Pocket Meadow Farm Fiber Arts

slowcolor rovings

2012-01-20T13:08:00.000-05:00

Who doesn't love a rainbow? Two available on etsy.

This one is just a tiny bit felted, so I'm going to spin it up myself.

slowcolor

2012-01-07T13:17:00.001-05:00

This is the first slow-color fiber I dyed back in December. You can't really see the long color change effect in the skein, however, in the ball it's a little more evident. The true test will be when it's knit up. In this case, I elected to split the fiber lengthwise before spinning and I ended up with 200 grams/335 yards of a bulky thick/thin yarn.

slow rainbow

2011-12-09T10:31:00.000-05:00

Another slow dyed roving. Yummy.

color suites

2011-12-01T17:17:00.000-05:00

Another recent approach to dyeing. I've been working on a lot of multi yarn projects lately. I started out using commercial yarns, but the color range was not enough for my needs. This is my not-quite-successful experiment in handpainted yarns of very mixed fibers dyed together in one bundle. The part that needs improvement is the amount that can be steam set at one time given my particular steaming setup. I crammed together way too much fiber when I set these dyes, and had some spotting and color migration.

The yarns/roving were a mix of single and multi ply wool, superwash wool, loop, boucle and brushed mohair, wool/mohair/silk blend and Corriedale wool roving. I handpainted everything together at one time; the mohairs tended to take color a lot lighter than the wools, so they may get more intensity in their dye mixes in the future.

Starting with—

a couple bits of inspiration—

Ending with—

beyond my wildest

2011-12-01T14:29:00.000-05:00

Most of my dyeing these days has been in the graduated color dipping technique, where the yarn is held partially suspended over the dyepot until the dye is absorbed, then rotated, dyed again, etc. I find this very effective for subtle gradations in colors. You can't get much more subtle than this:

So I had a thought about applying the technique to roving. Roving is much more delicate than yarn, and most people handpaint it to minimize handling and subsequent felting. I've done it that way for years; however, this can leave a lot to be desired in the finished product. The limitations are that the dyes don't always penetrate the roving in a consistent manner, and that you end up with repeating colors. Okay, those are sometimes a plus, but I have a project in mind for a knitted shawl, where the color changes are going to be very subtle and very long, and I don't want flecks of lighter fiber, stripy changes where the colors change or any repeating colors.

So, here's the setup. I started with one pound of bluefaced leicester/silk roving, pre-soaked in a water/vinegar bath for a day.

The dye pot is set up with an "in-basket" and and "out-basket". As I move the fiber through the dye bath in a linear fashion, once the dye has "taken" on one part, it will be removed. Higher than normal levels of vinegar in the dye bath aid quick "striking" of the dyes.

You can see that the roving expands in the full immersion of the dyepot, allowing the colors to evenly penetrate.

The is the first end. I had originally in mind a "chocolate-cherries" type of colorway, but changed my mind to a more toned down scheme. Here is the first section coming out to be drained.

You can see the colorway starting to take shape now (note how "fluffy" the fiber is)—

About two hours later, most of the fiber has gone through the dyebath—

As it's come out of the pot, it is gently laid on a towel to absorb excess water and any dye left in the section. Absolutely no felting has occurred!

Once all the fiber was dyed, I blotted out the excess water, wrapped it up in plastic and steamed it for an hour. All the dye absorbed, and there was no dye migration.

What I end up with is an amazing piece of spinnable fiber with non-repeating colors ranging from warm grays to cinnamon browns to rosy-beiges and creams.

Happy.

preview

2011-07-07T11:32:00.000-05:00

Here's a swatch or two of my multi-yarn shawls on the needles. You can't see it on this first one, but there is a silver metallic strand running through parts of this one. I'll add a beaded section next, using silver-lined clear beads and more metallic yarns, then resume with the matte textures.

Same stitch pattern. You can see that there are quite number of ends to weave in.

fiberjumble — a design process

2011-06-28T16:21:00.004-05:00

It's no secret that any long term knitter acquires a serious stash. I'm finding inspiration in mine quite a lot these days. Here's a photo of yet-to-be-developed shawl projects for a wearable arts show I'm both curating and participating in this fall.

still more happy

2011-06-03T19:24:00.000-05:00

more happy

2011-06-03T19:22:00.000-05:00

happy

2011-06-01T17:53:00.003-05:00

I'm pretty happy with this one. I used seven colors of dyes to get the emerald, peacock and jade hues. You can get more info by clicking on the etsy listings graphic to the right.

and another

2011-06-01T17:49:00.003-05:00

These yarns are created by layering the dyes in a slow, meticulous succession of intensities and colors. With my current setup, I can only do about 4000 to 6000 yards of laceweight at a time, so the dyelots are relatively small.

hand dyed alpaca

2011-06-01T17:46:00.002-05:00

I'm introducing a new line of handdyed laceweight yarns this month. The fibers range from 100% baby alpaca to merino/silk/cashmere blends. Here is one new colorway still in the dyepot.

along came a spider

2011-05-23T21:38:00.000-05:00

the 1500 varieties of heaven

2011-05-23T20:57:00.008-05:00

I had a delightful trip over to Exline Iris Gardens here in Berkeley Springs today. The Exline's farm consists of two gorgeous, colorful acres of bearded iris — and they're all in bloom right now.

The owner, Jim Exline, explained to me that he has been in this business for 38 years, and has about 1500 varieties of iris growing on his property. He sells these on his website, but I think it's much more satisfying to see them in person. The gentle, elusive scent of the flowers en masse is lovely.

newest obsession

2010-12-13T16:42:00.004-05:00

I think I can safely say that the moebius scarf/shawl is one of the coolest things I've knit to date. I'm working on my tenth. Pattern to follow soon (though its more a method, than a pattern). To get you started, check out Cat Bordhi's excellent youtube video.

a new pattern with my compliments

2010-11-26T20:49:00.003-05:00

See my website for more info!

Edited to add this photo of the side edge detail.

blog watch

2010-11-23T18:10:00.002-05:00

This blog is a must-read for all thinking people.

last harvest

2010-11-04T21:16:00.003-05:00

We've had one frost already, but I managed to salvage two of these boxes of tomatoes, peppers and eggplant and a few watermelons. It's about seventy pounds of produce. There were literally hundreds of green tomatoes and unripe peppers that I had to leave out. A pity, but they'll contribute to a good compost pile!

got any weekend plans?

2010-10-19T13:39:00.004-05:00

This weekend is the Berkeley Springs Studio Tour. My only regret with participating is that I won't be able to actually go on the tour — and there are a lot of great artists, designers, and crafters showing their work. Check out the website if you can't make it!

Montpelier!

2010-10-05T14:13:00.002-05:00

Some of the handdyed yarns and fibers I had at the festival. Gotta say, two festivals in two weekends is a lot of work!

milestone

2010-08-20T11:05:00.003-05:00

This one turned 18 today. Happy birthday, kid!

save the dates!

2010-08-10T13:13:00.002-05:00

Two upcoming fiber festivals that I'm participating in this year —

The Shenandoah Fiber Festival in Berryville, Sept. 25 and 26,

and the Fall Fiber Festival & Montpelier Sheep Dog Trials in Montpelier Station, VA (near Charlottesville) Oct. 2 and 3.

a moving experience...

2010-08-07T12:21:00.003-05:00

At the end of this month (August) PMF will be back on the farm, just up the road. Check the website for our hours. See you!

(non) seriously entertaining

2010-07-28T18:38:00.002-05:00

I truly love this show. And how about that totally adorable Colin Hanks?

red hots!

2010-06-28T17:53:00.002-05:00

This is a wonderful new blend of roving from Louet, 80/20 bluefaced leicester wool/silk. I dyed it with Country Classic dyes, and spun up this single ply. Two skeins are available, with 195 and 160 yards. It has a great sheen.

happy fat chunky singles!

2010-06-28T17:27:00.003-05:00

It could be the name of a dating service, but it's not!

and now for something completely different

2010-06-25T12:16:00.002-05:00

Chunky single ply yarn! Okay, maybe not that different. I finally figured out how to do these, using the plying flyer and bobbins of my Lendrum wheel. MUCH easier!

forest laceweight

2010-06-24T21:12:00.005-05:00

550 yards of 2- ply laceweight! This is 100 grams of Louet organic merino.

I plied a total of one thousand yards of laceweight yarn yesterday, a new record. The roving it's made from is shown in an earlier post, called Scarab Beetle and Scouting.

blue pearl laceweight

2010-06-24T21:11:00.001-05:00

Bluefaced Leicester wool, 184 yards.

blending colors

2010-06-24T21:07:00.002-05:00

Very different colorways blend into a wonderful yarn. This is a merino laceweight, 195 yards/35 grams.

dye study

2010-06-24T21:02:00.005-05:00

These color cards are part of a dye and fiber study I'm working on. The different yarns and fibers dye with subtle variations, so it's good to know before you start mixing colors. I have over sixty dyes, so this is going to take awhile to complete, but will be invaluable to creating reproducible, consistent colorways.

handspun with multicolor ply

2010-06-20T13:34:00.004-05:00

These three yarns have a common thread — literally. The black alpaca, aqua merino/silk and blue merino/silk have all been plied with the same multicolor pastel rainbow merino/silk. I have 300 yards of the black, 130 yards of the aqua, and 268 yards of the blue.

handspun laceweight

2010-06-20T13:30:00.004-05:00

This skein is 200 yards of laceweight merino, 1 oz. (30 grams). The fiber is from Louet, and I used Country Classic dyes for the muted aqua tones.

blues

2010-06-20T13:28:00.004-05:00

Louet Merino/Silk roving, Gaywool dyes.

new colorways

2010-06-20T12:39:00.006-05:00

These are a few prototypes for fiber/handspun yarn colorways I'm developing. Above, Lilac Bush, below, Scarab Beetle and Scouting.

I'm thinking you could ply these two together nicely. Samples coming up on that this week after I clear out a few bobbins.

Fiber — Louet Organic Merino, dyed with Country Classic and Gaywool dyes.

about the cutest thing I've ever seen

2010-06-20T12:33:00.002-05:00

...would be this Baby Surprise Jacket, knit for the shop by Michell. The yarn is Crystal Palace Mini Mochi, in color 101, Intense Rainbow. Love it! The newborn size took just over one ball. Patterns on order, yarn in stock!

laceweight

2010-06-12T15:59:00.004-05:00

Handdyed merino roving, spun as a 2-ply laceweight. 205 yards, 40 grams. Soft and bouncy, a colorful spring floral blend reminiscent of a bed of mixed hyacinths.

abalone

2010-06-12T15:46:00.003-05:00

The colors in this yarn come from only two colors of dye, one a vivid purple, the other, a deep spruce green. This skein is 66 yards of 2 ply bulky bluefaced leicester wool, 68 grams, in the PMF signature colorway, Abalone.

yarngasm

2010-06-05T15:15:00.005-05:00

This is the handdyed merino/silk shown a few posts ago. 100% satisfaction with this yarn.

handspun merino silk

2010-06-04T13:12:00.003-05:00

Two variations on a fiber theme. Low key icy aquas and blues in 80/20 merino/silk.

peacock tails

2010-06-04T13:07:00.003-05:00

An elusive color that my camera can not capture, nor can I really get it right in Photoshop. Just think peacock feathers. Two ply mystery wool that has been sitting on the bobbins for a couple of years. More saturated, more green than the photo.

handspun

2010-06-04T12:56:00.003-05:00

This is my current spinning project. Eight utterly luscious ounces of bluefaced leicester wool that I recently dyed in one of the Pocket Meadow Farm signature colorways, Lavender Sea. The first batch, already spun up, is slightly darker, and it will be plied with this when I'm done.

This merino/silk blend is a departure from what I'm usually doing, and I can't wait to get started on it.

handspun

2010-05-29T14:06:00.002-05:00

This one is a little hotter in color than the previous pastel series — baby colors on acid.

new mini mochi

2010-05-29T12:47:00.005-05:00

Aren't these wonderful? We have all of these new colors plus lots of others of this great yarn. Nice for knitting, and especially great for crochet.

this wasn't in my five year plan

2010-04-20T21:28:00.003-05:00

Having to find a new home for the flock, that is. Sad day.

The economy has hit PMF pretty hard; we got lucky though. They went to a serious breeder of Leicester Longwools who did not have these bloodlines, so she's happy, and the flock remains intact, which makes me happy.

And they'll have acres more pasture, so I think that will make them happy. So why is this picture making me cry?

anyone seen this?

2010-04-01T15:17:00.004-05:00

I sent this to my aunt for her 97th birthday last year, and somehow it just never made it to her. Lost in the mail, lost to the nursing home staff? We'll never know, I guess.

Project: Shetland Triangle, Evelyn Clark
Yarn: Plymouth Suri Merino

back to knitting

2010-03-26T14:37:00.004-05:00

I've been working on a new pattern for a wearable spring scarf; the pattern (free) and kits will be available soon! This is Plymouth Royal Bamboo, a silky, luscious bamboo yarn with an incredible sheen and drape. Overall length is 44"; it stays in place all day with a simple overhand half-knot.

deep skies

2010-03-20T11:06:00.003-05:00

On a more planned route, this is hand dyed bluefaced leicester wool, just enough for one skein of 100 yards or so.

ends and bits

2010-03-20T11:02:00.003-05:00

Sometimes it's fun to just ply together random ends of bobbins and see what happens...

finished handspun

2010-03-15T16:19:00.002-05:00

I'm calling this "Shallow End" (as in, of the pool).

dyeing to spin

2010-03-11T16:27:00.001-05:00

This is a bit of fiber I'm spinning right now. It's corriedale roving, which I dyed last week.

single ply yarn - continued explorations

2010-03-07T15:07:00.008-05:00

First up, Mini Mochi in Neptune. I wish a photo could capture the saturation of the colors and the softness of this yarn — it's a visual and tactile pleasure to work with.

The second scarf in progress is made with Noro Silk Garden Sock. I used an F hook to crochet this; it's about 40" long with one ball. Again, the colors are much more saturated in real life.

Lastly, Noro Kureyon Sock on an E hook. This one has a great, handspun texture. With about 100 yards more per ball than the Silk Garden, one ball will be sufficient to make a good size scarf.

continued explorations

2010-03-04T13:11:00.005-05:00

Single ply yarn with crochet; this swatch is made with the leftover plying single from an earlier project. It's tightly spun, and was never meant to be used without the untwisting that comes from plying, but I had a few yards left over on the bobbin, and tried it out. The fiber content is merino and silk, and it's worked up with a great texture and beautiful hand.

With a yarn with this amount of twist, you need to crochet right off the bobbin, as it will turn into a tangled snarl in a skein. Not the easiest way to work, but the resulting fabric is fabulous.

revisiting crochet

2010-02-28T15:57:00.003-05:00

Crochet has a bad rap. Who can forget all those "cast iron" crochet projects of the 70's? The problem, in my view, was the inappropriate choice of yarn and fiber.

When making a garment of crochet, the overriding concern is the "hand" of the fabric. Over the years I've found that I like the hand of fingering and sport weight single ply yarns best for crochet, particularly for garments. Hand refers to how the fabric drapes, how soft and flexible it is. The lighter weight yarns with slight thick/thin texture tend to produce the most interesting, pliable and soft fabric.

Fiber choice can also contribute to the success of the project, with natural fibers winning out over acrylic every time. You are not limited to wools though — blends using silk, bamboo, alpaca, tencel and rayon are excellent choices, as these fibers tend to drape well.

There are many wonderful yarns suitable for crochet. The scarf pictured is crocheted with Lanaloft, a sport weight wool single from Brown Sheep with a nice range of solids and handpaints (we currently stock the handpaints). With 145 yds per 50 gr ball, it takes only three balls (and three evenings!) to make a long, wrappable scarf, about 6" x 72". Total project cost: $21.50. Email me for the free pattern.

We'll have kits on the website this week with four yarn choices, including two from Noro, and the fabulous Mini Mochi from Crystal Palace.

spring pastels

2010-02-25T13:17:00.003-05:00

It happens every year at this time — I get in that springtime color mode and spin up a bunch of yummy fiber to compensate for the grey outside. This is superfine merino that I paint-dyed this weekend, spun into a controlled, regular thick-thin for one ply, and much thinner for the second ply. The yarn was then spiral plied together, much tighter than I normally would. Turns out to have been a successful experiment, as it's perfectly balanced.

The technique works great on merino and other short fibers in my experience. It involves, instead of smooth, steady drafting, a pinching and tugging motion with the drafting fingers, letting go over the thick areas, and drafting to spin the thin areas tightly.

I'm completely delighted, and that's not something that's been a common experience this winter.

snowed-in handspun

2010-02-13T15:26:00.002-05:00

The only good thing I can say about being shut in for over a week is that it gave me the opportunity to dye up a bunch of fiber and get spinning in front of the wood stove. These are 2-ply merino silk blend, slightly bulky weight.

handspun

2010-02-13T15:23:00.001-05:00

Too much snow, I've been craving color.

helmet liner knit-in

2010-01-30T17:13:00.002-05:00

the Great American Aran Afghan KAL

2010-01-22T13:55:00.003-05:00

Please join us for the Pocket Meadow Farm 2010 GAAA knit-a-long, starting in February. The goal will be to complete one block a month. You can participate locally at the shop (knit-in dates to be announced), or remotely/vicariously if you are out of town for advice, company, support and showing off!

Worsted weight yarn, apx. 4000 yards. Recommendations: Louet Gems, Cascade 220, Patons Classic Merino, Plymouth Encore.

sock love

2010-01-20T12:29:00.003-05:00

Mirasol Hacho, color 303 on size 3 rosewood dpns.

january sale at the shop

2010-01-11T14:05:00.002-05:00

Please visit the shop this Friday, Saturday and/or Sunday for our annual yarn sale! Tons of great values, and prices up to 50% off on books, yarn, and more!

playing in the snow

2009-12-24T14:05:00.002-05:00

2009-12-24T13:19:00.000-05:00

what a great day

2009-12-22T16:27:00.002-05:00

to be a multi billion dollar insurance corporation in America. Who really gives a damn about the people in this country – it's all about protecting the industry.

Single Payer — everybody in. nobody out. How complicated could this be? It would save our country billions. And over twenty thousand Americans might not have to die every year due to lack of health insurance.

Health insurance is the problem, not the solution.

the perfect gift!

2009-12-17T15:36:00.002-05:00

Pocket Meadow Farm offers personalized gift certificates in any amount. Knitters love these! Includes a custom-printed card with the recipient's name and gift amount, envelope, ribbon and lock of longwool for decoration. Serve one up for your favorite fiber artist!

it makes me happy

2009-12-09T16:16:00.004-05:00

New fabulous sock yarn, Ella Rae Merino Lace. I might save some for you.

new work

2009-11-21T14:38:00.006-05:00

Felted bags for a show at the Ice House. The main section is knitted (Cascade 220) and the flaps are handmade, dyed and overdyed felt. Resin buttons to complete the look (snap closure).

Clutch bags are apx six inches square, handbags are about 7 x 10 inches.

batts!

2009-10-06T22:35:00.006-05:00

This batt is representative of what I'm playing with now in handspun. The dark brown is from our little wether Blackberry. I'm adding touches of dyed Leicester Longwool from our girls and dyed cultivated silk.

Finished yarn —

spinning

2009-10-06T22:27:00.005-05:00

I'm making my way through this massive bag of bluefaced leicester roving. It's two pounds — doesn't sound like much, does it? That translates to days and days of spinning though, for a 2-ply yarn. I have 8 skeins done, with probably another 4 to go. The Apple Butter Festival is coming up this weekend, and I want to get as much handspun ready for that as possible.

new in store

2009-10-01T15:44:00.005-05:00

I'm really liking this new pattern from Louet. It's got flattering, simple shaping, and it looks easy to knit — mostly stockinette, with that nice horseshoe lace band. It's designed for one of my alltime favorite lace yarns, Kidlin, which consists of a strand each of laceweight mohair and linen. The linen gives body and stitch definition, and the mohair does the fuzz part. Nothing else like it on the market!

Kit — (small/med, 40/44") $75, (large, 48") $89, (xlarge, 52") $103. Some colors may be special order, so call first!

we're OPEN!

2009-09-04T14:49:00.003-05:00

Yay! Finally!!

the knitted rainbow

2009-09-04T14:23:00.005-05:00

Mini Mochi is a new yarn from Crystal Palace that we just love. It's a sock weight single-ply wool and nylon blend. This scarf took one ball; we're kitting it up for a longer version. Shown, 6" x 42".

moving progress

2009-08-23T19:12:00.004-05:00

Moving the shop is a huge, exhausting endeavor. These cubes are heavy. Thanks to some great friends (and their kids), it's proceeding quite nicely.

I'll miss being able to look out and see the sheep grazing while I'm working, but you can't beat the commute — two and a half miles from home.

summer lilies

2009-08-23T19:11:00.004-05:00

movin' on up!

2009-08-08T09:30:00.002-05:00

Pocket Meadow Farm is getting a new home! A small but wonderful retail space has become available in town, and we will be open for business there September 1st.

antisocial networking

2009-08-05T17:03:00.005-05:00

Don't you think it's getting insane? I got an email today from a professional organization I've worked with. They proudly state that I can follow them on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Linkedin and that they have blogs for every department in their organization.

As a small business person, I know I have to draw the line about "networking" activities somewhere, or I'll be sitting in front of a screen 20 hours a day. I can spend hours and days just on Ravelry, the knitting database/network site. Just reading and answering email has turned into a 2 hour block of time every day. Very little time is left each day for actually doing my life's work. Like television or other socially acceptable drug forms, it just adds up to a huge productivity-buster in my book, and the insidious thing is that it's so easy to justify it.

I'm stepping back for a bit...

When did we stop doing what we do and now just network about what we used to do?

hummers, the good kind

2009-07-11T13:34:00.002-05:00

I think I'll keep him

2009-07-04T10:25:00.002-05:00

getting the news

2009-07-04T10:15:00.005-05:00

Living in a rural area, newspapers are sometimes hard to come by. A friend recently turned me on to Newspaper Direct, an amazing service that provides over one thousand papers from around the world electronically — on their date of publication. Now every morning I can sit down with the Washington Post for an hour and keep in touch with "reality". A random sample...

relic

2009-07-04T10:13:00.001-05:00

July coupon!

2009-07-02T14:02:00.004-05:00

Due to technical difficulties, the coupon isn't working on the website, so here it is. Click on the image to enlarge, then right click to save, then print.

summer sale

2009-07-01T17:12:00.005-05:00

Sale flyer for the one week summer yarn sale at Pocket Meadow Farm!

monetize?

2009-06-30T09:31:00.004-05:00

That really isn't a word, you know. Its something google came up with, and I've caved in to. Maybe a few clicks will buy me a bag of dried beans at some point, and that's a good thing.

You gotta like this though — how many blogs are going to come up with the keyword combination to generate these listings?

New weaving project!

2009-06-28T19:25:00.009-05:00

Just got this on the loom — it's Louet's Cottolin, a 60% cotton, 40% linen weaving yarn. I sell it in the shop, and it's on sale now. This is my first project using it. The sale is to celebrate the launch of Weavolution, the social networking site for weavers.

I'm playing around with randomly varying a few individual strands of the blue-greens in the warp. It might be nice to throw in some warm reds and oranges; I'm still debating it. Opinions?

The NEW New Deal

2009-06-28T16:59:00.006-05:00

Growing up as an artist in Washington DC, I had great appreciation for the wealth of public artwork in town, but little more than a basic understanding of how it came to be created. Given our current disastrous economy and my fears — as part of the arts community — about my part in it, I've been reading up on the Great Depression. Some of the approaches to tackle the joblessness back then seem relevant right now.

I'm talking about the New Deal, the WPA, and the CCC. Not only did the WPA create jobs for thousands of artists, artisans and craftsmen (as well as the general population), it left a legacy of public art that is a fascinating look into the social values of the time.

Wikipedia has a great overview on the WPA. It got me thinking...

Maybe it's time to revisit this idea.

new in the shop

2009-06-25T15:47:00.001-05:00

Pagewood Farms sock yarn. These + lots more colors!

the seven farm essentials

2009-06-03T18:01:00.032-05:00

Continuing on the "essentials" theme...

Aside from good infrastructure such as high tensile woven wire fencing, a reliable source of water, a decent pasture and a good hay farmer nearby, there are seven farm essentials I absolutely can not live without —

1. Muck boots. Worn every single day of the year. A good pair will last forever.

2. Hog panels. Just about the most useful dang thing on the planet.

I have used them for displays, keeping goats out of the new apple trees

a sheep fold, gates, pens, a five-bay composting bin and temporary fencing.

3. Pallets. If you don't store your hay off the ground, you'll be wasting a lot to mice and mold. Good for stacking firewood in the winter. Good for firewood when they start breaking up. I don't lust after $400 Italian shoes (actually, these are three times that much).

Well, okay, those are kinda cool.

I lust after 40 new solid-top hardwood pallets.

4. T-posts and a post pounder. It's pretty hard to get a 6 foot fence post through clay and shale unless you have one of these.

5. A rooster. Ornamental, protective and loyal to his girls.

"How about me? Am I essential to you, mom?"

Hmmm.

Moving along...

6. Muck buckets. The more the merrier.

7. A couple of goats. Anyone with even a quarter acre of yard could use a goat or two to trim weeds and poison ivy. The nicely distributed fertilizer is an added bonus.

8. How could I forget? the best thing to have on a farm is a couple of good friends to help out when you can't manage to do it all.

essential essentials

2009-06-03T16:13:00.006-05:00

I've been making small batches of soap for a couple of years, and they are starting to sell well at the farmer's market and in the shop, so I had nearly depleted my stock of essential oils this month. My new order just came in today and opening that box was like a kid's Christmas. Lemongrass and lavender; ylang ylang, orange and star anise; Siberian fir needle and rosemary — these are a few of the scent blends I do. These are all true botanical essential oils and are a bit pricey (the oils shown here were about $300 including shipping) — but worth it when you experience the finished product. Synthetic "fragrance oils" can not compare.

I also got some good emollient oils — avocado, hemp seed, castor and aloe. One of the additives that I use on a regular basis is beeswax. This adds a silky feel and longevity to the soap. New blends for the summer are grapefruit with lime and cornmeal as a kitchen bar, and lemon with basil and pumice as a gardener's soap.

Essential oils are not used in commercial soaps (like you'd find in a grocery store) but you will find them in artisan soaps everywhere (check the label). Next time you go to a farmer's market, organic food store or bath shop, treat yourself to a hand made soap — you'll be supporting a craftsman and enhancing your everyday life.

Spin-in-Knit-in

2009-05-27T11:10:00.003-05:00

From fiber to fabric in record time...hand teasing longwool locks, spinning, and knitting from the bobbin.

This is the start of the mitered square shawl that will be donated to the Morgan County Arts Council in November. Thanks for everyone who attended and participated in our Sorta-Sheep-to-Shawl event!

pretty spectacular!

2009-05-22T20:22:00.002-05:00

Isn't this gorgeous? Its spun by Andrea, from my dyed fleece. I am so excited to see this kind of stuff being done with the wool produced by my flock.

I got distracted today

2009-05-20T19:12:00.008-05:00

I've been seeing this cat hanging around the last couple of days, been hearing mysterious little squeaks and mews...this is why, I guess. I gave mom a good meal to get her used to people (part of the evil plan to one day nab her and take her to the vet for the Big Op).

I found another one later, and they all have no tails, just like the mom. It's a Morgan County feral cat thing, just a huge genetic pool of tailless cats with this coloring.

I am NOT taking these cats in. No. No. and NO. We have six already. But my backyard is pretty idyllic for wild cats to live in, and there is plenty of shelter for the winter with the derelict animal houses, so as long as I can capture them at some point for neutering, it's all good. They'll be on their own mostly, with occasional meals from the Big House, and I'll put out water, but I'm really maxed out on being able to feed the existing crew right now — with lambs on the way in a couple of weeks!

Berkeley Springs Studio Tour + Knit-In and Spin-In

2009-05-20T08:38:00.004-05:00

The Studio Tour is coming at this Memorial Day weekend. We are planning a special event here — a "modified" sheep-to-shawl demo (modified because the sheep were sheared a month ago! and because everybody is invited to help).

We are inviting your participation! I'll show you how to prepare and spin from longwool locks, so bring your drop spindle, wheel, and knitting needles (size 5 or 6). Our spinning teams will handspin the dyed longwool locks, and the knitters will create small squares (any size) which will be pieced together for the shawl.

The finished shawl will be donated to the Morgan County Art and Elegance fundraiser in November.

Please note that individual instruction in spinning or knitting for beginners will not be possible during the event (there's only one of me!), so some basic skills will be needed to participate, although everyone can help with fiber prep!

The artwork shown above was a group project to showcase the artists on the tour. My square is the felted green leaves on the top row.

Date and time: May 23, 24, and 25, 11 to 5. I hope to see you here!

country scene

2009-05-18T09:56:00.002-05:00

Blackberry nibbles the grass while I learn to scythe it.

mm-mmm-mushishi!

2009-05-12T13:02:00.004-05:00

New in the shop! Isn't this gorgeous?

It's a wool/silk self striping yarn from Italy, (via Plymouth). Don't go into sticker-shock — it's $30/skein, but the skeins are huge — 250 grams, 491 yards, enough for a number of project types.

hand towels

2009-05-11T09:35:00.004-05:00

Here they are off the loom, hemmed and finished.

Nina's Towels

Yarn — mercerized cotton flake, blue-gray and cream. Hems done with 5/2 cream cotton.
Pattern — Pinwheel twill on 8 harnesses, 12 epi (ends per inch), 12 ppi (picks per inch).
Size — on loom 18" wide x 26" long + 1.5" hems, finished 14.5" wide x 22" long.
Start — waaaay back in February
Finish — May 8

I had to take these off the loom before the entire project of 8 towels was completed (four were a commissioned gift due for Mother's Day). This was actually pretty easy, just cranking out a few extra inches of warp and tying overhand knots in front of the reed to hold them in place for tying onto the apron rod again.

This yarn looks really different on the loom. The weave seems way too loose, but when they are washed the thick/thin nature of the yarn settles itself into place and blooms beautifully, making a dense, absorbent fabric.

PMF and the Temple of Loom

2009-05-07T14:58:00.006-05:00

Here's a quick photo of the "simple temple" setup on the loom. It's weighted to keep the selvedges even. That's exactly a pound of two inch washers per side. I tried using machine knitting claw weights at the cloth attachment point, but they damaged the fabric and were hard to move; sometime the simplest thing works best — two bent paperclips in this case.

And it's about time some of that tablet weaving served a purpose!

the painted sheep

2009-04-22T14:17:00.003-05:00

For the last couple of weeks, I've been dyeing wool locks. This is what I'll be taking to the farmer's market starting this Sunday.

The Leicester Longwool fleece grows up to ten inches in length. It's wonderful to spin directly from the locks, with minimal processing. I just flick card the ends then comb it out and it's ready for spinning.

striped vest progress

2009-04-22T14:09:00.006-05:00

I'm pretty much completely happy with this one so far. The knitting is quiet and calming, the ever-changing colors exciting to watch develop.

MoreStripes

Yarn — Noro Silk Garden, 268 sea greens, 284 periwinkle and coral. 8 to 10 balls total.
Pattern — More Stripes, by Amy King, published in Knitty.

Start — 3.15.09

new haircuts

2009-04-17T19:12:00.006-05:00

Shearing today! The fabulous Emily came and did all the girls (and the boy) in no time. I'm totally in awe of her ability. It was our first warm day, with a glorious deep blue sky — one of those days where you just get so much done because it feels so good to be alive.

Which is a good thing. It's been a seriously lousy week, with one of those cascading, crushing waves of overdraft charges that grows and builds and gathers more destruction, leaving in its wake devastation and ruin. Okay, well maybe not quite that bad (I do love a good exaggeration), but in the end, it pretty much wiped out my meager personal checking and two savings accounts.

It's going to be a great weekend though, I can just feel it (the power of positive thinking here...).

fairisle class

2009-04-15T22:40:00.004-05:00

New class — starting May 9, Traditional Fairisle Knitting.

You will learn all the major fairisle techniques by making a sampler vest which incorporates shaped and/or straight armholes. You will learn how to--

• set and cut steeks
• do fair isle ribbing
• do a three needle bindoff at the shoulders
• pick up stitches and knit a border
• incorporate buttonholes
• pick up stitches around the armholes
• make facings

The yarn used for the sampler vest is fingering to sportweight in four colors. I will have kits, which are available for an extra $8.00 materials fee.

Cost of the three week class: $65.00.

The class will run for 3 Saturdays, starting on May 9th. Email me for more information or to reserve your place!