Signs of Spring.

Look, there IS life!

Baby Herbs in Mom's Greenhouse.

Spring means lots of green.

Like Green Gummiebaer Boot Socks.

It also means finished Christmas gifts! Amazing!

I made these boot socks for Gummiebaer out of two skeins of Cascade 220 heather in forest green.

• #6 needles
• Toe up
• Magic cast on
• Short row heel
• 2x2 Rib
• Inc. up the back for calf shaping

I knit until I ran out of yarn. I really enjoyed knitting these and Gummiebaer loves them and wears them all the time.

Win, Win!

Snowed in = lots of Knitting

Mushu Kitty likes the snow too!

I have been holed up in the snow here and that means knitting and lots of it!

I finished both the girlfriend swing coats

and I started my Birch! I love, love, love this project! The yarn is to die for, the pattern is perfect and I am enjoying the lace. Did I mention I can't wait to wear this shawl!??

I also started a hat for my brother using the Zeebee pattern. This is a fun knit. He picked the colors to go with his winter jacket. I think they look like cantaloupe and honeydew so I am calling this the melon hat.

I am teaching my sister to knit. She is making a simple hat. I think a hat is a great first project because it is small, simple, everyone likes them and not boring to knit. She is doing very well and learning fast! We might have a new knitter on our hands!

When I am not knitting I'm in the kitchen getting ready for Christmas!

These are my favorite Gingerbread cookies, we have made them every year since I was little.

Cookies!

We've been busy

baking cookies for mom's bakery. She likes to make sugar cookies all though the month of December as a service to her costumers. It takes a lot of extra time to make these but we have fun!

Vermont Before the Snow

I went for a walk a few days ago and took some pictures of the views from the farm before the first snow and after the leaves.

The fields put to bed for the winter.

A tree and a fallen log in the fence row.

Looking up the hill, across the pasture, towards the ridge.

The path by the old stone wall where the sheep barn was in years past.

The new pond site.

Madison, the cat enjoying the view.

Looking across the valley to the quarry where the whitest granite in the world is found.

This is November in Vermont.

In knitting news, I got my mom knitting again. She has not knit in my lifetime but there is evidence that she has in the past. I gave her a dishcloth and she liked it so much that she decided to make a bunch for herself. We got her some cotton, she borrowed my needles and after a small refresher course from me she was off and running! She is on her third dishcloth now and shows not signs of stopping. It has been fun to sit and knit with her in the evenings.

I have had a case of Knitter's ADD recently. I am sort of working on several projects but can't seem to get into any of them. The lure of a new project keeps distracting me.

Shawl is cast off!

We have been busy here on the farm, here is the crew in the pea patch. We have also been picking Black Raspberries as well as Peppers, Potatoes, Squash, Eggplant, Green Beans and Herbs.

Somewhere in all of this I found time to knit!


Whew! the shawl is cast off, now it only needs blocking. I will be glad to get this project finished and be able to move on to other things.

Detail of the un-blocked edging.

I have not been able to keep up with my blog reading or listening to pod casts, I hope all of you out in blog land are having a good summer!

New Trees and First CSA

Here are my luxurious summer accommodations!

We call this cabin Water Music because you can hear the brook that runs behind it. I planted a garden out front and there is a beautifully scented rose bush by the step. Later in the summer there will be morning glories climbing the strings by the porch. It just doesn't get any better than this!

Look closely at this picture and you will see the most exciting thing that we did over the weekend, planted trees!! Mom and I planted three sugar maple trees in front of Water Music, next to the raspberries. I love planting trees!
Here it is folks!

The first CSA of the season. My mom has been growing veggies for CSA for 16 years. I remember helping her when I was a kid, it is fun distribute the harvest into members' crates knowing that by the end of the day the fruits of your labor will be feeding a local family. Receiving a CSA share once a week is like getting a present, you never know just what you will get and it is exciting to see what you can make with all those fresh veggies! Yum! Mom likes to include recipes and info about the farm in a note that comes with the share.

Check out a CSA in your area!

New toy, New friend, and Pie!

Wow it has been too long since I posted! Things have been crazy here. Planting season on the farm and the first wedding in the family is fast approaching. I am in making the wedding cake for my sister's wedding in August so I have recipes to perfect and chocolate to source. Everyone has a part in the wedding so we are all going a little crazy. Planting is busy as always on a farm. Hopefully we will be finished buy the middle of next week.


This week we made pies for the farmer's market. Mom used to make them twenty years ago and People didn't want to pay for them because they could make their own, but now few people make their own pies and a true home made one is hard to find. Flavor of the week: Strawberry Rhubarb! a Vermont classic.

I have a new friend!

He was happy to be the subject for the first shot with my new camera! He and his two sisters will be looking for new homes soon. What a cutie!
I am enjoying learning to use a digital camera, I was worried at first that nothing was coming out nice because I was looking at them just on the LCD screen, but when I put them on the computer they are not too bad. I hope to get a lot more practice.

Wow, I've been busy!

Lets see, what have I been up to since my last post?
In a nut shell, a long car trip, seeing the Yarn Harlot, visiting Webs, seeing my family, a family emergency, a surprise trip to Boston and a visit with a good friend, working on the farm in the dirt and baking lots of cookies. whew, it's been crazy!

Out of the nut shell,
Li'l M and I had a fine trip up from Arkansas, relatively uneventful. Gas prices are no fun but we got to stop and see Stephanie and visit Webs so that made up for it. Stephanie was awesome! We laughed a lot! At Webs we both went a little crazy over the yarn, I got a bunch of sock yarn and some lace weight to make a shawl for me, finally. M got some yarn to make her first hat and some sock yarn. she wants to learn how to make socks next! Check out M with her first yarn! She walked into the spinning section at Webs and said (pointing to a wheel) "what's this?" the next thing I know an enabler of the finest sort has got a hold of her and is teaching her to spin! It was great! I even got my first drop spindle lesson from the lovely Marcy. Sometime during the evening I fell completely under the spell of bamboo, I loved every yarn that had bamboo in it and I almost couldn't resist the pull of the bamboo top in the spinning fiber section, so soft, so shiny, so, so irresistible! I must get a spindle and learn to spin so I can make my very own delicious bamboo yarn!

The day after returning home my younger brother had an accident and had to be flown to Boston to the hospital there. I, of course, rushed down there to be with him and bring him home when he was released. It was lucky that I was home because there is no one else in the family in a position to drop everything and go to Boston. He was released after only two days instead of the three or four we had first thought. He should be all better in a few weeks, thank goodness! The up side is that I had a chance to visit my good friend who lives in Boston and meet her new baby! What a sweetie!

After all the excitement I finally got to settle in on the farm. The weather has been very good so far this year so the fields and gardens are looking good. It is a joy to be doing simple, meaningful labor in such a beautiful place. In addition to helping in the fields I will be doing most of the baking over the summer, which I enjoy.

I am expecting my new camera to come in the mail any day and I hope to post pictures and blog about farm life while I"m here!

My Mom's exciting project!

In honor of Mother's day I thought I'd tell you a little about my Mom's exciting project. My Mom has been farming and running her own business for over 25 years. Just recently she bought a new farm and started a new project that I think is very exciting. Four Springs Farm is dedicated to hands on agricultural education and community building as well as being a beautiful vacation spot.
It is a working organic farm comprised of a Bakery, a Community Supported Agriculture program, a Campground and Cabins and a Community center. Mom's goal is to create a space for families to visit and learn about all aspects of farming and the natural world. She has workshops over the summer and everyone is welcome to come and stay on the farm. Next year we are planing a workshop on natural dyeing! Four Springs Farm is located on a gorgeous hillside in central Vermont. One of the most beautiful places I have ever seen in all seasons. Check out her website and plan a visit!
Yay Mom!

Summer plans

You may have noticed a new button in my side bar, Summer of Socks. I saw this KAL on Wendy's blog. It looks just perfect for me! I am excited to share the world of socks with new friends. I even think I may be very brave and write my first pattern! I have tons of socks planed, pomatomus, jaywalkers, lace stockings and more. As for the rest of my summer, it looks busy. I am finally leaving Arkansas and moving back home for the summer. Mein Gummiebaer is off to Germany. He leaves on the first of June and I will be leaving for Vermont a few days before that. Gummiebaer has finished his course work and upon completion of his internship in Germany will complete his degree,Yay! I will be home for the summer helping plan for my sister's wedding and helping my Mom on the farm. The summer promises lots of hard work and sunshine. I will, of course miss Gummiebaer, but I plan to join him in Germany after the wedding. So, in the mean time, work, packing and sock yarn hording!