25 Years at Our Farmhouse

+ More Crochet and Knitting for Your Home

Hello Colorful Friends:

Wow! It’s May already. How fast the years are going. This month, it will be 25 years that we have owned our farmhouse. Back in 1998 when I was pregnant with Julia, I got a call at work from my husband Mark. "The Britton Place”*** is for sale and we have to buy it," he said. We had just started looking for a place to buy in western Massachusetts not far from the farm and forest land Mark had inherited from his mother Betty and where our sheep had been living since the early 80's. We weren't planning on moving soon - we were just looking to see what was out there and how much things cost. We wanted an old house with character with land for the sheep, dogs and cats and space for a garden. Our friend Will was working as a realtor and he tipped Mark off that the "Britton Place" was for sale. Mark's Mom Betty had wanted to sell her farm shortly after her husband died to buy the Britton Place. The three boys were young and they would have nothing of it. They wanted to stay on the farm which their Dad's family had owned since the 1920's. 

Mark was thrilled. I could hear it in his voice - he's not a guy that gets too excited about anything. I said to him, "Could I at least see it?" I trusted his instincts - but seriously - it was going to be our house and I wanted to visit it before we signed anything. The next day, I left work early, not telling anyone where I was going. We drove past Sunbrite Farm — the family farm that Mark’s brother and sister-in-law David and Debbie still farm — and where our sheep still winter, up the hill into Leyden where the road turned to dirt, around the hairpin turn, onto Glen Road, past the Herron Farm where we buy wild blueberries, and down towards the “end of the world” towards the Leyden Glen. On the left was a little cape with a picket fence. Snow was on the ground. As we were parking the car, a red fox ran through the pasture. At that point, I said to Mark (house interior sight unseen) "Okay we can buy it." I knew that whatever the inside looked like, I could make it ours. And besides, I have always loved a good project. That is how we landed here at Leyden Glen Farm.

My home - wherever it has been - with my parents, in my dorm room at college, in rental apartments, at our sweet little house in Pepperell — has always been so important to me. I’m a homebody….. always have been even when I was a little kid. It takes a lot to get me to go out into the world. I love the spaces I create with textiles, warm colors, handmade things. When I was a kid, I couldn’t understand how Mom would wear the same thing over and over again. She called it her uniform. As I grew older, I understood why. She was more interested in creating a home full of love and color than what was on her body. I am so the same — even worse. I used to sew a lot of my own clothes. I still do but now I mostly enjoy making things for my home. Blankets and pillows are my favorite things to knit and crochet. I remember distinctly the handmade blankets we used to snuggle under that had been made by my great grandmothers. I remember looking at the colors, the patterns….. and wondering how they made it. Maybe one day, I could do the same.

For the past few winters, I’ve been making Crochet Hexagon Blankets. I was so happy when the folks at One Big Happy Yarn Company asked me to record some videos to teach how I make them. I shared that first instructional video — FUN WITH HEXAGONS — in my last newsletter but here it is again if you missed it. It is 39 minutes long and shows you everything you need to know about making a hexagon blanket. Next week, there will be a new video released which I’ll share with you.

I’ve got a special code for you to order the kits to make the Hexagon projects. The projects are made of an incredible yarn called Ultra Alpaca - a 50% alpaca/50% wool blend. Here is the link to get 20% off the kits from One Big Happy Yarn Company. The 20% off discount will be applied at checkout. If you follow the link and shop, then the code will automatically apply. You can also enter the code HEXAGONS on the first page of the checkout to receive the discount on the kits.

While I’m talking about homes and interiors, here is one of my very favorite knit designs for the home….

Marrakesh Market Pillows

To order on my website, click here. To order on Ravelry, click here.

I started making knit pillows back in the early 90’s. I remember needing to grab some yarn to take on a work trip. I had always been attracted to handmade needlepoint pillows but I wasn’t much of a needlepointer (still am not). I thought it would be fun to knit a pillow that gave the feeling of needlepoint. The first knit pillow I made was this one…..

Field of Diamonds Knit Pillow

To order on my website, click here. To order on Ravelry, click here. The pillow is knit in the round in two colors in a tube with steeks. After the steeks are cut, the extra colors are added in duplicate stitch. It is finished with a mitered border and a fabric backing that is hand stitched to the knit piece.

News From the Farm

As for what else is going on here at the farm….. spring is finally coming. We’ve had large amounts of rain this spring. Much needed. The apple orchard is about to start blooming. The lilacs too. It looks like there will be no peaches this year because the buds froze. I’m hoping to get a decent garden in this year. The leaves are beginning to leaf out. And the sheep are beginning to move out onto pasture.

We have a litter of 3 kittens. When their mama Meredith Grey goes outside at night, we cuddle with them under one of my handmade Hexagon Crochet Blankets. They are not even two weeks old and resemble guinea pigs if you ask me. They are “swimming” right now but by next week, their legs will be stronger and they’ll be walking around.

The Amherst Farmers Market has begun and you can find me there every Saturday from 7:30 to 1:30. I sell our pasture raised lamb and my ceramics and tea towels. Here are some works that are in progress that will be at the market in a few weeks.

On May 17th, my friends Linda, Cathy, Susan and I will be presenting at the Greater Boston Knitting Guild. The talk —- The Lasting Impact of the Ladies of Classic Elite Yarns —-will be available on Zoom for free. You can sign up here to get the link. The GBKG now has members from 20 states and 4 countries. Membership is reasonable at $45. They have incredible workshops that are available for members all over the world. Check them out here.

Here are some links I’ve been loving……. They have a British theme.

• I made Coronation Chicken Salad. I (kind of) followed this recipe here. It was delicious.

• I had to make some chutney for the Coronation Chicken. I loosely used this recipe and used some of last year’s peaches and some new rhubarb from my garden. And I added extra spices after reading the comments section. It is delicious.

• I have yet to do “sashiko” but I will someday. I love this boro inspired tote. Directions are free on Selvedge website. Aren’t familiar with Boro and Sashiko. Check out this article to learn more.

• I would love to visit Kelmscott Manor - the home of William Morris. Check out this article on its recent restoration here.

• This video about the discovery of an old painting from David Hockney’s student days was fun.

• I’ve been reading a book called Akenfield by Ronald Blythe. It is about an English Village in the 1960’s and chronicles the regular folks and their lives including mostly tradesmen - orchardists, farmers, thatchers, teachers….. Through Akenfield, I learned about the craft of bellringing which led me to this video about how folks learn to and become bellringers. It was fascinating as I knew nothing about the joyous bells that peal through villages and cities in the UK.

• While I’m on the British theme, do you know Janie Crow’s crochet designs? Amazing.

Colorfully yours,

*** Our farm was called “The Britton Place”. Jimmy Britton bought it in the 1940’s when it was in disrepair. He was an architect in Greenfield and the farm became his restoration project. He had several children and a few of them have stopped by to see the old place again. So nice to hear some of the history of the house.