Sheep Show-offs!

Imagine these 3 sheep (yearling ram [Kingsley] and two 8 month old ewes [Paris & Diva]) bouncing around the pasture, back and forth like they have pogo sticks for each leg! That is the show I saw this evening at about dusk. I found mySelf laughing aloud as they made laps around their pasture. What a delight!

A Grouchy Winnie-The-Pooh, maybe?

This is my newest creation: Grizzly Bear. He won 1st place in the Professional Fine Arts Sculpture (other media) category at the Dixie Classic Fair. 

Many thanks to Virginia Weiler for the excellent photos!

The After SAFF

It's taken me this long (over a week) to recover and write about the Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair! Whew!

Of course I spent almost all of my time in the barn with the sheep and primarily the Jacob Sheep and other Jacob breeders.

This is the class of 2010 Jacob Ewe Lambs as we're leading them in. Eight total.

Here are the judge's top 5 placings. Wiggle Hill Diva and I are 4th and proud of it! Noah and Farmgirl's Eloise are 7th. Eloise was good with that but Noah would have liked the money that comes with higher placings. The winner was Never Winter Parfait shown by Zach Staines.

On Saturday, the Juniors showed. Noah and FarmGirl's Eloise took first in the Jacob Ewe Lamb class and the Jacob Fleece class. Noah showed Perfect Spot Chelsea in Jacob Aged Ewes and took 1st -- stiff competition, too... NOT, she was the only old lady in the class! Eloise went home with Linda Bjarkman to join her Patchwork breeding program.

Here are the Jacob breeders and friends having dinner at a wonderful Mexican place Friday night after we've unloaded and fed our sheepies. There were two unexcited young men, the one on the right and the one hiding from the camera on my left. They were only slightly more excited once they had their prize money. We talked about bloodlines, fleeces, rams, parasites -- your typical dinner conversations. I learned so much!

All the fiber in the sales areas was beautiful, too. Especially the Alpaca fiber that Jenny Bennett from Harmony Wool Alpacas had for sale!

I had so much fun with my new and old shepherd friends and the sheepies!

Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair

Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair

FarmGirl's Clara and I are second from the right. 2009

I'm so excited about traveling up to Asheville to SAFF for the weekend. I've twisted Noah's arms (it took both) so he'll be coming along and will be helping me show my Jacob Sheep. He will also show a couple in the Youth Show.

In addition to seeing many different wool sheep breeds, llamas and alpacas, there is a spectacular Fiber Fair with vendors coming from all over the country! Yarns, roving, fleeces, supplies, art, etc. Three whole days of technicolor fiber! And friends, too!

In addition, I'll be trading one of my 2010 ewe lambs for a pretty ewe lamb from Patchwork Farm in GA and I'm buying a yearling ram from Swallow Lane Farm in GA. This will invigorate my Jacob breeding program quite a bit!

Beginning 3-D Needle Felting Classes

Beginning 3-D Needle Felting

Choose one of the following dates/times:

* Saturday Oct. 9th, 2:00pm - 5:00pm

* Sunday Oct. 17th, 2:00pm - 5:00pm

Participants will learn the basic skills of making legs, a body, a head with ears and how to attach them to make a 4 legged critter of your choice (you can even decide at the last minute what your critter is). You will leave with a completed 4 legged animal.

$60.00 + $15.00 material fee (foam pad, needle, 1 oz. of white wool).

Only 4 participants per class, so reserve your spot today.

336-971-3834

FarmGirlArts@triad.rr.com or FarmGirlArts@gmail.com (for gmailers).

http://farmgirlreneweables.blogspot.com/

Eliza's Magic Dragon

Meet Eliza's Dragon.

Eilza has yet to determine whether it is male or female and if it has a name. I was commissioned by Eliza's mom to create a dragon for her because her sister has two and Eliza has none and they liked my work. I interviewed Eliza about the colors: "The back will be orange, the tummy is red, the scales on its back are pink, the head is yellow, the wings are purple and the tongue is red!" Very helpful. Realism is my thing, so making up this dragon was a real stretch!

The best part of the process was having Eliza and her mom stop by the farmers markets to see how the dragon was progressing and being attacked by an unattached tongue! She came by to get it last Friday and attacked me with a complete dragon! FUN!

The Sophies (Last one, I promise!)

Sophie's owner, Jeff, sent me the following pictures of

Little Sophie's introduction to Sophie.

Looks like a little tete-a-tete to get things off to a smooth start.

"Ok, we can live together."
"Be sure to keep your eyes on the humans, though. They worry me sometimes."