HAED Holstein - update Aug 15l

[Tyledres]

This past week I was finally able to get a start on Holstein, a HAED by Jo Lynch.



Even though I had finally managed to gather everything I needed to get started three weeks ago, I had promised not to work on this project during my last two weeks of classes. But I think I got a fair bit done this past week. I was so happy when I finally finished all the white on the page and could move on to the colors but I'm also glad I had all that white because it made counting the other stitches easier. I'm pretty excited to see the eye and nose just starting to form.

[richardandtracy]

Apart from the thought that Jo Lynch must be colour blind, what pops into my head is just how nice a cow that is. They all have their own personality, and Jo has captured a wonderful look in her eye, it's done beautifully. That's one beast I would be happy to have following me, rather than driving.
My mother adored her bovines and we always had several on the smallholding after my dad retired. The ground was never firm enough on our land for Holsteins, so we had lighter breeds, like the Red Devon & Jersey. On the better land on the other side of the valley the farmer (never knew his name, everyone called him 'farmer' and knew who was referred to!) had a 400 strong herd of British Holsteins, and we often helped out getting the herd in.

Sorry, that was an unexpected trip down memory lane.
You have made a beautiful start.

Regards

Richard.

[fccs]

Oh my gosh, I absolutely love this! His face is perfection! I can't wait to see more of your lovely stitching on this - get busy, please.

My mother adored her bovines and we always had several on the smallholding after my dad retired. The ground was never firm enough on our land for Holsteins, so we had lighter breeds, like the Red Devon & Jersey. On the better land on the other side of the valley the farmer (never knew his name, everyone called him 'farmer' and knew who was referred to!) had a 400 strong herd of British Holsteins, and we often helped out getting the herd in.

Sorry, that was an unexpected trip down memory lane.
You have made a beautiful start.

Regards

Richard.

That unexpected trip down memory lane is one of the things I love most about this forum! Even though we're all hours apart, the posts turn into real conversations.

[Squirrel]

Trips down memory lane are lovely especially when they are unexpected. Loved hearing yours Richard.

A fabulous start on an interesting design and I look forward to seeing more of it.

[Tyledres]

Thanks everyone, I think she's a lovely cow too. My parents are dairy farmers with a herd of holsteins and my mom likes to collect milk bottles and other dairy antiques as well as holstein cow pictures. I had been looking for something special to make her and fell in love with this cow. It's nice to know other families also appreciate the quiet beauty of a good cow.

She's also been a treat to stitch so far and I'm working hard on her. I told myself I would either post another picture in a week or when I get the page finished. Whichever comes first.

[seedreemer]

Ooo beautiful! Nice progress too.

[vanessanjf]

Wonderful project and a great start

[Jewell Stitcher]

Lovely picture. I grew up on a dairy farm with Holsteins too so have a huge soft spot for these animals. Well done on a great start.

[rcperryls]

I didn't grow up with cows (not many in the Chicago neighborhood where I lived) but I love your cow and Jo Lynch designs. So beautiful and so much fun. You are doing a lovely bit of stitching.

I love forays down memory lane. As I said the only cows I ever saw were if and when we were driving somewhere through rural areas or at the Farm Exhibit (they had a lovely one) at the Lincoln Park Zoo. I did believe that the brown cows were the ones that commercial chocolate milk came from. Certainly tasted a lot different (and better in my 6 y.o. opinion) than the chocolate milk my mother made with Hershey Syrup. She would never buy the chocolate milk in the bottle (or order it from the milkman - I'm old enough to remember when the milk man brought the dairy products).

Looking forward to your next update!

Carole

[karen4bells]

Ooo beautiful! Nice progress too.

I agree!!

[wendywombat]

That's so beautiful. ...I love those designs

[fccs]

I did believe that the brown cows were the ones that commercial chocolate milk came from.
Carole

Are you trying to tell me that's not true??? Oh no!!!

I love seeing cows in fields along the interstate - I moo at all of them. (Anyone else moo at cows?) And in my world, all cows I see are pets!!! I don't know where the beef I eat comes from, but it is not from any of the farms and ranches I pass. Those are PETS!!

[stitchhappy18]

Beautiful start! I so admire anyone who stitches a HAED. I am sure your mom will love it.

P.S. Love all the cow stories!

[Kathy_A]

I love that design! Can't wait to see how it develops.

My maternal grandfather was a dairy farmer. He sold the herd a good ten years before I was born and he passed away when I was 3, but much of the equipment was still in the barn as I was growing up, so we always had fun exploring the building when we visited Grandma.

In 2014, we went to Ireland for a family vacation. Mom and I were having tea in Kilkenny and started chatting with the young mother sitting next to us when her toddler spilled his milk all over and I helped her mop up their table. Turns out she and her husband had a large dairy farm outside of town, and Mom and she bonded. They had over 100 cows, about three times Grandpa's herd, so Mom was fascinated to discuss the differences.

[AlwaysGoofy]

I really like this design of the Holstein. We didn't have any cows growing up, but I certainly do remember the milkman delivering milk to the house. I believe he came every Wednesday. There were five of us kids, so I recall he filled the milk box up with lots of bottles.

[seedreemer]

Debbie, my husband and I both break into mooing when we see cows. if it's just us, that is.

[fiddler]

What an unusual pattern for a cow. Iused to work in the department of agriculture in N Ireland and we attended all the shows. even now I enjoy them when I get the oportunity. It is going to be beautiful.

[Tyledres]

Thanks for the encouragement and I love reading everyone's stories. I finished my first page today! I would have managed last night but realized that the pink I had was a number that ended in 9 instead of 8. Oops. My mom needed to go to town today so she agreed to stop by the craft store so I could pick up the right color. I do find it a little funny that it was literally the last color I had to stitch on the page. Been enjoying this so much I'm going to keep trucking along. I checked to make sure I would have enough pages for the HAED challenge and decided to head down for the next page because that's where most of the white and less colorful pages are and I'll get to use more of that silly pink that I had to pick up today.

[fccs]

You're making great progress with this fantastic cow, even with the errant floss.

Debbie, my husband and I both break into mooing when we see cows. if it's just us, that is.

[richardandtracy]

That's real progress you've made. Very quick.

I have one other bonkers story about my mother and her animals.
When my parents got the smallholding my mother wanted to make sure the animals were thought of as food, not pets. So the first bullocks she got were called 'Steak' and 'Chips', the first two piglets were 'Apple' and 'Sauce', the first lambs were 'Mint' and 'Rosemary'. However my mother got a calf she was very fond of, a Charolais calf that had to go elsewhere for finishing (the calf was going to get too big for the ground after 18 months old). Anyway, the calf did become a pet, and got all sorts of treats. At about a year old my mother realised the calf was getting fat and needed... not fewer treats, but more exercise.

The solution my mother came up with was one that would not occur to everyone.
Not many people at all.
In fact, I can't think of anyone else who would come up with the solution she adopted.

She took the calf out on her daily dog walk.
And, then not wanting the piglets or lambs to be left out, brought them along too. And the farm cat didn't want to miss out on anything, either. Just to add to the kerfuffle, the [very] free range Bantam Hens usually accompanied the menagerie for the first 200 yards, flying interference above or alongside the lane in short, erratic, bad tempered, hops. So, the walk usually consisted of two humans, two dogs, one cat, two piglets, one calf, two lambs, one cockerel and twelve hens. And they usually did 2-4 miles a day down the local lanes.

I think the locals couldn't make head nor tail of the madwoman at the farm.

Regards,

Richard.