Adventures in Scotland, the wool and whiskey tour continued

The Artist's Cottage B and B in Farr was charming!  Designed by Scottish architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh in 1901, the house was built in the early 1990s from the original drawings that featured only the outside.  It seems to be in the middle of nowhere, but is located close to Inverness.  We enjoyed a delicious supper at the Snow Goose.  

Bathroom window

Bedroom window

There were some sheep in the field behind the house.  

Also near Inverness is the Tomatin Distillery.  Their clever ads show the Softer Side of the Highlands.   The Heilan' Coo is pretty darned cute.

Whiskey barrel furniture.  

Inside one of the antique vats.  I like the design of the drain holes.

One of the stills.

Tomatin has an in-house cooper.

Whiskey aging gracefully.

The day got even better as we made our way to Skye.  Sheep were everywhere and the weather was just gorgeous, although windy!  The Talisker Distillery was the first stop.  I enjoyed the smoky flavor of Talisker Storm.  

I'd contacted Roger of Skye Weaver prior to our trip and was very excited when we arrived.  He was so gracious to show us around and I even got to try out the pedal-powered loom.

The wool fabric covers the weaver's handle bar.  

This fabric is for scarves.

The warping mill was a re-purposed tractor rake, reclaimed wood, bicycle gears, other bits and pieces including a dishwasher hinge.

Roger showed us the creel that holds up to 112 cones of yarn.

Inspiration for projects can come from anywhere and this photo was the inspiration for the scarf I purchased.

The scarf is wonderfully soft and warm.  I ended up wearing it for the rest of the trip.

As we were leaving, I spotted some henty leggits (or henty lags) and Jim had to stop the car so I could gather them.

Happy birthday America!

Today is July 4, America's birthday.  Happy birthday to our country.  I love the vintage postcard image from Vintage Holiday Crafts of the bears celebrating.

It's been a busy summer so far.  June was Grey Wolf month.  We were blessed with beautiful cool weather during Week 2.  Nine patrols of eight participants came in on a Sunday and graduated on Saturday.  The rain showed up of catapult effectiveness day and despite the dreary weather, everyone had a good time.  

The staff and participants heading back to camp from a day of activities.  

Comfy shoes--check, scout uniform--check, water bottle--check!

A beautiful view from the porch at Swanson Lodge of the sunset.

Grey's strapped in and ready to head home.

The fifth stage of team development is laundry.

I have been combing the fleece I got from Andrea of Black Cat Farmstead. Ben the sheep's fleece is a nice natural black color.  The bobbin is almost full since the photo was taken of the spinning progress.  When I arrived home from camp, I was able to finish the Einstein Hat test knit of Deb's  pattern.  

Weaving continues on the studio loom at AFW and I warped the Cricket with some yarn I was given by a friend.  The weft was a nice surprise that was left on my bench when I returned to the studio.  Fun colors in the fabric that will be turned into accessories.  

Spinning from combed wool is a breeze!

The Einstein Hat test knit.

The crazy sock yarn is a great colorway for the warp and the reddish coral is perfect for the weft.  Both yarns are woo/silk blends.  

Seeing Mexican Hats during my morning walk was a nice surprise, as they are the same flowers I've seen in New Mexico on the hiking trail.  They are common in New Mexico, and a bit rare in Minnesota according to a range map of national distribution.  Philmont is calling me back to HOmE (Heaven On Earth).  

Mexican Hats