~ Friendsheep ~

♥ ❤ ♥ ❤ ♥ ❤ ♥

 what would we do without our friends?

 🐑 🐑 🐑 🐑 🐑 🐑 🐑 🐑 🐑 🐑 🐑 🐑 🐑

"Friendsheep"

 a cross stitch pattern from Notforgotten Farm™

model stitched on 30 count mystery linen,

using DMC threads ~ 2 over 2

stitch count: 61w x 46h

now listed in my Etsy shop for your stitching amusement....

click HERE for PDF/Download

click HERE for MAILED/Paper pattern

Blessings from the Farm 

~ Lori

~ I will ALWAYS Love Ewe ~

Coming home from anywhere, 

~ after a fun and busy weekend is a welcomed-thing ~

{the Heavens to Betsy Hook In & Withes Gathering} 

but

coming home to find that one of your 'babies' has passed on is never good...

after settling in a bit last evening,

Peter broke the news to me that he had found her in the barn 

the morning that we left for the Hook In ~

but he didn't want to upset me before I began the long drive to NY state.

my dear sweet, gentle & beautiful Esther {aka 'Mommy'} ewe sheep

has crossed that Rainbow Bridge to the Summerlands ~

we aren't even sure how old she was when we brought her home,

perhaps 2 or 3 years young at the time, 

and already had given birth to a couple of lambs before her life began here with us... 

She was to be our very first ever sheep to love;

to have and to hold, till death do us part,

~ forever and ever.

her beautiful eyes told me how very kind she was.

she allowed me to love on her, and gave us many happy spring mornings

by sharing brand new baby lambs with us ~ 

while she lived here at the farm, she birthed a total of 2 sets of twins, and 2 sets of triplets!

{not all at once, silly...but over her 1st couple of years here}

after that much mommy-ing, that is exactly what I started calling her...

'Mommy' ~ and she was a good one.

 

one of her last lambs was born smaller and weaker 

~ so we decided to keep him with her,

and we named him Bobby {'Baaaa-bee'}.

...and they were inseparable.

Mommy & Bobby would walk out to the big field together 

many times during the day to graze in the hay ~ she always led the way...

 

I will miss looking out my old farmhouse windows

and seeing her - seeing them together in the sunshine, snow or rain...

walking one behind the other.

 

as Esther grew older,

she developed cancer, poor eyesight and slowed down on her daily trips to the big field,

but Bobby never left her side....

this morning as I went out to see Bobby,

he had such a lost look on his face that brought me to my knees....

all I could do was wap my arms around his neck and bury my face into his fleece and cry.

 

Esther/Mommy was so much inspiration for me

in my needlework and folk art designs ~ 

and a huge part of my heart is now gone.

Dear Esther,

Thank you for allowing us to be a part of your sweet life.

We hope you were happy here with us all, as we have loved you dearly.

I will take good care of your Bobby-baby, until you see him again...

Rest peacefully in those golden fields and warm sunshine ~

our lives are richer, our hearts are fuller 

~ and we are more blessed because of you.

 All our Love,

Mom & Dad & Hannah

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

~ Moving Along ~

Good Morning Friends & Folk!

and a happy overcast-but-turning-warmer Tuesday to you all!

I am in a ham & peanut butter cup stupor...

just cannot resist the food goodness of the holiday!

I have been making progress on Wool Witch though,

and have finished the oatmeal background behind witch & her sheep

and have begun filling in the border now;

I added a dimensional braid for her hair too 

↓

 

I may shorten that braid, but for now it stays ~

how do you like the border?

 I'm pulling the colors of the rug out to the border 

and hooking it in random strips ~

 

a funny thing is,

 when I went to snap a photo of the rug for my Instagram page last night,

I realized that my border matches our rugs here in the keeping room!

Hoping to finish this today,

 and then get to work on a class model that I'll be teaching in October!

 I am excited to share that with you all, so stay tuned!

Have a beautiful day my friends,

create something beautiful with your hands & heart ~

take a walk  in the fresh air ~

...be kind to yourself and others.

Blessings from the Farm

 ~ Lori

~ Early Morning Hookin' ~

Hello Friends & Folk!

and happy Monday to you all ~

Oh I am so happy I'm feeling better!

after a full week of rest, fluids, rest...ibuprofen, more rest and more fluids ~

I have declared victory!

though not quite ready to venture out 'there' yet, 

as I am coughing and don't want to get anyone else sick.

{Note to the infectious woman in the Lancaster PA Walmart: When you're sick, STAY HOME!}

my poor Joan has been sick with it too, and she is feeling better as well!

while the house was quiet this morning,

I took advantage of the bright sun and worked a little on my Wool Witch rug in progress...

I thought I was the only one awake, but...

Iggy is never far from me.

 

At first I thought I would hook a dark background around witch & sheep...

but then decided not to.

I wanted a 'dirty' looking sheep, 

and purchased a fabulous wool from 

Wool'n Gardener that is perfect {I think} for such a sheep ~

I also changed her skin from pale peach to 'poison apple' green.

more befitting of her, don't you think?

 

my Hooker's Bling:

my hook necklace ~ a Miller hook that Peter drilled a hole in for me

{I use this hook when I'm not using one of our own Primitive hooks}

I switch between hooks to keep my hand from getting fatigued and I suggest you do too ;)

my scissors are also wearing their bling ~

assorted charms & antique bone ring dress them up and let everyone know 

these are MINE! lol

 

I even have a tiny little silver rug hook charm,

~ looks like the perfect size for my tiny witch to use perhaps?

 

I'll drink more tea today ~

rest a little more and hook a lot more...

and share more progress on Wool Witch soon.

🐑

Hoping your Monday is full of everything you love!

 

Blessings from the Farm 

~ Lori

~ Saturday Morning Musings ~

~ Good Morning Friends & Folk ~ 

It's Saturday {again}!

 geeez how the weeks {months, years...} fly by, don't they?

I have to admit, since my back has been acting up and I've been 'planted' on the couch 

I didn't even know that today was Saturday until I looked at my computer screen.

I've had my head buried in thread and my hands busily stitching ~

always taking advantage of down-time and putting it to creative use.

I'm working on a little witch. a pansy witch, me thinks...

or fern ~ or strawberry since she has red hair?

oh! 4 leaf clovers!

that's it ~

 a LUCKY little witch she is then.

{who says witches are just for Hallowe'en?}

<|:~)

 

I'll finish her dress & hat then begin choosing the 'greens' 

for her foliage which will surround her...fun fun!
{I may even offer her for sale when she's finished!}

hello!

In other news ~

the daff's are up! 

poking about 5-6 inches out of the red southern clay soil we have here...

which, btw is still a bit soggy from the last rains we had.

And look at these two:

each morning, our sheep Esther & Bobby 

~ walk around the barn and head on out to the big field to graze and nibble on the new sprouts... 

they are old now, and go much slower than they used to ~ 

... especially Esther, who we think to be about 15 yrs or so.

Bobby, her son is 8-ish if my calculations are correct

{ he is devoted to her and never leaves her side }

just a happy snap of our Roosty, showing off his spring feathers :)

 Here are two books I recently found at Joann's store and got with 50% off coupons!

I am so happy that they accept coupons on books now ~

these are two very good, inspirational books on my favorite subject:

Hand & Surface Embroidery

AND

Progress on the shop:

Peter & Chris have been working every day on the shop...

and yesterday our friend Lee a.k.a. Mr. Millstone 

{Robin's sweet hubby & Millstone Mercantile's main-man} 

came out to help Pete with the pegboard...

 it will be painted a very soft, light grey color, along with the trim and floors

and the walls will be a brighter white

the lower shelves are in the process of being built, as you can see in the photo below...

 

we can't believe the change already ~ 

we are excited to reopen and have you in for a visit! 

We are planning a grand reopening day with our fresh look and new products,

that will also include an outdoor market of vintage items, plants and flea market goods!

 stay tuned for more on that ~

Well Happy weekend my friends,

hoping you all have a peaceful & creative one!

 

Blessings from the Farm

 ~ Lori

~ I'm a Punchy Hooker ~

 Happy Tuesday Friends & Folk!

~ another grey day here at the farm....but who's complaining?

the temps are in the 40's today, so hopefully that will kill off SOME of the blasted beetles

 we have here in the farmhouse & shop!!

anyhoo, moving forward:

I have finished hooking all of the Tombstone Sheep rug's motifs

using 1/4" wool strips.

and now I have flipped the rug over on my Floor Frame

and am punching the background with an Oxford #10 rug punch needle

and beautiful hand dyed wool yarn from Ali Strebel Designs in "Sky Blue"

If you don't own an Oxford Rug Punch Needle, 

... you can still use the yarn by simply hooking with it ~ 

 depending on my mood, and how fast I want my project to be finished ~

I'll switch between my punch & trusty hook!

{punching goes waaaaay quicker ~ fyi }

~ the basket on my sheep's back is blue.

and now I'm using blue for the background.

although not the exact shade of blue, and the basket is hooked with a textured wool strip...

so, three guesses as to what I might do next?

  I may leave it, or I may reverse-hook.

one never knows....

I have an idea for a funky finish to the edges of this project,

once it is steamed and bound.

we'll see.

Next time I post,

I should be finished with this ~

Blessings from the Farm

 ~ Lori

~ This & That ~

Each Winter,

I bring in a small cutting from our forsythia bush...

and place it in water in my favorite hobnail milk glass vase 

set in the sunniest window here in the farmhouse ~

there is just something about watching it come back to life

with all the hopes & promises of Spring.

 

After the yellow blooms fade, they will be ready to be planted again, 

~ having been in the warm sun and water, 

they will have nice roots shooting from their bottoms ;)

 

I will also do the same with our black pussywillows 

when these have passed on ~ 

Previously I had mentioned that I started a new sheep rug, "Tombstone Sheep' ~

and of course I pulled out every last loop and re-hooked it. 

I am still not happy with the eye, but it will stay until the rest of the body is hooked.

and little Katrina Whiskertwitch's head & fish is done, {almost}

now on to her dress, and the rest of her!

 

Rain is in the forecast for us for the next 4 or-so days, 

and the pinched nerve in my back is letting me know all about that ~

so, while my butt is on the heating pad,

my hands will be busy!

 

Blessings from the Farm

 ~ Lori

~ A New Rug ~

I sketched out a little design I had in my brain ~

for another sheep, of course...

and named it Tombstone Sheep for the arched shape along the top of the design.

at the moment, she looks a little wide-eyed & bewildered ~

but I'm hoping that will change once I get more of her fleece hooked around her face & ear!

last night we enjoyed the company of friends at our monthly Needle Night ~

always a pleasure to eat, laugh & work together...

hoping to get more progress made on this today, after orders have been packed & shipped :)

tomorrow is calling for rain, so it will be a perfect day to hook ~

Blessings from the Farm 

~ Lori

~ That Felt Good ~

Oh my...

well, 

at least I'm putting my 'recovery' time to good use ~ 

For my readers here that aren't on Facebook or Instagram,

this is what I've been doing:

~ Needlefelting ~

{{ ok, I'm needlefelting + applique with a sprinkling of embroidery }}

 a few years ago, I spun some of our Finn ewe 'Esther''s fleece {aka Mommy}

she has a beautiful loose staple that is great for spinning.

but, I am not a great spinner!

as you can see below, my skeins are a mess ~

too tight, too loose, knots, slubs and pieces of hay

all make up a hank of my 'yarn'...

lol

but it's pretty 

and I never thought I would be able to do anything with it.

Until Now.

 

it is perfect for creating my 2-dimensional {2D} sheep!

each wonky curl and loop of the yarn 

just seems to add more of a realist effect to my needle felted sheep's coat...

~ don't you agree?

 

especially this little guy,

 below...

I'm embellishing with applique, embroidery and each lamb or sheep 

has hand blown German glass eyes.

they aren't perfect, but I am improving each time.

the most important part of this is enjoying the creative & learning process as I continue.

 

I hope you all have a wonderfully creative October Day ~

full of inspiration, peace & kindness.

Blessings from the Farm

 ~ Lori