The picture is of one of two fleeces I was given by Barbara - a keen knitter, friend and attendee at the Lustleigh knitting club on Wednesday morning.  THANKS Barbara!  It'a a fleece belonging to a rare breed sheep called Balwen Welsh Mountain and is soft along the shoulders going to hairy in the legs.  I've kept one of the fleeces and sent the other one to Jan - organiser of Fibre East in Bedfordshire.  She will scour it in preparation for Deb Robson's workshop.  
I am using the rest to knit up a whacky idea that has been waiting to birth for ages.  I shan't say much more, save it involves thrums, handspun welsh mountain, loopy stitch and a brick.  But designing anything is akin to giving birth - it IS!

The Shetland shawl progresses slowly.  I am loving the shetland from shetland and it spins up divinely smooth and silky. 
And I am painting lots of sheep portraits - have swaledale, Manx Loaghton and a Balwen completed.  
Now I must get off the computer and get to Hannah's and do some more work.  I don't know how folk manage to get anything done as well as keep up with all the social media, tweets, facebook, Ravelry etc etc. 
Speaking of which, Jae, her sis, Sara and I are all off to WOOLFEST weekend after next!  Not long now.  it'll be my first, but not may last I hope.  Syd is going to Nina the neighbour for the weekend so he'll have fun too.  

Lots of events happened - Wonderwool has come and gone, and I organised the coach again.  All well apart from two Bicton Collage Students who got the DAY wrong - one had cancelled anyway, fortunately - but the other sat by the roadside waiting for the coach for over an hour on Saturday morning - we actually went up to Wales on the Sunday.  I refunded their money and apologised lots but couldn't make up for their disappointment.
Then, shortly after Wonderwool, the Eggesford Barton Retreat took place.  All went relatively smoothly, including two fascinating Mill visits - one to Sue Blacker's in Launceston and the other to visit John Arbon's in South Molton.  The weekend deserves a post of its own so I'll stop there.

I've been gradually processing my Shetland Fleece from Shetland into soft and woolly laceweight.  That's the wool in the picture at the start of this post (pre washing).  I'm going to knit a traditional Shetland Lace Shawl from the outside in, following Sharon Miller's instructions (from her classic book 'Heirloom Knitting') so I can get my head around the format before trying to design my own.  I've completed the first of the four edging sections.  Cor, fancy that - actually walking before I run!    And, as is usual, I'm also tryng to knit the niece's cardi, join in a sock KAL AND design a cushion cover based on 'tinner's rabbits'.

I'm also painting and LOVING it.  Have ordered 50 cards of X6 different paintings to go in the Gallery at Hannah's and maybe start my Etsy shop.  The painting mojo is flowing.  I'll add some pics of the THREE paintings I completed yesterday.   I'm yearning to do a still life a la Shirley Trevena (who floats my boat).  And am trying to get a series of sheepy portraits done too.  Not busy at all then.