Tag Archives: shares

And They’re Outta Here!

That’s right! All of you lucky Juniper Moon Farm shareholders (after waiting patiently for what seems like FOREVER) will be getting delivery of your share yarn starting this week, depending on how close you are to the farm.

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Trina and I spent the day getting ALL the orders sorted and packed and processed for shipping.  We powered through and you should start getting tracking info in the next day or two.  Full and Double shares will be arriving in boxes; half shares in the envelopes.

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The color is a lovely light grey/brown, with maybe slightly more brown than last time.

The biggest difference, however, is that the mill sent them in a different size than we ordered.  Normally share yarn comes in 4 ounce skeins. This time it was a motley mix of assorted sizes and weights.  Trying to make sure everyone got the proper amount STRESSED ME OUT.  And here is why:

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The size difference!  This is why we had to weigh everything and fill orders by that metric. I meant it when I said motley mix. We had a hard time of it, but we got as close as we could for everyone.

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A full share.

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A double share.

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All loaded up and on their way to the post office!

Keep an eye out for your packages, and happy crafting!!

Dyeing, Dyeing, And Even More Dyeing!

A little while ago I received several large boxes full of Juniper Moon Farm Share Yarn. This is always super exciting for me because it’s my first peek at the actual finished product pulled off the backs of the sheep we know and love.

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My craft room overfloweth! (and my living room, and my garage…..)

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Can’t you just smell that sheepy, wooly goodness?

The Cormo feels divine, and I adore it in its natural state.

BUT.

I get to have fun playing with colors!

Susan gave me some suggestions for color idea this year, and combined with that and a look at previous year’s colors (to be sure I didn’t repeat anything too recent), I started playing around with the dyes.  I wanted colors that were rich but not overbearing, and I wanted to use colorways that I could get consistency from.  Since we dye in smaller batches I didn’t want each batch to be wildly different than the one before it. Reds are notoriously difficult (in my experience) with this, but after some experimentation I found one that worked.  The blue I loved immediately, and the purple gave enough variety in shading to be fun without looking blotchy.

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I am really pleased with the results.  I also love how nicely the yarn blooms out after a bath.

The dyeing will begin in earnest once everyone who bought a share indicates their color choice, and then it will be shipped out the very instant it is dry.

I hope everyone loves this fiber as much as I do!

Special Bowls!

As many of you know from reading my blog I am a potter who loves to spin!  Last Fall I wrote about my trip north to Vermont to visit my friend Kristen and her little piece of heaven, Gilead Fiber Farm.



Kristen works hard at a 9-5 job, comes home and works her second job caring for her animals; Angora and Cashmere goats, Finn and Shetland sheep, Leah the guard llama (Astrid will join her soon),  new piebald bottle babies, the kitties Fred and Ginger and her constant companions pups Max and young Rufus.

She has a loyal group of fans (I am definitely one of those) who follow her ups and downs through her Ravelry group devoted to the Gilead.  We hear about worm and parasite issues, read about her ram's unfortunate forays into the burdock patch, drool over pictures of the fleeces as they grow and see pictures of the lambs, quadruplets this year!



When shearing time comes and Kristen is able to see what her harvest looks like for the year she plans the year's "Harvest Shares."  Rather then a traditional CSA model she waits until she can inspect the quality and quantity of fiber, decides on yummy blends (often she blends her own wool with other breeds found locally to her farm in Vermont) and which will be sold as roving (wool ready to spin) and which will be processed into yarn. Then she announces what her products will be for the season! While we all scarf up the shares online, she drives the fiber to the mill for processing.  And then we patiently (!?) wait!  Good mills are notoriously overbusy.  But the good mills are worth waiting on.



Each year Kristen and I come up with a piece of pottery special to the farm.  The first year I made extra special tumblers.  Remember these?



This year I made these sweet ice cream or snack sized bowls.





The black sheep is in honor of Atlas, born two years ago, and Kristen's first lamb at the farm.  And a black one at that!  (And the wool in the background is some of the luscious roving I received in my share box on Saturday.)

Atlas in the front all grown up!


Because not everyone can afford to buy a share, or might have missed out when they went on sale.....I once again made extra bowls to post in my Etsy shop.  Kristen will get a percentage of each sale, so you are helping her feed these fine animals so they can provide us with more of their yummy wool!

If you are interested, don't wait too long as I would not be surprised to see these snapped up quickly.  And thank you so much for supporting Kristen!


The Tags Are Arriving!

As you might remember, we’ve been spending the past two weeks putting tags on hanks. This involves cutting the string to length, making a loop and knotting the end, looping the string through the hole on the tag, and then finally, putting the string loop through the loop of the hank and putting the loop of yarn around the tag to secure it. The low estimate is that we tagged 7,500 hanks. However, it looks like we under-estimated the yarn (and forgot to count an entire box) so it’s probably closer to 8,500. I’ve been telling our Ravelry group that I hope that they really appreciate the tags and how I was looking forward to seeing everyone’s photos of the tags lovingly displayed. Folks have been humoring me and I’ve been seeing lots of tags lovingly displayed with yarn. Today, I also made sure that all the shareholders and The Shepherd and The Shearer participants knew the washing instructions for the yarn. It seems like Amber might have gotten a little confused with the washing instructions… – Lauria

Amber here, aka HowdyPandowdy on Ravelry. If you know me in the Juniper Moon Farm Virtual Flock group on Ravelry, you may already know that my much anticipated package came today. If you hadn’t heard, don’t feel bad! I’ve been keeping pretty quiet about it.

Right now is the only moment that matters, because right now I am going to share with you some pictures I took of the amazing Juniper Moon Farm 2013 Colored Share Hang Tags, and the equally gorgeous “The Shepherd and the Shearer” tags.

They came artfully tied around some odd packing materials,

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I couldn’t figure out what to do with it or if I could recycle it, plus it had a funny smell, so I just threw it away.

{ Incidentally, Susie and Lauria — you may want to consider using less packaging for the tags next time. I’ll bet you could save a fortune on shipping! }

Anyway, I immediately laid out all my tags to admire them in the early evening light,

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And then followed the directions from the blog on how to wash them safely.

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They came out great, and dried in no time at all.

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And would you believe I got perfect gauge on my first swatch?

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Enjoy these pictures until you get your own tags, and thanks to everybody who put so much hard work into them. They are like nothing I’ve ever purchased before and I will cherish them always!

Amber just about made me pee my pants with this post on Ravelry, so I thought you might find it just as silly. Or maybe it’s just that I’m completely sleep deprived and feeling a little crazy after so many hang tags. But I’m hoping that it transcends the shipper-shippee divide and that you find it silly, too!

Pattern Ideas for Share Yarn – Pullovers!

Monday we’ll be posting about The Shepherd and The Shearer. I know you’re excited to see the patterns and we’re thrilled to show them to you. We’re getting some things ready behind the scenes, however, and it’s taking a little longer than expected. Until then, Sarah’s here to tell you what you can make with the share yarn that’s headed your way shortly! – Lauria

Hello yarn lovers! It’s your friendly neighbourhood pattern junkie Sarah again – I’m back with more pattern ideas for your precious precious Juniper Moon share yarn!

If you missed the cardigans post, it’s over yonder. I’m usually a loyal cardigan fan, but these pullovers are really tempting me! I have some exciting suggestions for both worsted and DK yarn weights, and I think these will look great in natural cormo, or any of this year’s dye options, or even the coloured shares! (I’m Canadian, so I’m contractually obligated to spell it “coloured” ;) ) Without further ado, let’s get to pattern-drooling!

Since I finished with lacy options last time, let’s start with some pullovers featuring lace. I’m a huge Tin Can Knits fan, and I think Windswept, in DK weight (and in sizes from kids to adults!), would really make share yarn shine and flatter a variety of body types.

Windswept

For the adventurous knitter, with even more jaw-dropping lace AND cables, check out the Dragonflies Jumper in DK weight by Joji Locatelli.

Dragonflies Jumper

Maybe you’d like something with just a little bit of a lacy touch. Ruth Roland’s Dylana, in worsted weight, has such a pretty lace-edged scoop neckline!

Dylana

Amy Herzog’s Sapwood in DK weight has a lovely lace panel that’s a bit more subtle than something like Windswept. Sapwood’s button detail is so sweet, too!

Sapwood

Some of you might be looking for something even simpler, but special enough to be worthy of one-of-a-kind JMF share yarn. I think Simsbury’s pockets and eyelet details totally fit the bill! It’s in DK weight, by Tabetha Hendrick.

Simsbury

It’s no secret that I think Veera Valimaki is a total genius, and if I had some DK share yarn in my hands, I might just cast on her Wanderlust Pullover. The combination of garter, stockinette, and a cool button detail on the back of the yoke make it really unique!

Wanderlust Pullover

Purl Soho’s worsted weight Sweatshirt Sweater is another simple pattern with very special details – like the front pocket! Even more awesome, the pattern is FREE!

Sweatshirt Sweater

Or maybe you’re looking for my favourite thing – CABLES! In worsted weight, Norah Gaughan’s Forster is pretty high on my list.

Forster

There are TWO versions of Vanessa Smith’s worsted weight Julissa sweater, one with a higher neckline and one with a sexy scoop neck (shown in the photo below) - both featuring tons of feminine cables!
Julissa Scoop Neck

For people who love LOTS of cables and who have a double share of worsted weight yarn (this sweater needs a lot of yardage), Fiona Ellis’ Gwendolyn would be a real showstopper.

Gwendolyn

Perhaps you’re looking for fun & quirky? Leah B. Thibault’s worsted weight Toulouse Pullover might be just the thing for you. This sweater’s bow detail is such an elegant, interesting feature!

Toulouse Pullover

Possibly, you’d just like something really, really pretty. Tori Gurbisz’s Livvy Pullover, in DK weight, should fit the bill: pretty, shapely cables that will keep you warm and keep you looking good. (I know our own Lauria likes this one!)

Livvy Pullover

I’d love to hear about the pullover patterns in YOUR queue! Is there a design feature you really have to have in a pullover? Cables? Pockets? A squishy cowl neck? Let me know in the comments and share the patterns you love!

For those of you with half shares (or anyone not too keen on sweaters or larger projects), there’s one more share yarn pattern suggestions post coming with some smaller projects and accessories. There are SO many cool options! Stay tuned!!

Now that it’s fall, Sarah eats oatmeal and cinnamon toast for breakfast, snuggles her cat, and piles on the handknits every chance she gets. She blogs now, too!

Result of a day of Dyeing

 

We’re dyeing at Amy’s house, as she’s got a great back porch set up that’s perfect for dyeing and drying yarn. Yesterday, Susie was on her way to a meeting in DC, so I put the rest of the house to work after school was over. Oona has become my little shadow and a changed little being since I last saw her in January:DSC_0999

Amy is making the doofiest face here, but she’s going to have to live with it being on the blog because she knew I was taking a picture…

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When we were finished and I went into the bathroom, I took a good look at myself and saw that I was filthy with soot and dye. This is after Neve’s special hand soak and it much improved from when I first came in:

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Fortunately, a shower and some good scrubbing has cleared away most of the dye and soot, although it’s still clinging to around my nail bed. When all this is over, I’m going to pamper my hands. Don’t worry, I’ll share MY special recipe for soft, clean hands!

Come back this afternoon for to see which favorite older pattern we’re releasing digitally for the first time and giving away for FREE!

Blanket Shares

A week and a half ago, the blanket shares arrived at my humble little apartment. I was absolutely overwhelmed with blankets! But it was the best kind of overwhelming, one full of sheepy-smelling warm woolen blankets!

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This year, like last, we offered two different color blankets in three different sizes. Lap, double, queen, and gray with natural stripes and natural with red stripes. The lap blanket would be perfect size on my couch.

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A week ago I was able to get all the blankets out to the shareholders and folks are starting them. I’m so happy that they’ll be able to enjoy them. Before it started to heat up in New England again, I put mine on my bed and am enjoying sleeping under it. It was warm, but very light. I loved the slight touch of lanolin to the blanket and it’s farm-fresh smell.

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Although my cat was very well behaved and not interested in the blankets while I was shipping them, the instant I put it on my bed it became a cat magnet.

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Eventually, he got so fed up with the click clicking of the camera that he huffed off the bed and slept under it instead. Oh well, more blanket for me!

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There’s something about the stripes that really make the blanket extra special.

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I love the blanket stitch edging. It’s a small detail, but it makes me really happy.

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Even though the blanket reads as gray, it’s actually both gray and natural.

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We love our mill on Prince Edward Island and we’re so pleased that some of the fleeces that are not up to the cormo share yarn were able to be used in blankets instead.

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Looking and feeling the blankets I think about the Babydoll Southdowns, the ‘Mo Downs and some of the older Cormo members of the flock. Some of the precious sheep I feel like I’ve known forever have gone into these blankets and I can’t help but smile looking at them.

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It doesn’t hurt that those stripes just slay me, either.

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I don’t know if Susie is planning on continuing the Blanket CSA or not next year. It’s always been an experiment and this is only the second year that we’ve done it. I hope that she does, because I can think of a few people who deserve such loveliness as gifts. And I bet a few of you are kicking yourself because you didn’t get one this time around and want to be first in line for next time. If so, let her know in the comments. It was a lot of work (and frustration) to get them all to the shareholders, but honestly as the pictures of happy people (and animals) snuggling with blankets come in, it’s all worth it.

UPDATE: Anyone who is kicking themselves for not ordering one this time, now has a chance to get one in time for Christmas giving! What can I say, you demanded asked nicely and we listened!

Yarned by You: Moonshine Hat Gallery

I’m a little bit obsessed with Moonshine right now. I am excited about finishing up Berzelius so I can make the Ida Mitts from the Moonshine booklet. In the meantime, I thought I’d look at what people have made with Moonshine so far. They’re all hats! I guess because hats are fast and easy. So let’s look at some hats!

This Man Thing was knit by gardendeeva in Dew. Lovely basket-weave pattern! She made it for her Man-Thing, Bill. (That was a terrible line. Let’s just scratch that from the record book, okay?)

gardendeeva's man thing

This Lucky 7 Hat was knit by mamykay in Popsicle. I love how the cables are so well-defined because of the lovely sheen of the yarn. Even though the yarn has a halo, it’s got lovely stitch definition!

mamykay's lucky 7 hat

I adore abbylb’s Lace Ribbon Slouch Hat! She loves it so much, she’s threatening to wear it to her wedding! I’m not certain that Firefly will match her wedding dress, but I bet she could rock it!

abbylb's Lace Ribbon Slouch Hat

This The Amanda Hat was knit by ohbeautifulqueen in Conch Shell. That pattern has been in my favorites for a long time!

ohbeautifulqueen's The Amanda Hat

Here’s an Oak Trail knit by gardendeeva. (She knit the first hat, too.) Isn’t it just lovely?

gardendeeva's Oak Trail

In case you’re not convinced that it really is gorgeous, here’s SareBearKnits’ Oak Trail in Spring 2010 JMF Share yarn.

SareBearKnits's Oak Trail

It links to her Creature Comfort Cardigan (also in Spring 2010 Share Yarn), since she doesn’t have a project page for the hat, yet. I still think the hat is lovely! Don’t you?

WIP: Sarah’s OJAI Hooray Sweater – Swatching!

We’re starting a new weekly series of people posting about the projects that they’re working on with JMF yarn. I immediately thought of Sarah because she always knits such lovely sweaters out of her yarn shares. Next week we’ll feature a different project, but we’ll be following along with Sarah until she’s done her sweater.

Hello friends! I am so excited to be sharing my sweater knitting adventure with you all. Over the next couple of months, I’ll be knitting up a warm, squishy sweater using my 2012 Juniper Moon Farm Spring Yarn Share, dyed in the luscious green OJAI Colourway!

OJAI Yarn!

After lots of deliberation (and some helpful input from other Aunties in the JMF Ravelry group), I decided my OJAI share would make a perfect Hooray Cardigan. I chose Hooray for a ton of reasons – because of its interesting construction and fun cables, because I love cardigans, and because I think the shape will be flattering on me, but also because it will really show off both the crisp and bouncy texture AND the lovely hand dyed colour of this particular yarn – Juniper Moon Farm’s 100% Cormo Wool Spring Share yarn!

Because this yarn is GORGEOUS and squishy and the colour is the perfect perfect springy green, it deserves to be knit up into something special! I know I’m using a lot of exclamation marks… I can’t help it. I’m excited!

Winding up Ojai

The next step – SWATCHING! I know, not everyone’s favourite thing. But because the Hooray Cardigan pattern calls for DK weight yarn, and the OJAI share yarn is worsted weight, swatching was key!
Swatch!

I swatched with two different needle sizes – 4.5mm, the size called for in the pattern, and 5mm, for comparison. The sweater is knit flat, so I worked the swatches flat too. I added a border to make measuring easier. After a quick soak and an air dry,

Washing the Swatch

I measured my swatches,

Measuring the Swatch

aaaaannnddd (drumroll)…. Both swatches were very close to the pattern gauge!

In terms of stitch gauge, the 4.5mm needle swatch had a few more stitches per inch than the pattern calls for, and the 5mm swatch had a slightly fewer stitches per inch than the pattern calls for. In terms of row gauge, both swatches were a bit off – but the sweater is knit from the top down, so it will be easy to just try it on as I go and adjust the length as needed.

What does this mean for my sweater? Let’s do some math! I used this excellent article about swatching and adjusting gauge from twist collective. My bust measurement is 37″ and the pattern size closest to that is the 38″ size – that’s the pattern size I will knit.

How will my gauge affect the size? First, I figured out how many stitches I would have at the suggested gauge: The stitch gauge in the pattern is 5sts/inch – so, for the 38″ size, 38×5=190 stitches at the bust.

With the 5mm needle, my gauge measured 4.95sts/inch. 190 bust sts/4.95sts per inch= approximately 38.4″. With the 4.5mm needle, my gauge was 5.05 sts/inch and therefore would measure approximately 37.6″ at the bust.

Decision time! I thought about which fabric I like better in terms of density and drape, and whether I would rather have a little bit of positive or almost no ease. The pattern suggests that the sweater looks best with a bit of positive ease, and I like the feel of the fabric knit with the 5mm needle better – so 5mm needle it is! I will have about an inch and a half of positive ease, on my body.

With swatching finished, it’s time to cast on!
Casting on!

What’s that red yarn, you’re wondering? A provisional cast on! More on that next time.

Sarah hangs out with her cat, drinks a lot of tea, sometimes eats cake for breakfast and knits as much as possible in beautiful Victoria, BC.

If you’re interested in contributing to the WIP posts, please email lauria AT fiberfarm DOT com with the subject line WIP contributor.

Wall of Wool

The Fall 2012 Share Yarn is back form the mill and I was so excited that I built a Wall of Wool out of the bales. Somewhere behind that wall there is a chair, a side table and a lamp.