Getting Stitched on the Farm

Crafty Ideas for Thanksgiving Weekend

2009-11-22T07:00:00.001-05:00

Our farmhouse is the site for the annual Nicholas Thanksgiving Feast. As many Nicholas-related family members as can get here come and we celebrate my favorite holiday by eating, walking, and taking an old-fashioned hayride. I cook the turkeys and everyone else contributes one of their specialties. The worst part for me is cleaning the house before they all arrive!

The day after Thanksgiving, my sisters, Mom, the brother-in-laws and all the cousins descend upon my sister Nancy's house in New Hampshire. We spend the day eating left-over turkey, taking walks, talking, laughing, and doing a craft project together. Last year, we all sat around making little birch houses.

I loved seeing the spin all the kids put on it. It truly was a day to remember, as every holiday is. This year, my sister Laurie has something up her sleeve for us to make. Can't wait to see it! Last year I did a Tutorial on My Birch Houses which you can find here. Maybe your family will make a Birch Cottage on the day after Thanksgiving. You'd better get collecting natural materials soon!

FYI - the glittery animals are just made by applying glue and glitter to little plastic animals you can find at kids toy stores.

The Blog Tour Continues and Introducing THE QUARTERS CAP - a new PDF Downloadable Pattern from Kristin

2009-11-20T09:11:00.010-05:00

First off today, I'd like to thank Wendy Johnson of the immensely popular WendyKnits blog for participating in the Blog Tour for Color By Kristin. Wendy is also the author of the popular Socks from the Toe Up. and has a new book coming out next spring called Toe Up Socks for Every Body. Wendy asked me some interesting questions about how I developed the Julia Yarn. And she did a very thorough review of the book. Wendy has two copies of the book available in a drawing, so check out the post here. Thank you Wendy!

And thank you to all of you who have been ordering my new book signed by me through my on-line shop. I can't tell you how much buying direct from me helps us keep this little farm a-running. But please, if you have a local yarn or bookstore selling the book, pleeeeeeaase buy it from them! They need your business more than ever in these difficult economic times!

Now onto what's new here on the farm. I've been busy doing a bit of designing and desktop publishing. Actually, the designing and knitting has been done for eons - it's the desktop publishing that has been done of late. For the past couple years, I've had some lonely little patterns for sale on my website as PDF downloads. I have meant to add to the colletion but life has been too busy. It's only now that the Farmer's Markets are over for the season and that I am not working on another book that I have had time to learn Adobe Indesign and really get my on-line pattern shop going.

Just in time for holiday knitting, I'd like to introduce The Quarters Cap, now available in my shop for immediate down-load. This is the greatest little cap. Here's why you might want to knit one for family and friends for the holidays.

1. The Quarters Cap is knit back in forth in garter stitch with clever and EASY short row shaping to create the crown of the hat.

2. It is sized in 4 sizes - from Baby to Adults.

3. This is one of the most addicting projects I have ever designed. I think I have knit about 10 of these so far! I can't stop! Neither will you be able to....

4. The Quarters Cap is a great stash buster. I knit it with odds and ends of my Julia Worsted Weight yarn.

5. It is a colorful project, but not too hard or colorful for those color-shy knitters.

6. Teenage boys love this hat! My nephews (that's them in the photo) came from Brazil last Christmas without a warm hat. I knit these for them over the Christmas holiday and they never left the house without them. And you probably all know what a hard nut to crack teenage boys are!

7. The Quarters Cap can be knit color-blocked in 4 colors or striped in 2, 3 or more colors. Your imagination is the limit.

8. Men love this hat or let's just say The Farmer loves it. It isn't too tight because the garter stitch stretches out comfortably around the skull.

9. Little girls love this hat - just ask my Julia.

So, hop on over to my shop and order yourself up a copy of this pattern. It is $4.50 and only available here on my site www.kristinnicholas.com.

Thank you!

p.s. The pattern has been proofed by my fabulous tech-editor Lori and is professionally designed and published.

Judith Jones at the Odyssey Tonight November 20, 2009

2009-11-20T08:00:00.000-05:00

Julia and I will be going to meet Judith Jones at the Odyssey Bookshop in South Hadley tonight at 7 p.m. Will anyone else be there? She'll be signing copies of her new book The Pleasures of Cooking for One. Did you know she raises beef cattle at her farm in Vermont??? She does.

I'm sure they would ship you a copy if you want a signed copy for a friend for the holidays.

Colorful Feet from Color By Kristin

2009-11-19T09:10:00.005-05:00

First off, let me thank the lovely Anne of Knitspot for being part of my blog book tour. You can read her review of my book and an interview she did with me over on her blog post today. It seems that Anne is heading to is a big knitting retreat on the other side of "the hill" in Williamstown that I was not aware of organized by the brilliant Clara of Knitters Review who also has a new book out. (The Hill is the mountain range between here and there commonly referred to as "the Berkshires.") Oh, I am so out of the loop and in my own little world.... Maybe I will get to go one day.

That said, back to my world. I know knitters are starting to think about Christmas gifts and what they can make quickly for all their special people in their lives. Which leads me to the lastest project from Color by Kristin -- The Family of Slipper Socks.

Here's the back-story on this project..... When I was a little girl, my grandmother always made us Christmas presents - handmade nightgowns, crochet vests, lace choker necklaces with embroidered beads. Gram wasn't much of a knitter - in fact if you asked her, she would say she couldn't knit. And she really didn't knit much at all - except for one particular pattern for garter stitch slipper socks. I remember the first year Gram knit me a pair of her pom pom trimmed slipper socks for Christmas in a beautiful maroon color to match my bathrobe. I put them on and didn't take them off.... Every night, I wore them to bed and I credit those slipper socks for my habit of always wearing socks in bed! I loved them to death.

Many years ago, when I was working for TYC, I went on a yarn buying trip to Greece. It was a whirlwind trip full of adventures and misadventures (so much so that it could be an entire chapter in that memoir of mine.... just joking about the memoir). I had the chance to visit produce and bric-a-brac markets and pick up Greek made crafts. At one of the stalls in the antique market, I found 3 pairs of ancient, handspun, moth-eaten slippers.

I snapped them up, brought them back to the States and quickly stashed them in my freezer for safe keeping (so the moths in the US don't get at them). These handknit slippers are one of my favorite things in my textile collection, I must say.

Those Greek Slipper Socks are shown above. Knit at about 9 stitches to the inch out of very tightly handspun wool, I always wonder who made them. The other thing I wonder about it how they survived so long. They really are beautiful little works of knitting art.

For Color By Kristin, I wanted to include an easy version of The Greek Slipper Socks, designed at a friendly gauge of 5 stitches to the inch in my Julia Wool. This project is given in 5 sizes from infant to man's average. Surely you have a loved one who would like a pair of these to snuggle in all winter long! The project begins with garter stitch for half its length - what could be easier! Then it moves on to a little bit of colorwork. I finish the toe with a very easy what I call "mitten shaped tip" that works beautifully on a project like this. I could see adding a giant multi-colored pom pom to a pair of these. For the book project though, I wanted to keep it simple so that it wouldn't be too intimidating for newbie color knitters! Below are 3 of the slipper socks I knit for the book.

And lo and behold when I went to the mailbox the other day, I had a package waiting for me from my friend Therese Inverso. I love Therese's packages - they are always filled with some little textile treasure that she thinks I should add to my collection. In her latest envelope was two pairs of slipper socks. A red and white pair....

And an orange and black pair.

Both of them have little bits of embroidery on them. They seem to be knit of a handspun wool. Therese said her friend Camille knit them for her. Camille is from Iran. Don't you like the center point shaping and the band of colorwork around the upper sole? How lovely. And how lucky am I? Thanks so much Therese!

So you see, the slipper sock thing goes around the world, doesn't it? Make up a pair or two for a Christmas gift if you can fit it in. In fact, I think I'll try to make my little Miss Julia a pair. Poor kid - she's like the cobbler's children with barely a handknit item anymore, now that she is getting bigger.

Enjoy the day! And all of you knitters on the other side of "the hill," have a great time with Clara and crew! As always, don't forget you can order a signed copy of my book from my shop or purchase it at your local yarn store.

Planet Purl Tonight and Deborah The Jewel

2009-11-18T10:24:00.004-05:00

Time is very short for me today. I have a deadline looming and I am behind. What else is new here at Leyden Glen Farm? Don't forget to call into the Planet Purl interview with me tonight at 8 p.m. Eastern Time. I would love to talk to you. You can find the information on the post below.

There's a lovely post about my friend Deborah Newton, the Author and Knitwear Designer, over on this lovely blog Knitting New England. Since I have no time to write today, I would love to point you over there. And yes, Deborah is the Jewel. She has been a friend of mine since my early days at Classic Elite. Deborah is one talented designer, illustrator, and genuinely lovely person. Pick up her book Designing Knitwear because it must be in EVERY knitter's collection!

Happy Day!

p.s. Thanks to Marly at Yarn Thing for the interview last night on her call-in radio show. It went nicely and I'm beginning to understand the call-in thing. Whew!

Susan's Itty Bitty Cuteness

2009-11-17T15:30:00.000-05:00

One of the nice things about doing books is that I frequently get to meet other authors at special knitting events such as trade shows and places like the Knit-Out and the giant Stitches Conventions. A couple of years ago I was invited to dinner to help promote my Kristin Knits book by the publisher Storey Books. Storey is owned by the giant publishing house Workman Publishing and so the dinner was a joint event with authors from all of Workman's publishing houses attending. We were in southern California in the winter which is a treat for me because it was warmish and there were flowers blooming in January.

I never know how these dinners are going to go. At this point in my career, I just go along and think about how I can promote my current project to get the book distributor to believe in my book and sell it. Going out to dinner with clients you don't know is always a challenge, no matter what industry. Sometimes I sit there thinking what I can say to entertain the person next to me. It can be a real struggle. And then sometimes there is serendipity as there was a couple years ago when I was asked to sit next to Susan Anderson, an author from Artisan (another Workman division).

I had seen Susan's beautiful books in the Itty Bitty Series published by Artisan. I had never heard of her and frankly wondered where this extremely talented designer had come from - basically out of the blue. Susan and I talked and talked and had a great dinner. I found out she was a mom to four kids and that she had a real passion for knitting and any kind of craft. She also told me her secret to getting everything accomplished was that she got up very early in the wee hours of the morning and knit! It was a delightful dinner, much to my surprise, and I had made a new friend in the knitting world. We frequently correspond now and we see each other at different trade and consumer shows.

Over the past couple years, we have both been working on new projects for upcoming books. I catch up with her once in a while and read her great blog. It was a nice day last week when I received a copy of her new book Itty Bitty Toys from her publisher Artisan.
As usual, Susan's new book is incredibly delightful. It is chock full of super cute knitted toys. As I turned the page, one toy was cuter than the next. I'll start out with Susan's rendition of "The Princess in the Pea." I've chosen this one because she used my Julia Yarn. Besides the "Princess" Susan knit several little mattresses and an amazingly cute little pea pod full of peas. How sweet!
My favorite projects from Susan's book are farm themed. No surprise there, right. Here's her adorable little lamb. I love the clodhopper feet she put on him, don't you? This little pink piggie is totally huggable for little ones. To me, he seems like a cross between a baby doll and a farm animal. Susan got his nose and big ears just right!
But I think my favorite project from the book is this reversible "cat and mouse." I can just imagine a little one spending hours flipping the toy from side to side. And it would be a great plaything to help a child develop their manual dexterity.
So, if you have any little ones in your life right now, run right out and buy this book! You'll have hours of creative knitting ahead of you. Even if you don't have little ones, knitting one of these little toys will make you smile. Check out Susan's blog now for a schedule of her upcoming events. Artisan is sending her on a Book Tour and she may be coming to a yarn or book store near you. I guarantee you will love to meet the lovely and talented Susan B. Anderson.

Live Interviews with Kristin this Tuesday and Wednesday

2009-11-16T12:05:00.003-05:00

I'm doing TWO live audio interviews this week via the internet. I'm not sure how all this works but some of you may know and are way more tech savvy than me. I'll be using my corded telephone in my studio to talk to you all - just picture that!

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 17TH
10 p.m. to 11 p.m EASTERN Time
Yarn Thing with Marly Bird on Blog Talk Radio

Or feel free to call 347.539.5589 during the broadcast to ask a question.
Marly says the Chat Room opens 15 minutes before airtime.

Click here to listen or call in.
The show is also available as a podcast later via ITunes.

WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 18TH
8 p.m. Eastern Time
I'll be a guest on Planet Purl doing another live interview.

Click here to listen in or join in that chat.

I'll admit that I am such a newbie on this type of thing. I've been on many a podcast but they have always been taped. I'm happy to be learning about this "new" way to get the word out about my books, yarn, and work. Feel free to call in and ask me about my knitting, art, farm, or whatever!

Thanks to Tara at Soho for organizing all of it!

The Running of the Sheep

2009-11-16T09:00:00.000-05:00

Well, not exactly. Let me explain. Grazing was pretty much finished on the hill high above our farmhouse. Lambs are expected in December. It is almost Thanksgiving. It was time to think about moving our flock of 200 plus sheep closer to their winter lambing headquarters at our greenhouse barn in Bernardston. That barn is 4 about miles from where the sheep have been currenting grazing. The Farmer had made arrangements to have the sheep graze a large field closer to the greenhouse barn where pasture was still available.

Sunday was a beautiful day - warm and sunny after a miserable rainy Saturday. We made a quick decision to move the sheep. We could have rented a trailer but that would have cost a fortune. Instead, I got on the phone and called some friends. We needed a truck to slow down traffic ahead of the sheep. Yes, Mitch would do that. We needed a truck at the end of the sheep parade to buffer traffic impatient motorists anxious to get past and to pick up straggling helpers. Alice would do that. We needed another car to block the road so the sheep wouldn't take a left onto Eden Trail. Lynn would do that.

Along with all these adults came a gaggle of kids. I promised their parents the kids would be tired out, sleep well, and have fun time. And so off we went.

The Farmer and his trusty dogs left the house before the helpers arrived. He drove off to start the move, impatient to get the job done so there would be time to set up the fence before dark. By the time my posse of people got to the appointed meeting spot, there were no sheep, dogs or Farmer. We drove on and met up with him about a mile and a half down the road in a big field. The sheep were quietly grazing. It was time to get them moving.

The grass was tasty and they didn't want to leave. With the help of kids, parents, and mostly the dogs, they moved across the field. The big challenge was to get them up an embankment and onto the road in the right direction. After a few false starts, they began heading the way we needed them to go.

Sheep are followers. Once the flock started moving in mass, there was no where to go but up the hill. Off they went with Lynn's car blocking the way.

They turned the corner and we were on our way. You would probably be surprised by how fast sheep can move when they want to. They ran along at a fast clip - kids in hot pursuit, most of the adults hanging behind.

This driveway looked too good - off they went up it much to the neighbor's surprise.

The dogs rounded them back down the hill and they were off on the road again.

It was straight shot for awhile. We met a giant truck. The sheep just moved on by. Hope he wasn't in a hurry!

Down, down, down the hill we went. Here's the hairpin turn. The sheep and dogs were flying and all the kids were struggling to keep up. Never mind the grown-ups.

There was beginning to be a traffic pile-up. Oh well, you never know what you will run into around here.

Below the hairpin turn, the land flattens out to gorgeous green pastures and hayland. As predicted, the sheep thought it was too good to be true. At least it gave the traffic behind us a chance to pass by.

That's The Farmer trying to move the flock off the field. Surely there is a dog right there behind all those sheep.

We got them off the field, Eeyore the Donkey in tow.

Another lovely green field that was too good to pass up. That's this winter's haylage for the dairy cows down the hill in the big white marshmallows.

Boys will be boys - the bales were irresitable for a bit of jumping.

We were getting close but they just didn't want to go in the gate. Into the woods they went. After a few moments with some gentle prodding they turned back around.

Finally, they were where they are to spend the next couple weeks or so until the grass is done.

And here's the little team of helpers who had a great time.

What a fun way to spend a Sunday fall afternoon.

Hankering for Yarn and Cora Reappears

2009-11-13T10:54:00.009-05:00

The lovely Noreen Crone-Finlay, an author of many books, writes a blog for Bliss Tree called Hankering for Yarn. On it, she writes about her many projects - most of them fiber related. She really is a multi-talented designer. I know Noreen mostly for her beautiful, creative dolls.
Here's a link to Noreen's website.
Here's a link to her blog post about my book.

Noreen has some great PDF patterns for her different doll patterns for download which you can find here. Her self-published books are also available on her site here. You all should have a look!

Here's the line I like best from her review:
Prepare yourself to enter into a world of intoxicating color and texture!
Isn't that a lovely sentence?

Noreen's post is the start of the Blog Tour that the lovely Tara from Soho Publishing has organized for my new book Color By Kristin. I'll be posting links to the blogs as the reviews appear. Most of the bloggers are asking me questions and I'm answering them. It's been really interesting to see what they are interested in. I've had to think about the different questions - some more than others - before I respond.

If you are interested in being part of the blog tour, contact Tara at Soho. She is in on Thursdays and Fridays (she's a student also.) Tara is looking for blogs with reasonably high traffic. Her e-mail is:

tara@sohopublishing.com

I'll leave you with this photo of Julia and Cora. We took a nice long walk last Sunday. It was an amazingly warm day for November. As with most of our family walks, the sheep are somehow included. We had to hike way, way up the hill to see them. I get such a kick out of Cora. Every time Julia comes along, Cora steps out of the crowd of 200 plus sheep and has a little snuggle with Julia. It's amazing. Never have we had such an affectionate sheep. It's most amazing to us because our sheep are out on pasture 9 months of the year. Individual sheep don't get special attention, unlike a "backyard flock" which many shepherds keep. Cora is pregnant again so Julia is anticipating her lamb. Lots of the ewes are beginning to look pregnant. The Farmer is expecting early lambs - mostly likely sometime in mid-December. You know what that means here on the blog - lots of lovely pictures of little lambs coming soon!

Good weekend everyone!

Home Dec Color by Kristin Preview

2009-11-12T09:30:00.000-05:00

I've always had a serious love affair with ethnic textiles since I was young. I love their colors, their warmth, their crazy patterning, and the atmosphere they add to any situation you put them in. I've been collecting ethnic textiles since my college days. I'm always on the look-out for any odd piece of embroidery, weaving, or knitting. They don't have to be perfect and I even buy pieces. My budget isn't ever very large and I've passed up a lot because they were out of my price range. Suffice it to say, I've got a closet full of saris, Eastern European embroideries, Indian block prints, Andean weavings, Indonesian ikats, San Blas molas.... the list goes on and on. Whenever the seasons change - or I am throwing a party - I dig into my closet and bring out some different pieces and swap everything around. It's amazing how warm and cosy a house looks when you fill it with handmade textiles from around the globe.

The photo below is our dining room. On the table is a sari from India and layered over it is a runner from Uzbekistan (I think). The chair seats are covered with a sari woven with metallic thread. If you visited my house right now though it doesn't look anything like this - it is covered with books, packing supplies, address labels. You see, the dining room doubles as a shipping room for my retail book and postcard sales!

My ethnic fabric collection has been inspiring my color sense for years. About fifteen or more years ago, I started knitting pillows in the Fair Isle technique for my house. They were easy to carry around and work on and didn't take long to finish. I only knit the front side of the pillow and I used fabric to cover the back side. Here are a couple designs that I made many years ago - you can find the patterns for sale on my website here.

This design is called Turkish Motifs Pillow:

And this design is called Field of Diamonds Pillow:

Many years ago, they were both featured in House and Garden Magazine (January 2003). You can buy the patterns on my website. Sadly you can't buy House and Garden anymore. Boy, I miss that magazine coming in my mailbox.

And so now, onto the next preview from Color by Kristin. I'd like to introduce you to my newest collection of pillows - The Marrakesh Market Pillows.

These FOUR pillow designs are featured in my new book Color By Kristin. They are all worked in Fair Isle technique in the round with a steek and knit in my Julia Yarn. After cutting the steek, I pick up around all four sides and work a small border. Most of the pillows have embroidery added on top of the knitting - although not too much. There are four different sizes so you can choose how much knitting you want to do.

I love this photo. It was taken in our library where we spend most of our winter evenings. That's The Farmer's Chair he sits in and reads at night. You can see our stacks of magazines on the side of the chair. Julia added the deck of cards to the photograph. I think the cards and their colors added a great touch to the photo.

You can buy signed copies of my book on my website here or at your local book or yarnstore. I've got plenty in stock if you want to give them to a knitting friend for a holiday gift. And I'll be happy to sign it to them or not.

The Winner and Another Preview from Color By Kristin

2009-11-10T23:00:00.000-05:00

Thanks to all of you who entered the contest here and on the Webs Blog last week. The winner of the Webs/Color by Kristin prize is Carol O. Congratulations Carol! You are a very lucky winner. Please contact me or Kathy Elkins and we will get your prizes to you.

Now it is back to the previews from Color By Kristin...... Today, I want to show you the Many Hearts Baby Blanket - complete with Annika the kitten asleep on top of the project. She certainly has good taste, doesn't she?

I just love how this project came out! My concept was to design a baby blanket that could be made by a bunch of friends for an expectant mother. The project starts off by knitting 9 separate squares. The motif is a heart and it is worked in Fair Isle. Each square is a different combination of colors. My thought was that 9 knitting friends would each make one of the hearts. After the hearts are knit, they are sewn together using mattress stitch. They form a patchwork quilt-ish looking center. Using a long circular needle, someone will pick up around the pieced section. The stripes are made in garter stitch - worked in the round. At each corner, the increases are made to form the miter.

Here is a detail of the hearts after they are sewn together. You can see the added cross stitch and chain stitch which I did after the blanket was finished.

My idea was that each knitter would take the project home and add a stripe or two. As everyone added, the project would grow larger. The other option is that you could have multiple circular needles working your way around the square (as it got larger) so that people could knit as a group.

A handknit object for a baby is one of the most lovely gifts a new mom can receive. I know! When I was pregnant and at a TNNA show, Linda Pratt and Pat Chew organized a surprise Breakfast Shower for me. I received the most amazing handknit sweaters for my not yet born Julia. When she was an infant, she was covered in handknits from head to toe. As she grew, I was always sad when she stopped wearing a handknit that one of my friends had made. I still have them all in a bag in the attic - I just can't bear to part with them!

Which leads me to this fun and creative project that is traveling the world - The Big-Sock Project that I added a bunch of my knitted stitches to while I was at The Market at Stitches in Hartford. What fun! I'm not sure where the sock is now but listen up and add your knitting when it comes to a store or event near you!

Where Have the Sheep Gone?

2009-11-06T09:53:00.000-05:00

For the past month or so, the sheep have been grazing our neighbor's fields. They got rid of their dairy cows a few winters ago (you can read about that here if you are new to the blog). They hay many of the fields, but sometimes the hay doesn't get taken off and winter comes. If the fields don't get mowed, small trees, shrubs, and all kinds of plants will grow up quickly. It doesn't take long for a beautiful green pasture to become scrub land.

When The Farmer asked them if he could put the sheep on their land, they relished the chance of having the sheep mow and fertilize the fields. Every day, The Farmer heads way up the hill to check to see that the sheep made it through the night and that no incidences occurred. Incidences around here mean sheep jumping the fence, coyotes getting over or under the electronet fence. About a month back, we lost one adult sheep and two lambs to the coyotes. It is never an easy day when one of the sheep is killed.

Try as you may, this kind of stuff happens on a farm. I don't write about it too much because it seems to upset people quite a bit. I have had to get used to the death and destruction while living here close to nature. To tell you the truth, I can't believe how used to it I have gotten. I grew up a suburban girl but I can surely say now that I've become a country girl. When I got involved in farming over 25 years ago, I was really upset everytime a coyote killed a lamb. I didn't see the sense in it. But as I listened to The Farmer who has always lived with nature (and who happens to be the Voice of Reason in this household), I began to understand that every being has to eat. And when you raise sheep, they are sometimes food for the local coyotes, hawks, and bears - or whatever else eats our sheep and chickens. I'm telling you, sometimes I think I am living my life on "Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom" or a "National Geographic Wildlife Special."

So back to the sheep..... Disgusted as The Farmer was, and always trying to keep the wildlife out and sheep safe, he has now invested in a super high voltage charger for the electronet fencing. The snafu with this is he has to have a source of electricity to charge this high voltage system (or as he says "it will knock you down on your behind if you touch it Kristin"). Right now he is using an outlet in our neighbor's abandoned milkroom. The electric wire is strung a really long way. It crosses a wood road and he has it marked with some red cotton yarn of mine, hoping noone will drive a truck through it (shotgun deer hunting season starts next week). It's all a bit cobbed together but it is working for the most part and we haven't lost a sheep or lamb since he purchased this charger. The downfall to this thing is he always has to have a source of power. Previously, he used marine batteries to power the fence and although they are effective, they didn't throw enough current to keep the coyotes out.

I'm sure the coyotes will get in again and have a tasty dinner but for the time being, things are working. Eeyore, our guard donkey, does his job somewhat although stuff still happens. I got a first hand lesson in Eeyore's coyote techniques the other night when I was taking these photos. Julia and I were just about to leave the field. The sun was really going down quickly. We had to walk a wood road and get back to the truck. Wildlife starts coming out when the sun goes down. I know there has been a big bear in the vicinity and I really didn't want to run into him in the dark. I had the two dogs with me so I felt pretty safe.

As we were climbing over the fence, I turned around and Eeyore was stamping on Phoebe, our older Border Collie. He was then trying to pick her up with his teeth and throw her on the ground. Luckily I was able to call him off by screaming madly and rushing towards him but I was pretty scared for Phoebe. I know he is only doing his job and this is what he does to the coyotes. I suppose he thought she was fair game because she is a canine.

So there's a little farm update for you all. It is all in a day's work.

Thanks to everyone who came out to Webs. What a great bunch of people you all are. It was fun to meet everyone and show you all the projects from both Kristin Knits and Color by Kristin. The comment I liked best was - "Wow, the projects look so beautiful in the book but they are so much prettier and more amazing in person." And yes, I do agree with that, everything is always better in person! Being on this hill the other night taking photos of the sunset and the sheep - it was all even prettier and amazing in person.

Have a good weekend everyone.

(The house in the photos is a long ago abandoned house which is slowly decaying into the ground. I love to take photos of it - it has such a Andrew Wyeth quality to it, doesn't it?)

Early November Colors

2009-11-04T16:29:00.001-05:00

Beautiful late fall days here on our gravel road. I've been enjoying being out and about trying to soak up all the late autumn color. I know too soon that it's going to be really cold and not so pleasant for walking.

Red sumac against the cloudy grey sky

Tarnished yellow apples against grey bark

Changing sumac leaves against the gray forest

Leftover leaves before the wind blows

Rusty colored leaves against evergreens

An abandoned sugar shack blending into the gray and brown landscape

The abandoned house high up on top of the hill

From the field by the above house, the sky and landscape was so colorful

And finally, a sunset that was spectacular

Hope to see some of you tomorrow evening at Webs from 6 to 7:30!

Book Launch and Julia Yarn Giveaway!

2009-11-02T13:42:00.004-05:00

The big news continues! To celebrate the Book Launch of Color by Kristin, the fine folks at Webs and I are having a contest all this week ending on Friday. Kathy Elkins and I will draw a random winner on Friday. The winner gets a fabulous prize - a signed copy of Color by Kristin, the yarn for a project of their choice in the quantity for their size (if applicable) and the necessary needles, notions, etc. Pretty cool, huh?

Here's what you have to do to enter.

1. You have to read through this post over on the Webs blog and leave a comment.

2. Then you have to answer the following two questions leaving the answer in my comments section.

Question # 1: Have you ever done a steek and cut your knitting?
Question # 2: Have you ever added embroidery stitches onto your knitting or crochet?

Any more fun tid-bits you'd like leave are also welcome.

Remember, you must comment on both The Webs Blog and my "Getting Stitched on the Farm" blog.

Good luck! And as Kathy wrote, "let the commenting begin!"

Starving for Julia? The BIG News! And Book Launch for Color By Kristin

2009-11-02T13:00:00.001-05:00

I promised you all some news. So here it is... A few days late but exciting all the same.

On Thursday November 5th, I’ll be at Webs in Northampton, MA to launch my new book Color By Kristin from 6 to 7:30. This is the Book Launch - where I send it out into the ether and hope it flies! All of the projects from Color By Kristin will be there as will projects from my last book Kristin Knits.

Last Wednesday I taped a podcast interview with Owners Kathy and Steve Elkins from Webs. You can find the interview here on the Webs Yarn Blog. Kathy is delightful and enthusiastic and I thank her for inviting me to be on the show.

In addition, for all you internet readers and shoppers, I'm excited to announce that Webs is now carrying my Julia Yarn in their store and on their website. You can find Julia on their website here.

In addition to the Webs source for Julia Yarn, check your local yarn store. Here in the Pioneer Valley, Webs is just one of my local yarn stores and so it is very exciting for me that they have decided to carry Julia. Near you, your local yarn store may also carry Julia and I would hope that you would support them. Local yarn stores are quite like local bookstores, local clothing stores, and more. Local businesses have to fight to survive. Chain stores seem to rule America, as much as I dislike many of (but not all) them. It takes grit, determination, creativity, a possible bit of insanity and much more for a local yarn store to survive. Support them or they will disappear and you will be sad.

Sometimes I hear from knitters who would like to buy my Julia Yarn. Their local yarn store does not carry it and they want to knit the project just as I designed it in the colors I envisioned. They want to order the yarn from me. I’m not interested in selling yarn direct to knitters. I have no infrastructure for such a project, nor do I have the space to house bags and bags of yarn. My family would go mad and the cats would sleep amongst the balls of yarn. How would that be? Sounds like a nightmare for me.

I also strongly believe in the local yarn shop concept. So many yarn store owners are friends who I have know through over 25 years in the "yarn biz." I feel each and every knitting community needs a yarn store to service the knitters who live there. A yarn store is a great place for warm and fuzzy community. It certainly helps when I am in a needle crisis and can run right into pick up a spare set of 7 double pointed needles. (Tell me, where do they go? They seem to disappear at an alarming rate!)

There’s not a lot I can do from here on the farm to get yarn into your local yarn store. My Julia Yarn gets into your local shop via a sales presentation by a local sales representative who works for the fine folks at Westminster Fibers. My Julia Yarn is sold under the “Nashua” brand and those Westminster sales reps also sell Rowan, Gedifra, Regia, and more. When they call on a shop, they have less than a few hours to present all the lines they carry. Some of those reps choose not to show the Julia Yarn to the shopkeeper. And there goes your chance to buy Julia at your local store. Sometimes your local shop owner can’t afford to bring in another yarn and so they say no, maybe next year.

Me, sitting here on our farm, as you can probably understand, I have nothing to do with all of this. I send my Julia Yarn in beautiful colors out into the world, hoping the sales reps will show it and the yarn stores will buy it. If it doesn’t happen, I won’t know nor will I be able to do anything about it for you. For a fact, I know that there is not an inch of my Julia Yarn in the NY/NJ Metro area. What can I do….. Not a lot. Complain, oh yes. How far does it get me? Not far.

Color by Kristin Yarn Kits at Webs
So now, if you are living in those “Julia-starved” areas of the USA or Overseas, you can now purchase Julia from the fine folks at Webs. The very cool thing is that Webs has also built a Kit Option for all the projects in Color by Kristin. Each and every project from my new book along with photos, yarn amounts, needle sizes and more is listed on the Kits Page on their website. The website amazingly extrapolates by size each project, adds needles, the book and all. You can customize the order (don’t need needles, no prob). I can’t imagine how much programming this could have taken so the whole presentation totally blows me away. Check it out here and listen to the podcast if you like.

I’ll be at Webs in Northampton on Thursday from 6 to 7:30. Stop by if you are local or if you are up for an early November adventure! I’ll be happy to help you pick yarn for a Julia project and sign a copy of both Color by Kristin and Kristin Knits.

And... if you have been waiting to hear from me, I’m sorry. My modem broke two Thursdays ago before I headed off to Stitches. It is finally fixed and I am now back on-line digging through all the e-mails I haven't answered. Thanks to all for your patience. Julia Yarn at Webs Link Color By Kristin Kits at Webs Link See you all at Webs on Thursday Evening from 6 to 7:30!

Interview with Kristin at Yarn Market News

2009-10-29T07:17:00.000-04:00

Back in August the lovely Karin Strom interviewed me for a profile in Yarn Market News, THE magazine for yarn stores in North America. Karin is the Editor of this fine publication and we have actually been friends for probably 20 plus years! Karin and her husband came to visit us this past summer to do research for the piece from the October issue. This article is part of the roll-out for my new book Color By Kristin published by Sixth and Spring. You can read the whole article here if you like.

Don't you love this yarn apple on the cover? Karin and Joe Vior, Soho's Art Director, dream up the best ideas - turning yarn into art. I wish they had some kind of archive of all the covers to use as down-loadable wallpaper for my computer.

If you want to see a different kind of preview from Color by Kristin, check this out. It's been viewed over 4000 times! Wow.

I've got some big news I'll be announcing on Friday or Saturday. Stop back soon.

Skeets and Another Color by Kristin Preview

2009-10-28T18:00:00.004-04:00

The other day when I was at Stitches in Hartford, I was checking my e-mail. In the subject line there was one word - skeet. I opened the e-mail very curious to see why someone named Stacy was asking me about skeet shooting. In fact, I had to look up the definition for you because I didn't know exactly what it is: A form of trapshooting using clay targets to simulate birds in flight.

If you were like me, you are probably wondering why the heck someone was asking Kristin about trapshooting. Well, Stacy wasn't. After reading through the e-mail, I realized that Stacy really wanted to know about a knitting technique called "steeks." I rolled over laughing my head off. But actually, I totally understood her confusion. When I first started knitting, I didn't know what a steek was either. I answered her back and sent her the link to my Steek Tutorial I did back in January of 2008.

What is a steek? Here's the definition from Merriam Webster
Middle English steken to pierce, fix, enclose; akin to Old English stician to pierce
But what a steek is to knitters is found here.

The word and term Steek has been in my vocabulary for years and years. I think I first learned about it from Elizabeth Zimmerman's Knitting Without Tears. The more I learned about traditional knitting, the more I saw steeks used in different knitting traditions throughout the world including Scandinavian and British styles of knitting.

I learned to sew before I learned to knit so the "fear of the dreaded steek" was never something I had. I have always been comfortable sewing and cutting my handknitting. In fact over the years I have corrected many a sweater problem by cutting and sewing things back together.

When I started talking to Trisha at Sixth And Spring about Color By Kristin, I told her I envisioned working most of the projects in the round and that I would use steeks for the sweaters. She told me to not do too many because she feared it would scare off some book buying knitters. I guess I didn't listen too well because both of the projects shown above use the steek technique.

Quite simply steeking was the best choice for the knitting and construction of each of these project. I have confidence that knitters will dare to steek both the "Over the Top Shawl" and the "Southwest-Style Wrap with Sleeves." Steeks are actually used for the fringe section in each project and no sewing machine is needed.

I also used steeks for the Norwegian Dreams Pullover shown below. The steeks are worked at the sleeve openings and the neckline opening. Quite simply it is the easiest way to make a multi-color Fair Isle Pullover like this. You will need a sewing machine for this design though.

So, are you afraid of steeks? I'd love to hear your comments....

A Knitty Surprise from Kristin

2009-10-27T19:01:00.007-04:00

Taking a break from the Color by Kristin Previews and onto another preview of a Knitty! kind. The lovely Amy and Jillian asked me to be part of their Fall surprise. Here are what I call "mukluks" but what those clever girls have named Macarons. The instructions are up on the new surprise! Check it out here.

When you do projects for Knitty you have to supply your own photos. That is always a challenge to me. First I shot them a bunch of still-lives of the Macaron Mukluks. I sent them on over and although Amy liked them, she wanted legs. Those tree branches didn't quite cut it!

Lucky for me, one of my good friends Shalee brought her legs and feet to the rescue early one day last week before she had to head off to work. Here are the Macaron Mukluks with Shalee's feet and legs in them.

The slipper sock bottoms came from Fibertrends and you can check them out here.

This project is extremely do-able. Quick to knit, fun, and happy. A perfect gift for a friend who lives in a cold climate and a chilly house. The yarn is of course Julia and you can find it at your local yarn store. If not, ask them to carry it!

Zippered Cardigans for Kids from Color by Kristin

2009-10-23T07:15:00.000-04:00

The second kid's sweater I wanted to design for my new book Color By Kristin was a derivation of an old cardigan I made for Julia when she was a toddler. I remember knitting it in so many places - at her physical therapy sessions, at doctor's appointments, at school IEP meetings. That little sweater traveled everywhere with me. I sized it huge for her knowing she would grow. I knew it was going to take me a long time to knit so I wanted to make sure she got a few years out of it. I think it may have taken me over a year to get the little cardigan done.

Sadly, I don't have many photos of Julia in the cardigan but I did dig up this one holding her first kittens Ginger and Cookie (who is now sadly deceased due to the coyotes around here).

When she first started wearing it, the zippered cardigan was like a coat and was down to her knees. Julia kept growing and she kept wearing the sweater. Everywhere we went, people loved the pullover. Eventually it morphed into this design that I did for Interweave although it is much different - less Fair Isle and a pullover with cables. I called it "Stop Traffic Circles Pullover" because as Julia walked around in her version, people constantly stopped us, asking me if I made the sweater. You can buy the "Stop Traffic" pattern here on Interweave's website.

Next it morphed into the Seeing Dots Zippered Cardigan made in Pretty Pink Julia Yarn - a much easier version with polka dots made with embroidery. The zipper pull had fun pom poms attached to it. Too bad Julia didn't get to wear that sweater around town.

You can buy the Seeing Dots cardigan pattern on Interweave's on-line store here. Julia's Seeing Dots Zippered Cardigan was done when my friend Pam Allen was the editor of Interweave Knits. It was so popular that it then morphed into a woman's version which was a web exclusive design and doesn't seem to be for sale on their website. (What's up with that Interweave? Add it please!)

And so now, here is the next version - The Book Nook Cardigan.

It is made in my Julia Yarn (as are all the sweaters in Color By Kristin). This time, the border has a picot trim. The edgings are made in multiple garter stitch ridges. I used the girly colors of Magenta, Espresso, Lady's Mantle, and Blue Thyme. The border has a bit of embroidery in the form of French Knots. I used a separating zipper for the closure.

Here is the swatch of the pattern without the French knots - it gives you a better idea of the colors and the pattern.

If you are wondering how to insert a separating zipper into a cardigan, check out my tutorial here on my blog - Separating Zipper Tutorial.

So, are you all sick of the previews yet? There are more to come. Hope to catch up with some of you in Hartford at Stitches! And as always, you can purchase an autographed copy of Color By Kristin here on my website. Thank you for your continuing support.

Kids in Knitting Photo Shoots and Another Preview from Color by Kristin

2009-10-22T07:21:00.002-04:00

Photo shoots with kids are always dicey. Over the years, I have been involved in my fair share of shoots jampacked with little toddlers, babies and grade schoolers. When I was in my 20's - I really didn't have a clue how to make it work - little kids were a mystery to me. Now, over 25 years later and after living through a kid, I know their little quirks. Some kids just aren't interested in having their photos taken even though their parents want them to be in the photo. Some kids can be coerced with a bit of bribery. Some kids have a photo shoot time of availability of about 5 minutes. And then some kids are stellar models. Now that I take so many photos of Julia for this blog, I have learned to be really fast. I check her mood and bribe her with ice cream bonuses (and now some cash!).

Color by Kristin had been in the works for way over a year before the photo shoot happened. I knew I wanted to include two sweaters for kids in the book - one zippered cardigan and one pullover. They were both modeled on drop shouldered colorful designs that I have been knitting for Julia since she was an infant. I designed a striped pullover and had it knit up to fit Julia in shades of Geranium, Rock Henna, Chartreuse, Golden Honey, and Espresso. It was the first design I did for this new book. I figured Julia could model it. And then she grew..... it was over a year later and of course that happened - what was I thinking?. A month before the shoot, I designed a second pullover variation and had it knit big enough so it would fit Julia. And it was - then. Sadly she has grown some more and now it doesn't fit anymore. I sent it off on the Color by Kristin Trunk Show and it may be coming to a store near you.

As the photo shoot drew near, I knew I had to find a second model to show off the other little sweaterl Luckily, Julia's little friend Bridget fit into the first sweater and so I had two - slightly willing - models. Bridget and Julia are the best of pals so I kept my fingers crossed that magic would happen. I picked the kids up at school, brought them home and helped them change into the clothes Julie The Stylist had left for them. This was dicey to say the least - they weren't much into changing out of their own clothes into clothes that they couldn't keep. Somehow I talked them into it.

Out the door they went. And then they promptly refused to have their photos taken. I must admit, it must be a little scary - two strange men holding big black cameras and enormous white scrims, one nervous mother, and an Art Director dressed all in black from NYC.

Luckily John Gruen, The Photographer, is a Dad and is great with kids and tells funny stories. His assistant was a Dad too so we had a chance. We set the girls up in the doorway. This is Julia's crossed arms position - "No Mommy, I'm not going to do that" even with a smile on her face.

Next, we asked them if they were friends. "Oh yeah, we are Best Friends." And that's where the name of the sweater duo came from - the girls named it "Best Friends Pullovers."

The girls were warming up and becoming comfortable in front of all the equipment. Next we tempted them with kittens.

Things were getting better but the kittens covered up the sweaters.... I asked them if they wanted to take a little walk. The sun was starting to get low in the sky and the light was awesome. The brightly colored sweaters popped against the gray November day and scenery. They were warming up a little more.

Please girls, walk slowly. Oh, yeah - like kids will slow down..... But they did and magic happened. Here's my favorite photo of the day.

Aren't they just the cutest little girls? And the sweaters are quite nice too....

I'm going to Stitches in Hartford tonight and am teaching classes on Friday and Saturday. I don't have any book signings set up but if you want me to sign a book, just ask. I should be hanging around the Westminster Fibers Booth in between classes or looking around the market. The last few times I have done signings at Stitches they were pretty poorly attended. It's quite embarassing to sit in someone's booth and have noone come - bad for the booth and no fun for me! I think there is just too much stimulation there for knitters to even think about having a book signed.

If you aren't going to Stitches, you can order a signed book from my website here.

Sheep Chores at Leyden Glen Farm

2009-10-21T07:30:00.000-04:00

Every two weeks, on Mondays, The Farmer takes lambs to the slaughterhouse in Athol for our local meat business Leyden Glen Lamb. Sometimes he catches the lambs by himself and sometimes they are in a pasture far away from the house where it is really difficult to load them into the borrowed trailer. A couple weeks ago, it was a rainy weekend with heavy mist falling all day Sunday. He wasn't feeling very energetic. The sheep were very far away - in the middle of our neighbor's field. Julia and I were called in to assist. The Farmer had built a temporary pen of hog panels way out in the field. Julia and I walked gingerly through the pasture, trying to miss the burdock, and hoping not to slip and fall into sheep manure.

The dogs and The Farmer had already herded all of the sheep into the pen..... except for one - "The Jumper" - who had of course already jumped the four foot fence.

The pen was full of over 200 sheep. From amongst this group, we had to quickly decide which lambs we were going to "ship" to the slaughterhouse. It goes kind of like this....

The Farmer: So, what do you think?
Kristin: That one, right over there... it looks pretty big.
The Farmer: No, it's a ewe lamb.
Kristin: Okay, how bout that one, right next to the brown and white spotted sheep.
The Farmer: Okay, I'll try.

And then he does his best to catch the lamb that we think is the biggest and ready for processing into meat for our lamb business. Most of our ewe lambs have had their tails docked (removed). It makes it easier to distinguish the ewe lambs from the ram lambs. We keep most of the ewe lambs for replacement breeding stock.

He puts the nylon braided halter onto the lamb and then gently moves it towards me. I open the gate carefully, just wide enough to let The Farmer and the lamb out and taking care not to let anyone else escape. The sheep is loaded into the trailer and we shut the door.

We repeat the process 6 or 7 more times, depending on how many lambs are at finished weight. We don't have a livestock scale and it is something we are hoping to buy next year if we can find the money. Knowing the weight of the live animal would make it easier to determine the finished weight of the lamb carcass. But for now, we use our eyes and intuition.

Julia is used to all our sheep chores now and doesn't mind standing around or helping if she is able. The other day, she just watched in the rain. While we were standing there, me working the gate and Julia watching and offering moral support, who do you think appeared?

You're right? That's Cora. She had worked her way over to Julia. It really was quite amazing. Cora has been wild amongst all the ewes since last spring, grazing all the time. But she hasn't forgotten Julia evidently. She stood next to her the entire time we were there. Julia talked to her and I just watched amazed. Cora's lamb Jackson was one of the first lambs to go into our meat business last summer. He was huge - no surprise since she is such a good mom. Maybe this coming year, Cora will have a ewe lamb that we will keep. I'll hope so. It would be nice to have offspring from her - kind and gentle and easy-going.

After we loaded all the lambs, it was time to get the flock back to the pasture that they would graze for the next couple days. We had to be extra careful not to let anyone escape - considering how wet we were and how bad we wanted to get back to our cosy house. Eeyore was waiting for his pals.

Down they walked towards Julia and me. We were standing guard at a gap in the fence, flapping our arms so the sheep would not escape. If they did, it would an extra hour to our chore and none of us wanted to do that!

They kept coming, all 200 plus of them.

Just below where we were standing, there was a deep gulley caused by erosion. The sheep were spooked and none of them wanted to go down into the gulley.

Finally, there was such a huge pile-up of animals that they had no choice but to climb down and up the other side.

The flock kept on coming - going down the gulley and quickly up the other side.

And then they were all through and Julia and I pulled up the rear, bringing the fence with us. We enclosed them in the electronet and let them graze quietly for the night.

Monday morning early, The Farmer drove the trailer over to Athol and unloaded the lambs at Adams Farm. In about 10 days, we will pick the meat up and bring it back to our freezers, ready to sell to our customers. This is just one of the many chores we do to produce the meat we sell at our lamb shack, at farmer's markets, and to local restaurants. And you were there!

Farmer's Markets Memories and Another Preview from Color By Kristin

2009-10-20T07:32:00.001-04:00

The Farmer’s Markets are almost over for the season. Julia and my official duties of local markets (Bernardston and Northfield) have stopped for the season. The Farmer (Our Farmer) is still doing South Hadley (in front of the Odyssey Bookshop) on Thursdays and he has just started doing Northampton’s Tuesday Market behind Thornes’ Marketplace from 2 to 7. (We are hoping to be at this market next year every week.) Tomorrow, late in the day, we hope to all be at the Northampton Tuesday market so stop by if you are local.

We all have spent an enormous amount of time setting up our booths and sitting and trying to sell our pasture raised frozen lamb. I liken the whole experience to the trade shows I used to do when I worked for the yarn company….. set it all up, hope people will come, talk about your product you are passionate about and believe in and hope to collect orders or cash. There is good and bad about every week - mostly to do with the weather and how many people show up to shop.

What I didn’t think about, going in, was the relationships that we would develop with the other vendors and the customers. That has been the most rewarding part of attending Farmer’s Markets. Julia is really mourning the loss of the Farmer's Markets. She has so enjoyed talking to all the vendors. They have been incredibly patient with her and for that I thank them.

Most of the markets offer some kind of food for sale as an enticement to get shoppers to come to shop and eat a quick dinner. Julia seems to be constantly starved (growing girl, you know). After severe begging for a grilled burger every week, I decided to teach her where money comes from.... I told her that she couldn't have anything to eat unless we sold some lamb. I would say that this has been the lesson of the summer for Julia. She is beginning to know where money comes from and how hard it is to make. There have been market days where we have sat for 4 hours and not sold a thing. She hasn't eaten..... And she has not complained. She knew that no cash means no food. It has been a great life lesson for both of us. For her, she is starting to know where money comes from. For me, it has been that she is starting to pay attention to such things....

Here is the wrap-up of our local markets complete with photos of the vendors and some of the customers.....

Ervin and Gloria from Coyote Hill Farm grow the most amazing fruits and vegetables. Every market, I shopped for dinner knowing I was buying fresh, organic veggies that were unbelievably fresh and delicious. Ervin and Gloria came to their farm in Bernardston after careers in Boston. They grow an acre of veggies organically (although they aren't certified). They take such care with all their fruits and vegetables - from selling and describing them to packing them away into the neat brown paper bags they send their products away in.

Some of the delicious watermelons from Coyote Hill Farm....

Flowers also are available from Coyote Hill Farm....

Julie (not Julia) is a jam and jelly maker from Guilford, Vermont. Julie is incredibly witty and funny and a joy to be around. She sells plants early in the season and then moves on to her own canned products. Her stand is always neat and tidy and there are always delicious samples she gives away.

I love the colors in Julie's jam and jelly display.

Alexa and her mom Nola make delicious cakes and cookies flavored with lavender. Nola's mom Doris (who died at 92 a couple years ago) planted a large field of lavender which they both tend and harvest. Nola is a nurse by trade and a horsewoman in her off hours and Alexa is a bubbling font of humour and cheerfulness. Both Julia and I enjoy their energy so much.

Kerrie is a fellow "meat girl." She and her family run Wells Tavern Farm in Shelburne, MA. They raise pastured heritage breed pigs, rare breed cows, and heritage turkeys and chickens. She and her family also sell their meat through their website "Wells Tavern Farm." Her bacon is the best - maple cured from heritage pigs! Yum.....Kerrie also writes a nice farm blog...... Kerrie's blog link.

Robin Severance sells sweet maple products from the sugar bush she and her husband Milt farm in Northfield, MA. If Julia wasn't diabetic, we would be very good customers! But Robin loves Julia just the same.

And so, on to the latest Preview from Color By Kristin.... This is a Fair Isle Shopping Bag that is knit in the round and then embroidered after finishing. Although it is named the Knitters On the Go Tote, it would easily hold groceries from your local Farmer's Market. The strong and sturdy handles are from Homestead Heirlooms who I met up with at last year's Baltimore Stitches Market. I sewed them on after finishing and lining the bag.

I have put a complete photo set of all the projects from my new book up on Flickr. Here is the Flickr Link. If you want to have a quick browse, it is the easiest place to do it. I will continue to write about my projects here, until I am done showing you all the fun projects included in my latest book.

You can order my new book here on my website. But by all means, please buy it from your local yarn or bookstore if they carry it. They need your support.

Fall Sunflowers + Another Preview from Color by Kristin

2009-10-19T07:30:00.001-04:00

The day I was leaving for Detroit, I stopped by the Sunflower Field to take a last look. The weather was said to be turning colder and I knew I had to take some photos since it would be a good nine months before I could enjoy the flowers again. The flowers were still blooming and there were hundreds that were fighting to hang on and bloom. We had planted several rows late in August hoping for a late frost.

The wind was whipping and it was difficult to take any focused photos. This flower looks cold against the changing leaves, naked trees, and grey sky.

The bees on this Mammoth Sunflower were fighting for the last bit of pollen.

While I was gone, the weather did indeed turn very cold, so cold that all the flowers died. Today, I stopped by to see them. Everything was shriveled, looking fragile and sad.

The large Mammoth Sunflowers never got real big this year due to the wet weather and really late start. Here is one bending towards the earth, ready to compost into the ground and enrich the soil for next year.

Which leads me to how you can enjoy sunflowers this winter.... on my "lazy daisy tea cosy" project from my new book Color by Kristin.

This tea cosy is one of the easiest projects in the book. It is knit in the round (only one color per round). It features a bobbled edge and a fun knitted knob. After it was knit, I decorated it with bobbles, French knots, lazy daisies and woven bar leaves. You can order a signed copy of my new book directly from my website here. But please, support your local book and yarn store if they are stocking Color by Kristin. Thank you.

Another Color by Kristin Preview + I'm Back from Detroit

2009-10-16T13:00:00.001-04:00

I'm back from Detroit after taping six new segments for the upcoming season of Knit & Crochet Today. I'm rather exhausted and trying to fit back into my normal every day life which I welcome.

On my way back, I spent quite a few hours waiting for a plane at the Detroit Airport (which is very nice). I picked up some mags I usually don't read, except for when I am on business trips. In the new issue of MacLife, I stumbled upon this two page spread about Dinglab's Laptop Sock made of "eco-tex" certified 50% acrylic/50% cotton yarn. I just got such a charge out of seeing knitting in this magazine.

Which leads me to my next preview from Color By Kristin. It is a Felted Laptop Cosy which I think is miles prettier than this Dinglab cotton/acrylic version. My laptop cosy is knit in the round in my Julia Wool/Mohair/Alpaca yarn in a lovely Fair Isle pattern and garter stitch stripes using colors Lady's Mantle, Deep Blue Sea, Rock Henna, and Magenta. I designed it to fit 3 different sizes of laptops. I just sent it off to Soho to participate in the traveling trunk show of "Color by Kristin" projects, otherwise I would sure be using it! The finished felted cosy is so thick and lovely. You can order signed copies of my new book here.

Here are some scenes from "behind the scenes" at Knit and Crochet Now - yes, that is a new name! The new season will start airing in January on over 125 PBS stations. There are so many really great projects this year. It was great fun demo-ing them all. I spent hours and hours with Candi Jensen (the Producer), Susan Levin (Candi's assistant and author in her own right), The Host Brett Bara, and "experts" Drew Emborsky, Maggie Pace, and Myra Wood (Robin Chachula's replacement while she is on maternity leave).

Here is the staging area we hung around in while waiting to go on the air.

Here are the needles, hooks and tools we used on air that were supplied by one of the underwriters - Boye Needle Co.

Here's my crocheted afghan and embroidered pillows decorating the blue velvet couch. Don't they look great?? So cheerful.

Here is the overhead camera that films the close-ups of my hands as I am knitting. You have to be careful to hold your work under it and not stick your head into the frame. It's a bit difficult but after some practice I was all set. That is Brett, The Host and Fred, The Floor Manager in the bottom right of the photo.

Here are the stairs where Brett, The Host, introduces and closes the shows. Each time she is filmed, the lights and cameras have to be moved.

Here is the table I demo-ed at.

Here are my "step-outs" all lined up and ready to talk about. Yes, I had to knit all of them.......

Here's more stuff necessary to make the show.

And then, my camera died! These photos don't include the "control room" and all the folks sitting back there!

All in all, this was a great experience. I am so much more relaxed at appearing on t.v now - it's even fun!

I'll be at Stitches next weekend - on Friday and Saturday. When I'm not teaching, I'll be in the Westminster Fibers booth so stop by!

Sheep Escape

2009-10-13T07:01:00.001-04:00

Late the other afternoon, the sheep were missing. They had broken out of their electro-net fence and were nowhere to be seen. It's a little hard to misplace 200 plus sheep so we knew they couldn't really be missing. The Farmer and dogs went out to look for them. They were high on a hill full of lush green grass which hadn't been hayed in a few months about a half mile from their fenced in pasture. They were enjoying a nice snack.

Julia and I hopped in the truck to take a look at them. It was a gorgeous late afternoon and the leaves were just beginning to turn orange and gold. Although the sky wasn't clear blue, it was full of dramatic grey clouds.

At this time of year the burdocks have turned brown and they are all over the edges of hayfields and the sides of roads. The sheep were covered with them - a handspinner's nightmare, I know but it is pretty impossible to keep our sheep out of the "hitchhikers."

Eeyore was looking over everyone. He started walking towards me and I saw that he too was covered with burrs. Really covered.

I turned to take a photo of the landscape and all of a sudden I felt a large shove in my back. I lost my balance and turned around. Eeyore was sticking his head in my back and now his hitchhiking burrs were all over my sweater. I'm still picking them off. Never know what each day brings.