Fall is Rushing By + a Soho Publishing Giveaway

Fall is fast and furiously doing its thing. The leaves are almost off the trees, the pastures are slowing down and you can tell that everyone - both human and animal - is getting ready for the coming of winter in New England. Wood is being cut and split, nuts are being gathered, and wool coats are growing longer and fluffier. 

If you are a knitter or a crafter that means you are probably deep in Christmas gift mode, have bought some new yarns and/or fabrics, and are dreaming about all the things you are going to make this winter. Me too! I've been knitting every evening rushing through another project that I cannot reveal just yet.

To celebrate the arrival of the busy crafting season and also the 30th anniversary of Vogue Knitting Magazine, I've got a great giveaway this week. A selection of five books from Sixth and Spring Publishing - the publishing division of Soho, parent company to VK. 

The folks at Vogue Knitting have been friends of mine for years. I appreciate the support they have given me when I worked at Classic Elite Yarns as Creative Director and more recently as an independent designer. They published my Color By Kristin Book too and were a joy to work with. More recently they have kicked off a series of live events called what else but Vogue Knitting Live. The next event is is this weekend in Chicago. I won't be teaching at this year's events (either Chicago or NYC) but hope to return next year when my new book is out. Great event, great people, great knitters. Have fun all you lucky people who will be going this weekend.

So here is what I have for you today! Nicky Epstein's Knitting Never Felt Better, Vogue Knitting's Stitchionary, Kaffe and Brandon's The Color Guys, Tanis' Knit Local, and Knit Noro Accessories! What a line-up for one lucky winner.

 

Here's how you enter: 

Answer the following question in the comments section: 

What are you knitting this fall? What pattern or project has got you hooked and you can't stop?

As always, leave an easy way to get a hold of you (e-mail or Ravelry id is best) in the comments section. US addresses only please.

Contest ends Sunday October 28th at 11:59 p.m. Good luck everyone!

As always, leave an easy way to get a hold of you (e-mail or Ravelry id is best) in the comments section. US addresses only please.

Contest ends Sunday October 28th at 11:59 p.m. Good luck everyone!


Contest closed. 
Congrats to d_karen who said:
I am knitting socks for my youngest brother. Purple and green. They have little triple wraps every 10 rows, fun, fun. 

Lucky knitter!

Our Farmhouse Tour - Our Dining Room Story

Eclectic Dining Room design by New York Photographer Rikki Snyder

This is our dining room. It is one of two identically sized and placed rooms in the 1751 part of our house. In a typical Cape Style house the design is very basic and exact. Our house has the same placement of windows in both of the front, square rooms. On the inner wall, there is a Rumson (very narrow) fireplace which joins the large chimney flue with the two other fireplaces on our first floor. They still all work and function. On the outer walls of the dining room, there are a total of 3 windows.

When I was a kid, my family had a "formal" dining room that got used for Sunday dinners and holidays. Most of the time, the room was a catch-all for mail. I used the dining room table to lay out fabric and cut out my sewing projects, of which there was always many things in progress. To say that I am okay with "dining rooms" being used for a multitude of purposes would be an understatement. Truth be told, we don't use this room too often during the year. It's main function is to hold all the stuff we need to keep dry and neat for our Farmers' Market booths and for my shipping of books, postcards, etc.

Just because a "dining room" is going to be a multi-use room, doesn't mean it has to be ugly. When we moved here, I had a vision for our dining room - of vines and birds. This room, of all the rooms in my house, is a homage to the family home and extended family I grew up with. In the dining room of my youth, Mom had chosen a quite wild wallpaper. It was full of vines, squirrels, monkeys, and birds on an off-white background. I can remember that she wasn't sure with what she had picked out after the paper was applied to the walls. We all used to sit there joking about the animals on the wall. I obviously have good memories of all those family dinners in that room. That wallpaper is no longer in Mom's house. She replaced it with something tamer.

Eclectic Dining Room design by New York Photographer Rikki Snyder

When we bought our farmhouse in 1998, it was shortly after my great-Aunt Jennie's home was being broken up. Aunt Jennie was a big part of our family life - she was the sister of my grandfather Arch who had died way long before I was born. Aunt Jennie was a kind, warm-hearted woman with neat bluish-gray hair who lived with her husband Uncle Harry and her niece (who we called Aunt Boots) in half of a double house across town from us. The two of them (the Aunts) were always dressed in house dresses with those long aprons with big pockets that were edged in narrow bias-binding. She and my grandmother Frieda were sister-in-laws and the best of friends. When we were little, my dad would take us to visit "Jen" at 1 Locust Avenue after church on Sundays. We often were invited to Sunday dinner there at their small home. I still vividly remember the lay-out of the their home - sun-porch, living room, dining room, old-fashioned kitchen, back stairs, and yard. My immediate family was large - 5 girls and Mom and Dad. When anyone invited us, it was a huge amount of work. We always felt loved and wanted and our older relatives encouraged us to no end - in whatever it was that we were interested in. How fortunate were we to have felt loved and worthy as a child?

I cannot remember exactly what Aunt Jennie served us to eat on those Sunday afternoon dinners but I do remember the desserts. There was always some delectable home-baked goodie that made the meal complete. My favorite was apple kuchen. After dessert, Aunt Jen would send around a "candy dish" that was made of orange glass with a flat lid and a black knob. That dish was always full of candy whenever we went to visit and I remember the anticipation of choosing some kind of sweet treat. 

When my cousin "Uncle Don" was splitting up his mom's house, the big problem was what to do with the dining room furniture. It was big and heavy and noone was interested in it. He called an antique dealer and the guy offered him $200 for 6 oak chairs, a big oak table, and 3 oak sideboards. My "uncle" was less than pleased with the offer and he called Mom to see if she had any ideas. She called me to see if I might want Aunt Jennie's furniture. The deal was that I had to pay to move it but I could have it for free. 

I jumped at the chance. I had a relatively empty farmhouse and I remembered the furniture. Heavy and chunky with carving. It had been bought in the 20's when Aunt Jennie and Uncle Harry had married and it was used in their home for all those years. I remember the table and the awful chunky legs that were uncomfortable because something was always poking you when you were jammed in with 15 people sitting at one table eating Sunday dinner. But I also remembered the conversations, the love, the food, the sweets that were all part of my child-hood. I told my mom to tell Uncle Don that I would be really happy to have the furniture in our house.

One fall day, a moving van arrived with a whole bunch of furniture. The van drove down our dirt road slowly, of course wondering where the heck they were going. Two huge guys from Newark, NJ, who had most likely never been in a place like ours, knocked on the door. In came the 6 chairs, the huge table, the 3 sideboards. I gave them their $700 and then I had to figure out what to do with it all.  Thanksgiving was coming and I was the host.

I looked at the furniture for days. I was not at all very fond of the heavy oak wood - the color was uninteresting to me and it just didn't work with my style. I loved all the carving of the pieces but thought the wood grain just made it all too much. All these years later, the whole development of this room is a bit fuzzy to me - Julia was about two. Thinking back, I think Aunt Jennie's furniture inspired me to paint the mural on the walls. I had already painted the room a washed shade of orange (layering at least 10 colors to get the perfect shade). The furniture is Jacobean style. I was not a stranger to that era of art and decoration as I had stitched many a Jacobean inspired kit of crewelwork embroidery as a teenager.

One early fall day, I dragged out the paints and the Sharpie marker. With my Sharpie, I drew long curving vines from ceiling to chair rail. I mixed up a bunch of colors, combining acrylics with latex paints, making a "palette" of deli containers that could be closed and stored without drying out. For two days, I painted and sponged leaves, flowers, birds, eggs, pomegranates, curly grape tendrils. The scale was large and loose. I did not plan placement, nor design - I just did it. When all the motifs were complete, I lined them all with thinned down black acrylic paint using a very small lining brush which helps for them to pop from the orange background.. Below the chair rail, I mapped out a plaid design made with blue "painter's tape", layering the different blocks of color in a series of steps.

Eclectic Dining Room design by New York Photographer Rikki Snyder

The whole thing didn't take more than 3 days. I stood back and was happy with myself and the fact that I took the plunge to take an idea out of my head and instead of thinking about it for years, actually act on it. In the beginning it was about economy - I love wallpaper but I could not afford what I would have wanted. This mural was done for fun, for self-fulfillment of my artistic vision, my love of colors, and for economy. And to make a cozy home and room to celebrate Thanksgiving at here at the farm.

After the mural was done, it was clear that the furniture needed an overhaul in order to fit into my vision for the room. I thought that if it was darkened, it would look better. A friend suggested that I thin down some oil paint and brush it on so that it was more like a stain. I did that and it was the perfect solution. A couple years after I faux-darkened Aunt Jennie's furniture, I visited the MFA in Boston. There I saw a piece of English furniture from the 1600's that one of my sideboards must have been copied from. It was dark, dark, dark and then I knew I had made the right decision with the dark stain.

Eclectic Dining Room design by New York Photographer Rikki Snyder

Since I did the initial decoration to the dining room, I have gone on to collect ceramics that look good with the walls and add to the clutter. I taught myself to paint oil paintings because I couldn't afford to buy art. The paintings are of sunflowers and jugs and vases, of course. You can see some of the real pottery in the painting. The chandelier came from the Brimfield Flea Market - it is brass and only holds candles. I use a lot of embroidered Indian fabrics on the tables and sideboard which I have also picked up over the years at Brimfield. This dining room serves as the "once a year" Thanksgiving celebration for my extended family. I wonder if my nieces and nephews will remember their dinners at our farmhouse as fondly as I do the ones at Aunt Jennie's table. I'll just hope.

The walls and furniture have gone on to be photographed many times. Here they are with one of the oak chairs shown as the cover of my embroidery book Colorful Stitchery.

From Colorful Stitchery, photo Kevin Kennefick

And here is the large sideboard with pillows tucked into it from that book too.

From Colorful Stitchery, photo Kevin Kennefick

Hope you have enjoyed this back-story on the walls and collections in our Farmhouse. A question came in from a reader. She wanted to know what color the walls are in the room really are because the 2 photographers came up with different looks to the orange wall. What a great question. The photos Rikki Snyder took for Houzz were shot without any scrims, drapes or blockage to the light coming in the windows. As we all know, light is what make photographs and colors look a certain way. Kevin Kennefick, the photographer for Colorful Stitchery, blocked all the light coming in from the windows so that the furniture and the walls look different. He also shot for print and Rikki was shooting photos for the web. Your computer monitor also makes images look different colorwise. Which one is right? Depends on the light, the time of day, sun or clouds or rain. Hope that clears up the differences.

Have a great weekend everyone. If you haven't entered, today is the last day of the Kaffe Fassett Dreaming in Color Book Giveaway.

Bummer Summer? I Hope Not! A New Judy Moody Movie AND a Peter H. Reynolds + Kristin Nicholas Giveaway for Kids! Double Rare!

Last weekend, Julia and I were lucky to get tickets to a real honest to goodness bigtime Movie Premiere! And we didn't have to go to Hollywood - all we had to do was drive to Dedham, Massachusetts. Julia entered a contest at the Blue Bunny - a great kids bookstore run by the Reynolds Family - and amazingly she won! Off we went early Saturday morning with cousin Lillian and Uncle Bruce to see Judy Moody and the Not So Bummer Summer. The movie opens in theatres across the US today. Produced by the same company who did "Precious", it was a fun, no holds barred celebration of a kids summer full of wild imaginings and the spirit of Judy Moody. (If you don't know who Judy Moody is, she is a character created by Megan McDonald, a kids book author that has turned into a multi-book series wildly popular with the 6 to 10 year old kids - boys and girls. Judy is illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds, author/illustrator of The Dot and Ish along with many, many other kids books.)

Hosted by Peter H. Reynolds and his family and their Blue Bunny Bookstore, Fablevision (their media and learning complany), Candlewick Press, and Smokewood Entertainment, this was the very first showing of the movie in the U.S. Complete with security guards, it was quite something in the little old-fashioned theatre in Dedham's town center. Kids were dressed as Judy Moody. It was a festive atmostphere to be sure! What a great day. If you have kids or grandkids, take them to see Judy Moody and the Not So Bummer Summer. Lots of great kids lessons (and adult for that matter) presented in a fun and spirited way.

After the movie, there was a party at the Blue Bunny complete with kids dressed as Judy....

a Judy Moody Cake.......

and a "Double-Rare" book signing with Peter H. Reynolds. I'll admit, Julia is a bit of a stalker. Not really, she is just a really enthusiastic reader and she has been waiting for a Judy Moody Movie ever since she began reading these books a few years ago. Peter has been incredibly kind to her. His whole family welcomes her to the store. It was a great day.

To celebrate the launch of Judy Moody's Movie and the beginning of summer, Julia and I are hosting a kids giveaway here on the blog. We picked up extra swag from the premiere, had Peter sign it for the lucky winner. We bought the first Judy Moody Book which he signed and drew an illustration on.

Here's what Julia and I have for you.

"Peter H. Reynolds" Signed Judy Moody Movie Poster

"Peter H. Reynolds" autographed copy of the first Judy Moody book

Judy Moody pencils

Judy Moody activity book

And to make the prize package even sweeter (and a little more appropriate for this blog!) I'm throwing in 

a signed copy of my Kids Embroidery
a signed copy of Kids Knitting

embroidery floss and needles

some other rare bits to get a kid crafting this summer!

Here's how you enter...

Answer the following question in the Comments section of this post.....

 Ahhhh, summer vacation as a kid. Remember them? What's your fondest memory of your "not so bummer summers." Did you read incessantly? Craft? Learn to cook? Build tree forts? Swim until your fingers turned into prunes? Go to camp?

Remember to leave an easy way to get a hold of you.

Contest ends next Wednesday June 15th at midnight.

And take your kids, grandkids, little friends or just yourself to see the Judy Moody Movie. You'll remember what it is like to be a kid on summer vacation again. I think that feeling can never be replicated - the last day of school - watching the clock tick down, the bell ring, and the doors open - free for a whole summer of nothing.... I hope you and your kids, your grandkids, or just your plain old self have a really great summer learning, being outdoors and genuinely enjoying life.

Mothering Up + Storey Homesteading Book Giveaway

Do you know the term "mothering up?" I didn't until I heard it on Sweetgrass that amazing SHEEP Movie I told you about about a month ago. I knew it happens every evening when dusk arrives and the lamb races are over but I just didn't know the word for it. The lambs look for their mamas, have a drink of milk and then lie down next to them. It's almost like bedtime story hour for lambs. 

I've been feeding the bottle lambs every evening around 7 p.m. I'm all alone with ALL the sheep. It's rather peaceful in a mildly chaotic way - sheep and lambs all around and the only ones that are worried about the food are my noisy crew of eight who don't have mamas. I'm down to twice a day and truth be told, 4 of them should be off of the milk. But I'm babying them, what can I say?

We've got another bit of mothering going on here...... The day after our wonderful mama cat Lily Pons passed from the world, her 3 year old daughter Annika had her first litter of kittens. I didn't think she could have babies since she was yet to have a litter. Quite a miracle of nature... one cat passes and the next day, 4 beautiful little kittens arrive. She is doing an awesome job. 

There are 3 beautiful fluffy medium haired black and white patchy kittens and one classic striped short haired tiger kitten with a white chest like her mom. They are at the incredibly cute stage right now! We are having lots of cuddling fun with all of them. Lots of kitten photos to come. If you are interested in a kitten, please email me. They will be ready to go to their new homes just around Easter.

 I call this one "the intrepid explorer." Have you heard that quote from Jules Champfleury?  "There is no more intrepid explorer than a kitten." It is rather perfect.

 

Today's blogiversary giveaway comes to you via the fine folks at Storey Publishing. Storey is what I would consider the top "homesteading" publisher in the USA. They do many, many different kinds of books - cooking, baking, animal husbandry, crafts, knitting, healthy living, and more. Their books are clearly written, full of vital how-to information, and great photos. I have been lucky to have them publish two books of mine - Colorful Stitchery and Kristin Knits. This giveaway is awesome:

Bread Making - I've spent lots of time making bread this winter. This book looks fab.

Chick Days - you all need chicks this year, don't you?

Maple Sugar - that sweet stuff that is running at full tilt here in western Massachusetts

Put Em Up - making that garden produce of this summer last until next winter

The Backyard Homestead - everything you need to know for homesteading in the country, the suburbs or the city

 

Here's how to enter:  Answer the following question in the comments by Saturday evening at midnight..... I'll announce the winner on Monday morning. Contest is Closed. 

Question: What is the one new thing you want to learn or do this upcoming summer? It doesn't need to be a homesteading thing - it can be anything. 

Please don't forget to leave an easy way to get a hold of you! Good luck everyone!

Added Monday April 4, 2011....The winner is Jessica who said:  I need to start learning how to knit lace! (what can I say, I'm scared!) Thank you for the wonderful giveaway! And for all the baby animals! Pretty much made my day :)

Thanks so much for entering everyone!

Interview with Gudrun Johnston + A Shetland Trader Giveaway!

Meet Gudrun Johnston.....

 Gudrun is the author of "The Shetland Trader," a self-published book of ten knitting designs, many featuring lace. I met Gudrun through the world wide web. I got an e-mail from her a couple of years ago when I was sharing photos of a litter of Lily Pons' kittens. She and her family were moving back to western Massachusetts, not far from where I live. They wanted to adopt one of the kittens on the occasion of her daughter's 9th birthday. I love being able to place our kittens with knitters. On the appointed day, Gudrun, her two beautiful children Maya and Sage, and her novelist husband David Anthony Durham, arrived to pick up Persy. Julia wasn't home but she knew one of the kitties was leaving that day to go to live with a family whose Mom was a knitwear designer. She was okay with this. I watched Persy grow into a full-grown beautiful cat on Gudrun's blog. How nice to see one of our kittens all grown up as an adult. 

I check in on Gudrun's blog every once in a while. I marvel that she is able to homeschool her children and be a prolific knitwear designer, much less self-publish her first book. Gudrun and her family are packing up to move to Scotland where she grew up. And Persy is going with them. Who would have thought that one of Lily Pons' kittens would be moving to Scotland. Lucky Cat! Lily Pons would be proud of him.

I thought it would be fun to interview this up and coming talented knitwear designer here on my blog before she moves across the pond to her home country. By the way, all of the photos were shot on Shetland by Jared Flood. They are extremely gorgeous - lovely light and colors. Gudrun and I are also hosting a Giveaway of "The Shetland Trader." At the end of the interview, I'll tell you how to enter. Enjoy!

KN: I love the introduction you wrote.            

From the Foreword ... The Shetland Trader, Book One

            “I was born in a wee cottage beside the beach in Levenwick, Shetland in 1974. As was the case with generations of Shetland infants before me, I was wrapped in a traditional hap shawl moments after inhaling my first breath. Wool and lace, family and home, peat fires and a silly red setter....”

It goes on beautifully from there - lovely descriptions of your family’s story. I know your husband is the novelist David Anthony Durham. It seems his love of words has rubbed off on you. Do you find that there is any connection between writing and knitting?

GJ: David and I often find ourselves comparing our respective crafts. Both knitting and writing require a creative mind, one that is inspired by the daily goings on in life and one that needs to be flexible to the changes that will take place during the design process. He admits to stealing from the things he sees on a daily basis and using them in his writing. He has his ear out for inspiration; I have my eye out.

    I also think there are similarities when it comes to the nuts and bolts. We both have to deal with getting on with our work when resistance strikes, and we both have to keep an open mind about the success/failure of any of our pieces. 

KN: This book is a lovely collection of lace designs - from small (some fabulous hats and leg warmers) to a gorgeous skirt and some sweaters. Do you work exclusively in lace?

GJ: I don’t work exclusively in lace. I would say that the majority of my designs so far have made use of it. I have particularly enjoyed exploring the lace designs that come from Shetland and seeing how they can work in a more contemporary context.

KN: What do you find so appealing about knitting lace?

GJ: Sometimes it’s just the challenge of working the lace itself, keeping track of all those symbols in a chart and making sure they all line up as they are supposed to. Seeing the shapes appearing, especially after blocking, is also very satisfying. I’m not all that attracted to knitting very complex lace designs on a large scale but I’m certainly very impressed with those who do. I’m definitely more intrigued by seeing how lace can be used in non-traditional ways.

KN: Did you knit as a child? Tell me about the first thing you knit?

GJ: I didn’t knit as a very young child. I think I first learned around the age of 10 or so. The memory I have of my first piece of knitting is a rather nasty pale green vest, which thankfully I didn’t keep! I do however own some beautiful Fair Isle sweaters that my mother designed and which my siblings and I wore over 30 years ago. Those sweaters were passed on to me by my mother and worn by my own children. I’m very glad to have those and not the vest!

KN: I have met your beautiful family. I’m wondering if either your son or daughter are interested in taking up knitting?

GJ: Maya and Sage both know how to knit. I taught Maya a few years ago and she takes sporadic (but intense) interest. Sage learned when we spent some time in Shetland a few years ago. The kids went to school there for about 12 weeks and had their very own knitting teacher. I believe Sage completed a little knitted worm during that time which he still treasures!

KN: The colors in the photos are so blooming gorgeous. Do you think growing up on the island of Shetland has influenced the colors that you use in your work?

GJ: I do think the colors in a Scottish landscape have influenced my personal palette. I find I’m usually drawn to more natural or muted shades. Getting the right colour for a design is almost as important to me as the design itself. Often I’ll see a particular shade of yarn and know it needs to come home with me and make it’s way into my designing!

KN: The index of the book has a beautiful photo of sheep amongst the fields of the island. Are the sheep an important part of the commerce of Shetland? Do farmers (I think you may call them crofters) still earn part of their income from sheep farming or is a world that has disappeared?

GJ: Although there are still many more sheep than people in Shetland they don’t really provide much of an income for crofters anymore. Crofter’s are heavily subsidized by the government and owning a croft is really more about keeping a way of life going.

KN: There are many photos of heather blooming in the book. Do the sheep eat the heather? Are there any traditional uses for the heather?

GJ: Yes, the sheep do eat the heather! As they are out on the hillsides all winter long it’s their main winter fodder.  I’m not aware of any other uses for heather in Shetland though. I’m told by my father, who is a naturalist, that heather in Shetland is living at it’s climatic extreme!!

KN: I know that you and your family are moving back to Scotland. Do you foresee that the culture and knitting landscape will change your work?

GJ: I actually don’t think it will change my work. I’m already so heavily influenced by it that being back in Scotland is… well, it’s going home.

KN: You write that your mother had a knitwear business called The Shetland Trader back when you were a child. Now that you have revived that business, do you have any future plans that you would like to let us in on? More books? More patterns?

GJ: Hopefully, I’ll always be adding more patterns to my design portfolio. They won’t always exclusively have a Scottish/Shetland connection, but that will continue to play a big part I’m sure. I’m giving serious thought to another collection, but I’m not certain yet what form it will take. I know I want to add more books to the Shetland Trader series but I’m also interested in doing something on a larger scale.

KN: I have been on many photo shoots over the years and I know they are grueling but fun and creative. Can you let us in on a funny story of the behind the scenes on your trip to Shetland?

GJ: I have to say that nothing about that day was grueling for me! I had so much help and things went very smoothly. Jared did get us up very early so he could shoot in the morning light; we had plenty of sheep poo to avoid; there was a little weather to contend with later in the day; we nearly lost a light deflector over a cliff; and models were at chilly at times! However the day ended with a delicious meal of Cullen Skink made by my dad and David, whiskeys all around and a slide show of some of the images captured. It’s a day I will always have very fond memories of. I hope all my photo shoots go that well!

KN: Well, that does sound like a fabulous end to a busy day. I think my favorite project in the book is the scarf design called “Shoormal.” I like the chunkiness of the yarn mixed with the lace stitch. Do you have a favorite design from the book?

GJ: I was very pleased with the results of all of the designs but I’m definitely partial to the cover design, Laar. It was one of those designs that really held true to the initial sketch I had for it. I love the lace-weight yarn worked on larger needles. It produces such a beautiful fabric that almost feels like a second skin. I like too how the delicate details of this design, the lace, picots and scoop neck, are subtle in their beauty. It’s a garment that looks equally good with jeans as it would over a summer dress. As someone who doesn’t dress up much this versatility appeals to me! However, the sample doesn’t fit me so I need to re-knit it sometime.

Thanks so much to Gudrun for taking the time out of her extremely busy life to answer my questions. You can buy The Shetland Trader directly from Gudrun via her website where you can see all of the beautiful designs. Gudrun also has many single patterns which are available for PDF download.

To enter to win Gudrun's printed book, answer the following question in the Comments section. And please, as always, leave an easy way to get a hold of you.

Q? What is your favorite knitting technique? Lace? Cables? Colorwork? Stockinette? And why do you enjoy knitting it?

Contest closes Friday at midnight. I will post the winner's name and contact them by Monday morning.
Contest is closed! The winner is Connie who wrote: I usually love whatever I'm knitting at the time. Most of the time a new project involves something I haven't done before, but lace has been a favorite from the beginning! Congratulations Connie. 

A Winner of the Knit and Crochet Now DVD's!

Thanks so much for all of your help with the ideas for the new season of Knit and Crochet Now. I was so happy that you took the time to help us. If you missed the deadline, don't worry - you can still give us show ideas. You just won't be eligible for the DVD prize but we would love your input. Where else but the knitting and crochet world can you be so close to the production of a television show? I can't think of any other hobby that generates such passion amongst its devotees!

Joyce is the winner. I have contacted her via e-mail. Here's what she said: "I really want to learn to do some simple "embroidery" stitches on my knitting. I can see from your books that they really enhance the knitting, but it is hard to make embroidery stitches lay nice on such a flexible fabric."

Stay tuned to the blog - I've got lots of great giveaways coming up. There's a reason, but I'm not going to let you in on it just quite yet. The giveaways will only go over a couple of days so check back often.

And the Winner is!

Boy - you guys are great! I had 390 people enter the November Giveaway Contest. I am still reading through all your hopes and dreams and wishes. It seems that the question really did strike a chord with many of you. I may write a little more about that next week.

The winner is Susan. Now here is the funny thing - when I read her entry, I said to myself "Boy, it would be really great if this woman won." But I don't cheat - I take my contests seriously and use a Random Number Generator.

Here's what she wrote:

I can't even begin to explain how hard this is for me to answer. I'm 27 years old, and I take care of my disabled 66 year old mother alone. My boyfriend lives in California - we've been dating for 2 1/2 years. It's very hard for me to imagine forgetting about familial obligations. I'm from Appalachia, and it's very ingrained in me. I guess my dream would be to first know that my mom was somewhere safe and happy in order for me to feel like I could truly enjoy my own dream. I went to graduate school in the Midwest, and it was very hard for me. My dream would be to own a home near Snowshoe Resort in WV, spending time sleeping late and staying up late pursuing my favorite rejuvenating hobbies: knitting, yoga, and reading. In this dream, of course, the boyfriend will be able to be there, too. Who am I kidding, I would love for my mom to be there, too, but I would mostly just appreciate knowing that I have help and don't have to take care of her alone anymore.

So, Susan - Congratulations to you! I've already emailed you - I hope this makes your weekend.

By the way - My family and I will be selling our lamb meat at The Amherst Farmer's Market on the Common tomorrow from 7:30 to 2:00. Please stop by to say hi if you are in the area. We are really happy that they are letting us be "guest vendors" even if it is going to be freezing and windy! We will be bundled up.

Since it is getting close to the holidays, I thought I would remind you of one of my tutorials to make a "Holiday Birch Village." This is one of the most popular blog posts I have ever done and it gets linked by big sights a lot. Here's one of the houses Julia and I made last year. I already have a date with some good friends of mine - we have made these houses together the last couple of years and we're doing it again in a couple weeks. It's a great afternoon if you want to just relax with friends and do a little crafting.


Here is the link to the tutorial: Holiday Birch House Tutorial here. I've got to get trouncing around in the woods for supplies. I love that! Good weekend everyone!

Kristin's November Giveaway - Beat the Grey Skies!

Tuesday's post has probably left you all thoroughly depressed. All those images of greys, tans, and browns certainly didn't brighten your day. They were beautiful in an odd way - moody and almost eery. Seeing them on the computer screen surely did make me feel chilly - just like it was when I was out hiking around for the photos.

But today, I've got some cheer for you - a lovely basket of brightly colored Julia Yarn sitting in the sun in the studio to brighten up your computer screen.


But wait, there's more. I'm going to take away all that grey November gloom. It's time for the biggest giveaway yet this fall. Here's what I've got for you all. I'm so excited - I wish I could enter!


1. From my friend Gail Callahan (aka The Kangaroo Dyer) an assortment of different colors of her very own hand-dyed yarn.

2. Again, from Gail, an autographed copy of her fabulous book Hand Dyeing Yarn and Fleece.

3. From me, a copy of Mary Jane Butters' MaryJane’s Ideabook, Cookbook, Lifebook - For the Farmgirl in All of Us
I love this book and I want to share it with one of you. You'll have a great time reading about Mary Jane's farm and how she lives her life in Idaho. It is jam-packed with so many great ideas.

4. From me, an autographed copy of my latest book Color by Kristin.
I love all my books but this one is probably my favorite so far. I was able to fit in pretty much everything I wanted to share with knitters. And the projects are so much fun.

5. From the fine folks at Nashua Handknits, 15 skeins of my soft and colorful JULIA Yarn. This will keep you busy all winter combined with my book Color by Kristin!

Here's what you have to do to enter.....

Answer the following question in the comments section of the blog. Are you ready? I've been working on it for 2 weeks.....

Question: If you could do anything in the next year, absolutely anything, what would you dream about doing? Forget about your job, your familial obligations, your house, your friends, and just do it for yourself? What is that dream?

Contest ends next next Thursday, November 18th at midnight. I can't wait to see what you come up with! Remember to leave an easy way to get a hold of you. Thanks everyone!

Loving the Studio Space and a New Winner!

It is finally getting cold here in western Massachusetts. We had our first really hard frost and everything was coated with ice outside this morning. Must find the mittens and hats! I'm busy right now working on some new projects that I will announce here on the blog in a couple of weeks. And best of all, I have been using my new studio space and totally loving it. The light is beautiful. It is a great spot for photography. Best of all, I can keep things set up and noone will bother them! It is such a huge luxury and makes working with messy things like paint much easier. I keep pinching myself!

One more addition to the studio which I couldn't live without now is a heat source. I took the recommendation of someone who does heating installation for a living and purchased a Monitor Heater. It is one of those "on demand" units where you hit a few buttons and it turns on. It is fueled by propane so I had to have someone add an extra propane tank and there were certain regulations that had to be followed. I turned it on finally last week and it works great. The room is heated in a matter of minutes. I also had a ceiling fan put in so that it would circulate the heat. We'll see how it does this winter in the sheer freezing weather but so far, so good.


The winner of October Giveaway #4 is...... Karen V. She wrote:
"Kristin, I have been reading your blog for quite awhile and feel especially compelled to comment, not only for the great giveaway, but to say that your Gram and my Dad share the same birthday, he would have been 92 today. He was a great inspiration to me and will always be a hero in my book! I am a novice knitter, so my experience is limited, but most of the free patterns I have tried have been accurate. I rely on magazines, blogs and Ravelry for obtaining most of my patterns. With so much available on the Internet now, I don't visit my LYS as much as I used to. Thanks for keeping me inspired with your blog, photographs and beautiful knitting!"

I want to thank you all for entering and writing so eloquently about how, why, and where you purchase knitting patterns and books. It has given me insight into how my readers think, purchase and feel about patterns. I hope to use it to continue to develop new products.

I've got one more incredibly awesome giveaway coming up in a few days. Check back. You won't want to miss this one!

One of the Flock of Knitters at Stitches!

I am back from a very fun two days at the Stitches Market in Hartford. I took Julia because they were going to be long days and I was hoping she would have fun and get to meet some of my friends and some new knitting friends. I didn't teach this year, deciding instead to concentrate my time in the Westminster booth and actually talk to knitters and find out if they like my stuff and to spread my word about how easy it is to knit with color. I organized myself enough to design and get printed some nice cards and bookmarks to hand out to everyone I met. At this point in my career, being isolated here on the farm, I felt it was really important to spread my word about the "Get Stitched on the Farm" classes, about my yarn Julia, my books, and my PDF patterns. I think I made the right choice.

When I teach at Stitches, I am in a small classroom and can only really get to know the 20 or so students I teach. Then I rush to eat something and then back to the classroom to teach a new group of students. This time, I must have met over 1000 knitters! What a blast. I saw many people I knew and met many new faces. I was lucky to be able to plant myself with the folks from Westminster who do Nashua Handknits and my Julia Yarn and self-striping sock yarn Best Foot Forward. Thanks so much Westminster Fibers!

Julia had a great time. Several people recognized her from the blog and I think she thought it was quite fun. My friends at Westminster distribute Gedifra (a German fancy yarn company) and they let her model a purple, off the shoulder sweater. She felt like a glamour girl.

She topped it off with a fun Pompadoodle scarf and couldn't have been happier. She wants me to make her this scarf which I think I am going to have to do. Cute. Not exactly KN style but then Julia isn't me!

I want to congratulate the folks at XRX who produce the Stitches Market. This was the 20th Stitches East. Wow! What an accomplishment! I was at the very first Stitches held at the Cherry Hill Racetrack. Times really have changed! It's a huge show full of really fun things to look at, buy, learn and experience. I'm already looking forward to next year. And another great thing - XRX has just published their 100th issue of Knitters Magazine. Another amazing accomplishment. CONGRATULATIONS! 100 issues - WHAT A LOT OF WORK!

And here is more news from the Stitches/XRX front. To celebrate the 100th issue, XRX is gifting everyone a digital copy of the 100th issue of Knitters. Here's the link and info on how you get it! What a nice gift for the entire knitting world. I'm going to down-load my copy right now!

Now it is back to real life here on the farm. Late yesterday afternoon it was really cold and raw. I haven't gotten the hats and mittens out yet and Julia needs a new winter coat. I am totally unprepared for the cold. But we bundled up in blankets and helped to sort sheep. The lambs are really growing. This ewe is a Border Leicester cross and quite pretty.

The sun started to get lower in the sky and there was lovely back light on the sheep as they began to move out to graze for the evening.


As we walked down the hill, it looked so gray and cold. Most of the leaves are gone and we can tell that winter is on its way.


It's so nice to be home although I really did have a blast this weekend. One more day for October Giveaway #4. Contest ends at midnight and I'll let the winner know tomorrow! Get out and VOTE! I am.

Selling Lamb and Stitches in Hartford 10/30 + 31

The mature ewes have been grazing a field up the road which hasn't had an animal on it in probably 8 years. Early in the spring, The Farmer ran his brush-hog over it so he could get rid of the thorns and weeds. Although they all grew back, some grasses came back too. So finally, last week, he set up the fences and the older sheep have been making good work of it. That is "Frank" our new Romney ram in the front. It's our first season with him breeding and we are anxious to see what his babies look like in February.


Do you see how the leaves have disappeared? Right now the only color left is from the oaks which are a deep beautiful red and russet and the beeches which turn gold and toffee. After they are done, it's gray until April! YUCK!

On November 7th, Chef Daniel Martinez of Bistros Les Gras in Northampton is doing a Fete d'Agneau! Guess who is supplying the lamb? Yes, you got it - Leyden Glen Farm. We are so excited to have our lamb featured at this fabulous restaurant in a 6 course fancy schmancy meal! The Farmer and I will be going - it is a Sunday evening. I am so excited I can't stand it! You can download the PDF menu from their website here. Maybe some knitters will come?

We had a busy lamb Sunday. Besides selling two ewe lambs to a new customer, we also sold two whole lambs to families who will be enjoying them all winter long. One was a first time customer whose husband had grown up on a sheep farm in Pennsylvania. They just love homegrown lamb and have no time or land to do it themselves.

The second couple was Janis and Rich. Janis found out about our lamb business here on this blog. You see, Janis is a great knitter and former yarn store owner. She also is an amazing cook. She and her husband Rich are on their third lamb so far this year! They love our lamb and we love selling it to them! To find customers who really enjoy pasture raised lamb and who keep coming back - well, it's just fabulous.

Janis and Rich are so passionate about food. They love to make all kinds of experimental dishes. It sounds like they spend their weekends cooking and taking trips based on food. They told me last winter they made cassoulet and it took them a whole week - from making the duck confit to making the homemade sausage! Wow - sounds amazing. I sent them off with some lacinato kale (my favorite kind of kale - it is dark green and really tasty) and some leeks I pulled from the garden. I guess it is a perk coming here to the farm!


We talked cookbooks and food blogs - they sure do know a lot! I love what I learn from my customers and what I learn from all of you! Janis suggested Hank Shaw's blog - oh - something else to distract me! I showed her Dorie Greenspan's new book Around My French Table which I am loving! I told her about Hugh F-W and River Cottage. Every time they come, we both learn something!

Janis writes a great food blog called "Bite Me New England." She frequently posts lamb recipes and chronicled their trip to the farm here. Check it out! And you must check out her knitted chicken hat here! Cluck! Cluck!

Stitches in Hartford Saturday and Sunday. Stop by the Westminster Booth and I'll give you a freebie I had made up just for the show! See you there!

The big October Giveaway #2 ends just before midnight on October 31st. Check out how to enter here.