Cozying and a BIG Introduction from Kristin

Good Morning Colorful Friends:

How is your winter season going? Have you been hibernating like I have been? I do love the cozy winter season when I don’t have to worry about what’s growing in my garden and how much I need to get done. Winter is for refueling my creative self, cooking stews and soups, settling in to my cozy chair in front of warm, blazing fire in the woodstove surrounded by books and yarn and ideas of projects to come. What have you spent your winter doing? Would love to hear.

We’ve had a rather mild winter here in western Massachusetts. There have been only a few snowstorms and yes, it did get to 22 below zero last weekend but generally winter hasn’t been much of a winter.

It has been easier for the ewes (female sheep) who are lambing now. There are over 80 new babes with more on the way. Each year, we have several rams which we use to breed the different summer grazing flocks of sheep. This year, we used a Katahdin ram on some of the ewes and we have ended up with a lot of brown and spotted lambs. He was a very effective sire. They are super cute and vigorous crossbred lambs who seem to be growing at a fast rate. Katahdins are “hair sheep” which mean they do not have to be sheared because they shed their hair. We do not know what to expect as the lambs grow. Will they have wool to shear or will they shed their coats? Time will tell.

Some of the 2023 lambs

Big Announcement —— Drum Roll Please

I have been busy for the past few weeks doing a whole mess of computer work for a project I am releasing today. Many of you know me as a knitwear designer. Back in 2009, my book Color By Kristin was published by Soho Publishing. Recently, I received the rights back to the book because Soho was letting it go out of print. Although it is always sad when a book is put OOP, for me it was an opportunity.

Color By Kristin was published in 2009 at a time when the handknitting design business was beginning to change. The introduction of the on-line website Ravelry made it easy for knitters to purchase digital PDF knitting patterns on their computers, phones and iPads. Color By Kristin sold well but I heard from many folks that they weren’t buying $25 books anymore - they just wanted to buy single patterns because they didn’t need 20 patterns - only one. That kinda put the kibosh on publishers’ programs who produced collections of knitting pattern books. (Of course, at that point all publlshers knew their industry was changing radically, not only the crafts category.)

I am very happy to now release all of the designs featured in Color By Kristin as single patterns. Over the next few newsletters, I’ll highlight a few of the newly available digital PDF handknitting designs here in this newsletter. They are now all available on my website or on my Ravelry Online Store.

Best Friends Pullover

The Best Friends Pullover x 2 is one of my very favorite knits I have ever designed. The overall Fair Isle patterning is worked as a bordered pullover shown on Julia on left or the stripe paneled design shown on Julia’s bestie Bridget on right. Sized for small and big kids, the finished chest measurements are 24 (28, 32, 36)". The designs can easily be customized with your own edging choice and Fair Isle Charts with the purchase of the Color By Kristin eBook below.

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

Mother-Daughter Mittens

These folkloric mittens feature a shaped four color cuff with bobble trim. The main section is worked in Fair Isle knitting in a motif inspired by embroidered textiles from Uzbekistan. The mittens are embellished with French knots and lazy daisy embroidery.

To buy Mother-Daughter Mittens on my website, click here. To buy on Ravelry, click here.

Little Shepherd’s Scrap Yarn Scarf

The Little Shepherd’s Scrap Yarn Scarf is knit on a long circular needle in an easy and clever short row shaping technique. A perfect stash busting project, the scarf pattern could easily morph into a shawl or blanket.

To buy Little Shepherd’s Scrap Yarn Scarf PDF on my website, click here. To buy on Ravelry, click here.

Many Hearts Baby Blanket

Hearts and kittens are hard to beat. Annika was soaking up the wool love on the Many Hearts Baby Blanket. Nine knitted heart patches are sewn together and embellished with simple embroidery. The fun striped border is worked in the round on circular needles with a mitered increase at each corner.

To buy the Many Hearts Baby Blanket PDF on my website, click here. To purchase on Ravelry, click here.

Color By Kristin: How to Design Your Own Colorful Knits eBook

Color By Kristin: How To Design Your Own Colorful Knits eBook includes all kinds of vital knitting instructions for Fair Isle (aka stranded) knitting. It also includes over 20 different colorful edgings which you can substitute into my designs to create a unique design of your own. Along with the edgings, there are over 240 knitting charts for Fair Isle Knitting which can easily be swapped in to further customize your very own version of my base instructions. All of this instructional material is included in an eBook which is available on my website HERE or on Ravelry HERE. Also included are 2 projects to help you learn more about knitting with color.

And now for some interesting links……

• Lisa of Bloom Woolen Yarns has spun the wool from our lambs into a DK weight yarn called Babe. She then hand-dyed it into a lovely selection of colors. She is currently offering a “Bundle of Babe” in assorted colors at a discount of buy 3 skeins, get the 4th free. Check it out here. This is one of the 6 different bundles.

• Read this article to discover why bookseller Barnes and Noble may be making a comeback after closing many stores.

• I enjoyed this podcast interview with Ted Gioia, the music and cultural critic on the Substack Reads podcast. Did you know that the Substack app has a feature where every post can be read to you by your phone? Substack is where I write this newsletter. So many interesting people/authors to read and learn from.

• Have you seen The Banshees of Inisherin? Although I’m still struggling with the movie, the sweaters, clothing, textures and scenery were to die for. Here’s an article about the incredibly beautiful and earthy sweaters (or should I say jumpers?).

• I have a fetish for antique kitchen sinks. When I moved our kitchen from the basement to the first floor over two decades ago, I sourced this sink from a company called Shaw’s. I found two antique bathroom sinks in a salvage yard in Cambridge that are in our bathrooms. I found a great big 1930’s kitchen sink at a reclamation yard in Springfield that is now in my basement . I have been known to purchase sinks without a place to put them. I just love a good sink. Evidently others like them too.

• Interesting article about Tate Modern Curator Ann Coxon and textiles and art. Ann curated the Tate Modern Magdalena Abakanowicz Exhibit now showing: Every Tangle of Thread and Rope. When I was in college, Magdalena was at the height of her fame. My Fiber Art Professor Vera Kaminski was greatly influenced by her - along with Judy Chicago. Ann Coxon had to fight hard to get textile arts their due…..Then: “When Ann first expressed her interest in stitched and woven works at Tate, she was confronted by the traditional view that such art was low art, crafty and domestic.” Now: “A lot of things have come together, and the art world is finally waking up to the fact that textiles are as valid a medium as any.” Watch an 8 minute video here. On display til May 21, 2023.

That’s it for today. I am going to go back into my hole and continue cozying and “wintering”. *** Have a lovely Sunday!

*** Read Austin Kleon’s excellent post about Wintering and the Power of Dormancy here.

If you are new here, check out this video on YouTube of our farm and family.