Dawn Brocco's Life & Design Blog

Rain and LOTS of it yesterday and 40 mph winds today - what a weekend!

Just came in from picking up, in the wind!, all the fallen / snapped branches, including several big, heavy willow limbs that ended up in the pond - as they usually do. I was clad in my bulky wt. Sweatshirt Jacket for Women, Elizabeth Zimmermann's Winter Spruce, Nowegian-style mittens (from "Knitting Around"), knit in Lamb's Pride Worsted, rabbit fur ear muffs (that I got at a church yard sale cheap) and a scarf which I have no idea from whence it came. So, at least I was warm!

We could hook most of the branches and pull them out of the pond, except one. We needed the tractor to pull that one out and it's not even all the way out - it's just part way up on the lawn. Hubby needs to let the ground dry out some, then pull it out with the truck - yes, *that's* how heavy it is!

And, dontchaknow, tourists just GOTTA slow down and watch, as if they've never seen people do manual labor before. I can imagine them saying, "Oh, look honey, people working with their hands - how quaint!"

Oh, go get a life already, or get out of your fancy SUV and help us out, but don't slow down and stare at us. Christmas, it's just a bunch of tree limbs.

Farm Yarn Links
I thought I'd post some farm yarn links today. I love farm yarns - those minimally-processed, often breed-specific, wool yarns grown on small farms. I haven't tried them all - just 4 of them, but I'm always looking for and collecting more farm yarn links. One never knows when one will need a certain yarn, that only a small farm produces.

Support your local shepherd!

Beaverslide Dry Goods - Merino, Rambouillet and kid mohair blend yarns

Nistock Farms - Cotswold wool yarn

Liberty Ridge - Romney wool yarn

Vermont Organic Farm - O-Wool (merino)

Tongue River Farm - scroll down for Icelandic yarn info

Touchstone Farm - Clun Forest wool yarn

Full Belly Farm - Rambouillet, Lincoln, Suffolk, and Merino yarn

Shadeyside Farm - Lincoln, Shetland and Angora yarns

Stonehedge Farm & Fiber Mill - merino wool yarn

Wagtail Yarns - kid mohair yarn (love the mohair goat photo!)

Chester Farms / Cestari - Columbia and Merino wool yarns

Thirteen Mile Lamb & Wool Company


The Shearer's Yarn - Border Leicester/Blue Faced Leicester wool yarn

Maple Ridge Sheep Farm - Shetland wool yarn

Mill Farm Pure Shetland Wool

Onward!