Farming in the shade

"A simple man believes anything, but a prudent man gives thought to his steps." --Proverbs 14:15

Photo proof that computers need cleaning once in a while, too:

Over the weekend, I received word from friends (who watch these things) that our little etsy shop was getting some attention. You might be able to read the article and see the items that Etsy Administration picked for their "Ode to a Farm" theme. Quite honestly, I was surprised that I made the cut. (And before I get to the point of this blog post, I have to say that getting noticed on etsy is a very good thing. My mailbox is stuffed with outgoing packages this morning.) Anyhoo, if you remember Sesame Street from the 70s (am I dating myself?), you might remember a game and song that went "One of these things is not like the others; one of these things just doesn't belong..." and then we sweet little TV-watchers were supposed to choose which thing didn't match the others. I feel like my yarn is the thing that doesn't belong in the collection "Ode to a Farm." You see, Admin had picked mostly vintage, primitive, nostalgic farm-related items for th...

This past summer, The Farmer spun some of the wool from our Polypay sheep into a 3-ply yarn. And won a prize. Full yarn here. Now, here's the rest of the story. He took the yarn, and knit some socks with it. Near the end of the second sock, at the toe, he ran out of yarn. He finished the second sock's toe with plain cobalt blue, leftover handspun from the same batch (it was navajo plied, for you spinning techies). But the two socks didn't match. Sock One was variegated from head to toe. Sock Two was variegated from head to almost-toe. And then it was solid blue. He thought, "this will not do." So The Farmer took both socks off the machine and undid the scrap yarn from between them. He then rehung the toe of Sock One back on the machine--one loop on its designated needle at a time. (Yes, he is a patient man.) He then frogged it (un-knit, for you non-knitters) back a ways, and redid the toe of Sock One in sold blue. So that they'd match. These socks were entered...

Our converted chicken coop houses a couple of looms, a serious fiber stash, and our dyeing corner. Of course when we dye, we spread out throughout the whole big room. But it's nice to have a place for the supplies to live when we're not actively working with them. This is our table, when we're actively working, mixing dyes. The table came from a school auction--it's one of those beastly heavy science tables. Yes, this is seriously what it looks like when dyeing is happening. Does it look like a science lab? After the dyes are mixed, we squirt them onto the prepped yarn (soaked in vinegar/water mixture) which has been laid out on plastic wrap. We then fold the wrap up around each skein after the squirting is done, and microwave it with a little water in the bottom of the tray for 7-8 minutes. This sets the dye. We have a dedicated microwave for this purpose. At this point, the yarn is too hot to handle, and gets stacked on another table while it cools. Sorry about the ph...

In an effort to get some exercise (ha!) and some sunshine, I strapped on my snowshoes this past weekend and went for a walk. Won't you join me (camera strap and all)? I noticed the tracks of an animal. Couldn't make out what they were, due to the depth of the snow. But I'm quite certain it was something dog-like. See how the creature meandered about, stopping to sniff things? I always get a sense of satisfaction from this little tree line we planted a few years ago. White pine, native to Michigan. Some have died out and we've just replanted them, which makes for an undulating line of trees. But hey--in 40 years we won't notice the difference in age between the individual trees. Here's a view of the farm from the road. Time for me to wrap up the walk and head home...

Our area of the country is amazingly grey during the wintertime. We endure seemingly endless stretches of bleakness. The discouragement sneaks up on you quietly, and it's fairly easy to give in to lethargy and hopelessness. I have enjoyed reading the blog of another sojourner-homeschooler-farmer's wife and recently started my own gratitude list. Trying to look for the light, instead of focusing on the grey... To learn more about the 1,000 Gifts Gratitude List, click on the graphic below. In the meantime, here's a few new items on my list: 27. the beauty and order of algebra 28. doing school with kids 29. the birth of a new niece 30. the beauty of sunshine on a cold winter day 31. piano music 32. family game time

"This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin." -- I John 1:5-7

May you have a joyous, healthy, happy and productive new year! We are all well and have been enjoying family and friends this holiday. I will continue to take just a teeny break from blogging and hope to be back full force soon.