Late August Newsletter from the Farm

Gee - it's been a while......

Hello Colorful Friends:

How has your summer gone? I hope you have had the chance to get outside to enjoy the warm (too warm?) weather. Here in western Massachusetts we had an incredibly long six week hot spell. Thank goodness that is over for now although there’s always the chance for more heat. The sheep don’t like the hot weather but they deal with it by not moving at all during the day. When dusk falls, they begin grazing and moving about. It’s a lesson that I sometimes follow.

Speaking of sheep, our new Border Collie Annie is slowly developing her herding skills. We take her out each evening when the heat isn’t overwhelming to let her get used to the sheep and them used to her. The sheep here at our farmhouse are young and have never been around a herding dog. They aren’t the best sheep for training a dog but it’s what is easy for us now. We have high hopes for her as she gets older and calms down some. Here’s the funny thing…… if you are a longtime reader, you know that our daughter Julia has a Diabetic Alert Medical Service Dog named Pretzel. Annie and Pretzel are great pals. One evening, Annie came up to me while I was reading and started pawing me and she wouldn’t stop. At first, I couldn’t figure out what was the matter. I took her outside —- that wasn’t it. She continued to paw me and then Pretzel started pawing and panting. And then it dawned on me - Annie had figured out how to alert to Julia’s highs and lows just by observing Pretzel. So now we have 2 Diabetic Alert Dogs! Annie is no where near service dog trained for public access but she does do the medical alerting thing when we are home. Border Collies sure are smart.

Once again, I was late getting my garden in. (At least I’m consistent!) For the past few years, I haven’t felt much of the gardening vibe but somehow, mid June comes around and I begin rushing around - buying plant starts and seeds. Somehow, a garden of sorts materializes. With the early rain and heat this summer, the weeds have been overwhelming. Let’s just say our place won’t be on any garden tour this year. I think I have gotten too old to care about such stuff. That said, the plants too have grown like crazy and everything is blooming earlier than past years. We are loving the daily bits of veg and herbs on the dinner plate. We’re on a bit of a repeat - squash, tomatoes (Sun Golds are the easiest and so prolific), basil, corn, beans, and repeat. The sunflowers, zinnias, and amaranth are coming into their own.

The Amherst Farmers Market is keeping me busy. Once a week on Saturday, I load up my truck with tables, tents, tablecloths, our Leyden Glen Farm pasture raised lamb, my handmade pottery, and tea towels and spend the day meeting folks on the Common. The truth is - doing the market is also good for my mental health because I get to socialize with vendors and customers and folks walking by. I look forward to each week because there are always new people to meet and interesting conversations to have. Amherst boasts three colleges — University of Massachusette, Amherst College and Hampshire College. Smith College and Mt. Holyoke are just a town away. If you are driving through western Mass, I’d love to meet you there. Here’s the website for more info. Saturdays from 8-1:30 now until the Saturday before Thanksgiving.

Speaking of pottery, I’ve been busy making and painting pots all summer long. At this point, I don’t have enough inventory to stock both my Farmers Market Stand and my on-line shop. I hope to have some pieces along with my tea towels available as we move closer to the holidays.

My good friend Karin Strom and her husband Gabe stopped by the farm the other day and she brought me her latest project - the new print magazine Farm and Fiber Knits from Long Thread Media. This is the first PRINT issue of this newish publication and it is a winner. I’m slowly working my way through it - really good articles about fiber farms, techniques, knitting, and people. You can order it here. I’m kind of jazzed that one of my photos of our sheep is featured on the last page. They also have a digital subscription and lots of on-line classes.

You can listen to a Podcast Interview with me over on the Long Thread Media Podcast - Cloth, Thread, and their Makers. You can find it on their YouTube Channel here or wherever you listen to podcasts. I really enjoy these interviews with folks from all areas of the fiber world..

Here are today’s Good Links…..

• My friend Gail Callahan (aka The Kangaroo Dyer) is teaching a weekend class called Cracking The Color Code at Snow Farm in Williamsburg, MA. Gail is an amazing teacher, author and colorist. This is a chance to really explore color and how to use it in your work and everyday life. Snow Farm is a fantastic arts facility with overnight accomodations, good food, and so many classes taught by great teachers. Check it out here.

• New York Textile Month is being celebrated for the entire month of September. Lots of classes, exhibitions, and talks. Check out the schedule here. Can’t get there. Check out last year’s Talking Textiles Magalogue called Knit here.

• This is the beautiful home of Interior Designer Jane Ormsby Gore. So many gorgeous textiles and antiques along with beautiful color.

• How yogurt can be used to reduce energy use and can help to keep your house cool during heatwaves. Who knew?

• My favorite recipe for zucchini for the past three summers via Smitten Kitchen. I sometimes have it for lunch 5 days a week. Only takes about 10 minutes to prep and cook.

• Ruth McDowell was a world famous art quilter who also happened to live not far from me. I only met her once when she came to one of our Holiday Open Houses. I was so thrilled to meet her as I had heard so much about Ruth and her work. Ruth passed away recently and her daughter Emily wrote a lovely post about her brilliant mother. It is always sad when the world loses a textile lover.

As autumn draws closer and the days get shorter, I’m beginning to start thinking about the things I might make this upcoming winter. Maybe you are thinking about projects too. Check out my website for lots of handknitting PDF patterns. You can also find my handknitting patterns over on Ravelry.

I wish you a colorful Sunday.

Kristin Nicholas

Here’s one of my most popular designs - Kristin’s Creative Christmas Stockings. The PDF is available over on my website here.