~ crochet-ing ~

 

 

 

 

 

 Good morning Friends & Folk ~

and a very happy but extremely COLD Saturday to us all!

I am hoping you are all keeping cozy, snugging up your homes with fires and baking...
and keeping your hands busy and warm!

I am doing just that...
oatmeal raisin cookies are baking, the woodstoves are piping and the kettle is steaming ~
and my hands are warmed by crocheting another granny scarf.

I went to Michael's yesterday and filled my buggy up with yarn
{they were having a BOGO 1/2 off sale}

this yarn below is what I chose to make my scarf...
Lion Brand - Wool Ease

80% acrylic
20% wool

in the color 'Coney Island'
the label called for a N-13 hook, but

~  I'm using an H hook since this is a super-bulky yarn

 

but just look at those colors!!

 

the variations in colors work up so nicely,
and because the yarn is so bulky my stitches are fast.

 
the beautiful granny square afghan on the back of my chair below,

~ was made by my friend Janice Wright

🧶 🧶 🧶 🧶 🧶 🧶 🧶 🧶 🧶 🧶 🧶 🧶 🧶

here are the other skeins that I purchased...
just a whole pile of happy yarn goodness just waiting to be turned into something fun!

wishing you a day filled with warmth in your heart
and creativity for your hands!!
 

Blessings from the Farm 

~ Lori

~ Tombstone Sheep ~

~ Good Morning Friends & Folk ~ 

Happy Wednesday to you!

there are a lot of you out there who are expecting another bout of Winter weather...

stay safe, warm & dry and remember that Spring is only 13 days away!

a fat little Robin resting in our black walnut tree ~

I finished hooking/punching my 'Tombstone Sheep' rug last night...YAY!

I say hook/punch, because I hooked the motifs with 1/4 inch wool strips

{lamb, basket, vines, leaves & flowers}

then turned it over and punched the entire background with my #10 Oxford punch 

and hand dyed wool yarn called 'Big Sky' from Ali Strebel Designs.

{click HERE to see all of her wool yarn}

I really love how it came out ~

what do you think?

 

 

so much beautiful texture with the yarn loops mingling with the wool loops ~

it was fun to work on this way!

I just have to bind it, then label it.

It will be available as a pattern on linen, or a paper pattern and PDF as well very soon ~

🐑

 

On to the next!!!

 

Blessings from the Farm 

~ Lori

~ A Wee Bit Punchy ~

Hello Friends & Folk!

So with all of the needle-punching going on here,

I have decided that I  must rug punch...or, punch a rug.

I have my Oxford #10 & #14 rug punch needles

{my very favorite sizes, small for detail & larger for backgrounds}

I have also {of course} been perusing auction sites and Pinterest

for inspiration as to what to draw up...

I'm thinking a floral/geometric will be my choice!

I will be using both wool strips and heavy wool yarns for the rug, 

and will show you my progress as I go ~ 

{first I have to draw it up!}

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here are a few snaps of some I have found on-line 

~ that may whet your appetite to begin a punched rug too:

Simple and Bold

ok, not so 'floral-y', but I love him...

those hearts & stripes!

I love everything about this one ~

Just plain Gorgeous & I love the Urn & Willow!

a very Happy rug indeed ~ :)

the background on this one....

Soft, soft soft....

a great Scrappy rug!

〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰

Our little shop here at the Farm will be OPEN TODAY 10:00 - 4:00

despite the torrential rain predicted today! 

if you're in the neighborhood stop in and warm up by the woodstove ~

bring your work in progress and come create with me ~

I'll be working on my Tombstone Sheep rug today! {already in progress} 

 

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

Oh what a beautiful morning !!!!!

 

oh what a beautiful day!

...as the song goes....

 

woke this morning again to sounds from our barnyard.

I love to hear my chickens & roosters ~ so peaceful to me!

 

speaking of roosters,

do you remember this little guy???

 

 

little Toby sleeping in my hand...

remember I rescued him from being half-hatched & frozen to death last October?

 

 

Toby setting in a basket at a Stacy Nash class ~

 

 remember too that I brought him in the farmhouse

....my sweet little Suzy mothered him for a bit??

are you my mudder?

well, here he is today ~

bright eyed & rooster-tailed!!

hello big-boy!

 he has grown into a strapping young rooster-man...

his irridescent colors are amazing!

 

 

hi mom!

 here he is in his coop with his 'real' mother

(ssshhhh, don't tell him) ~

she's the one in the far-back with the brown head black body.

...along with his siblings, 2 sisters and one brother!

 

 

biggest one in the bunch ~ whoda thunk?

and here is our camera-shy-guy...
"Billy"

(short for Williamsburg Blue)

 

 

oh you handsome boy!

yes, we see you too!

Billy doesn't stand still for too long, and it is super hard to get a picture of his tail

since he's always moving and swishing-it around...

 

 

look at those eyes ~ and that crown!!

 his tail IS beautiful ~ and at almost 6 feet long it should be...

I will seriously try to sneek up on him and get some pictures of it for you...

in the meantime, this snap below shows more of his colors ~

 

 

love the black & white feathers he has, and the brown ones, and the striped ones, and.....

and speaking of COLORS ~

looky here :)

 

*sigh*

 

 

new wools in the shop!

 We've got the new wools from Rebecca & Betsy for your hooking/stitching pleasure...

come on in and getcha some!

 

 

beautiful wools make me HAPPY ~

and don't forget, we carry Ali's AWESOME hand-dyed wool yarn

for knitting, crochet or whipping your rugs with...

 

 

perfect, primitive colors to accent your rugs ~

 these are my favorite wool yarns to work with...

 

 

yum!

Well folks, I hope you enjoy your beautiful sunday!

come on out for a visit soon :)

 

Lori from

Notforgotten Farm