** excerpt from Merriam Webster Dictionary

Here is proof that this is true ~

the fence-line along where our mother & son sheep dwell 

shows exactly what the above refers too…

when Bobby & Esther rub against the fence, their wool gets caught and hangs there ~

the fence no longer holds them in, 

their constant rubbing has pulled the wire down to a point where it's useless now :)

they are now free to roam wherever they please here at the farm ~

they are SO dirty from the recent rains!

their first shearing this year will be very soon ~

the old fencing still shows sheep's wool ~

I do gather it from time-to-time…

a pleasant past-time indeed…

to go searching for bits of wool to use in my creations…

But ~

my description of Woolgathering is a bit different ;)

I am constantly hoarding collecting wool ~ 

not mindlessly, no…

very purposefully.

{ altho I do seem to let my mind wander when looking for just the right color }

wool spills from my cupboards, shelves and baskets…

it is piled next to my chair, on the dining room table and even in the kitchen…

in this old farmhouse there is evident-proof that a rug hooker lives here.

you can tell that by the wool dust & snippets everywhere!

… wool-worms and noodles emerge from their hiding places almost daily, 

and our vacuum-emptying is almost always a very colorful & pleasant surprise :)

I love to add lots of different colors & textures to my hooked projects

such as the one below in progress:

there must be 8 different wools alone

 in just the beeskep!

do you see the little snippet bowl I made in the photo below?

made from a densely felted orange blanket and old mother of pearl buttons…

I found the directions to make it 

HERE

{please pardon the cat-hair…proof that Iggy is always a generous helper}

I'll be happily hooking the rest of the beeskep this afternoon,

once my other chores are finished up, of course….

… then I'll begin color planning the little witch's dress ~

Hmmm….

there's that woolgathering again!

~ first though, I think I'll go out to visit old friends for a bit ~

and offer them an apple or two for their gifts.

Hoping your day is filled with creativity & treasures found ~

Blessings from the Farm ~ 

 Lori