I'm not in Kansas anymore....
More about that soon but here's a clue... it is the color of the first photo on the newsletter.
Hello Colorful Friends:
That’s an interesting lead-in, isn’t it? October flew by like a jet plane. My birthday (no time to celebrate) and then Julia and I flew off to Kansas for a week. I’ll fill you all in on that in the next newsletter. For now, here’s a stunning photo of the flat landscape. So different than where we live. Lovely people too.
So tell me…… where is the time going? Clocks go back this weekend and the days will be all mixed up and getting shorter too. It is a brutal time of year. That said, it’s the beginning (or middle?) of knitting season. I’ve had folks asking me what hat I have been wearing when I’m vending with our pasture raised lamb at the farmers market. It’s this one from my Moroccan Fedora Pattern.
The pattern includes five different hats in multiple sizes as shown in the photo below. For adventuresome knitters. You can find it here on my website. Also available on Ravelry.
Moroccan Fedora PDF Pattern
It’s a crazy time of year when you are an independent maker and artist. The days fly by as the holiday crunch draws closer and closer. Just typing that sentence makes me shudder. I’ve been making as many ceramics as possible but truth be told, it is a very slow process. And I had to make the difficult decision to not hold our Annual Open House here at the farm for the second year in a row due to the Covid-19 situation. Here are some of the current pieces flowing through my studio.
I’m hoping to get some pottery listed up on my webshop and I’ll be sure to let you all know when they go up. I’m sure you are feeling the holidays closing in too. I honestly try not to make this newsletter too sales-y but this one is going to have to be about things you might like that are actually available on my website. (Skip to the links if you have to!)
If you are thinking about holiday cards and you are a fan of sheep and wool, I’ve got a few for you. All available on my website here for $22 including postage. You can purchase 10 of a design or an assorted pack of 2 of each design. All photos by me of our lovely sheep and lambs. If you order 3 packs, the price will be $60 ($6 off). There is no place on my website for this special offer BUT I will refund the $6 to your Paypal account.
Santa Lamb
White Lamb in Pink Sweater
Black Lamb in Striped Sweater
Sheep Coming In with Ness
Lone Sheep in Snow
We have 3 more weeks of the Amherst Farmers Market held on the Common not far from Amherst College. I set up a tent there every Saturday for 35 weeks of the year. It’s a fun market - great vendors, lovely customers and as farmer, the market is my social life. If you are up for a drive, I will be there each Saturday til Thanksgiving with my pottery, tea towels, and our farm raised lamb. Here’s the Facebook Page for more info.
One more seasonal thing….. Christmas Stocking Patterns! I designed these two knitted patterns many years ago and they continue to be very popular. You can purchase them on my website here or on Ravelry here. Use any kind of yarn but I knit the stockings shown in my Julia yarn which was a worsted weight but has been sadly (and long ago) discontinued.
So onto what I’ve been finding interesting in the world of the interwebs……
• I found this article about the differences between Millenials and Gen Z-er’s in the workplace interesting. I live with a Gen Z-er so found it informative to know what her generation is like.
• There is a quilt show at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston entitled Fabric of A Nation. On now until January 17, 2022. There is a second exhibit — Paper Stories - Layered Dreams: The Art of Ekua Holmes — which looks fantastic too.
• Hachette has bought Workman Publishing. I wrote two books that were published by Storey Books, a division of Workman back in 2005 and 2007. Let’s hope the big corporation leaves the Storey folks to do what they know how to do. You can read about it here.
• The print magazine world has been in upheaval for several years now. My favorite magazine, The World Of Interiors, has continued to be published out of the UK. I love the quirky compilation of homes from all over the world and the non-commercial feeling that I have when I read it. I have learned so much about interiors and homes from the pages - including obscure things about art, industry, and design. Conde Nast (who owns WOI) has just announced that they have hired a new editor - only the third since WOI was begun. I hope Hamish Bowles doesn’t ruin it and turn it into a commercial American mess.
• A newsletter I discovered that is quite good from the UK is called Miss Onion’s Exquisite Finds. Culture, media, fashion, decorating and odd bits. Check out the latest issue here. You can subscribe to it here.
• As the seasons change, what I cook does too. For the start of the cozy season, here’s a really lovely Moroccan Lamb Stew. Recipe here on our Leyden Glen Lamb website. Really delicious and if you double the recipe, you can freeze leftovers for weeknights you don’t have the energy to cook.
• This is a beautiful video about a painting technique called Japanning.
I’ve been bingeing The Great British Bake-Off. What fun.
That’s it for today. I’ll be back next week with news on our Kansas adventure. Thanks for reading.
Yours in color and creativity,
Kristin Nicholas
P.S. Want to see more from our farm. Check out the video done by the fine folks at Houzz.com