our woolly excursion- Part 1

my best pal AJ and i visited a very lovely flock of rambouillet (see them baaa-hind us?)
and baaa-hind rancher Tom Boyer?
Here Tom's explaining the different parts of the wool fleece. it's soft! it's curly!

we came home with loads.

*****

hey ollllllllie??

yeah?

can you please think of some sheep puns for my post?

a moment later...

you can say that it takes shear perseverance to wash the wool...

a moment later....

or say how you break all the wools (say it out loud, come on)

a moment later....

or how you've been felt up....

Ollie! That's so dooce of you!

*****
well, dear reader, (can i call you my lamb?) i'm feeling sheepish about the pun fun but tell me, could ewe resist?

Be still my bleating heart...

...but i love knitting with every fiber of my being.

farmer joined me in a celebratory dance when i finished knitting my legwarmers (one of which is pictured).

full circle

if you're in the provo area you're welcome to attend the official un-official inaugural ball.

martin luther king day + a glam ball celebrating Obama's inauguration = the perfect event for recognizing how far the country's come. thank you andi for putting it all together!

and to quote andi: "There will be dancing and a cash Mormon-Bar. Maybe they should name the bar The Surely-Temple. I hope you all come ... even if you voted for the other guy!"

the snow has piled up outside

and plaster dust has been falling inside.


i'm taking a tiny break from construction and ordering a year's supply of high quality heirloom seeds from the company of sound reputation.

pondering how to plant our bit of earth...

we're loyal to the delicious constellations of the "moon & stars" watermelons

and there are so many new-to-us plants to try!

such as this lakota sioux winter squash.

what will you be planting this spring?

Shiva and Jim Morrison are...

...in the house! sort of.

"Shiva" (the destroyer) is what one calls oneself when wielding
a mighty hammer with this result:

Jim Morrison's "break on through to the other side" is what one sings while hammering.

the cottage has been off limits to innocent visitors as we've spent our stay-cation doing our annual holiday de/construction.

result pix are coming up soon.

Happy New Year Y'all!

may 2009 bring ever more deLIGHT.

besos,
quel

Gritty Knitty Revival

i lost my patagonia fleece headband in chicago earlier this month.

and have been F R E E Z I N G... until my woolly habits reawakened from a long dormancy.

YAY for wool and pointy sticks!

i started with me. under my fur hat is a...and the knitting moved on to the brothers.
and full(er) coverage for ollieMany thanks to the fine models!

Who's next? Tam? What can I knit for YOU?

sustainable ginger bread houses

The New York Times wrote an article about green-inspired gingerbread houses.

Such as this one:

And this one:
So clever and timely with their windmills and solar panels!

But, like a proud mum, i'm partial to the passive solar homestead i designed for Provo's candy windows.
with a raised bed winter garden, notice the coldframe.
dear reader, beware the effects of working with stale candy nonstop for a full week-- my mind is recreating everything i see into candy. it's like a trippy video game that doesn't stop when you close your eyes.

xo,
quel