I'd Rather Be Eating a Blueberry

We've been missing our New England friends.
So we play with crayons:

I made the crayon case for our cross-country trip from some wool felt and embroidery thread. The last few weeks we've been using the beeswax crayons to make rubbings of leaves in grandma and grandpa's backyard. Then we send them to VT friends who may not have a fig tree or bamboo growing in their backyard.

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I'm pretty sure I'm going up with the little guy to visit C at the farm this weekend.
I know I will want to stay there.
Being separated by 6 1/2 hours drive, I might as well have stayed in New England to enjoy berry-picking season. I WANNA BLUEBERRY. And then I wanna make blueberry ice cream out of it. And then I wanna make blueberry pie. And muffins. And smoothies. And waffles And syrup for the waffles.

What was I talking about?
Oh, yeah...the farm. If we go up, I will just want to stay there with C and live happily ever after...and I would totally just camp there until we had the funds for our dome, but I have commissions and new wholesale and it's already time to prepare for the holiday show season and STITCHES (yikes). I cannot set up studio in a camping tent, and I'm hoping my wooly efforts will get us closer to being together, which I would love to make happen before the end of the summer (rapidly approaching...eeeeeeek!).

My other option for the weekend is to stay here and let C come down for a week, which would save me the pain of saying hello and then goodbye-for-who-knows-how-long to the woods and the river and the farm, which will make me immeasurably sad. I don't function well in the suburban landscape. I have two more days to decide. I just miss him, damnit. And I miss water that doesn't have chlorine in it and I miss tromping through damp woods.

So, a shameless plug: I have been updating Etsy with oodles of Monkey Mitt Kits and felt. Every penny goes in the dome jar! Spread the word. We need to be a family again, ASAP!

Oh, and in other news:

ME: Can I make a little banner to put over the door that says, "Welcome to our Dome-icile?"
C: Ummm...NO.

I'm so going to do it, anyway. Tell me that ain't some funny shit.

Balls!

It was warm enough in the studio today to play with the carder for more than five minutes. Hooray for a little teaser thaw!

I made these:

Some are for my shop and some are for Urban Fauna...

I have been absent, yes. Winter melancholy is really sinking in...it was warm today, the moonlight is bright and sparkling, but another snap of cold is sure to follow, and it turns me inward...I am ready for Spring and planting veggies and opening windows and muddy boots and only two layers of clothing instead of six.

I hate to say it, but we're still moving...there is a renter moving in March 1st, though, so we have added impetus to complete the process and just be done with it already. One of us has to get out there each day to feed the chickens, who are still holding down the old fort, waiting for their chicken coop to be finished on this side of Hwy 9.
C has been sick on his days off every week for the past three weeks, hence the slow progress...on pretty much everything. It's hard for him to get well when every exposed orifice gets filled with shredded paper all day. He's always pulling chunks of it out of his eyes and ears, constantly blowing it out of his nose. Gross.
However, after the job he's working on is finished, it looks like his hours will be pretty dramatically cut. The economic crisis has finally trickled it's way down into the cellulose insulation industry.

So. I'm getting my arse in gear, applying to shows and regularly updating the ol' Etsy. Starting with tonight's ball update and continuing with some yarn and felt scarves throughout the week.

Oh, and I tried hanging out with a new friend:

Apparently we have zero chemistry. Needless to say, the relationship did not last long.
Sigh.

Mr. Lendrum, however, has come through above and beyond...LOVE HIM. New parts are on the way to me now, at no charge. LOVE HIM.

And now I shall attempt to rest even though the night seems brighter than the day and this giant round moon makes me crazy. Chocolate cookies have been washed down with peppermint tea and the house kitties are on the prowl, waiting for me to turn off the light so they can use their night eyes.

I'll leave you with this:

I made a hat. (Rav link)
I love it.

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).