Getting Stitched on the Farm

Thanks to Jane at Yarnstorm!

Thanks to Jane at Yarnstorm! She wrote about my new book Colorful Stitchery here. Jane's blog is lovely - her photos are inspirational and her writing divine. She enjoys many of the same things I do and it's fun to hear about life across the pond.

I discovered craft blogs in March. Yes, I know, I must have been under a rock. I read about Julie Powell in the NY Times and her Julie/Julia project last summer but never looked into it further. Was this woman nuts? I would never have the strength nor the "stick-to-it-ness" to cook my way through Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I do have my favorite recipes from there (the apple tart and the leg of lamb). All my Julia Child's are even autographed to me (my old boss used to be her neighbor in Cambridge). I went to a book signing of hers once in Lowell and brought her some of my chicken's eggs. Julia was wearing a pea green suit (I named a La Gran Mohair color after her - Julia's Pea Green). She was in her early 80's. She was kind to every person that spoke with her. She must have had the looney groupies!

My friend Cathy gave me Julie and Julia : 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen for my birthday and I finally got around to reading it in January. I thought it was hilarious - but a tad bit strange that she was letting the world into her life. But what a marketing opportunity (yes, I've always been the queen of self-promotion) and maybe it would be fun - maybe I would meet some interesting people. The idea of a blog about our farm simmered for a while. Did I have anything interesting to say?

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee of the Yarn Harlot knitting blog came to speak at the Fiber Art Center in Amherst, MA last fall when At Knit's End came out. I went to hear her read. She and I have the same publisher and they alerted me to the event. I had never even heard of her, nor her blog, but they told me I would enjoy the talk. I met her and she seemed okay - and the knitters that came to see her talk seemed okay too - maybe a little bit excessively crazy over knitting - but okay.

My writing skills were a bit rusty. I picked up a copy of Natalie Goldberg's Writing Down the Bones. That helped me to get over my fears and all the memories of term papers in Mr. Sutton's Senior English Class at Dover High School - I wasn't exactly the star of the class. I began in March and hoped noone would read it. Then this blogging thing started to be a bit of fun. I started to think about what was interesting in my little life and what other people would find interesting. Anything? Or were we just one odd family living on the fringes of civilization in western Massachusetts?

My husband and I have always been magazine addicts. Our house is literally piled with disheveled leaning towers of magazines (the one here in the photo is a neat one). His are Farmers Weekly, Stockman & Grass Farmer, Sheep, and the Premier Fencing Catalog. Mine are Elle, Vogue, Bazaar, Bust, Country Home, British Country Living, The World of Interiors, Selvedge, ME Home Companion, House & Garden, House Beautiful, Elle Decor, Martha Stewart Living (you get it - mostly shelter mags with a little fashion thrown in), Interweave Knits, and Vogue Knitting. (Notice, I get more than him.) My dream job of late has always been to edit a magazine - but that's not going to happen anytime soon - I think I'm too old and I don't live anywhere near any magazine publisher and I just don't have the time. So here's my magazine - Getting Stitched On the Farm. I can say anything I want and noone has to read it. I don't have to worry about what the advertisers think. I can be my own photographer with my little digital camera. It's kind of fun. We'll see how long I have time for it. But for now, here it is.

Now, thanks to Jane at Yarnstorm, some new readers have found me! Welcome. I hope you won't be bored.