February News + Good Links

Hello Colorful Friends!

Happy Valentine's Day! I hope you are enjoying your day. It's been a while since I have written. I hope you are enjoying the long evenings and have found something peaceful to occupy the darker days. With the Winter Olympics going on, I am enjoying my evenings working on a new crochet project. Scroll on down to see what I am making.

Here at the farm we are in the thick of lambing season. The weather in western Massachusetts has been a bit challenging but the ewes and lambs are taking it all in stride. Here is a photo of a new lamb and its mama. You can see a post on my blog with photos of a lamb being born. Check out the video below of two lambs taking their first steps.

Besides helping out with Lambing Season 2018 at the barns, I have been able to learn some new things. I purchased an IPad Pro back in Novmber and have been learning the Procreate App. It is a very powerful digital art program all done with an Apple Pencil on an Ipad. It is fun to be learning something new.

In not long at all - April 10th - my new book Crafting A Patterned Home will be launching into the world. I'm so thrilled to share the cover with you here.

You can pre-order over on my website here.
You can also pre-order on my Etsy Shop here.
My family and I so appreciate the book orders I can ship directly to you. There will be some freebies included in each package too. (You won't find them anywhere but from me!)

In the evening, you will find me in my special chair (shown on the cover of Crafting A Patterned Home above) working on Crochet Hexagons. I shared the pattern here on my blog.
I shared a video of how I steam the hexies on my Instagram feed here. Talk about addiciting - one hexie is prettier than the next. It is hard to stop.

Here are some links to things I have found interesting -
• Coats is shutting down their two fabric lines - Free Spirit and Westminster. I'm not surprised considering they sold off Westminster Fibers (their upscale craft yarn division) a couple years ago. A sign of the times I suppose for corporations and the all important bottom line. I am positive Kaffe, Amy, Denyse and their other designers will find a new outlet for their talents. I do feel bad for them because it will definitely affect their income as their upcoming fabric lines won't be produced. It isn't easy being a freelance designer these days. Read more about it here.
• Mary Corbet is embroidering a pair of felted mittens her sister made her. Check them out here and here.
• David Byrne is working on a new project called "Reasons To Be Cheerful." You can watch a 57 minute video or read the transcripts on the page I linked to. Interesting.
• Soane Britain makes some beautiful fabrics, furniture, and lighting. This page shows how their fabrics are printed.
• Every week, I look forward to Ausin Kleon's Friday newsletter. You can subscribe here.

Yours in color and creativity,

Kristin Nicholas

p.s. If you are watching the Olympics, please cheer for Mikaela Shiffrin. Her Dad Jeff and I went to Dover High School together. Her grandparents Al and Betty were some of my parent's close friends. Oh how proud they would be of Mikaela if they were still alive. Go Mikaela.

www.kristinnicholas.com
getting-stitched-on-the-farm.blogspot.com/
www.leydenglenlamb.com

I got lucky and saw this set of twins being born. This short video shows them taking their first steps. Turn up the volume so you can hear the mama nickering to the lambs.

A preview of our colorful home and farm including drone footage of the sheep, The Farmer and his dog.