Sunflower Field Yarn-Bombing + Craft Activism Book Giveaway

Our sunflower field was a bit of a bust this year. The weather didn't cooperate too well and we just got too busy to make it look as good as it usually does. I did what I could and crossed my fingers. Lo and behold, we had lots and lots of blooms - not enough to sell at our our roadside stand - bit enough for me to make many gorgeous photos and bouquets for the house for my summer classes. I never even got a chance to put them on the blog. So here is a particularly beautiful shot of a single sunflower. By single, I mean that with each seed, you get one stem with a largish sunflower at the top. These are the kinds of sunflowers that are grown in greenhouses and that you find in the grocery store.

This is one of my favorite varieties. It is called The Joker and the seed is hard to find. Johnny's stopped carrying it and I have no idea where I ever found it.

 I like it because each plant yields at least 20 flowers and they come in many different patterns. Some all yellow, some yellow and henna, some darker rust. Each of the flowers usually has a little frill around the center of the flower.

As the season was waning, I got a little sad about what could have been. That's the way it is with gardening and farming - you live for the possibilities of next year, what you are going to do better, what you are going to let go, and you think about how the heck you can fit it all in with only the daylight hours and all your other responsibilities in your life. We all know how that can change depending on the people in your life and what they need from you, never mind what you really do to make money to feed your family. 

As Sunflower Season was winding down, I came up with one of those "brilliant ideas" - you know, you're driving around in the car, letting your mind wander, thinking of new things to make, bake, cook, visit, do better, or just plain stop doing. I thought about our sunflowers - I think about them a lot in the summer. But summer was turning to autumn and my mind always wanders towards knitting and designing in autumn - when things stop growing outside and I have to make things grow in the house. It's basically a move that I make creatively - from outdoors creativity to indoors creativity.

This was just about the time that I heard about Joan Tapper and Gale Zucker's new book CraftActivism. The thought of the knitters all over the world "yarn bombing" places in their communities was just so much fun. Fiberart and knitting reaching the masses is very cool. But then, where I live, there aren't that many people. But on my blog and website, I do reach the masses - like you all who are reading today. That's when it struck me. I will yarn-bomb our sunflower field - just as the blooms are dying away.

I started knitting and knitting. I didn't stop - for fear of frost. I had to get this job done quickly.

Today, I would like to present to you all my own little bit of yarn-bombing country style. My version of The Joker.

A single handknit and felted Autumn Beauty.....

A branching sunflower full of knitted, felted, and embroidered blossoms.

Pattern for these coming soon.

BUT here's the good news. I have a giveaway for you today.... one copy of Gale Zucker and Joan Tapper's new book CraftActivism donated by their publisher Potter Craft. Their book's blog is here.

Here's how to enter......
Answer this question in the comments: Tell me what you think of yarn bombing.... Have you ever done it? Has it happened in your town? What kind of "craft activism" do you do? (Making things for charities counts). Or do you just think it is plain silly?

Contest ends at Sunday November 13th at 11:59 p.m. Please leave an easy way to get a hold of you!

p.s. Just found this bit of yarn-bombing in the form of handknit scarves left for anyone who wants or needs one in Easton, PA. Knit on all you "Chase the Chill" knitters!

Hooking in the Green Mountains of Vermont at the Shelburne Museum

Nice trip to Shelburne, Vermont this past weekend. Julia and I drove up Friday evening to be there bright and early to set up for my slide presentation to the Annual Meeting of the Green Mountain Rug Hooking Guild. 

They were a great group of dedicated hookers who come from very long distances to attend their meetings. My talk was held at The Shelburne Museum in the cafeteria which is housed in the back part of this old General Store.

Julia and I had time to walk around the Museum which just closed for the season. It was a gorgeous day and so I took some photos of the different buildings that are historic and serve as exhibit spaces. 

The Lighthouse

The Kalkin House

 The Steamboat Ticonderoga

 

The Blacksmith

Besides the Annual Meeting, the members were bringing in their rugs which will be displayed in the Round House of the Shelburne Museum at Hooked in the Moutains XV - the annual show of work by guild members.....

It was quite a scene - very organized and official.

The rugs will be in the Roundhouse.

I wasn't allowed to look at any of the rugs because they were all neatly organized and rolled up. Many rugs came via mail from all over the country. 

I wish I could have seen the show mounted. I doubt I will be able to get back up there - it is a long ride - but I hope some of you do! Let me know what you think. 

Thank you so much to the Guild for inviting me to share my ideas on Color with all of you. What a lovely, inviting, talented group!

Dear Zinnias,

Thank you for your beauty and color.

 

Oh how I will miss your sunny faces.

Until next August......

My Go-To Favorite Very Easy Braised Lamb Shank and Shoulder Recipe

Puppy pic of the day taken last night at dusk. It's tough to tell these guys apart - don't you agree? Archie has an extra patch of color on one side. He's also a little more friendly and brave. Winston tends to stay back. They sure are handsome boys.

Read about some lawn-mowing sheep in the NYTimes Home section here. Hope to see some of you at the Green Mountain Rug Hooking Guild Meeting on Saturday.

Here's my favorite way to treat lamb shanks and shoulders. Truth is, we barely ever get to eat shanks because they are so popular and we have to keep them for our customers. Lamb shoulders treated the same way are gorgeous, just not as photogenic. We eat lamb shoulder roasts braised just like this. I'm slowly turning on many customers to lamb shoulders too. In fact, last week I sold out of them at the market. Should have brought more with me. It is difficult to find lamb shoulders at the grocery store but you can use something they call blade chops or Steaks. That is the butcher's code name for shoulders (at least around here).

Braised Lamb Shanks or Shoulder

This is one of those slow cooking recipes that makes your kitchen smell so warm and inviting on a cold winter day or crisp fall afternoon. Plan on at least 1/2 lb of meat person (for bone-in shoulders) or one lamb one shank per person. When buying bone-in shoulders, a lot of the white you will see in the shoulder roast is connective tissue, not fat. It will cook down slowly and add texture and flavor to the sauce. You can also make this in a slow cooker. Do the lamb browning and onion cooking in a separate pan, then transfer all ingredients to the slow cooker.

NOTE: The sauce, if there is any leftover, makes an awesome pasta sauce. Add some tomatoes and red wine if you need more sauciness.

Lamb shoulder roast, bone-in – approximately 3 to 4 lbs. OR 4 to 6 lamb shanks
¼ cup olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
6 to 8 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
1 28 oz can of Italian tomatoes (or 2 lbs fresh if available)
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
1 tablespoon oregano or Italian dried herbs
1½ cups red wine or chicken or lamb stock
2 bay leaves
Coarse salt and ground pepper

Heat oven to 250 degrees. Heat oil in dutch oven. Brown lamb on all sides. Remove lamb and add onions and garlic. Cook until onions are translucent. Drain off excessive fat. Add tomatoes, carrots, red wine, bay leaves and oregano. Break up tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Return lamb to dutch oven and bring to a boil on top of stove. Lamb should be at least half submerged. If not, add some water.

Immediately, place covered Dutch oven in oven. Bake in oven for 3 to 4 hours. Half way through, flip the lamb over so the opposite side is submerged. Lamb is done when it is falling off the bone and can be cut with a fork.

Serve over polenta (as shown), rice or noodles with green beans or kale and a green salad.

Print this Recipe

A Puppy Update

Power is slowly being restored here in western Massachusetts. We were so fortunate to only be out for about a day. Julia finally went back to school today. And I had so much to do this week and not a lot got done.... This morning was gorgeously foggy and moody before the sun came up.

I ran right out with my camera hoping to capture the moment.

One thing nice about the school bus coming so early in the morning is that I am getting more opportunities at catching the morning light.

Here's Winston with some of the lambs. This gives you an idea of how big the puppies are now. Boy are they growing like crazy.

Each morning, either The Farmer or I get out to check on the sheep...

Feed the puppies and play with them a bit and then open the fences and let everyone out. The lambs come pouring through, jumping up in the air, so happy to be able to graze even if it is frosty and there is still snow on the ground.

They run into the orchard to eat the apples that have fallen overnight. Nessie, Phoebe, Archie, Winston and I went along today. The orchard is kind of spooky with all kinds of falling down apple trees. I think it would be a great place for a photo shoot of some bright colored sweaters someday.

At the top of the orchard, there's a giant series of moss covered rocks. "The boys" obliged me with some photos.

A bunch of you asked where the puppies were during the crazy sheep move I wrote about the other day. We've had 4 different flocks of sheep grazing different fields this summer. The big group, which took the adventure, have been being guarded by Jeremy and Eeyore. The puppies are right out in our front yard with a group of last winter's lambs. This way we can keep an eye on them, socialize them, and walk the fences with them. They are learning to bark and boy do they have "BIG" barks.

Unexpected Adventure

On Sunday, my sister Lynn, Mom, Julia and I were playing cards in the living room in front of the fireplace - trying to keep warm and waiting for the roads to be cleared before they left for sister Laurie's house in eastern Massachusetts. My family isn't much of a game playing family. In fact we stink at it. We don't enjoy board games one bit. All those little pieces and complicated instructions. So what did we end up playing? Go Fish and Old Maid. I got up to make a pot of tea (thank goodness I have a gas stove), looked out at all the snow, and saw a line of sheep running down the road.

Then the phone rang. (Important to keep a corded land line here in the country when power is frequently out.) It was Jim P - one of our neighbors whose family usually helps us move our sheep the five miles down to their winter barns. He said he just saw the sheep and the donkey, running down the road without any human or dog with them. "Really? That's funny. Well, I have a bunch of sheep running by my house too."

I went back to the game, knowing that the phone would ring again, hoping it would be The Farmer saying all of this was well-planned. That wasn't the case. I got a harried phone call. "The sheep are out and they are all over the place. Can you come help?" A quick good-bye to the family, pushed them out the door to eastern Massachusetts and Julia and I hopped in my truck to see what we would find.

At our closest neighbor, I found 20 sheep. Up the road farther, 15 or so more. Two miles up the road, we found The Farmer with a little bunch of 5 lambs about 2 miles from our house. He thought there was a larger group ahead under the wise eye of Jeremy the guard llama. "But what about Eeyore and the others." He didn't know about Jim's phone call and that the large majority of the 300 breeding ewes and their lambs had already taken off with Eeyore. All he knew was that the electricity was gone, there was snow all over the fences, and the sheep had discovered they could escape. Bedlam.

The sheep have run these roads many times. Usually it is a semi-organized affair, complete with lead trucks, 4 wheelers, back up trucks and lots of little kids trailing along. (You can see other photos here and here.) All we could hope was that the sheep and Eeyore would remember where they were going. I have confidence in Eeyore. He might not always keep the coyotes away but he is smart and always looking out for his flock. And he is darn photogenic too.

To say that Sunday was unorganized and chaotic would be an understatement. Sheep were everywhere, no power was available for the fences, dark was coming, snow was deep (24 inches in spots), and I saw a coyote not far from the sheep. We had to move fast to try to get everyone contained somewhere safe before dark. It wasn't going to be easy or pretty. The power was not going to work but at least a fence might.

Julia and I drove ahead to look for Jeremy and his charges. (Boy, I wish she could drive already!) We found him. These photos are from our trip down the road, behind Jeremy and his sheep. As I drove my truck and chatted with Julia, I couldn't help but think about these odd circumstances. I realized I have learned to take things as they come, not worry about perfection whatsoever, and just try to do the best I can with the situation at hand. I think that is one thing farming teaches you. Dealing with animals is totally unpredictable. Multiply that by hundreds of animals and you can imagine the bedlam that can ensue. It's hard to explain to family and friends what we do here. I have given up because they just think we are nuts running after sheep, pricing frozen meat, selling at farmers markets, birthing lambs, buying guard puppies and herding dogs. It is what it is and it is our life. I go other places and I can't believe the quiet and relative peace of friends' lives. Where is the confusion? I know they all have their own little bits of drama - everyone does. It is just that our life is one that is different than the one I ever dreamed to be living when I was a little girl. Different but good. To be sharing it with Julia - with all the ups and downs it brings is really quite an amazing experience.

Back to the story at hand.... Julia and I drove down Eden Trail, hoping to find some sheep and a llama. There they were, traveling at a rather relaxed pace. Many of the sheep had late summer born lambs with them. We usually try to only move the grown ewes, not the lambs. But this wasn't a planned move. The sheep decided to do it themselves.

We met a neighbor and his truck with a plow on it who was coming home from a night of clearing October snow.

The sheep continued on down Eden Trail, slowly. I did a lot of "yah, yah, move on sheep" out the window of my truck. The smaller lambs lagged behind. This was a long walk for them.

All along the way, Jeremy was watching out for everyone. I feel so lucky to have been included in this bit of animal magic. Who was to know he was so paternal.

They couldn't resist a bit of diversion and green grass hiding under the snow.

I waited patiently, knowing that if one left, the others would follow. They did.

We traveled on down Eden Trail. 

Kind of a strange look - golden leaves with snow on the ground.

Down past Mrs. Dyer's house - with Jeremy still watching about. Almost there.

I drove ahead and opened the farm lane gate. The sheep knew exactly where they were going. They turned into the farm road. Eeyore was waiting.

Along with the 200 sheep he had taken on his very own adventure. They were all happily munching on the snow-covered hay they are going to be eating this winter. 

Who says sheep are dumb? I don't. They remember way more than anyone gives them credit for.

Life is returning to semi-normal although many of our neighbors still don't have power. School is still canceled. The snow seems to be melting - thank goodness. I just discovered there is a new edition of Michael Pollan's Food Rules illustrated by Maira Kalman. Must check it out.

October Snow?

This was a Halloween Weekend to remember. Much to Julia's disappointment, Halloween didn't happen in western Massachusetts. Instead, it was a bit like Martin Luther King Day. Saturday's Farmers Market was quiet although many lamb shoulders were sold for stewing and my new Scotch Broth Soup recipe. My sister Lynn and Mom were here for the weekend to see my NH nieces play some sports. All plans went awry. Late in the afternoon, this arrived.

  

We were totally unprepared which I suppose is understandable since it was October 29th. Never do we expect a giant snowstorm in October before Halloween. Winter boots weren't even out of the closet. Snow shovels hadn't been thought of. And the sheep were supposed to out grazing the slow growing grass for another month. 

After the Market, The Farmer scrambled to feed all the sheep in their different locations (right now there are sheep in four different fields spread over 5 miles). Everyone needed hay since the grass was going to be covered. The lambs in front of the house were the last to be fed. These lambs may or may not remember snow. They were born last winter. Sheep take everything in stride. Their internal clocks work with the sun and the moon. When it starts getting dark, they begin to come into their night pasture. It's a bit of a routine. 

Saturday chores began a little earlier than dark. It was a white-out. My sister and I fed the "Livestock Guard Dog" puppies Archie and Winston and bedded down their calf hutch with some fresh hay. Then we gathered kindling and firewood. Chances are power would go out and we would lose heat. We had to get some wood into the house, find the oil lamps and flashlights all just in case.

The storm blew in - much harder than I ever thought was imaginable. Archie and Winston went with the flow. This was their first snowstorm.

The first group of lambs, waiting to come in for the evening.

Nessie watched and waited as more sheep came in.

 

She listened for The Farmer's next command.

 

They arrived in batches, then realized they were late to the party and began to run. 

  

Archie and Winston were close on The Farmer's heels.

Buttoning everyone up for the storm, closing the fences.

I love how this photo looks so neutral except for the cream colored puppies and The Farmer's plaid winter coat.

We lost our power for a day and a half. We survived just fine. Although our power is back, there are still hundreds of thousands of people who are still without power. Schools are still closed and last night's Halloween didn't happen. What is going to happen with all that candy? It is supposed to be in the 50's today and hopefully some of the snow will melt so the sheep can graze again. If not, winter will be here and they will have to get used to the hay. We definitely aren't ready for winter yet.

Orange

Orange is the color of the day here on Halloween in the States. I love the color orange - it is positively warm and beautiful. It inspires my knitting, my home, and our clothing.

 

So nice to be surrounded by it in nature, if only for a brief time in October. This photo was taken a couple weeks ago. There is barely a leaf left on the trees now.

This year's chicks are grown. I chose orange Buff Orpingtons and they are beginning to lay now.

The turning leaves from the hills behind the growing lamb looks like a painting, doesn't it?

For all you spinners out there, you can see what all the rain has done to this lamb's fleece. I'm wondering how other farmers wool has fared through this crazy weather.