A few years back, while visiting my beautiful East Coast family for a special 90th birthday celebration, I discovered the most amazing little fiber farm* in a neighboring town to my mother-in-law. This particular farm raises Icelandic and Shetland sheep, two breeds I am pretty keen on and whose wool I really enjoy spinning. Well, despite the fact that we had precious little time to spare, I carved out an hour or so to go visit that spot and arrived to find not only the most picturesque, dreamy 100 acre rolling farm, but also a fiber and yarn store where they sell their self-produced and processed goods!
Needless to say, I was in heaven. A giant Great Pyrenees livestock guardian dog named Ranger greeted us in the driveway and escorted us into the shop. There I found rack after rack after rack of the most lovely natural color and dyed roving and yarn. Yum. And through the back doors of the shop, a mirco fiber mill where all of the farm's wool is processed. And just outside the front door.... that's right, 100 acres of rolling pastures crisscrossed by streams and dotted with sheep. Oh my. I kind of get a little fluttery just thinking about it.
So, anyway... back to the box of fiber. Mother-in-law extraordinaire sent me 40 oz of beautiful Shetland roving in the most lovely natural colors from the above farm for my birthday. In all honesty, it's been quite a shamefully long while since I sat down at my spinning wheel. But today, with that gorgeous fiber peeking out of the box at me and a baby who happened to take an oddly long nap, I dusted the wheel off and got to spinning. Oh my goodness....
I had no idea how much I needed that! As soon as my foot began treadling, the wheel began spinning, and the fiber began sliding through my fingers, I just felt a sort of peace and contentment that I've been lacking these last few weeks. The simple joy that comes from just making, doing, creating. As that wool spun up into yarn, my breath deepened and much stress and tension that I've been clinging to seemed to soften and slip slowly from my shoulders. Ahhh... yessss....
Sometimes I get so caught up in the everyday this's and that's that I forget to create. I am slowly learning that allowing myself to be creative and artistic and giving myself that time is so very crucial to my happiness. It feeds my joy. And without it, I get a little lost. So thank you, Aurora! Thanks for a gift much, much greater than the physical gift itself. I really needed it... and I didn't even know!
*I'd post a link to the farm, but I cannot seem to find a website for it. Sorry!
