Bags

When faced with a challenge, the answer used to be - run to [insert name of big box store here] and pick up [insert solution to challenge here].  Nowadays I approach these challenges much differently.  Lack of cash flow has something to do with it; it is more the overwhelming desire to stop accumulating stuff.  This, of course, does not apply to Little man who deserves to be showered with toys.

Little man's stuffed animals no longer fit in the toy box with the other hard plastic or wood toys.  Piled too high on the living room chair, even the weight of Little man on the floor adjacent would cause the pile to shift and tumble about.  He thought this was the greatest - my toys are jumping off the chair to play with me...  It doesn't take Mom too long to get tired of picking up the same toys ten or more times per day.  Instead of running to the store, I looked in the attic and barn for another toy box or other storage solution; to no avail.  I remembered seeing in all those home decorating magazines, stuffed toy hammocks.  A quick search of the Internet yielded several knit and crochet patterns.  Back upstairs to where the yarn is stored and one week later, crocheted in 15 or 20 minutes segments each day, the toy hammock was born.  Salvaged removable plastic hooks unearthed from the storage drawer and stuffed toy storage was born.

The second project was actually contrived two years ago when I was pregnant with Little man and had very little to do while on bed-rest.  Through one of the loads of laundry went an inexpensivecheap recyclable grocery bag.  Unfortunately the 99 cent bag stood little chance against the hot water and spin cycle and what emerged from the machine 40 minutes later barely resembled a fish-net.  I grabbed the yarn and a search of the Internet provided several patterns for reusable bags.  Some I liked, some were far too small, and some were just poorly constructed.  I chose one and set out with my hook and thread.  What emerged was a great bag; it didn't resemble the photo in the pattern at all.  While I use it from time to time, the poor kids at the grocery store have no idea how to pack it, so it is reserved for small trips when I am the one packing the bag.

My most recent sack pattern came from a crochet magazine and the resulting bag is great.  It is big and roomy; it was however meant to be made with thread and not yarn.  The stretch is a little much and any kind of weight puts the contents of the bag at my knee level - I am 5'7".  I will try the bag again with just thread and then perhaps with a combination of yarn and thread.  The search will continue for the perfect replacement for the 99 cent reusable grocery bag; in the meantime, I think I found something that will work nicely.

Ideally I would like to start making something that can be sold at farmers market, but sugaring season has arrived, the incubator has been started, rabbits have been bred, and warmer weather is on the way.

Working with yarn

My grandmother attempted to teach me to knit when I was about nine years old.  At that age my interests lay not in the tangles of yarn and uneven sheath which she hoped would turn into a scarf.  Instead they rested in the mysteries of the cemetary behind the house, the bugs that lived under the front porch, and how far the skateboard would carry me before I fell off and broke my arm again or momentum ceased and I lay in the middle of the street waiting for the commuters to come chase me away as they returned from the concrete jungle called New York City.



Too many years had passed when I finally picked up my knitting needles again sitting on the couch in a rented mobile home two towns away trying to decide whether I was going to survive in Vermont or if returning to Connecticut was in my fate.   A red and white chenile scarf poured off the needles and spent the rest of that winter keeping the brisk breezes at bay while I was out walking the dog.  Since then many a gift have been knit and crocheted for people I love, others who simply ask and as gifts for friends of loved ones.  This fall necessities for Little Man in the form of a hat and mittens were completed along with a birthday gift and one for a baby shower that I never got to go attend.

My days off this week will include the addition of some newly knit and crocheted items to the website to help raise a couple of dollars for the tax man and the electric company, more rows on Christmas presents for family and perhaps some time to get the roof on the rabbit shed - after all December is only a week away!

Unintentional snapshot of life



While chopping onions and freezing greens that didn't sell at farmers market I noticed how photogenic my table was at that moment, so I grabbed the camera.  Going through the pictures I noticed that this one in particular captured this weeks activities in a nutshell.

In the upper left hand corner of the photograph you will notice packages of seeds.  These are for the sugar beets which will feed the pig(s) through the winter.  They remain in a package on the kitchen table because it has either been to dry to plant or we just haven't made it down into the garden.  Immediately to the right of that is an envelope containing a filled order from our website that is ready to be mailed when I leave for work or walk up to the top of the driveway.   In between the package and the engagement calendar is my Epi-pen.  A fatal allergy to bee-stings (mine) is the only thing keeping us from making our own honey here on the farm, although I keep trying to talk DH into trying it. 

The ever important engagement calendar, at the top of the photograph almost in the middle, is how I manage my life.  It keeps track of all of my appointments, little man's doctors visits, dates of rabbit kindling, the days that I am working since I am only doing that part-time right now, and soooo much more.  This particular calendar is from the Farmers Almanac, each day and each month contain interesting tidbits of information, gardening tips, old wives tales and more; it is an interesting distraction if only for a moment.  I keep my calendars for several years after they have expired to be sure that I have captured anything of great importance in my computer spreadsheets or in other records.  Pretty soon the paper calendar will be outdated, everything will be stored in our smart phones or other electronic device.  Someday when I am teaching my grandchildren the nuances of farming, it might be nice to be able to reference them.  Unless for some reason I have to move, then I might wonder why in the world I kept all of these calendars.

Much of the rest of the table is occupied by delicious fresh produce from our garden, that of our neighbor, and some that we traded for with another vendor at the farmers market.  This bounty produced a one gallon bag of chopped onions, five quart size bags of beet greens, three gallon size bags of spinach, and enough lettuce for salads for DH and I for four meals.  Six pounds lighter since I am spending more time on the farm, I am hoping that all this great food will help in that endeavor.  In the upper right hand corner is the deep-fryer which we use for our donuts and cannolis - leftovers of these items are not helping on the weight loss front.  And not to forget little man in all of this - between the wooden rails of the back of the chair is a blue and white bag - that is his diaper bag.  It is funny how capturing the preservation of the harvest can turn into 'a day in the life.'

'Must Have' Technology, Handmade, Recycled...

For the past 20 weeks I have been on bed rest growing the next generation of northern Vermont farmer, I hope!  Since I do not sit still well, I have spent much of my time crafting, knitting, crocheting, and planning next year’s farming projects including pigs, expanding the greenhouse, vegetable garden, etc.  Before I turned the computer on this afternoon I was working on a sweater which I hope will be a well received holiday gift.  Last week I finished one for my sister-in-law and I have also been working on a couple of items which will keep my son cozy and warm this winter.

As I lie here knitting with the television on in the background, I am amazed by the onslaught of marketing messages for ‘Black Friday’ deals and Thanksgiving sales.  Perhaps I have always been working or I hardly ever have the television on so I have never noticed the insanity with which the advertisements come flying out at you.  Knitting the next row, I laughed out loud at the woman in the hideous red jogging suit training for the ‘Black Friday’ madness.  The morning news show I was watching while I ate my breakfast was discussing the ‘must have’ technology items for this holiday season.  There was a time when I couldn’t leave the house without my car keys, my wallet and my cell phone.  Today, I don’t own a functioning cell phone.

The other day we received a package via traditional, non-express, non-overnight delivery from the U.S. Postal Service.  Hard to believe, I know!  Inside that package was something for the baby; however, it didn’t come from any store.  Inside was one of the most useful of handmade gifts – bibs.  These were no ordinary bibs; however, they were made from boring, inexpensive, white washcloths.  One corner was removed and a tie was sewn on using multi-colored bias tape.  The bib protects from spills, wet the washcloth and clean up baby boy and his high chair, then throw the whole thing into the laundry.  The usefulness of this simple gift which took some time and a little sewing ability was worth far more that that ‘must-have’ technology item from the store with the whacko woman who has been training for over a month now.  Many of the clothes that we have received for the baby have been recycled either directly from family or at a tag sale.  One of my favorite gifts is a plain, off-white blanket embellished with baby patches and appliqués, not available at 12:01 a.m. Friday morning in any chain store.

This year's holiday gifts are all either handmade or recycled; knitted sweaters, homemade jams, jellies and pickles, and if the baby is late - homemade cookies are an annal favorite.  Yarn for a crocheted scarf and a cookie jar, which are wrapped and waiting for the holidays, came from box lots at local auctions this summer.  Maybe after 'Black Friday' that woman spilling frosting all over the floor will realize that holidays are for being thankful and spending time with family and friends.  Giving gifts is not saved only for holidays; being thankful for all that we are blessed with and sharing it with others should happen each and everyday!

Goodbye 2010!

As the temperature in my corner of Northern Vermont reached 42 degrees today, thoughts turned to the greenhouse and the garden (after a failed attempt to fix the exhaust on the car brought on by 11 years of rust).  Standing in the garage, defeated by our automotive project, the greenhouse began calling from me across the door yard.  Out I went, sorted all the flower pots, moved the buckets of compost and seed starting mix, and pulled left over errant weeds when my dear husband came out and said something to the effect of, 'oh you are going to be out here for the rest of the day?'

Inside I went, after another 30 minutes of procrastinating, and pulled out the seeds we had saved from the summer and fall harvest. Dreams and plans of trees to be trimmed, garden fences to be repaired, tools that need rehabilation, and seeds saved from this very farm which will sprout anew this spring.

When I went to bed this afternoon it was 41 degrees, a far cry from the 10 - 15 degree weather which inspired my most recent yarn project, a Christmas gift to my stepson who seems to forget his each time he comes over.  Of course that might be a ploy to stay inside with the playstation.

P.S. - I did actually start this post in 2010, best laid plans...

Hand painted mandelas

Coyote Mandela

Often my husband will place an item on the table in front of me, ‘just for a few minutes’ while he does something… Usually several hours later some new creation rests on the table in place of the original item. I often wonder if he does it on purpose to sidetrack my day or if he just knows that I need some quiet time. Painting is and has always been an outlet for expression of my feelings or a quiet time of self-reflection for me. I lose myself in the landscape, in the world of the animal or object I am painting. Anytime I try to force creativity out of my mind or hands, the result is disastrous. If it just comes to me one day, the result is usually beautiful.

One day a friend of mine asked me if I could paint a picture of her dog for her on a mandela. Mandela’s are decorative shields; symbols of protection. I did not realize how important this was to her until the day that I was inspired to paint him sitting at the kitchen table with some crafting materials on the table in front of me. The leather thong (lace) was resting in a pile next to some beads, a box of feathers and some sticks which my husband was using to craft some drumbeaters. I asked him what he had done with the tops of the branches he had cut off. He told me that they were out on the side of the garage. I grabbed a scrap piece of leather and proceeded outdoors. Two hours later, I had a great sense of calm and achievement as the mandela hung completed from the china cabinet.

Two weeks later I saw my friend and she stopped dead in her tracks as she walked past the china cabinet and broke down into tears. I have since made 10 more to give to her family and friends in remembrance of ‘Axl.’ It is not only a great feeling to make someone so happy, although I didn’t want to make her cry; but also to be able to enjoy the process of creating the craft or painting in the first place.

I realized earlier tonight as I was getting really grouchy that it might be time for me to take out the paints again!