Bits and Bobs and More Daily Cuteness

More on the Knitted Royal Wedding from Yorkshire via the BBC ... HERE. I'm dragging myself out of bed at 4 a.m. to watch the festivities on Friday while breakfasting on blueberrry oat scones and Yorkshire Gold Tea.

While we here in the States don't have royalty, we do have Lady Liberty. Julia, Mom and I went last week to visit her. It was an awesome day. I had never seen her up close and she is breath-taking, as is her story via Ken Burns and PBS which I watched a while ago. Look it up - it is worth a watch. Fun ferry ride and trip to Ellis Island too. If you have never been to either, I highly recommend the day. Make sure you do the Audio add-on as it is so interesting!

Susan B. Anderson's New Book Spud + Chloe At The Farm + a Giveaway

A few years ago I stumbled upon a beautifully designed book called "Itty Bitty Hats." The concept and design of the spiral bound book was sweet, colorful and very well done. My interest was peaked because I hadn't ever heard of the author - Susan B. Anderson. I had been in the yarn biz for years. How could there be someone out there who was so super talented and who I didn't know? And then the next year, there was another Itty Bitty Book - this one on toys. I was dying to meet the author and as fate would have it, one evening at a TNNA show, Susan and I were seated next to each other at a publisher sponsored dinner with some book wholesalers. We hit it off and have become friends since that dinner, running into each other at different functions and keeping in touch by phone and email.

Photo Jim Mueller

Susan writes an incredibly cheerful and popular blog full of wonderful knitting, spinning, crafting and family. She also curates the Spud and Chloe Blog for Blue Sky Alpacas. She is Mom to four beautiful kids and lives with her husband and family in Madison, Wisconsin (knitting country for sure!). In person, Susan is exactly as you would hope - kind, smart, funny, pretty and a fabulous knitter/designer. I feel honored to count her as my friend. When Susan asked me if I would like to be part of her blog book tour for her next book, I was so happy to help her spread the word. Today I present to all of you Susan B. Anderson's uber-cute Spud and Chloe at the Farm.

When Will All the Flowers Begin????

I keep singing that song in my head with these words..... All around the blogosphere, I keep seeing flowers. We are still getting snow! In the last 5 days it has been white twice. But the snow did give me a chance to take some wintry photos of a pattern I am working on. Julia isn't quite as obliging as she used to be when I am taking photos. I've got to bribe her with money and then it is pretty torturous for both of us. Do you see the snow ball in her hand below? You can only imagine where it landed - at least it wasn't on my camera. Hard to believe it was April 1st, isn't it?

I received the prettiest little thing in the mail the other day from Robin in Minnesota. She came to the October "Get Stitched on the Farm" knitting retreat.

And a beautiful letter.

Dear Kristin, Attending your class in October of last year was one of the highlights of my year. It was so much fun! I've had more fun playing with color and feel a lot more confident. I've been knitting a lot, but I keep getting distracted with flowers. Here's one that reminds me of your sunflowers. Robin

What you can't see is Robin inserted a wire into the stem and the flower is totally bendable. It is exquisite and is cheering me up sitting in a little vase on my windowsill above my sink as I wait for something green to begin here. I was really tickled to receive this flower. As she was spending time at the farm last year, I could see her brain being turned on and a real creativity developing in her knitting. Robin is an accountant by training and letting loose doesn't come easy to her. As I sent her off into her knitting world, I could tell she really was taking away a lot of good information and that "I had gotten to her." To receive this little gift was truly special for me as a teacher. Thanks Robin!

I'm teaching the "Get Stitched Flower Class" in September here at our Farm. So far, there are no takers so I may have to cancel it and try something else. Or maybe the date is just bad. Or maybe noone wants to come.... There are only 2 spots left in the October 2/3 class so if you are on the fence, think about signing up soon.The July class is completely filled with a group of friends from Maryland. I'm looking forward to all the preparations, cleaning up the garden, airing out the house!

If you are looking for a nice Spring, Easter, or Passover gift to knit for friends, I must suggest my "Olympia's Knit and Crochet Flowers" pattern. (That is the pattern Robin used although she improvised a bit - yay Robin!) Who wouldn't like a knitted flower for a hostess gift or a centerpiece. I think maybe I will use my rustic basket with felted flowers as an Easter basket this year. 

The felted flowers also look beautiful when decorating a grapevine wreath. They are so quick to knit and totally addicting. A nice "carry around" project when it gets too warm to drag around big bags and heavy wool.

The pattern is available for $6.00 on my website via PDF Dowload here.

Don't forget to add your question to "Ask The Farmer." Either you all are too tired of reading the blog or don't have enough time in the day..... Or you are still working on your taxes like we still are. I've got a really busy week this week and next and I am hoping The Farmer will fill in for some of my posting.

Webs Northampton - Sunday March 27th from 1 to 4

I'll be there! Hope to see some of you. If anyone wants me to bring them some lamb, let me know. We can have a "meat-up"! Our farm number is available on our website link at the left. I have half legs for Easter and Passover, shoulder roasts for braising, stew meat, ground lamb, lamb sausage and more! 

Register here for the Webs event -- It is free!

An Interview with the Talented Children's Book Author/Knitter Joanna Johnson + a Giveaway!

When I was in NYC at VKLive, I ran into Joanna Johnson standing behind a pile of her delightful children's/knitter's books - Phoebe's Sweater and Freddie's Blanket. I had heard about Joanna from our mutual friend Karin Strom so it was a really nice end to my day to meet her in person. Joanna lives in Loveland, CO with her husband and three kids. I took a good look at her books because I hadn't yet seen them in person and was mightily impressed. The books are self-published by Joanna's family press but they look and feel like they were done by a real publishing house. A couple of weeks later, I received both books in the mail to my surprise. 

Both of Joanna's books carry the theme of family, knitting creation, and love through them. Joanna's husband Eric illustrated the books. What a talented family they are! I love the fact that not only are the stories about family and knitting, but at the end of both of the books there are patterns given for a knitted toy (Phoebe the mouse and Freddie the Platypus), knitted toy clothes, knitted children's clothes and in the case of Freddie, a baby blanket and baby envelope. Both the books would make a lovely baby shower gift for a knitter (or wannabe). 

I asked Joanna if she would do a interview for my blog and she said "yes." AND for all of you, Joanna and I are hosting a giveaway of BOTH of Joanna's books. Read through the interview below and at the end, I'll tell you how to enter the GIVEAWAY.

Phoebe, the Mouse, has her own blog here. You'll find Phoebe and Freddie on Ravelry here on the Slate Falls Press Ravelry Group. You can order signed copies of Phoebe's Sweater and Freddie's Blanket directly from Joanna and Eric at their Etsy Shop here.

Thanks to Joanna for taking the time out of her busy schedule to answer my questions. Read on! This interview may just bring tears to your eyes. It did mine!

KN: Joanna, you are the author of two fabulous children's books that are based on knitting. Tell me how you got involved in writing children's books…..

JJ:  Reading was my favorite hobby as a child, so a degree in Literature was the logical path for me when I went to college.  I studied Children's Literature along with the classics: Eliot, Austen, Milton, and so forth, but it was having children that really made my favorite genre of literature come alive for me.  My husband Eric and I have three children, and have enjoyed finding wonderful children's books and reading them as a family.  Eric has always loved to draw as much as I love to read, and we just always figured that this was something we would do together someday, although it took us a while to figure out how that would happen.  Our first book, Phoebe's Sweater, spent a lot of time in draft form in a drawer before we knew what to do with it!

KN: Your husband Eric illustrated the books. How do you find working together? Are there any tricks to keeping your relationship happy when you are also trying to make the business work?

 JJ:   It is really unusual for a children's book author and illustrator to work as closely together as Eric and I do.  I am really spoiled in that I am able to have a lot of input into the tiny details of the artwork, and, in a similar way, Eric has a lot of influence on the way the stories develop, too.  We both have really different strengths, and always approach our work with a common vision.  The fact that we each have our own studio helps, too!  We both understand the creative process, and how to step back when the other one is really in their stride and needs room to work, and we also know what it means to have good words of encouragement for each other when we get stuck creatively.  

KN: And your books are published by your family's press Slate Falls Press in Loveland, CO. I think that is really great that you and your family have started your own press. Do you have any words of wisdom for those that are thinking about self-publishing?

JJ:  The doors are certainly wide open these days for self-publishing.  That being said, it is not a "magic feather" by any stretch of the imaginaton.  To do it well requires a lot of time, work, and endurance.  I encourage people to read, research, and read some more in their intended genre, educate themselves about what work is already out there in that subject area, and practice and hone their craft, whatever it might be.  We have found it to be an incredible process, and very rewarding creatively and personally.  It is losing the stigma of "vanity publishing" as more and more high quality self-published books are being released as the months pass.

KN: I have always worked with traditional publishers, taking the easy way so that I don't have to warehouse my books, ship them, distribute them, and front the printing, editing, and desktop publishing end of the process. Is there one thing that really is key to making your press work?

JJ:  Eric and I do this as a team, and I just can't imagine going it alone.  That is probably the best thing we have, is each other.

KN: It seems that your business is a family affair. Do any of your three children help you with the story line?

JJ:  We spend a lot of time conversing about our story ideas, characters, and settings.  Our children love stories, art, animals, and our daughter is a talented "crafter" in her own right, so we do talk with the children about our ideas, they are a great resource!  We read to them, show them the knitting projects, and especially see what they think about Eric's sketches.  It is hard for us, as adults, to remember what things are actually important to children sometimes, and observing and listening to them is a great inspiration to us.

KN: Do you have any one awesome experience with a knitter who has read or gifted your book that you would like to share with my readers?

JJ:  I have so many amazing stories about the way these books have touched people.  A recent one that especially stands out to me is the story of a friend of my mother's who overcame cancer a few years ago.  My mom and dad recently went up to visit her, knowing that her cancer has returned and she will not recover this time around.  Our new book was recently out, and my mom brought a copy of each of our books to her friend.  "How did you know this is what I am doing?" she said to my mom.  She had decided that she would spend the last months of her life learning to knit and making things for her first grandchild, who will be born this summer.  Just last week she just sent my mom a "thank you" card and said she is knitting the Baby Envelope from our new book as a gift for this grandchild she may not be here to meet.  I feel very humbled to be a part of this brave woman's life, and to have made something that brings people together in such a personal way.

KN: In your most recent book Freddie's Blanket, you chose a Platypus as your main character. All the support characters are animals from Australia. How did you choose to feature Australian creatures?

JJ:  We talked about a few different animals for the Freddie character, but once we started talking about the platypus we knew he was the one!  They are just such interesting creatures, and once Eric researched their habitat and the other fascinating animals, plants, birds, and bugs of Australia we were hooked.  Even our kids want to go to Australia now!  I have a fellow knitwear designer friend who lives here in Colorado who is Australian, and she and a friend lent us wonderful advice and reources as we did our research, which was a great help to us.  I love it when I meet readers from Australia at book signings and they give us their approval on the details, because then I know we got it right.

KN: I love Eric's illustrations. They have such a lovely soft quality, similar to Beatrix Potter's lovely drawings. Did he train as an artist and has he done any other illustrating of children's books? What medium does he use for the illustrations?

JJ:  Eric has a degree in graphic art, but took as many fine art classes as he could fit in while he was in college.  He grew up helping his father run his graphics studio, and has always enjoyed drawing and illustration.  These are his frst books, and I do hope they are the first of many, because this is something he truly loves to do.  His illustrations are done in pencil, ink, and watercolor.

KN: Any new plans you want to let us in on?

JJ:  Well... we are busy at work on our third book, which we hope to publish in 2012.  It will include some new crafting patterns alongside the knitting patterns, and we are really excited about who we are working with on that.  I hope to start sharing peeks of it at TNNA in June...

    (Are you listening all you retailers out there? Another great new kids knitting book for your store!) 

PHOEBE'S SWEATER AND FREDDIE'S BLANKET GIVEAWAY

Here's what you do to enter. Answer the following question:  

What is your "go-to" knit or crochet baby gift that you make for a friend who is expecting or has just given birth?

Added 3/24/11: THE CONTEST IS OVER. THE WINNER IS SARAH K. Joanna will be sending her the books!

Meg Swansen's Thoughts about Eeyore + a New Book from Elizabeth Zimmerman

Got a funny note from Meg Swansen the other day via my Facebook page after I wrote about Eeyore, our donkey:

From Meg: "E.O.R: I distinctly remember seeing it in a knitting magazine and not knowing what the heck it stood for - and as I was searching about in my brain, EEYORE came out as an obvious, but misguided, solution."

 

That Meg - she has all the wit of her mom Elizabeth, doesn't she? E.O.R. - that never would have occurred to me. I'm just not that clever I suppose. 

The other day, I was talking to my super talented friend Susan Anderson and I heard her story of her meeting Meg at the Madison WI Knitting Guild. She told me that Schoolhouse Press is publishing a new book of garter stitch designs by Elizabeth. How great. I myself had just run into Meg at VKLive in NYC which was a thrill for me. We hadn't seen each other in over 25 years! 

I asked Meg about the new garter stitch book and here's what she had to say:

"Schoolhouse's new project is Knit One Knit All. It is the Garter stitch book my ma always wanted to write (but was rejected by several publishers; "only ONE stitch"!) We hope it will be available in May; over 40 designs, many of which have never been published - and no overlaps with her existing 5 books. Onward. Meg"

Doesn't that sound great? I love garter stitch and the spins Elizabeth put on it were so great. How many of you have knit a baby surprise sweater? I can only imagine. (I must admit, I haven't but it is always because I am working up my own ideas.) To think that Meg was able to unearth over 40 of her mom's designs that are new to the knitting world is earth-shattering, don't you think? And to think that all those publishers turned it down. Wow  - what a lost opportunity for them but now we will all be luckier for it. And Schoolhouse Press too! Getting to publish a goldmine like that! Wow-wee! Or as Eeyore would say "Hee-Haw! Hee-Haw!"

It doesn't look like it is available on the Schoolhouse Press website yet but I'll try to keep you all apprised of its release when it is. Sounds like one of those books every knitter is going to want to own!

And by the way, Susan Anderson has a new book that is hot off the presses. It's called Spud and Chloe at the Farm and it looks darn adorable. I think it is shipping now!

The Addie Connection

My father's brother Uncle Harry married a Norwegian woman from Lake Telemark, NJ named Adelaide before I was born. They lived an interesting life - first in Germany where he worked for the U.S. government in the late 1950's and then as the Press Secretary for a few different congressmen. Later, one of his bosses Barber Conable became President of the World Bank and Uncle Harry traveled the world as his advance man. Uncle Harry, Aunt Addie and my three cousins lived outside Washington, DC for all my life and we would see them a couple times a year when they came to visit Gram. When I was a teenager, they bought a farm in upstate New York not too far from Saratoga where my sisters and I would visit during the summer.

Addie was a beautiful woman with thick, strong hair. She was tall and slender and always looked well put together, almost in a Audrey Hepburn kind of way. Addie was extremely intelligent and probably the first woman I ever knew who was an intellectual. And Addie was a needleworker. At almost every family occasion, she would be knitting. I remember being envious of her kids' beautiful handknit sweaters covered with intricate cables. I loved to watch her knit and she was always encouraging to me, passing on the wise words that "Yes, Kris, you can do this too." I will never forget that. Addie was always extremely kind to me, in her stand-off-ish Norwegian way. When we first began our sheep flock, we named one of our first lambs Adelaide after her. As Addie got older, she developed emphesemia and had to tote around an oxygen tank. She developed a fondness for lavender. She grew it and made woven lavender wands that she carried with her. She said the lavender helped her breathe easier. 

Addie was always interested in history, politics, the arts, and wool and all kinds of textiles. She spent all her summers on their farm in New York - she loved it and the real country life. She loved to "junk" before it was popular and furnished her farmhouse with antiques she bought at local auctions and yard sales. When The Farmer and I got into the sheep business, she was fascinated and once again encouraging. One day I got a call from her, saying she wanted to buy some sheep to help her graze her lawn in NY for the summer. By this time, Addie was using her oxygen tank. The Farmer gave her advice on what kind of sheep to buy and the portable electric fencing she would need. My brother-in-law David, the Dairy Farmer, had a side-line fence business and she struck up a telephone relationship with him. One Saturday she arrived at the farm, oxygen tank in tow, to pick up her fencing. We were up in the woods working and I heard a loud noise. Up the path roared David on his ATV with Aunt Addie and her oxygen tank in tow. I will never forget the site. We all sat around and talked about farming, fencing and sheep. Soon, Addie left the farm with her fence and oxygen tank. She got two sheep that summer and they grazed outside her farmhouse all summer long. I always had the best time in my mind imagining Aunt Addie in her slim pants, beautiful thick gray hair and her oxygen tank moving her fence and sheep around their pastures and lawn. We got letters from her about her sheep that I still have somewhere. 

Addie passed away a few years after her sheep summer. When Uncle Harry was cleaning out her things, he gave me an antique wooden wool winder and some of her lace-making and tatting tools. Every time I stumble upon the tools in my jewelry box, I think of Aunt Addie, the kind words she used to share with me, and her late in life sheep. 

This past fall, The Farmer met another Adelaide at a farmer's market. She grew up in northern Vermont and has lived here in the Valley for over a decade. Her partner Dan and she run a business called Real Pickles in Greenfield. They recently were awarded a national Good Food Award. But Addie is interested in raising sheep. She worked on a sheep ranch in Idaho for a few months. This winter she is helping out with lambing chores and learning along the way. She comes to the barn a couple mornings a week. Last week, I was there too, taking some photos for you. 

Here you can see the greenhouse barn that we use for lambing. It was a beautiful day full of blue sky and cold sunshine. You can see that except for the lambs and ewes in the pens, the sheep are outside. Sheep prefer the outdoors - even in a snowstorm. 

Here's Addie putting an elastic tail band on a day old lamb. 

 

We use a tool called an "elastrator" and thick green rubber bands. Lambs are born with tails that are about eight inches long. In a couple weeks, the bottom part of the tail will fall off. We do this as a precautionary measure. In the summer, if a sheep has diarrhea or the poop doesn't fall away from the sheep, flies will lay their eggs on the sheep's butt. In a day, the eggs will become maggots and they will eat away the sheep's flesh. We really have to watch this in the summer. A sheep can die in a couple days if the maggots happen and they aren't attended to. Not a pleasant sight to say the least.

After the tail is docked, we spray-paint the sheep with its Mama's number. Green numbers mean the lamb is a twin, blue numbers mean the lamb is a single. The paint wears off as the lamb ages and it will wash out of the wool. Addie also puts eartags in the lamb's ears. Each lamb gets the number of its Mama and it helps to keep everything in a bit of order. Addie is really enjoying working with the lambs. Dan, her partner, isn't so sure about the manure on her boots when she comes home.

So here's the funny thing. I got an e-mail the other day from a woman named India who is a faithful blog-reader. Here's what she wrote:

"Hi Kristin- Would you consider mentioning in your blog Warm Hats Not Hot Heads, the knitters' campaign to restore civility in politics? There's a group on Ravelry and we're also on Facebook. The idea is to knit hats--which embody the concept of every stitch working for the common good--for every member of Congress and every Senator, to illustrate our desire for our representatives to put down the poison pens and take up the business of crafting solutions to the various problems and challenges facing our country. This campaign was begun by your fellow knitbloggers Twinsetellen (http://twinset.us/) and SpinDyeKnit (http://spindyeknit.com/). Thank you! India

p.s. Thanks, also, for mentioning Real Pickles a few months ago. My niece, Addie Rose Holland and her partner, Dan Rosenberg, are the people behind the pickles. 

I try to keep the politics out of my blog. It's not something I like to include so I was a little reticent to say yes. But I delved into the website a little more and discovered that this wasn't a political statement as much as a statement that politicians should listen to both sides of the story and perhaps meet in the middle. I promised India I would give the project a shout-out here.

Last night, I listened to the "On-Point Interview" with Tom Ashcroft about knitting. And who do you think was the first caller? It was India! Tom gave her the chance to talk about the Warm Hats Not Hot Heads Project. Awesome. If you didn't get a chance to listen to the show, you can find it here.

I guess I could have said this all shorter.... but it wouldn't have been so much fun for me.... Harry marries Addie and they live outside DC. Arch marries Nancy and I am born. Addie encourages me to knit. I do - and have a career. The Farmer and I get some sheep and name a lamb Adelaide. Aunt Addie buys fence and grazes summer sheep late in her life. I start writing a blog. A young woman named Addie comes to our farm to help out with lambing. A blog-reader named India asks for a a little publicity help with her project Warm Hats Not Hot Heads and happens to be Addie's aunt. I hear India on NPR.

That is my "small world" story of the day. Check out the Warm Hats Not Hot Heads project to sign up here. Good day everyone!

Decorated Chain Stitch Embroidery Video

A little gift for you all for Valentine's Day. Here's a video I made a bit ago which I never uploaded. The motif I embroider is a heart so it makes it appropriate for this special day of roses, chocolate, and love.

 

I hope you all are having a nice day, celebrating with loved ones or just treating yourself extra special. I'd like to thank you all for coming here so faithfully and supporting my creative pursuits. Happy Valentine's Day to you all!

I send out this virtual heart to you all. 

Knitting on OnPoint on NPR Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Tomorrow, On Point Radio with Tom Ashbrook will feature an entire hour discussing knitting. Check it out on their Facebook Page here and leave them a comment. If you can't manage to listen, you should be able to get the audio via their podcast within an hour after the show airs.

Fern Stitch Embroidery on Handknits from Color By Kristin - Bloomsbury Gloves

Photo John Gruen Courtesy Sixth and Spring Books

The photo above shows my Bloomsbury Gloves knit from my Julia Yarn from my book Color By Kristin. I have now completed uploading the series of video tutorials on all the embroidery stitches you will need to decorate these gloves: French Knots, Fern Stitch, Lazy Daisy, and Spider Web. You can find them on a new link on my sidebar at left. I really do hope that some of you try to add embroidery to your handknits. It isn't hard - as you will see by watching the videos!

Here is the last one - Fern Stitch Video Tutorial......

After you watch it you should be also able to make the leaves on my Sunflower Pillow (pattern available as PDF download here) as shown on the close-up below:

Enjoy!

Lazy Daisy Embroidery Video Tutorial on Handknits from Color by Kristin

Here is number two of three videos I've just finished editing to help you learn embroidery on handknits. This video shows how to make Lazy Daisies - a very easy embroidery stitch. After you watch it, you should be able to make petals and small leaves on your handknits.

 

Knitters All Over the World

One of the lovely things about attending VK Live was meeting many, many knitters. And getting to share the way I see color and the art of knitting. It is a great priviledge to write a knitting book but to be down in the trenches with the real knitters - now that is fun of another kind! 

I never thought I would meet knitters from overseas at VK Live. I guess I really didn't think about it. I know I have blog readers from all over the world but I have never met any of them (except for one). In a few of my classes, I had students from Germany which was a pleasant surprise. Gives me the idea that in Germany, knitting must be up and coming again! To top it all off, one of the students - Martina Hecht - is a blogger! She writes "MaschenGold.". Her blog is available both in German and English! Wow - what a lot of work!  Here you can read a review of my "Joy of Color" class. It sounds like she "got" what I was trying to share. I hope she shares it with her fellow knitters in Germany too!

If you haven't had the chance to look yet, my new "Get Stitched on the Farm" website is up! Here's the link. You can poke around it. Check out the dates for the new classes! The banner below was one that didn't quite fit. Too bad - it was too tall.

Handknit Prezzie Idea for Valentine's Day, MORE Lambs

We interrupt the birth of the lambs for a little bit of knitting. I might as well join in with all the crazy Valentine's Day hype. Can't get away from it, can you? I've just knit up a new version of my Knit It - Felt It - Zip It Bag.

It's a Valentine's Day gift for Julia. We need a way to reign in all those markers that fall on the floor of the car all the time! In pink, of course - her favorite color. You can find the pattern available for PDF download on my Shop Page and read a little more about my project on my Julia Yarn Page here. The triangle pattern is included with the pattern (even though it isn't photographed on the pattern page). In fact, I have added 3 bonus charts for you to try. They are all photographed before and after felting. There is also a section a "how-to" section on choosing colors for working with two colors. I think this pattern is a real bargain at $6.

One little trick I'd love to share.... if you look close at the triangle motifs, you'll see that there is a difference in the rows of darker triangle colors.


I was running out of my Velvet Moss Julia and I wanted the triangles to be dark. I striped the triangle motifs using both the Velvet Moss color and Steel Grey shade. Each triangle row is a different color. Look close! It is barely noticeable but got me through the project.

Here's a second photo showing a different color variation on the triangle motif.

This pattern is really versatile because it is sized in 4 different sizes - these are the small and medium bags. There are also smaller and larger bags included too! It really is an easy project to whip up if you are familiar with two color knitting. Instant PDF downloads really do make this possible! See the idea on the web, grab your odds and ends and you can begin this evening! I love it! If you have trouble understanding the rectangular pick-up at the beginning of the bag, see this post.

And since farming never stops, have a look at what The Farmer brought home the other night.

What is it you ask? It is a bucket of cow colostrum. His brother is a dairy farmer and had a cow that freshened (calved). When his cows have babies, he machine-milks the mothers separately so that the colostrum is saved and fed to the calves. (Most dairy cattle do not raise their young - the babies are taken off them immediately and a farmer hand feeds them with a bottle.) David was kind enough to share the "colostrum wealth." It is going in the freezer in yogurt containers and we'll use it to feed bottle lambs whose Mamas aren't able to give them colostrum. All this talk about colostrum...... maybe some of you don't know what it is..... It is the first milk that comes from a mammal mother - sheep, goat, cow, human..... It is thick, sweet and full of nutrients. When a lamb is born, it is really important for it to drink this first milk as it also helps guard them against disease.

Here are some photos of this weekend's new arrivals.


This baby is so darn cute.


And this one --- aaaaawwwww!


One week til Valentine's Day - get knitting. I am!

Amazing Links about Knitters/Crocheters and Coco + Chanel

Here is a very heart-warming video about Barbara Finney, a woman who lost her fingers to a blood disease but still knits and crochets. See it here.

On Saturday I met a woman at the Amherst Winter Farmers Market who knits "stump socks" for American War Veterans. She is a member of the Granny Peace Brigade in Philadelphia. Their mission is to work for peace in Iraq and Afghanistan and to bring home the troops in good medical - physical and mental - condition and to jobs. The stump sock pattern is available on line Here on Google Docs.

I've just heard about an upcoming knitting retreat being held near Hartford. Janet Bristow and Vicky Galo are the original founders of the Prayer Shawl Ministry and travel nationwide to present their ministry workshops. Both are graduates of the Hartford Seminary’s Women’s Leadership Institute, and are authors of The Prayer Shawl Companion and The Crocheted Prayer Shawl Companion. It is April 2 from 10 to 3. Check it out here.

And because there can't be a day without a sheep or lamb photo, here are Coco and Chanel dozing on one of our Persian rugs via the Hipstamatic.


And another of them smiling for the camera.

Back from VK Live in NYC, Farewell to The Minimalist

I've been taking the last couple days to digest my latest adventure to the Big Apple - this time to teach at Vogue Knitting Live. It was a great trip - and a giant knitted whirlwind to say the least. It is still amazing to me that I only live a little over three hours from all the hustle and bustle of one of my favorite cities in the world. When I was just out of graduate school, I worked in the garment district (actually on the 34th floor of the Empire State Building) for a year or so. It was a great experience for a young person and one I am so thankful to have had. To see how the garment industry worked back then (when there were many American garment factories still making clothes) gave me great insight to all the processes and people it actually takes to get a shirt on a rack for sale in a store.

But I digress.... sorry. Somehow after my adventure working in NYC, I landed my dream job at a little old yarn company in Lowell, Massachusetts and began the career that I continue in some sort of fashion today. There have been various twists and turns but I am basically doing what I started out to do when I began studying textiles back in the late 70's. When I was asked to come and teach at the first VK LIVE back in August, I jumped at the chance. NYC in January with the possibility of snow, the opportunity to ride in cabs with crabby cabbies, eat real NY bagels purchased from honest to goodness real NY delis, and mingle with lots of knitters and teachers who are creative and passionate about sticks and strings. Sign me up!

One thing I have known from my earliest days mingling with everyone who has ever worked at Vogue Knitting is that they all know how to put out a beautiful magazine. I expected nothing less for their first VKLIVE event and I was not disappointed. Add to it the energy of NYC and bizarre combination of thousands of real knitters descending on the NY Hilton in the rush of midtown. I marveled every time I walked through the lobby, seeing knitters sitting on the floor, in the comfy chairs at the bar, at the restaurants, all casting on, clicking and talking with knitters they had never met before. The common thread of the yarn, the needles, the sharing of techniques and yarn scores, the sharing of technology (thank you Vickie for those iPad hints - now if I can just remember them), it was all almost too good to be true! So thank you all of you - who came to my classes, who organized the event, who shared a meal or a glass of wine.

I also got a sneak peek at advance copies of Vogue Knitting's Knitopedia which looks like a really fabulous knitting reference book. It's coming to a yarnstore near you soon. I've got an article on "living with sheep" that actually made it! I was sweating that one out.

There was a kind of funny dichotomy going on too - in the ballroom next to the "yarn market" there had to be over a thousand men in suits there to see the SF Giants' World Series Trophy. Man, was security tight over that thing. Wonder how much that cost to see? Way more security than that guarding all the cashmere and qiviut. Yarn and baseball - talk about two different worlds. Both full of a lot of passion, to say the least.

I didn't stay at the hotel. Instead I chose to stay with a very good friend in her loft on 21st Street in Chelsea. It was a bit of a schlep very early every morning but it was nice to be out of the fray and most of all to spend time with Sally who I don't get the opportunity to see too often anymore. On Monday morning before I left, I got to go to the new Eataly (5th Ave + 23rd St), Mario and Lidia's new store/market/restaurant. Brought home some wacky pasta shapes to try. Great store - check it out next time you are in NYC if you are into food. And then to do a quick run-through of ABC Carpet down at Union Square before boarding the bus at Port Authority to head back up north to the snow and ice and freezing temperatures.


I'm glad to be home but I must say, I so missed meeting some of the great teachers and knitting personalities that I have admired from afar over the years. That is my only regret. All that knitting talent in one place - overwhelmingly exciting to say the least. And not enough time to meet and greet all of them. Maybe next year!

On a food note, I just heard that Mark Bittman is retiring his "Minimalist" Food Column in the NYT. Oh, I shall miss that. Thanks Mark for 13 years of inspiration at my stove. Check out today's article - it has links to his 25 favorite recipes.

More Knitting Inspiration, Beth Brown-Reinsel, and a Sneak Peak at things to come....

Last winter, there was a great giveaway over at the Webs blog featuring my book Color by Kristin and enough yarn for a project from the book. The lucky winner was Carol Ozimek who lives in Lake Tahoe. Carol chose the "Over the Top" Shawl which I blogged about here. Carol writes a lovely knitting blog called "And All That Yarn."I bet Carol's Over the Top Shawl is going to come in pretty handy this winter in Lake Tahoe. Thanks for the photo Carol! You did an amazing job on the shawl!


So now a sneak peak at something that won't be ready for awhile..... Friday I spent most of the day with Beth Brown-Reinsel. Do you know Beth? Well, if you don't, you need to get to know her and all the incredible traditional knitting techniques she teaches. Beth is the author of the classic knitting book KNITTING GANSEYS and a true knitting master at many traditional techniques. She travels throughout the USA and abroad teaching. And guess what, Beth lives only 25 minutes from me in Brattleboro.

Knitting Ganseys has been the go-to book for this extremely popular sturdy fisherman gansey from the British Isles. (Old photo from this website here.) Originally published by Interweave, it was in print for 17 years. Amazing. When Interweave decided to let it go just this past year, Beth took it upon her to re-publish it herself. And not only has she self-published it but she has starred in her very own, professionally produced DVD called what else but "Knitting Ganseys." It is hot off the DVD press and you can order both the book and the new DVD from Beth's Etsy Shop here. Beth is an amazing teacher - so patient and kind and is a favorite teacher at guilds and yarn stores. Her video is a perfect companion to the book or for someone who isn't fortunate enough to squeeze into one of Beth's popular classes. Here's a little preview of it.



So what were Beth and I doing Friday? I'll just say that we spent the day in my studio with a Flip camera. You'll have to wait until January to see the fruits of our labors. Hop on over to Beth's Etsy Shop for Beth's BRAND NEW DVD for a great gift for that hard to buy for knitting friend. And in January I'll be running a giveaway featuring some Beth Brown-Reinsel items so stay tuned! Boy, did we have a fun day - laughing our heads off. Lots of knitting bloopers! I wonder if Tom Bergeron is interested? I doubt it... Good weekend everyone! Better start the Christmas shopping soon!

More Inspiration from My Fabulous Readers

Continuing on the theme of inspiration from knitters out there in knitting land.....
From Donna Pilkington: "I emailed you a while back after knitting the colorful scarf for my granddaughter....she wears it all the time with her Corky (Fall River, MA) coat. She hates to wear hats and gloves so the scarf wrapped around the coat hood works well."

"For the glove part, I thought of making her fingerless mitts on a cord but reasoned that she would not wear them unless her Mom, Nonna and Zia (aunt) wore them. For Thanksgiving, we all wore our mitts as we walked DC. I was knitting them up to the last moment after making the last minute decision to drive thru the night given I 95 holiday traffic; the decision sorely cut into my knitting plan. I never did get a pic of all 4 of us wearing them but I send along a pic of my pair."


More from Donna: "I read the directions for your 'holiday gift' on your blog (thank you). For the ones I made, I did not do a thumb gusset as it would interfere with the color pattern. Instead, at the point of the thumb opening, I knit on stitches with waste yarn and then transferred them back and continued on in pattern, going back to that spot at the end and making the thumb. I was very pleased with the result and little Sophia indeed wears them, much to her parents pleasure."

The photo below shows Donna's thumb treatment:


I love these - don't you? And I recognize many of the charts from my book Color by Kristin. Nice job Donna!

From my friend Cathy Payson: "Hi KN: Attached are pictures of a Valentine Card I got. Chloe and Maxine are the girls from Chicago that I made the sunflower hats for. Cute! Just thought you'd like to see."


Here is the original link with a story about The Sunflower Hat. It is from my contribution to Mags Kandis' book Folk Style.

And lastly from Laura and in keeping with the season.....

"Hi Kristin -I just wanted to thank you for the inspiration that your style gives me. I love the play of color and combining two needle crafts to create a collage like expression. The design of the stocking was designed to show the joy and excitement of my new Great Nephew Erick. Thank you, Laura aka Flowerknitter on Ravelry"

Wow - isn't that the most beautiful Christmas stocking. Look at all the details! That lucky little boy Erick! And he won't have a clue how lucky he is until he goes to friends' houses and sees their plain Christmas stockings.

Happy weekend everyone! Keep the needles clicking.