Fiber Femmes & tip

What Works for Me Wednesday has a good idea about Wednesdays being used for tips and hints.

The major hint I have (for me, actually) is…fit some time in to update this blog! I’m woefully behind and have lots of lovely photos of Romanian women who are spinning (using drop spindles and distaffs), weaving and doing all manner of fiberish things. The photos are downloaded, now I just need to update this blog.

In the meantime, Fiber Femmes is current (thanks Leslie!) and is our “second-best issue”.

Ahem…to the task at hand…speaking of tips, we’re entering Autumn here in the beautiful Appalachian mountains of southwest Virginia. I farm and have rare breed, hypoallergenic American Curly horses and rare breed Shetland, Romney and Merino sheep. My hands are usually a wreck but there’s a mini-spa treatment I give myself that not only makes me feel special, my hands receive the majority benefit.

Into a cupped palm, pour two or three tablespoons of sugar. On top of the sugar, pour two or three tablespoons of olive oil and scrub. The sugar acts as a mild abrasive, wearing away those, hopefully, small bits of torn skin and worn cuticles. The olive oil acts as both lubricant and sealer making the skin soft and smooth.

In the winter I use this treatment several times a week, sometimes once a day. It just depends on what kind of day I’ve had. If I’ve had to break ice in the horse/sheep water troughs, this treatment quickly makes my hands feel warm and loved. I usually wear gloves but there are some things that have to be done with naked hands…cutting twine on bales of hay for example. No matter how careful I am, I usually end up scratching one, or both, hands on stubbly hay.

That’s my best tip, for today at least. God’s blessings on you, yours and the work of your hands and heart.