Rocky Roads and we're not talking ice cream

Things on the farm have been rather tumultuous of late – so rocky, I have put off posting about it. When I started this farm blog, I vowed I would try not to sugar-coat the farm life..... Here I go......

Three weeks ago our mother kitty Lilly Pons ran off with her two remaining kittens Fern and Templeton – the kittens my good friends Alice and Linda were waiting to adopt. It’s not odd for Lilly Pons to disappear for a week or two but the kittens were only three months old. All three of us were worried, to say the least. We had faith they would re-appear as long as something wild didn’t get them. (They've got those wild, country cat genes.) Last week, the kittens were spotted by a neighbor’s barn. After two weeks, Fern was captured and is living here now. Linda is on her way to pick her up to take her away to live with her other three cats in New Hampshire. Poor little Templeton is still in the miss. I am tempting him by leaving bits of tuna fish and cat food in the general area he has been spotted in hopes he will find it and eat something besides rodents. He has been spotted just recently so keep your fingers crossed. Lilly Pons has come home twice but is again in the miss.

Our giant cat BooBooBoo disappeared about a month ago. He never did go very far, preferring a cool spot in the garden for a nap or the food bowl in the kitchen. The last time he went to the vet he weighed in at 26 pounds – he was like a little bear cub, hence his name. He was up in age and so I expect he just went away to expire in peace. He came to live here when my friend Linda was moving to North Carolina. He was supposed to be a farm cat and live with my brother-in-law’s cows and help with the rodent situation. I brought him to our house first after picking him up from Linda and he ran to the basement and hid for six weeks. We fed him but never saw him. Finally, one day, he bounded up the stairs and joined the family. He was like a grandfather to the other cats, adopting each new set of kittens with kisses and kindness. RIP BooBooBoo. Here he is with his favorite friend Ginger – they used to sleep all cuddled together, arms entwined.

A couple weeks ago, we got a call at 10:30 at night from my sister-in-law Debbie. Jeremy, the guard llama, who was guarding the lambs down at the other farm got hit by a car (he had jumped the fence - who knows why). The police arrived and luckily noone was hurt. A llama can do a bit of damage to a car though, if you are wondering. Jeremy walked away from the scene, hopefully the wiser about large metal objects, although who knows. He has been laying low, mending his sore leg. He seems to be up and about now but he’s slower than before. The coyotes must have noticed his ailment because the other night, they killed two lambs. We’re hoping he gets his fighting legs back soon.


It must be coyote pup season. The little lamb that was born out in the pasture about six weeks ago was killed the other night. There has been a lot of coyote hooting and hollering of late. I guess everyone has to eat.

So, how’s that for romantic, peaceful, life on the farm?

Shearing Day Two

The tempo really changes when there is only one shearer working. Today's crew was Kevin and his blade shears, The Farmer and his sheep handling skills, and me popping in and out. It was awfully hot, again. I know the sheep are very happy to be feeling less heavy. There's a bit of gladness and a light step as the sheep steps away from Kevin's feet. All of a sudden, they know they are free. They take a few steps and let out a baaaaaaah to locate their friends. Friends answer back. The sheep then realizes they can run a little faster than before and they're off to the green pasture to eat.

In preparation for shearing, we don't feed or water the sheep the night before - similar to before surgery for humans, I suppose. It makes for a less messy situation for the shearer definitely. It also makes the sheep quite desperate to imbibe again.



The shearing is a totally painless process - the worst of it for the animal is the surrender to be turned onto their backside and to let the process begin. There is never a struggle and the shearers are gentle and kind to the animals, uttering little encouraging words. This year, one of the more seasoned ewes fell asleep while shearing and she had to be awakened to get up. I've seen this happen in human beauty parlors, so why not with sheep?

We have had Kevin shear our sheep for so many years that he has become an old friend. Each year, we catch up on what is going on each other's lives. The conversation over the day reaches vast into our mutual interests. I think of Kevin as an intellectual who happens to shear sheep. We talk politics, farming, who has what kind of animals, who is making money and who isn't, what other farmers are doing to make money, who has what kind of sheep. Then we go into local and national politics and food production and favorite restaurants. It's a busy day and although it can get very boring (The Farmer says that watching Kevin shear is like watching moss grow), it is always a good break to the summer. We also find out how healthy our animals are - this year, they are looking very good - not too fat nor lean. It's hard to tell what's going on under all that wool.



Kevin and I always talk publishing. He himself is an author of a book on shearing called Shearing Day. He self-published it (Feet on the Ground Press - sound familiar - it's Anna Zilboorg's press too - they are friends) and has just run out of his first print-run. He is looking into a re-print. He constantly asks me why I don't self-publish my books. I go into what I think about self-publishing - the pros and the cons - of which there are many for both ways of publishing. Then he tells me I could be making way more money doing it his way. We have discussed this issue for the better part of seven years now. I value his opinion but there are some things I don't feel like I have the energy for in my life right now and one thing is marketing books and finding a place to store them where the humidity won't get to them.

How would you like to spend a day like this bent over with very sharp shears in your hands?



So it's over for another year. I've pulled some of the best fleeces aside and am thinking of putting them up for sale. Is anyone interested?

Shearing Day One

Shearing went well today. The only big problem was the temperature and tomorrow looks to be worse. Here's what our temporary set-up looked like. Note the green tarp for shade but also causing everyone to have a green tinge to their skin.


We had two shearers, a neighbor farmer who helped catch the sheep, The Farmer also wrestling sheep, and me - kind of picking up wool, stuffing it in bags and keeping everyone happy with food and water.

Here is the sea of sheep awaiting shearing with our pretty hill in the background. This is early a.m. and it already looks hot, doesn't it?




We had the battle of the shears – Bruce using electric shears. He has never been here before but has sheared with Kevin at other farms.

Here's Bruce -


Here's Kevin -




All I can say is Bruce finished 67 sheep to Kevin’s 42. Bruce left just after lunch. Kevin stayed to shear some more. Total for day – 109 sheep. Kevin is coming back tomorrow morning to shear the remaining 24 sheep.

That’s it folks – I’ve got the magic number I've been trying to pin The Farmer down to – there are 133 adult sheep – mostly ewes, maybe 3 rams. Then there are at least 60 lambs which didn’t get shorn. But as he says, wait a day. Things happen.

I went in the house for a brief break and what do I find? Six missing guineas from their cage. I knew they couldn't have gone far. I found these three on the windowsill above the sink and couldn't resist the picture. The other three were scattered around the house trying to escape our crazy collies. The dogs were causing too much havoc with the sheep so they were banned to the house - unsupervised. They seem to cause trouble wherever they are.

Those guineas are still in the house (but not for long). It's gotten so bad that I can't have anyone over. But sheep shearers are safe kitchen guests when it is 90 plus degrees and humid outside. After wrestling 50 plus sheep, you too don't smell too good. Picking up fleece isn't the best perfume either but it sure does make your hands soft. Off to the shower for me.....

Preparations

We got a phone call the other night from Kevin Ford, a local sheep shearer. Kevin has helped us out with our sheep for several years. He's a blade shearer (no electricity, talk about carpal tunnel) and he shows up when he says he will. The second point is more important than the first. (Note to anyone starting a business -- show up when you say you are going to. You will succeed.) "Did we still have sheep?" Yes. "How many?" Not sure. "Do you want me to shear them?: Yes. We'll figure out how many there are when you shear them.

Tentative plans were made. The Farmer suggested he bring an apprentice or a friend. Long story short, tomorrow at 7:30 a.m., two shearers are arriving, trying to beat the heat. The second shearer is using electric clippers. Tonight, neighboring farmers were coaxed into helping to build a temporary shelter to shade the shearers and the sheep. We'll see how it holds up - it only needs to last a day and at least one hundred sheep.

So, where are the sheep? Good question. At this time of year, they are all over the place in borrowed fields grazing overgrown grass. The grass slows down about now and it is always The Farmer's biggest scramble to keep the sheep fed.

This morning we had three separate flocks of sheep - one here at our house consisting of about 30 ewes and a couple lambs. The second flock - all lambs - is about five miles from here. They don't need to be shorn so we won't worry about them right now. The third flock - in excess of 100 ewes and a few rams is way, way, way, up the hill from our farmhouse on a neighbor's hillside. They have been working their way up the hill for a few weeks, grazing the overgrown grass and looking mighty cute. But these guys need to have their winter coats removed.

The next challenge was how to get them into our backyard. Nessie, our young Border Collie, definitely wouldn't have what it takes to move 100 plus sheep that far. Enter Becky Peterson, shepherd extraordinaire. Becky lives across town and has five dogs. The Farmer called her and she agreed. This morning, Becky and her dogs arrived. They were up for the challenge. Look hard in the photo below - there are a bunch of sheep on the right in the shade - Becky and her dogs and The Farmer are scoping out the situation.


Here they are.

Time to move:

Hitting the road:

At this point, I am running down the road, hopping in the truck and trying to beat the sheep to the gate they are supposed to go into at our farm. I drive like a maniac..... I get back, open the gate, and then wait for the photo op.....


No, sorry, didn't happen. They took a left turn at the hayfield and had a bit of a snack.

It took all those two dogs could do to move those sheep off that tasty grass. But they did it!


Tonight, they are captured, awaiting shearing. We'll see what tomorrow brings. I feel like I'm living amongst the pages of The Thorn Birds.

Vermicultural Embroidery

I’ve got a rather large stack of design books which I refer to frequently. Although I am not a serious scholar of history, I do enjoy visuals from by-gone eras. Owning these books is akin to having a little museum in my home. Considering where I live, the books are an indulgence but one I constantly enjoy. When I travel, I like to visit old places and look at the design ideas and motifs that were used in past times. Often, I’ll see something that looks familiar. I will search my books to find out in which era the design is credited. The old adage “everything comes around again” is so true.

Many of my projects begin with a browse of my favorite books and magazines. I seek inspiration everywhere! In current magazines, I mostly find design motifs that are repeated from the past. I watch trends come and go – seeing if I can spot the newest design trend and deciding if I like it or not.


One of my favorite old fashioned patterns is the “vermicular” pattern – in other words – worms. In the fabulous tome “Textile Designs” by Susan Meller and Joost Elffers they say this about the vermicular motif:

"The Ancient Romans used the word vermiculatus to describe a pattern inlaid as if with the tracks of worms. This coral like design has endured for centuries. Carved into stone as a surface ornament, it passed into a Western tradition of fabric design….. But it is little seen in twentieth-century cloth. The origin of the word – from the Latin vermiculari, to be full of worms – may suggest why squeamish modern designers avoid these patterns."

I, you all know, am not one to be afraid of worms. Worms, to me, speak of the healthiness of soil. If I dig a new garden bed and the dirt is not full of worms, I worry. I add some compost and hope the worms appear.

As for the worm motif and embroidery – boy is it perfect. It is easy to draw freehand and fun to stitch. It is mindless and soothing to fill in a bunch of curly, undulating organic lines. The light green pillow has an almost calligraphic worm motif – the lines cross over each other. (This pattern is featured in Colorful Stitchery.) The dark green - the one I have been carrying with me and stitching in bits and pieces for over a year) pillow is closer to the worm motif used in the old fabrics - the lines do not cross over each other.


A similar feeling pattern to the worm is a coral inspired design. This motif has been so popular for the past few years, I almost wonder if it is overdone? I’ve seen it on extremely expensive china, on fabrics, and even on paper napkins. I love the organic shape of coral and of course, you can’t beat its color.

It’s been so long since I have shown anything that I have made – I’ve had the green pillow stitched and have been waiting for the right moment to get the backing on. I guess it was today.

Intergenerational and Cross-cultural Knitting

One of the most amazing things about knitting is the reach it has through many generations and across cultures. Before Julia was born, The Farmer and I used to take a nice trip once a year (I racked up a lot of frequent flyer miles which surely did help). We traveled to France a few times, exploring the back roads and enjoying the food and wine. We visited Scotland, England and Wales - sheep peeping and wool watching, meeting local farmers at the many independent pubs in the towns we stayed in. In Portugal, we snuck into every church we could find – they were filled with art and craft and amazing ceramic tiles from the hey day of the Portuguese explorers. The fabulous seafood, the site of the little gardens behind every home poked onto steep hillsides, the wines and vineyards – these memories still flash through my mind from time to time. I'm still lusting after the amazingly tall kale plants which seemed to be in every garden. I can still taste the caldo verde soup I ate day after day made from this amazing plant. Portugal is the reason I love low care geraniums so much.


One of the fondest memories I have of our traveling days is an afternoon stop at a little café somewhere deep in the Portuguese countryside. We found a quaint little bar in the center of the town and stopped in for an afternoon espresso. The café was full of local working men in their blue jumpsuits, all downing a quick drink before heading home to their families. We were always an oddity in these places – the towns we traveled to didn’t see many Americans.

Never one to a woman without her knitting, I pulled out a pair of multi-colored gloves I was working on. I sat there knitting at a little table while The Farmer order his espresso and my cappucino. I saw a woman across the room staring at my hands knitting. She had her grandchildren in tow. I could tell she was fascinated watching the pattern build up from the different colors of yarn I was knitting with. Round and round I went on my double pointed needles as she kept watching. I caught her eye and smiled at her. She drew up her nerve and came and sat next to me. She couldn’t speak English and I could only say “Obrigado” (thank you) in Portuguese.

The Farmer came back to the little table to find us deep in conversation – knitting conversation that is. She was speaking in Portuguese – telling me Portuguese knitting terms and asking me questions. I was explaining in English what I was doing and the plans I had for the gloves. The Farmer gave me my drink and promptly went back to the bar to sip his. He knew there was no hope. The woman and I continued to chat about knitting. It was a curious conversation – neither of us knew what the other was saying but through the language of knitting we learned about each other. I didn’t want the conversation to end.

I’ll never forget that afternoon – probably not for the rest of my life. It’s amazing how knitting can bring people together – odd combinations of people. Without knitting, they wouldn’t give each other the time of day. Throw in a little knitting at a café or wear a handknit hat and scarf and watch the conversation start.


I’ve made many friends throughout my knitting career. Many of these friends I have initially met because they have knit projects that I have designed. We meet through the knitting but then we become friends. I learn about their families, their jobs, their bosses, and their pets. They are women of all ages from throughout the USA. Most of them knit because they love to – they like the challenge of a new project. They like to take some rough directions, some charts, and some little sketches and turn the yarn I give them into what I want. I think about all of them as I am designing a project and knitting a swatch. I think about who would like to do what. I wonder how they are doing. I catch up with them when I send them a project. They call and ask questions and I find out what’s going on in their personal life. I love this connection – of many years and many projects.

It’s a similar thing with the blogosphere – I began my blog as a marketing tool but it has become something else. By reading other people’s blogs, I see how other knitters live and stitch. I learn about their families, their trials and tribulations. It’s an odd thing, this knitting blog thing – but it’s a good thing. I see what other knitbloggers are knitting without leaving the comfort of my home. It still blows my mind!

I’ve had my blog now for well over a year and I thank all of you who read and comment. I like to think my blog has become a small part of one giant knitting circle with a little farming and life thrown in – similar to the quilting bees of old. How lucky we all are to have this new medium to continue to pass on the stitching love and lore.

Making It Now and Then

Do you ever take your knitting with you? I do, almost always. And I always have since I first re-taught myself to knit in college. One of my grandmother’s favorite sayings was “Busy hands make a happy heart.” Gram’s early example of always having busy hands – in the evenings while she was baby-sitting, in the afternoon with her sewing circle, or at church meetings – definitely wore off on me. I’ve always got a bag of needlework with me – just in case I’ve got a spare minute or two to knit a row or stitch a flower. For the vast majority of my life, I was the odd one out – this obsession with stitching. Friends would be curious, ask politiely what I was making, then move on to other subjects more important in their lives.



Fast forward to 2007 – the age of self-help and anti-depression drugs. Maybe it is time for Gram’s slogan to have a renaissance – be stitched onto a piece of linen to hang in my kitchen or studio. Aren’t busy hands one reason knitting and other crafts like sewing and crochet are gaining devotees daily? Open any newspaper and there is something about the new generation crafting, sewing, and knitting.



When I think back to earlier times when women didn’t have television, the internet or even a car to entertain themselves, it’s easy for me to see why stitchery of any kind took up a large percentage of their lives. They did what they could to make life bearable. Most women didn’t work outside their homes so they had to make themselves feel worthy and stitching was an accessible way to accomplish this. Embroidery, sewing, quilting, knitting and crochet were pleasant ways to spend time. A woman’s creative desires could be fulfilled with a needle and thread. Although most women stitched out of necessity – ready-made clothing was an expensive proposition so making your own was the norm – there were social reasons to stitch – to raise funds for their church, to make gifts for loved ones, and to spend quality stitching and busy time with friends.




Fund-raising for local communities often involved the handmade. My grandmother and her church friends in the parish I grew up in often held quilting bees in the basement of the church. The women were always making a quilt to raffle off to raise funds. Gram also crocheted, baked, canned and sewed for the church while her other friends knit and embroidered. One year when I was in my early teens I made froggie bean bags to contribute to the annual church bazaar. My grandmother and her friends worked all year making things to sell at the fair. Gram always did her best work – never one to sell anything with an imperfect stitch. I remember the anticipation of attending the fair with plastic change bags in tow. My sisters and I visited all the tables where all kinds of handmade toys and things were displayed – yo-yo clowns, crocheted toilet paper covers, handknit baby sweaters, quilted potholders and more. We spent hours deciding what we would buy for Christmas gifts. In the evening, Gram would call us and she would tell us how much money her table had earned for the church, proud as one of my mother hens.

So in 2007, it isn’t a bit surprising that the needlearts are gaining devoted followers. Maybe the new stitchers aren’t raising funds for their churches, but they sure are selling their handmade wares on Etsy, aren’t they? How fabulous to see more and more people turned on to a needle and thread.

My friend Cathy gave me a wonderful book called “Thrift to Fantasy – Home Textile Crafts of the 1930’s to 1950’s” as a birthday gift last year. Written by Rosemary McLeod of New Zealand, the book grew out of the author’s collection of handmade, hand stitched objects. The beautifully crafted, sometime kitschy stitchery includes everything from tea cosies, pillows aprons, tablecloths, toys, pincushions, and more. This is one fabulous book for anyone interested in the domestic arts and women’s studies – it is a fascinating account of how women lived in New Zealand during these years, their role in society, and gives many sound and sociological reasons for the vast number of handmade things produced during these years. Although women in America were not as isolated as their counterparts in New Zealand, the reasons they stitched are similar.


The author’s collection of handmade things is immense – so immense, it had its own museum show which inspired the book. She ties the narrative into her family history and women’s history in her country and abroad during the time period that the items were made. I don’t know if it is available in the USA but trust me, it is worth the overseas postage. Every time I look at it, I want to re-read it again.


Of course the world has changed a vast amount since the 1930’s. But then some things have not:
– the urge to create with your hands
- the need to express love and devotion
- the great amount of fun it is to find a fiber or fabric and to germinate an idea in your own mind, then stitch it to completion
- the need to have friends who have similar hobbies, whether through the internet, a knitting guild or a local knitting night at a café.

I hope this trend continues – drawing more and more people, both young and old, into the needlearts. I think it is up to we knitters and stitchers currently working to pass on our knowledge and entice new people into the craft. I do this by writing books. Maybe you teach a class at a local store or you knit in public to help encourage others to learn. Maybe you knit caps for preemies – the moms of the babies may be enticed to learn to knit.

Whatever you do to teach others, you should feel good that you are passing on your skills to further the reach of the needlearts and passing the needlearts to the next generation. Maybe your work will be featured anonymously in a book on the crafting life of the early 21st century fifty years from now.

All photos taken from my copy of Thrift to Fantasy. You can order it on-line here. I think the postage from down under is worth it. Maybe someone knows where to buy it in the USA?

p.s. If you want to share what you do to pass on the needlearts, I know my readers would love to hear about it in the Comments section!

Wish this was now!

My friend Therese Inverso is always sending me little presents in the mail. I never know what it will be when I open it. They are always wrapped in a little fabric bag that she makes out of scraps of recycled fabrics with an i-cord drawstring. Therese is an amazing knitter and over the years she has made projects for my books. She teaches knitting in southern NJ and knowing how passionate and meticulous she is about both her knitting and sewing, I can’t imagine how fabulous her classes are.

Therese is a gardener too and she loves to hear my stories about the farm. About five years ago, she turned me on to a great book called “The Egg and I” which someone just re-suggested I read in the comments section of my blog. Written by Betty MacDonald in 1945, it tells her story of finding herself living in a dilapidated farm on the west coast, with her new husband as they struggle to revive an old farm. This book was a major hit in the 1940’s. I enjoy reading books from a different time period because I discover the social roles of women honestly instead of reading what is written now in current day history books by modern day historians. “The Egg and I” went on to become a huge success as a movie with Fred MacMurray and Claudette Colbert. It spawned the Ma and Pa Kettle series of movies (hilarious) which (I think) in turn spawned the Beverly Hillbillies. Our family has watched and re-watched all the movies several times – they are fun for kids and adults.

Therese’s packages usually include something handmade that she donates to my collection which I promise to keep in safe keeping forever. I was thrilled to one day receive this.


It is a feed sack that Therese had saved from her childhood. She has told me that flour, sugar, and grain for animals came in similar fabric bags. This is how our grain comes – in large 50 lb paper bags. Kind of lacks the fabric charm, doesn’t it.


As a child, Therese embroidered zillions of these flour sacks along with her sisters (see her beautiful work at bottom of post on the scrap). I can only imagine the thrill of going to the store to purchase flour but actually looking at the sack to decide which brand to buy with visions of stitching a new pillowcase or tea towel. Wouldn’t it be fun if someone brought back this kind of packaging today? I would definitely become a customer.

Don’t worry Therese, I will keep your treasure safe. And thanks!

Situation out of hand

I’m at that point in the summer where the animal situation feels slightly out of hand. It could be that I just finished weeding my vegetable/cutting garden and it looks better than it has in a long time. There are some small zucchini and summer squash we should be able to eat this week and there are some cherry tomatoes almost ripe enough to pluck.

But it also could be that this


is happening at least 60 times a day in my cosy kitchen. The dogs cannot rest - their whole reason to live is to herd something, no matter where it is. The Farmer says it reminds him of the scene in the James Herriott t.v. series with Mrs. Bond (“I work for cats.”) and her husband who sits quietly reading his newpaper as the zillions of cats climb over the furniture, knocking things down, dishes flying. But we have guinea fowl flying hither and yon.


I would put them outside with the large birds but I fear they can still escape the wire enclosure and I will never get them back. Some people have parrots.....


Then there was the moment last night as I was quietly reading the stack of NY Times that has been piling up. With a lovely glass of wine, I was reading a book review/food article on a fabulous book I own called “Meat” by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall in the July 8th Magazine section. As the sun was setting, I looked up and there were the three pigs tunneling through that perfectly weeded garden.

This morning I captured two of them but the ring leader is still with the sheep.

It’s always something here at our very own Funny Farm.

Farm Update

The weather has been absolutely steamy and miserable the past few days. It puts undue stress on the humans and the animals around here. So far, everyone has survived. The Farmer keeps checking on everyone every morning and evening. Heat like this can really jeopardize the life of an older sheep. The animals are pretty smart. They stay in the shade and don't move at all until it cools down in the evening. Then they graze all night long and stop moving in the morning.

The piglets decided they didn't want to be in their pen and I gave up chasing them. They are now grazing with the sheep happily. I don't know how long this will last because as they get older, they plow the ground with their noses and can really cause damage to the pastures. I'm hoping they get big enough soon to no longer escape.


I am feeding them every morning and night. I'm trying to get them used to me so I can start training them to a grain bucket. I put the piglet crumbles in a pail just outside the sheep fence and they eat it every evening and morning. As you can see, they aren't quite sure about me standing there taking photos while they are eating.


But of course, their stomaches got the best of them and they chowed down. One of them is particularly shy. This is another great experiment. I think they will grow much slower on pasture so I may be forced to confine them soon.


p.s. If you look closely above in the sheep and pig photo, you'll see a little lamb who was born 3 weeks ago. Sheep very rarely have lambs this late so it was a surprise for the mom and us!

Poiret and Dufy

In New York City at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, there is a wonderful show called Poiret, King of Fashion. It’s on now until the 5th of August. If you are visiting NYC, I highly suggest taking it in. Mom, Julia and I went a few weeks ago for a quick visit and loved it. Besides the beautiful clothing, the sets the Met staged them on were phenomenal. Jean-Hugues de Chatillon, a scenographer for the Paris opera and ballet, hand-painted them and they really added to the beauty of the show.

Paul Poiret was a fashion designer from the beginning of the twentieth century. They claim he was the first designer to work with rectangles of fabric and turn it into fashion. Poiret did take some amazing fabrics in silk, wool, and linen and turn them into works of art. He is credited with inventing the sheath dress. Many of the coats and dresses were covered in intricate embroideries done in the embroidery ateliers of Paris. The New Yorker has a great article by Judith Thurman and slide show if you can't see the exhibit in person. Here's another fun website on Poiret.


The fabrics steal the show here. Without beautiful fabrics, incredible clothing wouldn’t exist. Raoul Dufy, an artist whose work I have long admired, worked with Poiret as a fabric designer. His work is unmistakable. Dufy worked in many mediums including painting, watercolors, engravings, ceramics, murals, stage set design, and fabric design.


Whenever I visit a show like this, I always return inspired. Although the demands on my time do not often allow it, I think it is fun to do a little art just after the visit to see what I turn out. I’m trying to inspire Julia in this way too. One afternoon back here at home, we sat down and did some painting and drawing. I dragged out my massive art book on Dufy by Dora Perez-Tibi to jog my memory of his work. Then I tried to show Julia how you can take one element in someone else’s work and change it into your own work - like the vase in the Dufy painting below. (All the photos except my paintings are from this fabulous book.)

She told me this was copying and then I explained that the paintings were being “inspired” by the other person’s work. She proceeded to do some cute little Beatrix Potter inspired Peter Rabbit paintings. I'll try to find them and post them another day.

These are the quick little paintings I did. The first was an experiment with some water soluble crayons and pencils. Although I didn’t enjoy working with them, after the paper dried, it didn’t look half bad. I added some black lines later to sharpen the design.


This second one was Julia’s request. She said the first didn’t look like a “Kristin Nicholas” piece and that I needed to re-do it. She was happier with these colors.

Happy July 4th!

Enjoy the holiday!

Pests

This year we seem to be plagued by uninvited critters. At our pumpkin patch, beavers have been causing farming misery. In our yard, the mama raccoon has killed two of our hens to feed her babies. At our house, our carpenter friend Steve discovered termites.

Needless to say, we are trying to eradicate the pests so that our house doesn’t fall down and our fields can remain being farmed. Living with nature is a tricky balance for all. As for the chickens, that’s why I raise replacement hens every year.

There’s always something, isn't there?