Monthly Archives: February 2013

Amaranth Shawl, Now in German!

Posted on February 19, 2013 by Adri H. | Comments Off

Jetzt auf Deutsch... Amaranth Schultertuch!

Both versions are included with purchase.
Check it out on Ravelry here.

And, a shout out to my translator, Micha: Super-Vielen Dank!

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Tagged design, knit

I Love Water …

Posted on February 19, 2013 by mvobsession | Comments Off

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Tagged beaches, Martha's Vineyard, mosaics, ocean, Photographs, water

Internet Troubles

Posted on February 19, 2013 by Susan | Comments Off

I am having problems with the internet at the farm so it will probably be tomorrow before I get a new post up. Sorry about that.

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Tagged Uncategorized

Slippery fish, slippery fish, sliding through the water

Posted on February 19, 2013 by Julie | Comments Off

I’ve had blocks done for this larger version of Up a Lazy River for ages. I’ve finally found time to get on with this quilt! I even had most of the setting triangles cut and just needed to add 2 or 3 more to finish the quilt top.

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Tagged batiks, quilt, quilting, Sewing, Up a Lazy River

The Perfect Day for Soup

Posted on February 19, 2013 by WoolyMama | Comments Off

I’ve been lucky enough the last few days to spend time watching Susan and our friends Jeannie and Tanya working on a craft article for By Hand Magazine.

The spring issue is getting put together now and it has us all dreaming of spring and spring-y activities and weather. But, the reality is that it is still winter. And it’s been cold.

When I’ve been home off and on we’ve been doing more clearing and burning (coupled with the cold air it smells DIVINE outside) and even more dreaming of spring. Paul ordered my seeds for my vegetable gardens for Valentine’s Day and I have been longing for some fresh – from – the -garden radishes ever since.

In the meantime we’ve been feeding ourselves with hearty fare to keep warm, and tonight I decided to make some of Susan’s French Onion Soup.

Now, the thing about this soup is that it is unbelievable. I can’t even tell you how much I crave this soup. I’ve made it many, many times and it never disappoints.

But.

Usually I am short on time and I tend to skimp a bit on time where I can – I caramelize the onions a bit too fast and I don’t let it all simmer together for very long. All just to get it on the table before it gets too late (usually because we’ve been working all day and I’ve run out of time).

Today I decided to start early and let the onions caramelize nice and slowly, over the course of more than an hour. Once I got all the ingredients added (except the brandy/cognac) I let it simmer on low heat for another hour. Then, as usual the french bread with gruyere were added and stuck under the broiler.

Was all the extra time worth it?

YES. This time it wasn’t just unbelievable, it was TO DIE FOR.

I’ve linked to Susan’s original recipe above and I implore you all to make it.

You will not be sorry!

Tagged: Farm, food, Garden

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Tagged Farm, food, garden, Uncategorized

Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail, and… Ricky?

Posted on February 18, 2013 by Julie | Comments Off

I’m currently spinning some lovely angora from a rabbit named Ricky. This will hopefully become part of a hat for one of the librarians I help out a couple mornings a week at my local library. I’ll ply this with a couple strands of cormo before I am done.

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Tagged angora, handspun, Ricky, Spinning

Stick In The Sand …

Posted on February 18, 2013 by mvobsession | Comments Off

I had spent the morning walking along South Beach/Katama with my daughter, drawing in the sand and enjoying the solitude of the beach in May. The waves are higher and more intense on the southern side of the Vineyard…but this day the surf was quiet. We were enjoying the peacefulness when out of the corner of my eye I spotted something lying in the sand. As I approached I saw that it was a large stick, at least that was my first thought. Upon closer inspection I discovered that it was more like a walking stick… it was pretty solid and just the right height for one.

The top was rounded and well worn, the stick itself was dappled with knots. I wondered where it had come from ? Was it originally someone’s Christmas tree that had been brought to the beach to be recycled. Was it then discovered by a beachcomber and fashioned into a walking stick… if so then why was it lying alone in the sand. Had its owner washed out to sea, been abducted by aliens or perhaps the walking stick had magically walked away to seek adventures on its own.

Then again perhaps it had been fashioned for a pirate years ago and had just washed up on the sand after floating aimlessly in the ocean for a century or more. What tales could it tell of galleons filled with gold and jewels… of mutinies on the high seas… of long voyages to foreign shores.

I wonder what its story is, but alas inanimate objects are stubborn in giving up that information.

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Tagged beach, Martha's Vineyard, Memories, Photographs

A Cowl-Times Day swap!

Posted on February 17, 2013 by Lauria | Comments Off

When dearest Flarkin saw the BFF Cowl in the Deep Fall 2012 Knitty, she came up with a great idea. A swap for the Ravelry members of the JMF group. Valentine’s day at 9p EST was the big reveal and both Susan and I watched (having not participated) with tears in our eyes at how wonderful, caring, smart, and funny these women are. It was super fun to see all the posts come rolling in with lots of photos of people opening up their packages and seeing what goodies were inside. Now, the swap was supposed to be just for the cowl, but there were many people that couldn’t help themselves and stuck in a little something extra for their partner.

I can’ t quite recreate the flurry of comments amidst webcam photos, but I thought I’d share one photo (mostly webcam shots!) of each swap participant at the opening.

Luci99 knit this cowl for malteseparakeet

Who knit this cowl for hutchart

Who knit this cowl for Blendab1

Who knit this cowl for sheeri

Who knit this cowl for luci99

Siercia knit this cowl for SheCrochets

Who knit this cowl for tinydino

Who knit this cowl for siercia

SarahVV knit this cowl for lasdcm

Who knit this cowl for KnitlessinSeattle

Who knit this cowl for flarkin

Who knit this cowl for HowdyPandowdy

Who knit this cowl for jdunsmore

Who knit this cowl for realhelen

Who knit this cowl for UffDaKnitter

Who knit this cowl for bik

Who knit this cowl for coppertoptoo

Who knit this cowl for knittingfool

Who knit this cowl for marybelle

Who knit this cowl for DebKnits2

Who knit this cowl for woolkitty

Who knit a cowl for NBgurl

(Sorry, no picture!)

Who knit this cowl for melann526

Who knit this cowl for librarysarie

Who is just finishing up her cowl for SarahVV because she knit a sweater for us in 8 days so it could be photographed for one of the new pattern booklets. Here’s an in-progress shot:

As you can see, everyone had a fantastic time! In fact, people are very excited about the possibility of the next swap!

I’ll be certain to participate next time, since I’m just a TINY bit jealous of the ladies this time!

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Tagged knit along, Knitting

New Chickens!!!

Posted on February 17, 2013 by Lisa | Comments Off

so, I went to my chicken feed dealer to get some tasty scratch and came back with 40 pounds of lovely scratch and .... 3 pullets. You know how it is, you get suckered into the beady eyes, the gentle cluck cluck, the iridescent blue sheen on a black tail feather, the promise of blue eggs and before you know it you have three hens stuffed into a Rubbermaid tote buckled into your front seat.

so now what? good thing I had the nursery coop made up for the brooding Betty's parenting adventure

set it up with a little play-pen run, tossed in a nice armful of hay to play in and skewered some snow fencing over the top and voila!

"Villa des Nouveaux Poulets"

The residents are very interested

except Ethel,

she is busy laying an egg

in the corner of the coop

(yes, there are nice nest boxes full of soft fluffy shavings and hay but we do not like the nice nest boxes, we like the poopy corners of the coop thank you very much.)

So the "new girls" spent the afternoon, the night, and Saturday in their private Villa - checkout time was at about 11 pm when we tried to "sneak" 3 "sleeping" chickens into the big chicken coop. So, fine, everyone woke up but not enough to make a fuss - slipped the "new girls" into the un-used for laying eggs nesting boxes and buttoned everyone up tight, went to bed where I promptly had a series of nightmares about hens pecking each other to death

no one got pecked to death

opened the bottom run at 7 am where "the regulars" were waiting for me - scolding me for not bringing them vanilla lattes - the "new girls" were still up inside the coop sort of checking stuff out.

by about 10 am, everyone had exited and was milling around the

~~mall~~

chicken run

It is windy and cold, so I left the Villa in the run

the new girls are not at their best

in the wind

and are not super happy to have their photos taken

Daisy

Wheaton Ameraucana
lays lovely sky-blue eggs

Delores

Black Copper Marin
will lay deep chocolate-colored eggs

Dotty

mixed (Cochin, Marin, Ameraucana???)
looking for olive-colored eggs

Last but not least - a portrait of the only surviving Betty Baby

Coralee

I'll try for a decent protrait page tomorrow!

-L

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Rubber ducky, you’re the one

Posted on February 17, 2013 by Julie | Comments Off

I’ve been busy making soap every day this past week. Pictured are ginger blossom, patchouli, black cherry with charcoal, spearmint with green zeolite clay, and shampoo bars with rosemary, peppermint, and rose clay. We’ll be very clean around here! The shampoo bars have been a huge success and I got a big thumbs up from Wanda, who cuts my hair.

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Tagged soap