Gorgeous Weekend on the Farm

Our farmhouse is so quiet now that the year's first group of "Getting Stitched on the Farm" students have gone on their way.

I'm sitting on the porch, the chickens are clucking and cooing, the wind is blowing a gentle breeze, the dogs are at my feet and the litter of kittens (minus two) are stretched out nursing on the kilim rug. The air has not a drop of humidity and the sky is a beautiful shade of blue There is knitting on the coffee table and a new World of Interiors Magazine I am dying to tuck into and get lost in. But first for a two part wrap-up.

The women who came this weekend drove from Baltimore, Maryland. They were returning to the farm after their very successful visit last year (see here and here). This year, they wanted to branch out past knitting and crochet and dip their toes into some of the other crafts I have used to decorate our farmhouse. They chose to make painted lampshades. Each of them brought a fabric lampshade and I supplied the fabric paint, the brushes, and the help and encouragement to make them believe that they could paint a colorful lampshade on their own. I was lucky to have my sister Lynn here helping out with the prep work and in the kitchen a bit. Lynn is an accomplished embroiderer. You may remember her blue jeans and jacket that I have written about here and here and here. She also paints using acrylics when she is inspired. She sat with everyone as they painted and coached them through their fears.

We set up a lampshade painting workshop in my old studio. There everyone dipped and extended and created away. It was such a great site - seeing everyone take their initial idea and turn it into what they had envisioned in their heads. We used Jacquard Textile Colors which are easy to use and bright and happy. To thin the paint and lighten the colors, we used their Colorless Extender. This is great stuff. I have used it over the years and I love the way it works. When finished and lit, the lampshades give the feeling of stained glass. The creativity was flowing and even Julia joined in. 

FYI  -- You can purchase the Jacquard Textile Colors at many better art supply houses including Dick Blick and Jerry's Artarama. I find these fabric paints far superior to the fabric paints that are available commonly at Michael's and Joanne's.

The Border Collies offered moral support and could not be away from the action.

Ann planned her lampshade out on paper and painted for two days. Here is her "hydrangea lampshade" in process......

After Day One.......

 

And finished! Gorgeous! Ann works and teaches at Black Sheep Yarn Shop in Cockeysville, MD and her lampshade will be hanging proudly in the store. Stop by and check it out if you live close-by.

 Here's some of the others that were painted this weekend. Aren't they fabulous? 

Here's Lynn with her two lampshades before she left early to go back to New Jersey. 

More on the weekend tomorrow - including what everyone knit and crocheted.

This lampshade workshop was such a success I may offer it this fall as a special one day event. If you are interested, please sign up for the "once in a while" newsletter at the upper right of the sidebar. 

This and That

Things are busy here getting ready for my first "Getting Stitched on the Farm" retreat this weekend. The to-do list grows but it will not all get finished. Thanks everyone who signed up for the August 4th class. It is full now too! Yippee!

On Friday, Melanie Falick was here with a video crew from Open Road Media. They spent the day filming me and Melanie separately and together, talking about working on our book Knitting for Baby. 

It was fun if a wee bit grueling and not exactly the best timing considering my book deadline and upcoming retreats. Phoebe would not leave the set and we had to wake her up a few times when she started snoring and it started to be heard on the audio. My sweet Phoebe.

 

You can check out the other STC knitting books here on the Open Road Media site and see some short videos of other authors.

Julia with Delilah and Spike

We celebrated Julia's birthday with a big party on Saturday night. She is fourteen now! Sweet as ever but becoming more of a teenager. 

Still looking for a home for the two black kitties if anyone is interested. They are medium length hair and super sweet. We think one is a boy, one is a girl but it is hard to tell. Email me if you are interested.

Some good links for you all:

•I made this yellow squash and potato dish for the party and everyone loved it. 

•My friend Mary told me about her cousin's beautiful quilted lampshades.

•This is a great summer salad - one of my favorites in summer rotations - Italian Rice Salad from the Frog Commissary Cookbook.

Good week everyone!

Cutest Kitty Photo Ever and Classes at Our Farm

Kind of exciting news that my Knitting Retreats here at the farm got written up in the Springfield Republican! Did anyone see it? 

Next week starts the new series of knitting, color, and creativity classes here at Leyden Glen Farm. I've got a group of knitters who are coming back for the second time for a full weekend retreat. I can't wait to see them all again. One of the students is even adopting two of our new kittens. So nice that they are going to a knitter's home. Will be used to the yarn around!

This year I am trying something different and hosting a series of One Day Retreats. The first is August 4th. It focuses on techniques that will be in my upcoming book (2013). You can read all about it on my class website here.

There are only three two one no spots still available for the August 4th class. It is going to be a fun day of working with color and stretching your knitting and crocheting skills with a small group of knitters and crocheters. You do not have to be a great knitter or crocheter - just one with determination and curiosity. Class is sold-out. E-mail to be put on the mailing list!

More upcoming one day classes at the farm are 

Beginner Fair Isle and Steeking - Sept. 15

Celebration of Color and Flowers - October 7 (the Sunday of Columbus Day Weekend)

Our farm is 2 hours west of Boston and 3 1/2 hours north of NYC. Bring a friend or come by yourself. Everyone is really friendly and we will have a great day.

And now what you have all been waiting for..... this has got to be the cutest kitten photo.... I didn't plan this - it just happened. Little Delilah has taken a liking to a pottery jug I usually have flowers in. Is this just too much? I may have to make prints for sale. Anyone interested?

Summer Visits and Upcoming Farm Class August 4th!

One of the nice things about summer is the chance to spend extended time with family members who don't live close to our farm. A few weeks ago Julia and I spent a couple nights at my sister Laurie's in eastern Massachusetts. Julia loves all her cousins and I can't help thinking that they are her "siblings" since she doesn't have any real siblings - unless you count the dogs and cats and kittens. Speaking of.... here's a cute shot of one of Petunia's kitties to start your day off with a smile. 

My niece Olivia is at university now in Philadelphia and is really busy studying and growing up into a fine young adult. Ever since she was a toddler, she has been making things with her hands. As a little girl, she really got into using Sculpey. She made 100's of animals and figures - astounding talent for such a young kid.  A couple years ago she went to "Snow Farm" out here in western Massachusetts where she began learning to throw pots. Now that she is in college, she has been using some of those skills taking University pottery classes and taking advantage of the art department facilities. This summer Olivia got a scholarship to Peters Valley Craft School in western NJ. Lucky girl! Here are some of the pots she made.

She learned to make stamps for relief.

She made a gorgeous terracotta clay fairy house for Laurie's garden. See the stamped decoration above the door.

 

And this set of fluted bowls.

But this my friends is the piece de resistance..... A set of lidded vessels with gorgeous flowers on top.

You never know where a little crafting as a kid will go, do you? 

 

I'm trying to get her to open an etsy shop. What do you all think? Beautiful job Olivia!

Now that you see what my niece Olivia has created this summer, let me tell you all about an opportunity to come here to our Leyden Glen Farm on August 4th. It's the first of my One Day Retreats for the season. I have 4 spaces left at them moment. The theme of this retreat is 

 A CELEBRATION OF COLOR AND FLOWERS

FOR KNITTERS AND CROCHETERS

Tomorrow I'll be back with a little more about the class. For today if you are interested, check out....

The Retreat Website here.

The August 4th Class Itinerary here.

There are plenty of fun places to visit if you decide to come for a weekend. Find my favorites here. Our farm is located 2 hours west of Boston and 3 1/2 hours north of NYC. 

Color By Kristin News and More Kitten Pics

The folks at Classic Elite have been working so hard getting ready for fall. My new yarn Color by Kristin has arrived in the warehouse. Yesterday, I discovered that Color By Kristin is now on their website. Wow - I guess that means it is all real! 

Here's a link to the Color By Kristin yarn page on their website.

Here's a link to Color By Kristin Book One.

Here's a link to Color By Kristin Book Two. 

For all of you interested in the Pattern Booklets, they will be sold in Printed Book Format at your LYS for $9.95 and should be in stock at the same time as the yarn arrives. Be sure to check with your local yarn store to see when their order of Color By Kristin is arriving. In October, you will be able to buy them via PDF format.

Check out what Martina from Germany made from my "Knit It Felt It Tech Cosy" to celebrate the soccer win. You can use my new Color By Kristin for any of my patterns in my PDF series. Check them out here.

For all you kitten fans, here's an adorable shot of three of the kittens. They still have their blue eyes and now have started eating solid food. Everyone is spoken for except for one of the little black kittens.

And one more pretty irresistable photo.....

Fields of Gold and Green

This year, we are taking a year off from planting our sunflower field. It all had become too much and with my upcoming book taking a lot of my time, I just couldn't drive myself crazy with another obligation. Plus that ground just needs a rest from the flowers. 

We had the "sunflower field" seeded to a hay mixture. It was done at the perfect time (before the drought that is happening now) and the grasses are growing and looking gorgeous.

There are some volunteer sunflowers that have popped up amongst the grasses. I went down and shot them as the sun was going down on Saturday evening. 

I was done and getting into the truck when I heard a strange noise. I looked up and saw this. Whoa! 

I went on a balloon chase and saw some more flying low over The Farmer's white bales of haylage.

And then one landed in front of me. Fun surprise for sure. The balloon launch was part of the Annual Green River Music Festival where the Guthrie Family celebrated Woody's 100th. Happy birthday Woody!

Stay cool everyone!

Petunia's Six Kitties

Petunia (we call her Tuni) has been such a great mom. This is her first time and what a challenge she has had to care for six kittens. We have been amazed at what a good mama she has been although not surprised. Tuni comes from great farm cat stock and all her babies will be great hunters.

Her litter is rather colorful - two all black kittens, one black with the cutest bit of white on her face and belly, one gray tiger with white feet and white on his face and one all gray tiger, and lastly a beautiful calico. I think they will all be medium length hair although it is difficult to tell right now.

We are keeping the sweet little calico which Julia has named Delilah. Two others are already spoke for - one of the women coming for the End of July Retreat is taking a pair home with her to Maryland. How nice that they will be in a knitter's home. 

Stay cool everyone. It's going to be a scorcher here this weekend!

Scenes from Sheep Shearing Day 2012 at Leyden Glen Farm

Last Friday, our annual sheep shearing took place here at the farm. This is a big day on a farm like ours. The animals must all be gathered in from outlying fields which takes a huge chunk of time and effort. We only shear the adult sheep and the yearlings. The lambs will wait until next year. Their wool is barely long enough. 

For the past twenty years or so, Kevin Ford from Charlemont, MA has been our shearer. Kevin is a "blade shearer" which means he shears with the old-fashioned kind of shears - blades that look like they could be in an history museum.  

 

Kevin is lightening fast with these blades.

 

This is his tool box with his basics. The other thing he uses is a bucket of hot water to clean his shears. He constantly sharpens the shears with his sharpening stone between sheep.

 

As our numbers of sheep have grown, Kevin hasn't been able to handle it all himself so he finds another shearer to help him out. For the past 4 years, Gwen Hinman comes from New Hampshire to shear with Kevin.

 

Both Kevin and Gwen are so lean and strong. They have good fun together and Kevin takes his numbers seriously, comparing the numbers of sheep he shears with blades to the number Gwen shears with electric shears. On Friday, Kevin did 70 sheep to Gwen's 120 sheep. (Kevin had already been here another day to shear the yearlings). That is pretty amazing, don't you think? Both Kevin and Gwen have sheared in New Zealand. Both of them travel the U.S. shearing small flocks. They each have an annual route they travel. We fit in when they arrive back home - that is why our sheep are sheared in July. 

Of course it was the hottest, most humid day so far this year. We knew it would be and were racking our brains as to where to set up for shearing. We don't have a barn here at our farm which would be the easiest place to shear. The Farmer finally came up with a great plan. We sheared under the maple trees in the shade just behind our little lamb shack. The trees really helped to keep us cool on what would otherwise been a miserable hot and humid day. We set up the portable corral to hold the sheep, complete with a second holding pen for small numbers of sheep to be held, just before shearing. The Farmer handed each sheep off through the gate to the waiting shearer.

You have to be very strong to do this kind of work. Here's Gwen in the midst of her move to pull the sheep to the ground. The ewes weigh about 150 pounds and the rams 250 to 300 lbs. She makes it look easy. See the fan I set up for her. You have to treat your shearers right, including a nice meal for lunch.

 

Gwen learned to shear from her father who was also a sheep shearer. She began shearing at 25. She makes a good living even if it is very hard and physical work. It didn't surprise me to hear that she had been one of the first girls to play ice hockey in her town.

This girl looks totally relaxed doesn't she? She has had this done before so she knows she will feel cooler once it is over.

Some of the sheep have messier bottoms than others. Kevin and Gwen have to be really careful not to cut them. They pull the top knots (top of the head wool) and the bellies (belly wool) off from the main fleece and toss them aside. Then they clip the entire sheep. My job was to pick up the fleece, carry it to the plywood and then "skirt" the fleece of the nasty bits including sheep poop. Luckily we had a couple friends volunteer to help for a couple hours. But then I was left alone to pick through each fleece, separate the good from the bad and then toss it into the wool sack.

Matthew's job was to jump inside the plastic wool bags held in the wool stand and compact the wool to the bottom. He has grown so much since last year when he also helped us. He was a great help and had a fun day. In order to fit even more wool in the bags, The Farmer also compacted it by jumping on it. The bags aren't cheap and they are very strong so I wanted to fit as much in as I could.

After each sheep was shorn, they were let go and ran off to join their shorn friends. Phoebe watched all day long, causing no problems.

Kate on the other hand was so excited and so anxious about all the activity. How exciting - her first shearing. Can you believe how big she has gotten?

Kate became such a problem making the sheep nervous during shearing that she was relegated to the outer fence where she managed to run back and forth watching for 10 1/2 hours.

Winston and Archie just hung around, totally uninterested but wanting to be near the sheep and the people.

Here's what the wool clip looks like. All bagged up in seven bags - 240 sheep worth. Last year we had 12 bags - it wasn't packed tight enough. Lots more jumping on the wool with big people in the wool stand.

Gwen taught me how to tie the top and she promised me that the wool will stay inside. She said "Nothing fancy, just get the job done. Good knots will hold it."  Boy, I hope so.

All the white wool goes into the bag. The black and grey wool is kept in a separate bag. Yes, this is all white wool - that is how dirty sheep get! Nothing a little washing can't clean up.

This is the pile of "tags" that I will be spreading around my yard as mulch. It really does a good job keeping trees and shrubs moist. It breaks down in about a year. It is rather unsightly and if I get the energy, after spreading it around, I'll cover the wool up with hay mulch.

It was a very long day. You can't imagine how dirty I was after lifting and sorting wool all day long. I couldn't wait to hop in the shower at the end of the day. It is over for another year. We have found a buyer for the wool who is going to use it for her blanket business. The income from the wool is not enough to cover the cost of the shearing but it helps. I am not at a point in my life right now to want to get the wool custom processed and market it myself. Maybe someday but not this year. I have to remain realistic with how many hours in the day there are and remember what all I have on my current plate! You can watch videos from last year's shearing here.