Don't Turn Your Back

Some kids shouldn't be left home alone. They get into all kinds of mischief, like vandalizing the fronts of insecticide jugs.

Fabulous Felt

Guess it's time to start thinking about Christmas, eh? Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and the special time with family focuses me on the next holiday coming up a month hence. As I've mentioned, usually my Christmas prep is well underway by now, but this year, I've been busy with fiber. And I don't regret it at all.

That's OK, there's still time to be thoughtful and intentional. And goodness knows I have enough raw materials in my studio to keep Santa's elves busy for a decade. So here's the first project that is destined to go under the tree:

Remember the basket I knitted at the Cat Bordhi class?


That was before. This is after:


I still don't really trust my front loading washer, so I felted this in my kitchen sink by hand. It really wasn't so bad. Turn on an audiobook and set the timer for 15 minutes. Twice. That's all it took. Pretty fun, yes? The pattern is in Cat's book, "A Second Treasury of Magical Knitting." Pair the book with Cat's YouTube how-to videos (she has dozens), and you'll be set to whip out some cute little baskets of your own.

In fact, I plan to spend Black Friday up to my neck in handmade projects, leaving the shopping to those who feel called to stimulate the economy. Care to join me by the fire with your needles and a warm beverage?

Yesterday's Fog

We woke yesterday to a misty landscape.... an otherworldly haze obscured from view anything more than 50 feet away. Lots of moisture hung in the air. Great picture-taking weather. I caught the sheep looking particularly forlorn in the dampness.

Check out the incredible beaded, hand-spun shawl hanging from my hackberry tree...
Last week, when all the leaves blew away, I saw again the back of my neighbors' houses and heard their lively conversation -- muffled, but audible -- without the curtain of foliage that separates us most of the year. These are the sights and sounds of autumn at Jacob's Reward. I get the opposite of claustrophobia - I am delighted at the quiet, empty spaces opened up by the wind and the naked branches.

Today, I scored a big hit for the farm: I found a fellow not far from here who had 60 bales of hay for sale for a very, very good price. I spent the afternoon tracking down some help for unloading, because this fellow offered to drive the hay over here. What a blessing. Got so busy chucking hay bales that I missed the photo op. We did have fun - the bales were light enough for us to toss them around and look like real hay-chucking farmers. The sight of a full hay barn gives me a peaceful, satisfied feeling. We're good for the winter.

Good Out, Good In

The 2009 Fiber Shares that need to travel to distant points have been lovingly packed, taped and sit ready for their trip to the Post Office. This is a watershed moment for our little fiber CSA. A few more local shareholders have not yet come by for their fiber, but technically, the 2009 year is ended and the 2010 has begun!

The first Act of 2010 will be a Sheep Naming Contest.

After a week here, I've been able to observe the two new Jacob sheep and I can tell you a little about them. The one with the dark face is the more dominant of the two. He is the most inquisitive and the least shy of being around people. Oddly enough, he has not made a peep (or baaaa) since he's been here - totally silent.

The white-faced boy is much more stand-offish, but the most vocal. He also likes to hop up into the compost pile where grass has begun to grow. Not sure if he really likes the grazing there better, or if he is just pining for the Rocky Mountains, and pretending to be a Big Horn Sheep. Ah - and he has one blue eye. Cool, huh?

As you probably know, all our animals have Biblical names; Old Testament or New Testament, doesn't matter. We do prefer the "good guy" names over the notorious character names. Lord knows we don't need to encourage any notorious behavior around here.

So here's the deal: The next two NEW folks who purchase a 2010 share will have the opportunity to name either of these boys. If someone new buys TWO shares, they may name them both. This might lend itself to some interesting choices of names that go together. Makes sense, as the two boys are sticking pretty close together so far. If the new shareholder wishes not to do any naming, the honors will shift to the NEXT new shareholder.

Our shareholders last year did such a fantastic job of naming the Gulf Coast Native lambs, I can't wait to see what happens this year!

Edited to add Very Important Link to CSA page.

To Everything, There is a Season

The weather tells us the seasons are changing here in North Texas. And this... is Spinach Season. We're fortunate that things still grow in the garden here, much longer than in other parts of the country. I planted some spinach almost two weeks ago, and it's coming along beautifully. I planted a ton, and intend to thin the seedlings for salad fixings, allowing the remaining plants to mature to full size.


Today the spinners gathered at the Red Barn for another day of visiting and creating. You can always tell if the spinners are holed up in the Barn because they leave clues, especially on muddy days.

We met new friends, Nancy and Evie, and were also joined by Jennifer and Claire, who had been to the farm before, but not for spinning day. Evie and Mary hit it off immediately!


Rita filled two bobbins, Brenda drop-spindled beautifully, Mary knit on her granddaughter's sweater, Jennifer worked on a very cool scarf, Peggy spun some gorgeous wool, Chris knitted along as Nancy entertained little Evie. Me? I hovered, Navajo plied some bamboo singles, and mostly relaxed. It's been a busy, busy couple of weeks, and I enjoyed not doing very much at all. There was plenty of food, so there were times when most of us were just noshing!


Most everyone got a gander at the new Jacobs, who, by the by, need names. I feel a contest coming on....

What Cat Taught Me

Yes, I indulged myself in a full day of magical knitting instruction with Cat Bordhi and fellow students in a class sponsored by the Woolie Ewe. That, in itself, is amazing. And the stuff Cat taught boggled my mind. The only way I'll even begin to think mathematically is if doing so will help me knit something cool.

Earlier this year, I had a class with Lucy Neatby, another original, out-of-the-box knitter and thinker. These two ladies are cut from the same cloth in the way they fly in the face of convention, and they happen to be friends. They even own a mismatched pair of the same shoes, thanks to a serendipitous swap. Who wouldn't want to spend the day with them?

Cat began by showing us the magical mathematical figure: the moebius. A moebius has only one surface and one edge, and endlessly twists around in a continuous ring.

She taught her inspired moebius cast-on with delightful story-pictures, and we all caught on pretty quickly. The magic starts with the cast-on. It continues as you knit.

Some of us started with a scarf project and others with a small felted basket project. I chose the basket, thinking that I could probably figure out the scarf at home on my own time. Cat took time to work with almost all of us individually, stopping for group instruction as we progressed. I finished my basket up to the felting step, in spite of starting over a couple of times for extra practice.

I really recommend Cat's books and YouTube videos, if you have any interest in a fascinating knitting technique which lends itself to endless variations and innovations. If you ever get a chance to take a class with Cat - do. You won't be disappointed.

My Flickr set from today's class is here. Enjoy!

The Podcast is Finally Up

Look for it here, or on iTunes. It's a live recording of the Kid N Ewe Triumvirate (Mary, Laurie, and Cindy) reporting on all the fun things they did on their Boerne weekend. Hope you like it!

Tomorrow I'll be all day in the Cat Bordhi seminar at the Woolie Ewe. Don't hate me, it's a business seminar. (Knitting is my business!) Just keeping up my CEUs (snort) ...and having a ball! Full report tomorrow night!

Scenes from the Day

Today we enjoyed the largest turnout for our spinning group yet. Eighteen of us in a big circle, holding five or six different conversations at the same time. And lots of beautiful fiber twisting onto wheels:





We did lots of show and tell, and recounted stories from the big weekend in Boerne.

The treat of the day: I swung a barter deal with my friend Kay of Cordova Studios for the knockout Clapotis shawl she knitted. The colors in this Noro Silk Garden wrap are good enough to eat, and it fit me perfectly!

My pictures of the new Jacobs didn't come out well today, but here's the best I could pull off. You'll notice that all four sheep are together, and getting along reasonably well! That's a big load off of my mind. Feeding time will go smoother if the species' are kept separate.