This Just In! Color by Kristin Advance Copy

I have had my name on the cover of eight books. The excitement really doesn't get old. And so you can just imagine the flurry here today when Fedex delivered my advance copy of Color by Kristin. I was a bit fearful to open the package. Although I poured long and hard over proof pages a couple months ago, trying to make sure everything was right, I was anxious to see the pages actually printed on a printing press (vs. laser computer output). What would the cover be like? The endpapers? How will the words sit on the actual page.

And so here it is in Julia's hands ......


Writing a knitting book is very much a giant process. From conceptual book idea, to swatching of projects, knitting of projects, photography. Then writing the patterns, proofing the patterns, handing it off to the publisher (this book is being published by the wonderful team at Soho Publishing). The chores and tasks go on and on. As an author, I step in and out of the book making process as the publisher needs me. I help when needed and keep my fingers crossed that everything will be presented as I already had envisioned it.

This book is really quite special to me and I hope knitters will like it as much as I enjoyed doing it. What I like about this book is that it presents the way I design and think in a logical manner. It teaches the knitter how to design Fair Isle Patterns themselves. It teaches how to work with color. It teaches steeking. It teaches duplicate stitch and embroidery. And it does it all in an easy to follow format.

Color By Kristin isn't only about learning to design - it has over 20 projects with complete directions so that if you don't want to design something yourself, you can follow my directions explicitly. I've included small projects (mittens, gloves, hats, scarves), larger projects - baby blankets, adult and children's sweaters, and lots of colorful home decor including pillows, bolsters, tea cosies, and french press cosies. Each pattern also gives the knitter a guide as to how to change the project themselves to make it their own. All of the projects are knit in my beautiful Julia Wool/Mohair/Alpaca yarn.

Color by Kristin really does show my work in an authentic atmostphere - All of the projects were photographed at our farm - both outside and inside. Here Julia is looking at the photo of her and her friend Bridget in some super cute Fair Isle Pullovers.


As with all of my books, you can order signed copies directly from me. I will sign them to you or a friend. I always appreciate the direct sales of books from my website.

And so - here you all go - here is the link to my webpage where you can see a preview of some of the projects in Color by Kristin. Here is the link to buy Color by Kristin directly from our little farm. If you do order from me, please fill in in the space provided on the order form who you would like the book inscribed to. If this line isn't filled in, I will just sign it generically......

As for the delivery date, I have just heard that I will probably have books by the end of September (instead of the November that is on my Shop Page at the moment.) As soon as I receive my copies, I will sign and pack them all up and we will do a big run to the post office. Keep checking on my blog as I will announce here when the books come in and go out to all of you who kindly order from me! Thanks to all of you for your continuing support!

Kristin's Project in Interweave's Knitted Gifts Book

My friend Ann Budd is a prolific author (The Knitters Handy Book of Patterns and The Knitters Handy Book of Sweater Patterns) along with being a book editor and a mom. A while back, she asked me to do a pillow for a book project she was working on for Interweave Press. I suggested a Fair Isle project -- because that is the type of knitting I am/was into at the moment. She said okay and off I went - swatching away. Here is the swatch idea I came up with for this knitted pillow, using my Julia Wool/Mohair/Alpaca. I played with colorwork and light and dark shades by swapping the same colors on a chart.


Then I added some details which picked up the colors in the stripes I separated the patterns with. Here is some duplicate stitch and french knots on the center of the motifs.


Then I wanted to further tie the the contrasting colors together. I added french knots in a color I call Purple Basil every other stitch on either side of the reverse stockinette stitch ridges.


Today in the mail came my copy of Knitted Gifts.


As always, I paged through, looking for my project before examining the rest of the projects.


Besides this project, there are many, many other quick knitting projects that will make great gifts. Most of them are very easy and they range from wearables to home dec to babies and kids. There is definitely something in this book you will want to knit.

Thank you to Ann for the opportunity to design a project for her latest book.

Sunflowers Finally Growing

It's been a really difficult year to be any kind of farmer. We had almost an entire month of solid rain and no sun during June and July. Our sunflower field was constantly under water. We planted, the seeds rotted, we planted again and the seeds rotted again. I was really doubtful there would be any flowers but I always have hope!

The rain finally stopped at the end of July and some of the seeds did germinate. This past week, The Farmer and I have been trying to get the weeds under control. It has been brutally hot. If you know me, you know how much I hate the heat. In fact, when I worked at the yarn company, I was always so thankful for my job in the summer because of the air conditioning.

Being a farmer, there is no escaping the heat. (And I am thankful for it because the heat sure does make plants grow.) I have been heading down to the field in the early morning and near dusk to weed a few rows every day. (Is it my imagination that even the field seems to be steamy and sweating in the photo below?)


Between The Farmer and me, the field is looking better and the plants should be able to grow and bloom in September like they always do! WIth the heat, the plants easily grow 6 inches in a day!

Don't forget my Sunflower / Knitting / Stitching Immersion Weekend September 19 and 20th. There are still a couple spaces left. Next week, I will reveal the project the students will be making during part of the weekend (if they so choose - there will be plenty of options). It promises to be a creative, delicious, beautiful and fun weekend all at the same time! And there will be sunflowers!

Greenfield's Community Free Harvest Supper

Sunday was Greenfield's Free Harvest Supper held on the Town Common smack dab in the center of town. The line snaked around the common. Diners were very patient, amazingly so in the intense heat.

Our lamb business, Leyden Glen Lamb, donated lamb meat. The organizers were expecting 700 or more people so obviously we couldn't donate enough for everyone. The chefs roasted it, cut it into small pieces and this lovely woman was passing it out to everyone waiting in line. What a surprise when I happened upon her.


This server was so enthusiastic and thrilled with giving out half ears of corn. He said it was his 4th Harvest Supper to volunteer at.


Diners have to bring their own plates, bowls, utensils and cups if they want to eat. The organizers try to make the event as trash free as possible. Here is the composting station for leftovers.


Many, many people are involved in putting this event together. Most of the meal features the vegetable bounty of our area, all donated by local farmers. Here's our friend Ervin's full plate.


Many of the restaurants in town donate their spaces for cooking in, including our friends at Hope and Olive. Here's Maggie and Evelyn, co-owners of H & O in Foster's Market's refrigerator truck doling out the various salads to the volunteer servers. They were lucky, considering the heat on Sunday.


Here's our friend Diane and her daughter Lorilei sitting at one of the packed tables enjoying their feast. Diane is a knitter, graphic artist, book designer and just so happens to be the moderator for the "Kristin Knits" page on Ravelry.


Our good friend Clara loves to make costumes. She frequently dresses up as an ear of corn and marches in the local agricultural parades. Clara also happens to be a knitter and a wonderful stitcher. On Sunday she turned herself into a pansy with her awesome homemade costume and passed out tomatoes and peaches as appetizers to all the people waiting in the line.

Maybe next year I'll get it together to help cook for this project. Normally we are away and have not even had the opportunity to attend. It sure was a fun late afternoon.

Greenfield Free Harvest Supper

Lots of running around to Farmer’s Markets this week. It was a rather slow week at most of the markets. I’m thinking many families are on vacation since summer is coming to a close – sadly. We’re taking next week off from the markets to rejuvenate ourselves and take a breather.

The word around here is all the disappointment gardeners are experiencing because of the blight that is affecting tomato and potato crops. My tomatoes are fine (so far) even if they aren’t bearing too much yet. I check them daily to see if the blight has hit yet. So far, so good. We shall see…… Here is the first bit of my crop. Funny how the yellow ones always bear first.


This Sunday, August 16, 2009, is the 4th “Greenfield Free Harvest Supper.” Our Leyden Glen Farm donated some of our local lamb. If it goes as well as last year, the organizers expect to feed over 700 people on the Greenfield Town Common. (No, we didnt' donate enough lamb for everyone - that would take our entire supply for the year!) All of the food is donated by local farms and volunteers run the entire project. We are excited to be a very small part of it. You have to bring your own place setting, if you plan on attending.

On a good note, the sunflowers are growing! I’ve been weeding all week – trying to do a row a day. The crop won’t be as spectacular as usual but at least there will be a crop!

Dressing the Fridge!

I suppose this really doesn't qualify as a "craft" but this project reminds me of scrapbooking and so I'm including it here on my blog! When we moved into our farmhouse, we inherited a nasty looking fridge in the basement kitchen. When renovating the house, we decided to move the kitchen to the main floor of the house so I wouldn't be slaving away in the cellar scullery while everyone else was having a good time in front of the fireplace. It was a huge and expensive project but one I have never regretted.

The old "scullery" kitchen is now my studio. (I've always loved that word scullery - it does seem so apropos for my studio considering all the ideas I cook up down there.) It is a perfect space for me and my work with a big picture window and a door to the outside patio and garden. My laundry is there so as I am working away on whatever project I am doing at the moment, I can throw a load of wash into the washer. The scullery studio is also set off from the rest of the house so my family doesn't bother my works in progress. The screened in porch is just off my studio. In the summer and warmer months, it is ideal - I can work there and stay cool. I decided to keep all the kitchen appliances where they were - it was cheaper and I figured I could always use them at sometime. I use the old stove for dyeing wool and fabrics and making tea and the fridge is great for overflow food for parties. I use the wall oven for the Thanksgiving turkey.

The fridge sure was nasty looking! Because the basement is really damp (we have a fieldstone foundation and part of the basement is still dirt), everything metal rusts even though I have a de-humidifier that runs constantly! I devised a way to hid the nastiness by covering the fridge with photos. Every year or two, I have to re-do the photos because they get moldy-ish and wrinkly and start to peel off the fridge.

Before my big class weekend, I re-did the fridge using photos from one of my favorite books - Sheila Paine's "Embroidery from India and Afghanistan." I used an exact-o-blade and cut the pages out of the book. Using double stick tape, I taped them onto the fridge layering the entire thing. Then I cut out little detail shots and taped them on top of the first layer.

The finished fridge has the feeling of a quilt made of embroidered fabrics and inside is a cool spot to keep beer, seltzer, ice tea and some white wine. And since this is a farm, it is also stocked with some some crazy looking sinister bottles of medicine and syringes for the sheep (Vitamin B, worming medicine, and penicillin).


Of course you could do this project with any kind of photo from your own collection or from books and magazines. I can even envision a large collage mod-podged all together and applied to a fridge. The possibilities are endless.

Wild Blueberries Close to Leyden Glen Farm

First off this week, here’s a good article from the NYTimes Magazine section by Michael Pollan about food and cooking that might get you thinking. I wanted to link to it before it disappears. If you don’t get a chance to read it, print it out for later – it is long and I know that sometimes it is impossible to fit something like this into a busy day! Me too - I have the same problem. It has taken me four days to read it!

Here in western Massachusetts it is wild blueberry harvest time. Our neighbors have been harvesting their wild blueberries for a week now. Julia and I drove up to the field last week to see what the crop looked like. It was amazing. I think the water has actually helped the berries! They are literally dripping off the little plants. I personally love their color - the rich dark ultramarine blue is breath-taking. The photo below is at sunset.


I wrote about the burning of the blueberry fields two springs ago here. The burning of the plants forces them to re-grow. On the new growth, the second year, berries grow in abundance. It is very exciting to see the harvest after ten years of the fields not being harvested. I have been taking the wild blueberries to the local Farmer's Markets I have been attending to sell them for my neighbors.


We couldn't resist a little sampling.

The next morning, a bit after sunrise, I drove up to the field to see if I could get any good photos. I got there a bit too late - the sun was already too high in the sky. Here's what it looks like from the field looking to the east and the mountains of New Hampshire.

Here are the berries covered in dew early that morning.

If you are local and want to buy the berries direct from the farm, follow the directions to our farm. At the very end of the directions (at the end of S. Schoolhouse Road), take a left and go up the hill. The berry shack is the middle barn. There is a little sign. They are open for sales from 1 to 5 in the afternoon or by chance.

The berries are $22. for a box of 10 pounds and $42 for a box of 20 pounds. They freeze beautifully. It's nice to go into a winter with a bunch of wild blueberries in your freezer for pies, scones, muffins, and yogurt.

Weekend Classes at Kristin and Mark's Leyden Glen Farm

I'm finally getting a chance to post pictures of last weekend's Inaugural "Get Stitched on the Farm" weekend class. From these photos, you'll get the idea of what we did although by all means do these show everything. Next time, I must do a better job of documenting the students work!

Everyone arrived early on Saturday morning. Julia made little hand lettered nametags, we shared a cup of coffee and got acquainted. Then it was off to learn about sheep farming from Mark (aka The Farmer).


Here, The Farmer is talking about rotational grazing and teaching the knitters more about sheep farming. He is holding a section of electronet fence and demonstrating how the fields are fenced and grazed,

The lambs grazing in the field as we looked on.


After a tour of the farm, I gave a little tour of our farmhouse. I explained how I did all the different wall treatments including the handpainted walls in the dining room.


Here is the bookcase in the living room full of my textile and The Farmer's animal husbandry books. The house looks pretty clean, doesn't it? (Not an easy task, I might add!)

It seems that a lot of the experience this weekend was centered on food. We grow food here and our Leyden Glen Lamb figured prominently on the menu. I had the good fortune of having some very good friends who volunteered their time and exceptional cooking and baking skills on this first inaugural weekend. Linda Pratt was the Chef (Linda's real gig is Marketing Manager at Westminster Fibers where my yarn Julia and my new sock yarn Best Foot Forward is on the roster in the Nashua Handknits product range). Cathy Payson, longtime friend (and now Creative Director at JCA) did all the baking of miraculous cookies, muffins, and breads. Here is the kitchen table with the morning snacks, coffee and tea arranged.


Julia's official job was to keep us on schedule. I gave her a clipboard of the schedule and she constantly reminded all of us what we were supposed to be doing at what time! When it turned 9 p.m. at night, she told everyone the class was over. Needless to say, noone heeded her direction and dinner conversation lasted until 11 p.m.!


We started out the knitting day in my studio. I gave a quick overview of how I use my natural surroundings to influence my designing with color. Then we began working. First up was learning to make a steek using my sewing machine and the swatch the students brought with them. Each of them was terrified to sew a steek. But after a couple deep breaths, they took turns sewing and cutting. Later, they wondered what they were so apprehensive of!

The gang with their successful steeked swatches! Don't they look proud and excited!

The knitting portion of the classes were held on the porch.

Here we are finishing up our lunch on the porch Saturday afternoon.



Unfortunately, I didn't get photos of the beautiful embroidered, fringed swatches everyone made. I wish I did because you all would have found them to be so inspirational! As it was, my friend Cathy took many of these photos! Thanks Cathy!

After the knitting day was over, the fun really began! Mark drove his enormous tractor into the yard and using a bale of hay, everyone climbed aboard the haywagon. Here are the knitters riding on the haywagon as The Farmer drives us all up one of the giant hills on our road. In the beginning, everyone was hanging on for dear life but after a couple minutes, everyone relaxed and enjoyed all the very green scenery.


At the top of "Our World" taking a break from the hayride and enjoying the beautiful view to the west.

Another easterly view of the hayride.


On our way back, we stopped the hay wagon, hopped off and stopped in at our neighbor's blueberry shed. They had just started harvesting their low bush blueberries that day. We had a quick little lesson in blueberry harvesting and then everyone bought boxes and quarts and took them home for their freezers and friends. Yummy low bush, wild blueberries are a real treat every August!


Dinner lasted for a good long time - between Linda and The Farmer, the leg of lamb was done just right. Accompanied by veggies from the garden and the farmer's market, it was a great meal. We ended with pints of Bart's ice cream and Cathy's awesome brownies. Yum!

Sunday morning, the students got a preview of my new book and even got to see all the projects.

After that, we spent the morning learning edging stitches and tricks. After a rather rushed lunch, everyone packed up their embroidered, edged, and steeked swatches, blueberries, memories and assorted treasures and headed off back to their own worlds.

My family and I loved sharing our special place here in western Massachusetts with the knitters who came. It wasn't a typical "knitting retreat" nor was it envisioned to be. I wanted the retreat to reflect who we are as a family - farmers, knitter, designer, art lovers and family. I think with the help of my friends Linda and Cathy, we pulled it off. There were some kinks, as could be expected but none too insurmountable to fix by the next weekend.

Incidentally, the next "Get Stitched on the Farm" Knitting Immersion Weekend is September 19th and 20th. It promises to be a fun time full of sunflowers (fingers crossed there!), knitting, sheep, wool, color, and good food.

Kristin's Peruvian Ch'ulla Julia Yarn Hat in Fall 2009 Vogue Knitting

The new Fall 2009 Vogue Knitting is out. There is a whole section on hats which I contributed a project to. It's a Peruvian Ch'ulla style hat with pointy earflaps and multi-colored pompoms. Here's the photo they took on the pretty model.


Here's the photo I took on the sidewalk at the Fedex office before the hat raced off to their NYC offices. I think the flat view gives you more to knit from. Feel free to print this photo out as your knitting guide if you decide to make this project. It is, of course, knit with Julia Wool/Mohair/Alpaca.


This is a relatively easy hat to knit (I made it in less than a day). The flaps are made by decreasing at the center of the cast-on stitches to form a V-shaped earflap. The Fair Isle Patterning is knit in the round and the shaping is made at the garter stitch pattern dividing rounds. There is minimal embroidery on the hat. After completing, I sewed on the earflaps and attached multi-colored pom poms.

I use a Clover pom pom maker to make my pom poms. They turn out thick and squishy and I waste less yarn. I have a very old one which I treat with extreme care because the plastic is easily broken. I know there is a newly redesigned Clover pom pom maker out there now that I have yet to try.

The nice thing about this hat is that besides being a quick knit, it also works for boys and girls and men. I frequently see teenagers wearing this style hat walking around town.

Which leads me to a question... Do you ever knit a project shown in a magazine or a pattern leaflet for a man if it is shown on a woman? Or vice versa?

I'm still working on the weekend wrap-up post. Taking longer because of all the photos. Turner's Falls Farmer's Market this afternoon! Hope the thunderstorm holds off!

A Blog with A View on The First "Get Stitched" Knitting Weekend

I'm off to the Bernardston Farmer's Market to sell our Leyden Glen Lamb this afternoon with Julia after delivering ground lamb and stew meat to Greenfields Market and sample ribs and shoulder to a swanky restaurant in Sunderland who is interested in our lamb. Running, running, running around this summer......

I'm still working on the post about the "Get Stitched Weekend" but you can find a write-up about the weekend in the eyes of one of the participants here at Pug&Yarn. Check it out. In September, I'm running the Sunflower Immersion/Knitting/Stitching Weekend. Happily, the sunflowers are up and there will be some. We're not supposed to have too much rain this week which should help them grow some!

And The BFF Kristin Sock Yarn Winners Are...

The winners of Kristin's BFF Sock Yarn are.....

Vicki Stammer
Elizmcryn
710 East Myrtle Ave,

I've notified them all by email and am awaiting their addresses. If I don't get replies by this Friday, I will draw other winners!

The weekend was a big hit - I have some photos to post and I'm hoping to get some more from the guests as I was too busy to take many photos!