November, Baking Wool (?) and Living Crafts

Thanksgiving is rolling in faster than I want. Bet there are a lot of you who feel the same way..... We are hosting my family here at the farm - a tradition that began on our first Thanksgiving here at Leyden Glen Farm back in 1999. We throw a really old-fashioned day in the country that everyone looks forward to each year including a hayride. This year, some of the cousins have gone away to college so it will be really exciting to hear how things are going for all of them. 

We are getting to the end of grazing season for the sheep. There is still grass to be consumed and the ewe flock is making good use of it down towards their winter greenhouse barn. They look to be in good condition and many of them are beginning to look pregnant. Lambing will probably start around Christmas. 

Most of last year's lambs are still grazing close to our farmhouse. I snapped this photo the other day while out on a walk with the hipstamatic app on my iphone. It sure turned out moody. 

Phoebe, our older Border Collie, looks so sweet in this photo, doesn't she? 

The other day I was frantically trying to finish some projects for a photo shoot my niece Celia was helping me out with. I've been working on that sunflower pattern for you all - knowing that it will make perfect quick knitting Christmas gifts. I like to wash all the things I knit. But darn it, it takes so long to dry anything here in this house when the heat isn't on. I finally gave up, knowing Celia wouldn't want to wear a wet Quarters Cap. In the oven it went, along with some other miscellaneous projects. I've done this before when I was desperate and it has worked out okay. I placed everything on a paper bag from the grocery store, turned up the heat to 225 f and kept checking. Wool has a relatively high burning temperature so I could get away with this. Have any of you done this? Sometimes the project ends up smelling like roast chicken or whatever got cooked the night before. Probably not recommended but sometimes I am desperate.

The project dried just in time for me to meet Celia for our shoot. The hat she is wearing is the Quarters Cap which is a really fun knit. 

My Quarters Cap Handknitting Pattern is knit in all garter stitch with easy short row shaping. It's a perfect project to pump out for holiday gifts. I have made at least 20 of these hats over the couple of years the pattern has been out. It is sized for from babies to adults. If you are looking for a great Christmas gift, add this to your queue. The pattern is available for $4.50 by PDF Download on my website or on Ravelry. You can see many of the Quarters Caps that I have  made by clicking here.

Here is the top of the hat.... I used 4 different shades of my Julia Yarn in shades of plums and pinks. 

I love how it looks with Celia's gorgeous red hair. Celia and I had such a fun time shooting these photos. I've got to make some other projects so she can model them for all of you. She will be going off to college next year.

The flower on the side of the hat is part of my new PDF Downloadable Handknitting Pattern called Sunflowers and Zinnias which will be available next Friday. I'll be previewing the pattern over the next few days so stop back every day to see what I have in store for you all very soon.

I don't know how many of you get the great magazine called Living Crafts. The editor contacted me a month ago or so and I sent her answers to some questions and some photos. I promptly forgot about it. Until someone sent me an e-mail saying she read about me in the magazine. I checked out their website and there I was, on the cover. Wow! Just saw it at my local bookstore and they did a 2 page feature on me. How nice. I hope it will bring new readers to the blog and customers to my website! It is a very nice magazine and I thank Pardis for including me! I am honored.