Always Ask

Lesson #295746: It never hurts to ask. Ivan is insane over lemurs, which he has seen in book, on web, and in person (or in lemur?) at the zoo.

My mother, who was visiting, and I went to look around the local toy store – one of those small, floor-to-ceiling kind of neighborhood toy stores, run by a very eccentric man who appears to love stuffed animals and pirates.

I commented that it would be hilarious if some day I could find a stuffed lemur for Ivan. My mother looked at me, and then marched up to the store owner at the front counter.

Mom: Do you carry stuffed lemurs?

Store Owner: Of course. I always make sure I order plenty of lemurs when I re-stock.

Behold, Lulu the Lemur:

Toddlers Like Pool, Too!

Especially after a hard day at day care:

Sheep and Wool Heaven

Two weekends ago, I went to the Maryland Sheep and Wool festival. Baa! Held at a fairground outside of Baltimore, it was a two-day extravaganza of sheep breeders and their flocks; bundles of wool and other fibers of all sorts; yarn, yarn, and even more yarn; and all sort of fiber crafts. Oh, and lamb. As, in to eat. Yummers! Surprisingly to those who understand my deep passion for all things knitted, wooly, and farm animalish, I had never been to any sheep and/or wool festival before. Apparently, these things happen all over the country – who knew? Not I.

Oh, the things I bought. I bought two big balls of roving (unspun wool) plant-dyed with indigo and some other plant-like substance, some undyed yarn, a little stuffed sheep for Ivan, etc. etc. I really could have spend hundreds of dollars there – thousands, if I had any place to store sheep... Most importantly, I got a nice, sturdy drop spindle, since I’ve picked up yet another hobby – hand spinning – thanks to my enabler friend K., a.k.a. Harmless Drudge

Check out the amazing drop spindles. Mine isn’t anywhere nearly as decorative, only because I am completely broke:

Look, purty yarn: Look, purty wool:

Look, pit lamb!

Now that I’ve been to such an event, I have of course become addicted, as is my wont. Next up will be the New York Sheep and Wool festival in Rhineland, NY. Whilst in Maryland, I discovered how very much I love sheep. No, not in that way, pervert. They’re just very pleasant animals, and I’d like to have some. They make a nice sound, smell pretty good for hairy farm animals, are reasonably friendly but not in that pushy goat-like way, and plus, they make wool. And they’re tasty. I don’t think they would enjoy the stairs to my apartment, though.

Regardless, the breed I liked best at the festival was the Border Leicester. So very, very cute. Such lovely wool.

When I returned home from my adventures, I showed Ivan all of the many pictures I had taken, explaining to him that sheep fur is called wool, that people spin wool into yarn, and that yarn is what I use to knit with. All the while he had an expression on his face like, “are you shittin’ me, mom?” No, son, I shit you not.