punkins, punkins

Publish Post

I hauled a few hundred pounds of pumpkins in a wheelbarrow today. I had to move the harvest so's we could actually mow the backyard (in the process, mulching most of the squash vines). I have no idea if any of these are going to be edible, but they sure are pretty. Our soil was a little lacking in richness, but we're sheet mulching and manuring before the snow comes and it should be much better next year.

Speaking of harvests, we'll be apple-picking as soon as the weather allows. I'm hoping for a few bushels for the basement. And now, I have a sparkly new pile of apple recipes to play with. THANK YOU carryboo !!! I'll be apple-ing all winter (and I think I'll start with the "Cake for Elves" and not just because it's for elves and maybe they'll come and have dessert with us if I bake it).

And because there's nothing purple in this post:

Basket Flower

I received a seed packet of Basket Flower as a bonus in our Spring seed order a couple years ago. This year, I finally decided to plant them, and now I want a whole field of them. They are madly beautiful. I brought in a few as cut flowers, and each day they open more, completely changing shape over and over again. The color in the yarn aren't right-on (the purple isn't quite pink enough), but the white on purple is what reminded me of the flower.

Star-shaped bullets

So, the problem with going off the radar for a bit is that there's too damn much to say when you finally jump back in.

This would be the appropriate time to apply bullet points.
Ahem:

* I hate cars. I hate my dependence on cars. It is one of the few downsides to living rurally. And yes, this can be read as: the car is dead, having overheated in between one middle of nowhere and the other, but kind strangers with goodness in their hearts do still exist in this world, so I am thankful for that, at least (further translated: the boy and i got home safely by way of random motorist whose name I feel guilty I've forgotten).

* It's not the end of the world, but terribly inconvenient.

* Like sinus infections and colds that last two weeks.

* The new yarn shop, Knit or Dye (website isn't up yet), has opened in downtown Bratt. I'll be teaching some felting workshops this fall, and starting up spinning classes after the holidays. It's a beautiful store...please come check it out if you're in the area!

* We had a memorial service last weekend at market for a revered member of the local farming community. I wanted to make a post about what I learned about myself and my community that day, but I need to find a moment when I have more in me than just bullet points. The short of it is that we actually have friends here. After three years, it's time to let go of our new-kid-on-the-block tendencies toward hermitism (which really should be a word), stop feeling sorry for ourselves, and allow ourselves to become part of this amazing community. So, we don't know jack about farming. We are surrounded by amazing resources and beautiful folks who are more than willing to share their experiences and offer advice. And be our friends.

* I won't be at Market tomorrow, as the weather is supposed to be pretty nasty. My booth can handle a little rain, but not the torrential downpour in the forecast for most of the day. Next year, we'll get some corrugated roofing for my space, but it seems silly to get it now, when there's only one month left. Anyway, this gives me time to spin the giant bag of husky dog/wool blend that a customer dropped off at my booth earlier in the summer. It kept making its way to the back burner, but there's no denying this is the weekend for getting things done.

* Bullet points are boring me, so here's something to look at:

* I'm in the process of redoing the website...pretty soon there will be no shop on the website, just a link to Etsy. I'll still have information on the website, a customer gallery, link to the blog and what-not, but I just can't spend two hours adding three items to my shop. Ten minutes apiece listing on Etsy makes much better use of my time. It's totally worth the commission. Changing the site is going slow, though, as I'm trying to learn Dreamweaver as I go, and I do not have a computer-y brain. It just needs a whole new background page and everything. That's all.

* Pics of the pumpkin harvest coming soon! Not sure how many of them are edible, but they sure are purty (even if a bit lop-sided and pale on their undersides).

Better late than memeless...

The rules:
Take a picture of yourself right now.
Don't change your clothes, don't fix your hair... just take a picture.
Post that picture with NO editing.
Post these instructions with your picture.

carryboo informed me that a broken isight camera is no excuse not to participate in the self-portrait meme. So, I precariously poised the point-and-shoot on top of the computer and here I am. It's cooooooooold today. I am be-hatted. As much as I wouldn't mind winter holding off for a little while, I very much miss wearing hats during the warm(ish) months. I'm working on a sample hat for the new LYS (Knit or Dye on Main St. in Brattleboro) and am discovering that I really enjoying knitting hats as well as wearing them. I see a giant pile of scrap-yarn hats in my future.

And speaking of the new LYS: I'M SO EXCITED. I'm currently putting together a schedule of classes and workshops I will be teaching, as well as a big order of yarn and batts to be sold there. I'll be doing classes on nuno-felting, wet-felting and needle-felting as well as some wheel-spinning workshops. This means I get to put together spinning and felting kits and get paid to play with them and show people how to do things that make me happy. Yay!

And, because I know you've all been wondering...whatever happened to that Bean Teepee?

Magic Beans, that's what! I harvested all the beans I could before last night's frost. Some were already dried and ready to shell and store, and the others are currently drying on a screen...
I think I have a cup and half so far of tiny white soup beans. We may get three cups total...I guess that's two winter stews worth, so not bad! There are also some scarlet bean runners, but I don't think we'll end up with more than two cups of those...
Note to self: next year, plant MORE beans.

overdue plug...

...for Von Allen, of the dynamic duo vonandmoggy and his new book, Li'l Kids! Available for purchase HERE and as a free pdf EBook HERE! Read it, love it!
Notes from Amazon:

"Li'l Kids: 'road to god knows.' adventures" are three short stories that feature the whimsy and wonder of being a young girl. From meeting new friends, dealing with an ill mom, or triumphing over a nasty super villain in a dream, "Li'l Kids" shows a unique side of being a child. A short story collection told in comics form, the stories all feature Marie, the protagonist from the original graphic novel "the road to god knows." In addition, this collection features all the scripts plus conceptual writing for each story and also background and concept art. Recommended if you've enjoyed Terry Moore's "Strangers in Paradise", Jeff Smith's "Bone", and Mark Crilley's "Akiko."

I've enjoyed following the road to god knows at GIRLAMATIC, the web-comic that introduced us to Marie. So, go meet her if you haven't already, and you will be charmed.

And here's a plug for me: I am starting, finally, to add things to my Etsy shop again.
Just a wee bit at a time over the next little while, as I usually only have small chunks of time on the computer to load up a listing or two.

Twiggy is my favorite Twist leftover. He needs a home!

I was jazzed to see there's a knitter's weekend at Green Mountain Spinnery, not that I could really go, but it's a nice thought. Then, I saw that most of the weekend is focused on SOCKS, and became very NOT sorry that I will miss it. Am I really the only knitter that thinks knitting socks is a form of torture??? Whatever happened to sweaters?

*love*

from LJ September 10
my goats!
I do, I really do.

I mean, LOOK AT THEM:

Catchin' a snooze in the afternoon.
Sometimes I want to be a goat. The eat and they nap and they lick my hands. The simple life.

But, I do very much like to make things other than nanny berries. Here's some recent stuffs:


It will be nice to get back into the groove of the saturday farmer's market, and quietly prepare for BBB. I am making myself a promise to squirrel things away and build my inventory over the next couple of months, so's I can avoid the madness of my typical pre-show procrastination. Before Twist, I had rushed a very goofy kinda sloppy tablecloth, and I do not plan on using it again. In fact, I'm revamping the whole look of my website, logo, etc. I just don't feel like they represent me very well, and I want to tone it down a bit. I'll be making a nice banner on some muslin fabric to hang in front of some grey/blue batik tablecloths.

Blah, blah. Oh, and I made amazing banana-peanut butter-chocolate chip muffins this afternoon and completely spoiled my son's appetite for dinner. But we had fun and muffins with fresh chevre on top is a perfectly acceptable meal, right?

Twist Report!

from LJ September 9th
First things first:


Snacks!
Yes, I finally met sarahcoyne and suncloudedover in real life, and we were all thrilled to discover that not a one of us is a serial killer. We all slept peacefully in our beds after 4 hours of vending Friday night and a ridiculous giggle-fest induced by our lack of sleep the night before. Anyway, my suite-mates/table neighbors are two seriously delightful folks.

About the event:
Twist was super well-organized and promoted, with a sweet, eclectic mix of vendors. I was pleased as punch to be among them. Until the monsoon began on Saturday evening, we had a pretty steady stream of customers come through on both days, and I did very well. I enjoyed being in a smaller room off the main room...it was nice and cozy. I was able to make a few rounds, and I just have to say I completely fell in mad deep love with fern animals. I want a whole menagerie of Ashley's adorable critters.
I also made some awesome trades. Soooooooo happy to have come home with an egg-a-go-go original (giraffe topiary = love), some beautiful glasswork by Katie Richardson, a luscious bamboo scarf by fiskandfern, and a beautiful batt by craftyscientist .

So, yeah, the lovely Twist Crew fed us, beveraged us, provided endless support and ultimately created a top-notch craft show with plans already in the works for Twist Fair 2.0 in the Spring.

I looked like this:



( More pics behind the cut )


After the show, we loaded up our vehicles during a downpour that left me driving home blindly and soaked to the bone. It was probably the scariest drive home EVER, but I made it back and have given myself a couple days off to rest. Next up: get some goods together for Urban Fauna in SF!
That's all for now...gotta pick up the kiddo.

Just in case you didn't know,...the gaping maw of a hungry lion is no match for a garden trowel.

from LJ August 24th
Or is it the other way around? Yes, yes it is.

So, the little guy and I went for a walk up a road near our house, a dirt road that follows the brook. We were on our way to a neighbor's house...we haven't met them, but were invited through a mutual friend to come and pick blueberries. Nearly a mile up the road, as the houses are fewer and further between, and the sound of the main road quiets...I remembered something. I remembered that some different neighbors on that road had found HALF of their dog the other morning, that there have been a few mountain lion sightings. So, I looked about me...in the stroller I had a water bottle, a banana peel...and a garden trowel. Yes, a garden trowel. I am conscientious, and if my kid needs to shit in the woods, we're gonna bury it. So, of course, I started imaging all the scenarios in which this mountain lion will approach me, and how I could possibly defend myself and my child with a garden trowel. I mean, this cat ate most of a golden retriever. It would have no problem disemboweling me. Needless to say, so close to our destination, I high-tailed it back down the hill. I felt silly, but really, wouldn't a mountain lion laugh his head off at a garden trowel? SO, we then drove back up the hill, picked several quarts of the biggest, roundest, loveliest blueberries EVER and promptly made a luscious cobbler. True Story.

In other news:


eep!

Less than two weeks. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.
Still to finish:
-20 of super-secret-project (yarn is already spun/washed/dried, ribbons are here, rag rug is nearly torn apart, beads/buttons/clasps are here and that's all the hint you're going to get).
-20 more felt scarves (wool is dyed and dried)
-10 more knotted scarves (yarn is mostly spun)
-a few more yarns


Am not bothering with cards or spin-kits. Am not bothering with sleep.
In make, make, make mode.
Enjoying it, though.
I do love me a deadline, oh yes I do.
I used to write 20-page research papers the night/morning before they were due, waltz into class late and bleary-eyed, but with a perfect paper in my hand.
I get like that before a show. The two-week countdown puts me in hyper-creative overdrive. I am suddenly flooded with new ideas and oodles of crafty mojo.
Earl Grey tea is my best friend.

to market, to market...

It really is my favorite day of the week. I love my time in my booth to work and demo, to talk to folks all day about something I enjoy immensely.

I have some really fun projects to bring this time around, more knotted scarves, more beads, a pretty dress for Rhoda the Dressform.

I will be contemplating what to set up for a press visit to my studio this week...a video! Eek! It will be promotional for the Twist Fair, which I am busily crafting for (hence my lack of posting).
from LJ August 23rd
I'm wishing I sent better pics for my BBB app. I think I chose some things that were too arty. I really just need to stop worrying about it, or else I'm going to chew my fingers off, and I really need my fingers.

I didn't get the acceptance letter to SFBB that I had hoped for, but I am an alternate, and there may be some outdoor space available. I think it's great that there a different judges and vendors from year to year. It keeps things fresh and exciting for both the shoppers and new vendors. So. We will be out there for a family visit, anyway, so it's not like I need to hold off on travel plans until I find out for sure. I'm just going to stop thinking about it until there's something decided, and go ahead planning the family stuff.

Exciting non-biz related stories to share, but for now...off to market..