Knot Knecessarily Known Knitting

Today is the first day of Tour de Fleece 2016. While I am not formally participating in it, I do have my fingers in some spinning projects right now. To kick off the occasion, I decide to post this video from July of 2014. These are Leicester longwool locks from Rivendell Farm in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. These raw locks came from a ram. As you can see, Brûlée likes the male smell. He rolls around in the locks so as to get the smell on himself. I've seen this scent anointing behavior in other animals, such as my favorite pandas at ZooAtlanta. As a spinner, knitter, crocheter, and weaver, haven't we all had a moment when we wanted to just roll in the stash?

While the holiday season can sometimes become an over-hyped Ferengi carnival of "buy, buy, buy," there are also plenty of people who remind us to enjoy the simple pleasures in life. Conversation with people you care about. Good food -- especially the food items you can only get during the holidays. Sipping hot chocolate, ideally while watching the snow fall and knowing you have no place else to be anytime soon. The laughter of playing games. Making something beautiful carefully with your own hands. In my house, simple pleasures can often mean being entertained by feline antics. Observe: Vincent likes to sit in the front window and watch the leaves falls. It is a simple pleasure, and watching him watch the leaves makes me smile. Happy pets make a happy home. (A happy Cuddly Hubby is key, too.) And just because it seems appropriate: Brûlée, the criminal mastermind, in full-up gargoyle mode. Copernicus would be proud of the lording. Sophia would approve of the di...