Chick Days and A Free Stamped and Embroidered PDF Download Pattern

So really - what did it start with...... The chicken or the egg?

 

Here on the farm our springtime is never complete unless there is a new batch of chicks in our kitchen peep, peep, peeping away. This year we got twelve Aracauna chicks which (hopefully) will turn into hens and begin laying this fall. I'm down to only 4 laying hens (and 3 roosters! don't ask!) right now because Winston has a taste for chasing and murdering chickens if they escape the coop. The fun never stops around here! Bad Winston.

Little chicks are just so sweet. Just looking at these little things makes me think of some of the characters in Angry Birds..... not that I have ever played it.

 

Fascination for the people.....

And the Border Collies.....

 

Today I've got a special surprise for all of you "cross-crafters." I've made up a cute little pattern to celebrate "Chick Days" that is happening in farms and suburbs, even cities all throughout the land. It's a FREE Stamped and Embroidered "Chick Days Dishtowel" PDF embroidery pattern. You can download it here.

In the summer, I like to do embroidery. It isn't hot to handle and stitch with like knitting with wool is. It's easy to pick up and put down. This dishtowel uses 4 embroidery stitches - Backstitch, French Knots (only 2 of them), Lazy Daisy, and Satin Stitch. It's quick to make and a perfect project to start kids off with.

First you will print the chicks using fabric paint and a stamp you will make out of kids fun foam mounted on builder's foam 1" insulation.

You can see another project I printed with stamps like these here (this one is a tutorial) and here.

After stamping, you'll work the outlines and decorate the chick. This project is a great one to make with children this summer.

Have fun with it and spread the word! Check out all the other new embroidery downloadable patterns on my new website here. 

Check out the FREE Chick Days Embroidery Pattern. You can download it here. 

The Closing Days of May

Oh that Kate. She is such the looker. Here she is all clean and white and sparkly, isn't she?

 

Every day, Kate has been going to the barn with me and Nessie to do chores - sometimes twice in a day. She used to be fearful of the car. Now she runs out the door, hoping we are going to see the sheep at the barns. Let's just say she doesn't stay this white and sparkly for long. She still has the throw up problem. Yes, major league disgusting! Good opportunity to clean the truck. It takes a little while for the throw up to happen. Thank goodness the 8 minute commute to the barn is less than the throw up time.  Must remember NOT to take her on errands.

We're still moving sheep. It's not going to stop although some days I wish it would. 

We've been sorting lambs to wean them from their mamas. The mamas need a break and the lambs can move on to keep growing without mama's milk. Our first January lambs are almost ready to move into our product stream. The biggest ones go first. It used to bother me a lot but after a few years, I am adjusted to the fact that we raise the lambs to feed our customers. Once we load the lambs into the trailer, off they go. Twenty less mouths to feed. Used to be, we would take them to the livestock auction and not know about where they ended up. Now we have the opportunity to feed our neighbors our healthy farm-raised meat. It's too bad not all animals live as nice a life as ours do.

There are still plenty of small lambs that were late born ..... and still being born. We had one group of sheep that were being "covered" by one ram in a field. When we got the ram and the ewes back to the barn in November, The Farmer realized that the ram had one enlarged testicle. He surmised that the ram was infertile and yes he was. No January lambs from that group of 60 ewes. Once the group of ewes got back with the other guys they were covered. They are still lambing. There are cute little lambs for my photos in green grass. Very sweet.

From a farming perspective, it is a pain in the neck. Lambs of different ages and mamas all have different feed requirements. More sorting and moving animals. The Farmer has to flip all the ewes and then we guess if they are nursing. It isn't easy nor fool-proof but part of the job. It seems to be taking a few hours every day for me. Noone else to help so I must persevere. I should be working on my book but I'm not when I'm sorting and feeding sheep. Not to mention that The Farmer is running like crazy from field to field, moving fence, checking on animals all day long. Haying will start soon. Fingers crossed that the big tractor gets fixed so that it can commence.

The grass is growing like crazy. Lots of fresh grazing available. At this time of year, there is more green grass available than animals that can eat it. It is pure bounty of the earth.

The grass will slow down soon. Then we will be scrambling to find patches to feed the sheep. Bet you never really thought about that, did you? Most Americans think about how many times their lawns have to be mowed in a month. We think about how long the grass can feed a flock of sheep.

The photo below shows a couple day old lamb with its mama in the pasture in front of our house. There are about 50 ewes here now with assorted growing lambs. It is nice to walk out with the dogs in the evening and check on them. So far, no coyotes. Knock on wood. 

Winston is keeping an eye on everyone. Let's just say he isn't 100% effective. Nature is always out there. Crazy rain storm here last night with thunder and lightening. The farm road washed away partly. Guess we'll have to buy more gravel so it can wash away again. Keeping our friend Bobby Deane in business.

Banding Together with Mason-Dixon for Kathreen and Rob's Kids

The internet is such a strange place. Like you, I follow some blogs and have my conversations in my head with the writers of the blogs I read. The writers and artists who share their lives even though they may be thousands of miles away have become my pretend friends. Living here at our farm, working isolated from colleagues, fellow writers and crafters, I create alone. When I decided to try to make a go of this writing and designing business of mine I discovered that there were others out there doing similar things. These women gave me strength to chart my own journey in the world wide web.

With my very slow dial-up connection, I discovered blogs in 2006. Shortly after, I signed into Blogger and began this blog journey of mine. I struck up some friendships or (mostly) lurked behind my computer screen. Over the years, different bloggers have inspired me. As my business has morphed and my creativity has moved among all the different things I am interested in - color, yarn, knit, crochet, embroidery, farming, cooking, color, photography and general crafts - the internet has been a lifesaver for me to see that other women (mostly) are making their own success too. It has been really inspiring for me to see others succeed and share their struggles and lives with the world out here.

This week I have been thinking a lot about how the internet has changed my work life over the past few years. The internet has made places very far away known to me. This would not have happened even a decade ago. As I sit here painting, planning, and making for my next big book project, I keep thinking about the loss the internet craft world has suffered this week with the untimely loss of Kathreen Ricketson - the founder of the uber-fabulous craft blog Whip-Up and her husband Rob Shugg. Kathreen and her family were on a trip of a lifetime traveling for a year around Australia. She was documenting their year camping, exploring and making while also writing a book.

Yesterday I discovered that Kay and Ann at Mason-Dixon Knitting were planning a Whip-Up Celebration of Kathreen's life. I jumped at the chance to write this post. Kathreen was very kind to me over the years, linking to my blog several times and reviewing my books. Whip-Up has been a go-to place for me - for inspiration, tutoriala, and general crafty goodness. I especially loved last summer's series of interviews here which included Ann Shayne's great essay on self-publishing.

The crafty internet will be a little less vital with Kathreen's loss. My heart goes out to her children Otilija and Orlando who are now both motherless and fatherless. If you have any money available in your Paypal account, join in with many of us who have made a non-tax deductible donation to Kathreen's children's education fund. You can find the full details here on the Whip-Up blog.

If you have never visited Whip-Up, check it out here. There is a wealth of knowledge that Kathreen shared over the years. Her Action Pack series of downloadable PDF books is great for home-schoolers or for parents looking to do something fun with their children this summer. Any purchase of the Action Pack series will help their children too. 

Have a great weekend everyone. Hug your children, family and friends.

Ellen of Go Crochet Hosts 50 Sunflowers Book Giveaway! Webs Tent Sale Wrap-Up + More

Ellen Gormley - crocheter extraordinare and blogger at Go Crochet - has a giveaway of my new book 50 Sunflowers to Knit, Crochet and Felt going on her blog this week. Ellen and I are on Knit and Crochet Now - she is the crochet expert and I am the knit expert. It was fun to spend time with her a couple weeks ago! Check it out here.

Here's a photo I took at the Webs Tent Sale the other day of my real handmade sunflowers and my new book. It was great to meet everyone who stopped by the booth including long-time reader Michelle of Three Bags Full. She brought me a sweet little handmade bag perfect for my double pointed needles. Check out Michelle's Etsy Shop Here. Thank you Michelle.

It was so much fun to share my finished projects with everyone at Webs. I think this book really resonates with many people of all ages. I loved meeting both knitters and crocheters and some young stitchers too. Lovely to see grandmothers teaching their grandchildren about their passion. You can listen to the Webs Podcast with my friend Sarah Delaney being interviewed by Steve Elkins here. There were a lot of fiber vendors with beautiful things with them for sale.

Busy week here catching up. Hope I get a lot of work done! This weekend is the Massachusetts Sheep and Wool Festival in Cummington, MA. It's a great family event. Info here. 

We're still moving sheep around. It's an all-summer job. Here's a group which are grazing some grass that is too wet to hay at this time of year.  They are loving the fresh green grass.

Colorful Fun at Brimfield!

Last Friday, I made my semi-annual trek to the Brimfield Flea Market. It was a gorgeous day but I didn't expect the crowds that were there. I have been going to Brimfield for years. I leave home early and usually get there by 7:30 a.m. For the past few years, the aisles have been rather empty and easy to navigate. Not the other day. There were huge crowds early in the day. Good for the vendors and I'm hoping that it is a sign the economy may be making a turn. 

Had a good day. Met up with my sister Laurie and her friends. My niece Olivia who is now in college came for the first time. It was so much fun to see her poking around and getting interested in antiques and junk. 

These pretty colored yarn balls were being marketed as decoration. Bet a lot of you could make these!

Saw some antique sock stretchers but left them there.

I actually left all of the things in these photos there. I didn't buy much but left inspired and ready to create more colorful stuff for my new book project.

This was a beautiful end table carved and painted these beautiful colors. It would need a glass top to cover the carving but was really gorgeous.

Sweet pincushions in vintage fabric. I saw this tulip motif all over the place.
 

I liked this simple silk quilt which was tied.

I saw quite a few things in this pattern which I had never really noticed before. 

These little wooden egg cups with tiny knit hats were too cute.

Pretty wooden Easter eggs.

Loved this pair of chickens.

 

The next Brimfield Market is July 9 to 14th. The last one of the season is September 3 to 8th. Not sure I'll be going to either one but I will try.

Interview with Cheryl Rezendes - Author of Fabric Surface Design + Giveaway

Today I have a fun interview and a giveaway with my friend Cheryl Rezendes. Cheryl is a fine artist working in Mixed Media Collage along with being an amazing dyer, fabric and surface designer, teacher (check out her classes here), quilter, seamstress and mom to two teenage boys. 

I met Cheryl through artist friends over a decade ago and our career paths have been a bit parallel. For a few years, she had a gorgeous studio where she taught classes and made art in a large office building in downtown Greenfield. I signed Julia up for classes with Cheryl - hoping to spark a fiber interest in my little girl! You can see two posts I wrote about Julia's experience taking classes with Cheryl at her studio here. Cheryl writes a blog and teaches classes now for different quilting groups and more.

For the past couple years, Cheryl has been working on her magnum opus -  a fabulous book that has just been published called Fabric Surface Design. I asked Cheryl if she would take some time out of her schedule to answer some questions here on the blog. At the end of the interview, you can sign up to win a copy of Cheryl's Fabric Surface Design book which is published by Storey Publishing.

KN: Wow Cheryl - what a huge amount of knowledge you have shared with the world in your new book Fabric Surface Design! I can't believe how much technical information is included. How did you learn surface design? CR: Quite a few of the techniques covered in the book are pretty traditional painting and printing techniques that I learned in art school many years ago and had been employing in my paper collage work already. I just needed to transfer those techniques from paper and canvas to cloth. But many of the more innovative techniques I learned from other surface design artists by taking classes and workshops and reading books. You take a little bit of this and a little bit of that and somewhere along the way your brain starts to assimilate it all until it comes out in your own artwork. KN: Tell us a little about your background. I know you as a fine artist specializing in Mixed Media Collage. What was your training? CR: I went to the Museum School of Fine Arts in Boston and trained primarily as a painter. When I got out of school I made my living as a stitcher and later as a custom clothier specializing in restoring antique wedding gowns along with collage design work using antique laces while pursuing my art on the off hours. At one point my husband and I decided that we could forgo the income from my sewing so I could concentrate on my art and raising our 2 boys. Over the years I developed a really nice body of work in mixed media collage (that can be seen on my website). But I found that I really missed fiber! It was such a surprise for me. I really had no idea how important fiber work was to me as an artist. Chapter Opener for Monotype - Cheryl's Favorite Technique KN: What is your favorite technique in the book and why? CR: I adore monotype printing with gelatin! It is very painterly and serendipitous. I love the fine detail that the gelatin substrate shows and how easy it is to make cloth that is multi layered with imagery. KN: Wow - that sounds really fun. I must give it a try sometime. What is your very most favorite thing you learned while writing this book? CR: Well, I learned a few things about myself that were pretty surprising - like the fact that it is really difficult for me to sit still in front of a computer for hours at a time and that I write best in the wee hours of the night. As far as techniques go, I didn't have much marbling experience before I wrote the book. It was great fun and I can't wait to do more of it to incorporate into my own work. Silkscreen basics KN: I loved the marbling technique idea using shaving cream! That seems like something really fun that you could do with children outdoors. Now that the book is in the world, what are you working on?  CR: I am settling back into making my own personal artwork, teaching and making one-of-a-kind hand dyed and painted cloth to sell in 3 yard pieces and as fat quarters for all those quilters out there. I'll be selling those on my Etsy site. A nice selection should be available within the next several weeks and months. So stay tuned for that! KN: I loved the chart (shown above) that you compiled comparing all the different kinds of fabric paints. Most crafters shop at places like Michael's and AC Moore. I did not see any of the common textile paints listed in the charts. Why was that? And if someone is just beginning and wants to pick up paints at say Michael's, can you recommend any of the common types such as those distributed by Plaid. CR:  Unfortunately places like Michaels and A.C. Moore no longer carry quality textile paints. They used to carry Jacquard products. For now you'll need to buy the paints I talk about in the book online or at finer art supply stores. I am a big proponent of starting out with quality supplies and quality paints in particular. All of the quality textile paints blend and mix well so you can easily start out with just the primary colors and black and white to save on the expense. Lesser quality paints tend to have a lot of fillers and substantially less pigment so it may be hard to get really vibrant colors that hold up from fading. Many of the online suppliers have great prices that rival the cost of cheaper paints at the craft stores. You just have to plan ahead. KN: I know - planning for these kinds of projects is important. My favorite place to order supplies is Dharma Trading Co. They have all kinds of fabulous fabrics, t-shirts, blanks, dyes, paints, and more and their service and website is great. Cheryl, is there anything else you want to share with us?  CR: There is no question that you have less control when painting on fabric rather then paper and canvas. But that very fact is what makes it so exciting! And that you don't need to know how to draw to create great surface design results. It never ceases to amaze me how many people get stymied by that fact. Just follow the paint. It will show you how it wants to be seen! KN: I love that - Follow the paint. It is kind of like "Follow Your Dream!" What is the wackiest fabric technique in the book that really turns out great? CR: Using ordinary baking flour as a resist. The results are spectacular! And it is always a wonderful surprise! KN: If you were a mom or a camp counselor and you wanted to pick one or two of the techniques in your book to do with children, what would you suggest? CR: Definitely sun painting! It is a magical experience for everyone - adults and children alike. Leaf and flower printing is another wonderful activity to do with kids during the spring and summer months. Plus there is the added bonus of having to take them for a walk to collect the leaves and flowers. Thanks so much Cheryl for taking time out of your day to share your new book Fabric Surface Design with us. Now for the Giveaway kindly donated by the fine folks at Storey Publishing! To enter, answer the following question in the comments section of this blog post..... Summer is coming and I always like to try out a new art, craft, or gardening technique to stretch my repertoire. Do you have anything new you are going to challenge yourself with this summer or something you would like to try but may not???? Contest ends Sunday May 19th at 11:59 p.m. Good luck everyone! Contest is over. Winner is Michelle who wrote: I am going to try to grow a big patch of sunflowers and keep the deer from eating them! I also hope to branch out into different kinds of bagmaking - zippered totes, wool felt and more.

Detroit PBS Trip + this Saturday - Webs Tent Sale

I've been so busy getting back into life I forgot to share some photos from my trip to Detroit PBS to tape the next season of Knit and Crochet Now. Before the photos though - just a heads-up - I'll be at the Webs Tent Sale this Saturday the 18th of May selling our delicious GROUND LAMB and LAMB SAUSAGE. Stop by and pick up some for your dinner or to stock your freezer with. It is frozen so travels well. I'll also have my different books with me if you would like to add a signed book to your knitting collection. I'll be bringing samples from my new book 50 Sunflowers To Knit, Crochet, and Felt. If you have any questions, contact me via the email address on my sidebar.

Here's some behind the scenes from Detroit. I think the new shows will begin airing next fall. There are always 4 cameras taping all the time - 3 on the floor and one overhead.

This is the control room. Alex the Director is in the front on the right. He talks into everyone's ears while taping (except for we who are being filmed).

 

Brett Bara is the host of the show. She does a great job keeping the "experts" on track and making sure we give key points. Here Brett is on set and this is Camera One where she speaks into for intros and closing chit-chat.

 

Here Brett is talking to Fred who is the Floor Manager. He also takes care of the sound and the very expensive microphones. He is our "go-to" guy for directions.

 

This is the room where all the projects are laid out for us - with "step-outs" and finished projects all organized on trays. All the experts hang out in this room before our segments. FYI - we are usually knitting or crocheting the step-outs for the shows the entire time we are waiting!

It is really interesting how a t.v. show is made. So many people are involved in the taping that are never seen. This a shot of Eric and his giant "boom camera."

The boom camera is over our table and hands and it catches everything we do. It shoots upside down and backwards! It is an amazing thing and I cannot imagine how much it costs. 

Each time I get a bit better and I can now say I do not have any fear of the camera! It is actually kind of fun. The odd thing is, after I leave the set, I do not have any recollection of the project I just made as I am on to thinking about the next segment. Sometimes people email me with a question about what I demoed on the t.v. show and I am clueless as to what the project even was! It's the way I deal with the stress of it all. Just forget about it.

Detroit PBS is a great organization. They are all so incredibly nice and supportive and I love going back and visiting everyone each time we tape. 

I think the last season of Knit and Crochet Now we taped is now airing on PBS's Create Channels now. Check your local t.v. listings. The season we just taped will not air until fall 2013.

Weaning, Moving Ewes, and Grazing

Slowly, we have been moving trailer loads of ewes to the different pastures our sheep graze during the summer and fall. We have been waiting for the grass to be ready. It rained good the other day and all the grasses kicked in. The ewes have been antsy - seeing the green grass develop but it wasn't ready for them yet.

Our first step is to move all the ewes and lambs into the greenhouse. One by one, The Farmer catches the ewes who had lambs in January. I work the gate - clearly the easy part of the job. All I can say is it is a good thing he was a distance runner because the sheep don't move easy. They don't want to be split apart from the flock.

 

How do we know who lambed when? If you followed lambing this winter, you remember we marked each mama with a different color stripe, changing the color of the stripe every two weeks. I must say, the system worked. It was easy to pick out the ewes who had lambs which no longer needed their milk.

It was noisy. The ewes knew that they were being separated from their lambs. The lambs didn't. Once we got each batch of 20 on the trailer, off they went to graze green pastures. I'm sure the lambs will be looking for mama tonight but it was time! All mamas need a break to get back into condition for breeding in August. It's not far away!

When the ewes arrived at their new home, they bolted off the trailer.....

heads to the ground relishing the tender grasses. Sheep are all about the food. I'm sure in a couple days the ewes will completely forget about their lambs.

 

They'll have poopy butts for a few days. I know - TMI. But that's what happens when they switch from hay and silage to green grass.

Nessie did a great job rounding up the animals. She hasn't been able to work all winter because it's dangerous to have a dog around the ewes with their lambs. They can become quite protective of the lambs and we don't need anyone getting hurt. In a couple weeks, she will probably lose her winter weight and be back in shape climbing hills and flying over fences. She is 8 or 9 now and we can tell she is starting to slow down some. She still has the desire to work though!

 

I also took Kate on a short leash, not needing any overzealous puppy shenanigans. She did a great job with supervision. By load #4, I had it figured out that just having her in the corner of the barn tied to a post, it would make it easier to get the ewes on the trailer. We think she is getting interested in the sheep and hopefully this summer she'll start being somewhat helpful. We still have at least 10 more loads to go so Kate will be getting practice being a sheepdog.

 

We still have many loads of sheep to move but at least the process has begun! It's hard to start but easy to keep going once we have the momentum.

Jon Katz has a nice piece on living on a farm and America's fascination with them. Read it here and here as it is a Part One and Part Two post.

Have a great weekend everyone!