Sereknitty

Warning - this entry is photo intensive.

It’s been almost two weeks since I last posted. It’s been a busy two weeks and in many ways, a very difficult two weeks.

As you know, my dear friend, Jeannette passed away. Last Friday we celebrated her life. The memorial service was one of the nicest and most moving that I have ever been to. Three people spoke; her eldest son, Peter, a lifelong girlfriend and the director of our Master Gardener program. Each spoke of Jeannette’s enthusiasm, cheerfulness and desire to live life to the fullest.

For a good part of last week and over the weekend we were at the Kitsap County Fair. Beginning Tuesday with setup and haul in and ending Sunday night with tear down and haul out it was one very full week.

Even before leaving for fair, Earl was bathed and dressed in his “sheep tube” to keep his sleek figure clean. DD got some last minute practice setting him up for judging.

Prior to bringing in the sheep and we had to put up the NK FFA barn display.

Although DD had been mentally preparing herself since the day Earl came home for his eventual departure, the finality of his time with us began to really hit home at Fair. Most of the kids felt the same way. Some, having been through it before did not seem to struggle with it in the same way that the “rookies” did.
Both of our DD’s spent a lot of time in the barn with Earl. I’m very proud of both girls. They took their barn duty responsibilities very seriously. DD#2 pitched in and helped with cleaning stalls, feeding and watering animals.

Fitting and Showing for 4H and FFA took place on Thursday. This judging grades the pre-show grooming including bathing, shearing, hoof trimming and overall preparation. The showing portion assesses just how good each entrant presents his or her lamb to the judge. DD received a blue, First Place ribbon for fitting and showing. Next the Market Lamb class was judged. The animals included in this class were all scheduled to be sold at auction. This portion of the judging basically assesses each animal and places them in order of the quality of the animal, in particular leg and loin, as these are the prime butcher cuts of meat.

During the Market Lamb judging, Earl received the Reserve Champion Market Lamb. This is an excellent placement but it meant that Earl would go through the auction as the second Market Lamb…. earlier than DD had hoped. The pride on DD’s face was so obvious in this shot.

The Market Animal auction took place on Saturday morning. The steers went through the auction first and as they were being bid upon the lambs were lined up and paraded down to the auction ring. The ribbons are attached to Earl with double sided tape.

DD and Earl faired very well at the auction. Earl was sold to Del’s Farm Supply in Port Orchard WA for $5.20 per pound. His finished weight was 135 lbs.

The last competition for Earl and DD at fair was the Lads and Lassies Leads competition. This competition is a form of fashion show intended on promoting the veratility and use of wool. DD and Earl entered in the commercially made clothing class.

DD won her age class and overall Best Commercial Garment class. She and Earl looked gorgeous and you could almost believe that they were going out for a casual dinner and dancing.

The haul out for market animals took place about 1:00 pm Sunday. DD and Earl spent some quality time together before haul out took place. It was difficult to watch her going through this and the extreme sadness she was feeling. She told me later that she knew he was going to do what he had been bred and born to do, but would miss his sweet, gentle nature. She is already planning on getting a suffolk/dorset cross ewe to breed a future market lamb entry from.

I didn’t get anything entered in the Needle Arts portion of the fair. There were some lovely entries though. Here are a few of my favorites. The first sweater is a pull over that features a farm scene featuring sheep. How could I not like it.

The next is a cardigan that was knit from hand spun wool from the exhibitors own sheep. A truly lovely piece and very worthy of the wins.

There were very few laces pieces entered. I found this one particularly beautiful and very well done.

Some other highlights of the fair was the Rodeo that DH and DD’s went to on Wednesday night. A BBQ booth that made the most incredible BBQ Corn on the Cob. (Not to mention ribs, chicken etc) Pig races were a big hit. DH managed to come home with a couple of ribbons annoucing “My Pig Won”. No, we don’t have a pig, (not yet, anyway) you got to chose a pig based on its collar color and hope it would win. There was also a booth called Margauritaville which made wonderful fruit smoothies.

Over the course of the week I volunteered at the Master Gardeneer clinic booth answering gardening questions for the public. I also spent several hours each day demonstrating spinning and fiber preparation in the Sheep barn.

Last but not least….. Sunday had one last competition. It is called Groom Squad. Basically, “wild” sheep are brought in from the field and must be bathed and fitted by teams in two hours. The first hour is spent bathing the sheep and the second hour is spent clipping it. No electric tools are allowed. There is always one adult team and then several more kids teams. This year there was the adult team and 3 kids teams. Most teams took the entire first hour to bath their sheep. The adult team took significantly longer. When I went to investigate I caught DD#2 and DH in the act of hiding the evidence.

Hiding what? Hiding the original sheep their group was given. It seems that a swap took place and a perfectly fitted show sheep of the same breed was being substituted. Cheating! I couldn’t believe it. Apparently it takes place every year. The adults just keep coming up with newer and better ways of beating the system. Shame!

This year, in addition to actually choosing a sheep that was the same breed as the original they brought DD#2 in as their “handler”. With a sweet face like that, who would believe that she would be cheating?

DD and the cheating sheep are last in line. You can see from the photo that none of the other sheep quite look that good. It was obvious that something was up and the judge began asking questions…..

Their team ultimately won awards for Biggest Cheats and Laziest Team. The team that DD#1 was on got awards for Wettest Team and Most Creative Bribe. They tried to gain the cooperation of their sheep with sugar cubes.

It is with extreme sadness that I announce the passing of my dear friend, Jeannette Fox. Jeannette became ill 3 weeks ago with pneumonia. With long standing breathing issues, Jeannette soon developed serious complications and it was a battle that she could not win.

Jeannette was an incredible woman. An inspiration to not only to me but, to everyone she met. In the first 1/2 of this year she traveled to Scotland, Canada and Mexico. She was very active in our gardening community; in fact, she is one of the calendar girls in the Gardening Au Naturel calendar.

Jeannette was a wife, mother, grandmother and she was my friend. I’m fortunate to have had her as a part of my life for even a short time.

May the angels carry you to your rest….. it is well deserved.

Deep peace I breathe into you
Oh weariness here, O ache, here!
Deep peace, a soft white dove to you;
Deep peace, a quiet rain to you;
Deep peace, an ebbing wave to you!
Deep peace, red wind of the east from you;
Deep peace, gray wind of the west to you;
Deep peace, dark wind of the north from you;
Deep peace, pure red of the flame to you;
Deep peace, pure white of the moon to you;
Deep peace, pure green of the grass to you;
Deep peace, pure brown of the living earth to you;
Deep peace, pure gray of the dew to you;
Deep peace, pure blue of the sky to you;
Deep peace of the running wave to you,
Deep peace of the flowing air to you,
Deep peace of the quiet Earth to you,
Deep peace of the sleeping stones to you,
Deep peace of the yellow shepherd to you,
Deep peace of the wandering shepherdess to you,
Deep peace of the Flock of Stars to You.
Deep peace of the Son of Peace to You.
Deep Peace, Deep Peace.

– Compassionate Friends

I undid my original cast off and put it back on the needles to re-cast off Kiri. I’m much happier with this version. Now it needs blocking, but that too will wait a couple of days until I have some uninterupted time to work with it. There will be no rushing Kiri!

DD’s had their stall at the Poulsbo Farmers Market again this week. The eggs seem to be very popular; they sold out again well before closing. We’re hoping some of the young pullets that we are growing out will start to lay soon….. they buyers are waiting. Some are beginning to reserve eggs in advance of market to ensure that they will get some if they don’t arrive right at opening.

Tonight was the last night of formal lacrosse for this season. DD#2 played her heart out. Coach Val, my husband and I celebrated the end of the season with a picnic fieldside. Cold chicken, salads and fresh veggies were the order of the day. DD#2 brought flowers for the coach, it’s a tradition. Well at least DD wants it to be.

Well, I didn’t get my shawl entered into the fair. I wasn’t happy with my cast off and rather than rush to redo it under the pressure of the deadline I chose to set it aside for a couple of days.
I did get 4 photographs entered. Two were character studies; one of my DD#1 and one of DD#2’s lacrosse coach. The others were nature scenes; the first a young boy fishing in the Hood Canal at dusk and the second turbulent water from the ferry motor while crossing Puget Sound. I’ll let you know how I do.
DD#2 and I attended a dog show in Lacey today. We had intended to show Magellan, our male Great Pyrenees. He has been blowing coat and wasn’t in prime condition. We’ll hold off a while and show him when he is back in coat.

This evening we all went to see March of the Penguins. What a wonderful family movie!! It is narrated by Morgan Freeman and was filmed by a French crew for National Geographics. The images are fantastic. We felt the quality of the screen image was poor but seemed to be due to projector issues at the theater itself. We intend to buy it when it comes out on DVD and hope that it includes some footage on how the movie was shot.

Those of you who have been reading for a while know that I am a Master Gardener in my county. In the US the Master Gardener program is administered by county Extension offices under the direction of the designated agricultural university for each state. In my case, that is Washington State University (WSU) in Pullman WA.

You also know that I am a member of the Master Gardener Foundation of Kitsap County (MGFKC). The foundation is the fundraising organization which raises the funds to support the activities of the Master Gardeners working throughout the county via Extension office and WSU. Historically we have raised funds via annual plant sales. As the need for increased community outreach increased, so did the need for greater levels of fundraising. From there, the idea of the Au Natural calendar was born.

The calendar committee knew it was an outrageous idea. Investigation revealed that this would be the first calendar of its kind…one of semi-nude Master Gardeners. Before investing time or funds we consulted with the “powers that be” to ensure WSU was aware of our plans. We received approval to proceed as long as the calendar and printed material made no reference to WSU.

From there we found an incredible photographer. Winifred Whitfield is a photo artist. She showed incredible vision in planning and executing each of the photo shoots for the calendar months. Through further investigation we learned that the quality of printing and paper used in producing the calendar was as important as the content itself. We went to great lengths to ensure the quality of our finished product would be worthy of the price we were charging for it. The final result was an incredible calendar. Something that we were individually and collectively proud of. The quality of our calendar was made even more evident when Barnes and Noble made the calendar a “Star of Washington” and agreed to promote it widely in their stores.

Yesterday, we were advised by our Extension, Horticulture Coordinator that WSU had pronounced their unwillingness to continue further affiliation with the calendar and our fundraising efforts from it.

The following is a direct quote from the email direction we received.

Dear Foundation Calendar Committee,

1. Please insure that there are no, absolutely none, of the calendars in the Kitsap County Extension office (hanging, for sale, or laying
around) in the Norm Dicks Government Building.
2. That there is no publicity or promotion about the calendars, or sales brochures for the calendars, in the Kitsap County Extension office or in any of our newsletters, literature, etc.
3. Whenever and wherever these calendars are sold, that there is no, absolutely none, identifier of WSU. This means WSU MG name badges aren’t to be worn, WSU banners are not posted, WSU Extension publications are not for sale at the same function, etc. This includes the various Master Gardener clinics, classes, and other educational events around the county.
4. The Kitsap County Fair is happening in a couple of weeks. If WSU Extension has a Master Gardener booth at the fair for promotion of WSU and educating the public, calendars or brochures for ordering calendars, will not be sold, posted or given away in this booth.
5. Advertisements or order blanks for the calendars will not be mailed out in any WSU Kitsap County Master Gardener newsletters.
6. The link to the Kitsap County Master Gardener Foundation on the WSU Kitsap County Extension website will be removed for the remainder of the year.
7. There will be no sales, advertisements, or calendars posted at the ‘Annual WSU Master Gardener Conference’ in Pullman next month. We do not want the Kitsap County foundation sharing the “idea” with other county programs or see more calendars in the future.

The highlighting in the above quoted material was made by me.

Today there is a committee of people, hard working, well intentioned people, feeling betrayed, insulted and beaten down.

We have had the calendars in hand for almost a month. In that time we have made sufficient sales to cover our photographic and printing costs. We are talking a significant amount of money for a small organization. We felt we had turned the corner and completing the sales of the remaining calendars put us in the “home stretch”.

We will regroup. Emotions will have to diminish somewhat before we make a final decision on how to proceed. We had the courtesy to contact WSU directly for approval before beginning our work. In return, they have made a pronouncement without showing us the same courtesy. They have put our Horticulture Coordinator in an impossible position. She has been forced to impart this news, on their behalf, to a group of people that she relies upon and works with “in the trenches”.

I have much less respect for this organization. My personal decision making must include whether I continue to work on their behalf as a WSU Master Gardener. I feel my continued involvement condones their actions and I certainly don’t want to give that impression.

I’ve started the edging on the Kiri shawl. I’ve completed the first two rows. I’m aiming towards completing the knitting and blocking in time to enter the shawl in the country fair. Entries have to be made this weekend. Can you hear the clock ticking? I can….it is deafening. My biggest challenge will be fitting the remaining rows in to a very hectic week.

We have a number of pullets growing out, who will begin to lay within the next couple of months. We also have just adopted 12 hens. An elderly lady in our town was going in the hospital to have surgery that would require a significant recovery time. She had collected almost 40 hens and her daughters weren’t willing to care for them during the weeks of her recovery. The hens were badly overcrowded and had many bare patches from feather picking at each other. We moved them into the new coop and the feather picking has stopped. There is much more room for them, they are allowed out to free range during the day and generally are much happier.

During the winter months we will add the canopy sides to the coop for protection from the cold and rain. the new coop has been dubbed the Chicken Ritz-Carlton. Coop#1 was the Chicken Hilton…so the naming protocol had to continue. The “girls’ also have deluxe accomodation when it comes to laying boxes. The new boxes were met with immediate approval.

Inside one of the boxes you can see what has to be the roughest looking of the newly adopted hens. I wasn’t sure this old girl was even laying but here she is proudly showing off her newly layed egg.

The YarnHarlot, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee was in Seattle yesterday. My hubby and I made the trek to the Big City to see her. What a hoot! If Stephanie ever decides to give up knitting or at least writing about it, she should consider a career in Standup Comedy.

If you will pardon the pun, she kept us in stitches. We saw her at Weaving Works (who were celebrating their 31st Anniversay) and the place was packed. We arrived about 15 minutes before her talk and were not able to be seated together. I sat a couple of rows behind my hubby. He’s taller and could get better photos throught the sea of heads. I got to watch his shoulders heaving up and down as he laughed throughout her talk. My only regret with him being there is that Harlot gave away the secret of S.A.B.L.E. to him. What is S.A.B.L.E.? Why it is the goal of every fiber addicted being….Stash Acquisition Beyond Life Expectancy.

Stephanie introduced us to The Sock. During the introduction she explained the “magic” properties of knitting. From the depths of a ball of string comes a sock or other knitted item…like magic, slow magic but magic not the less.

After her talk she graciously signed books and agreed to be photographed with many, many eager fans.

Stephanie fondled my never ending Kiri shawl… perhaps now with her magical touch imparted upon it…..I can actually finish it. Look at the background of this photo…can you feel the love…can you see the fiber. My husband is very happy that the Weaving Works requires a ferry ride and a drive through some pretty horrendous traffic to the Univesity District of Seattle. Sadly, I won’t be visiting often.

DD#1 and I spent the weekend in Lacey WA with a wonderful group of ladies. All members of the North West Region Spinners’ Association. The weekend was filled with mini workshops that varied from Natural Dying, Locker Hooking, Laminated Silk Scarves, Spinning Silk, Cabled Yarns, Beginning Spinning, Drop Spindle Spinning and Charka Spinning. This is not at all intended to be a complete list of the offerings.

The Natural Dying class allowed us to experiment with various mordants (alum, copper, chrome and iron) and natural dyestuffs (logwood, indigo, cochineal, brazilwood). We came away with 16 different samples of wool that had been dyed.

The Retreat was held at the Gwinwood Retreat Center. This was a wonderful facility that easily accomodated out group in comfortable quarters. Even my dorm bed was comfortable…. can you ask for anything else? Oh yes, the meals…I cannot say enough about how well we were fed throughout the weekend. The retreat organizers Rita Miller and Ruth Haworth have 15+ years of experience feeding Boy Scouts at camp. The food was tasty, plentiful and prepared and served with precision and speed.

DD#1 took classes in Spindle Spinning, Beginning Spinning, Blending Fibers, Needle Felting, Beading and Lockerhooking. These are some of the photos from her classes.

DD took seemed to pick up the beginning skills from each of the classes that she took. We didn’t take any of the same classes at all. She had no problem going into classes on her own and meeting and greeting the other class participants. We met up for meals and at the end of the day.

Saturday night, DD and I ran the Penny Raffle to raise funds for this group. Funds will be used to bring in National level teachers for future retreats and conferences. Previous raffles had earned about $100 to $150. Together we worked the crowd and were able to raise $246. We had a wonderful time, made some great new friends and came home with a bunch of new skills to practice.