Well, it's been several months now since I updated my blog. The summer seems to have flown by and through one thing and another I've just felt unable to get stuck into writing.
I've been setting up a small business from home called Croft Cottons and have opened an Etsy shop of that name.
I haven't got all the stock listed yet. It's a busy time of year! I am making things from excellent quality cotton such as wedding and baby bunting, pillowcases, cushion covers, hand made fabric covered buttons, toddler to teen clothing, purses, bags...........it's an ongoing project shall we say!
One piece of very good news is that my lace shawl took 1st prize at our local show and I also won 12 other rosettes for various things including photos, jam, pickles and the like.
I was very proud when a photo of my Soay sheep Shulah took 1st prize in the animal photograph section and my lovely cat Magda got 2nd prize in a photo of her. You may have noticed, it's not my photography I'm proud of, it's my sheep and my cats!! And that's just how it should be.

Since last posting on here I have bought two more Soays. They are wethers. One is 2 and a half and the other 1 and a half. here are a couple of photos of them. First is Bram................

And here's little dark faced Brok

And last, but by no means least my 'grey sneedled specky faced' Shetland called Beulah........

Believe it or not, that is the name given to a Shetland yow (ewe) of this colour. She has a beautiful face. Here's a closer one of her face......

My final piece of news is that I have my own piece of land now to put my sheep on. Well, technically it's not mine but I have use of it for the unforeseeable future, so it's much better. I can actually see the sheep out the bedroom window if they're grazing in the middle of the park. When I come out the front door with the food bucket they see me and all start running towards the gate. Most of them can now be hand fed, which is great if you need to get hold of one for any particular reason! Brok is always first at the gate and has now started arriving with a piece of long grass hanging out each side of his mouth. Perhaps his way of saying thanks for the ewe nuts I bring!

Well, it's gone 1.00am and I should be in bed so I'm going to sign off now. I will update you soon. Will be building a sheep shelter very soon before our winter weather sets in. You never know here in Shetland just how good or bad it will be and Soays in particular do not cope well with the wind and rain. Shetland sheep are very hardy and cope much better.

Oh, I almost forgot. I got a new arrival in the field a few weeks ago. A little lamb, which would appear to be last year's lamb, just arrived one day. No ear tags or paint marks. Nothing to tell me where she came from or who she belongs to. So she's still with me and her name is Landiah. Isn't she a little sweetheart...........

View South from Sheep Hill Park

Hi again, just me checking in with a quick photo or or two for you today. It's VERY hot and sunny for Shetland today and certainly too hot for me, but it LOOKS amazing!! Shetland in nice weather is unbeatable.
Hubby and I went up to the sheep today. While he finished off the gate to the outer pen I went calling on the sheep to come and get their extra feed. They don't really need it every day, but I'm trying to get them to keep coming down the hill towards me as it's a very steep hill and I have no sheepdog!
I'm delighted to report my one and only Cheviot ewe responded to the pedicure and antiseptic treatment I administered the other week and she's now fleet of foot. Probably much more so than I am!!! But the exercise is good for me. I recently sold my Reebok stepper because I figured I was getting better exercise chasing sheep all over the place. It's a whole lot more fun than stepping on and off a piece of plastic!
So first of all, here's the view south from the hill park......

And here's my new (primitive) gate! It cost a whole £4.00 to make!

I also managed to get a photo of my two "Golden Girls" together today. They are in the autumn of their years and not looking their best but they are just adorable! I am planning to get them in the pen this week and perhaps just 'roo' them (pluck the fleece off) instead of clipping them as it's very straggly anyway and I don't want to lose the fleece among the heather. Here they are......

Golden Girls in Glad Rags!

And just to end with, I took a photo of hubby's jumper hanging over the pen and gave it a little post-click treatment and it looked quite good......

I'm easily amused!
Until next time, take care.

Is it a Sheep? No! It's a Horse!!

Well, it's been a busy day. I had the first of my appointments today that I mentioned yesterday. There's something about appointments, even if they're GOOD, that makes me get all worked up and anxious. So, just to ease the stress a little, after the appointment, hubby and I visited a second hand store with a neighbour and look what I came home with!!!



That's right. A rocking horse for the cats!! It also doubles up as a handy 'step' to help them get onto the bedroom window!

Yes, I know I'm daft. But it made me feel really good! Retail therapy for the furries. You can't beat it!

So I'm now off to relax with a book, ready to make noticeable progress with my shawl tomorrow. I may even get a photo of it posted on here.
Stay tuned and keep challenging yourselves to new things. Email me with any photos of your own knitting or wool related hobby and I'll be happy to post them on here if you'd like to share them.
Back soon.