Mid April Newsletter from the Farm

Sunday Edition - April 16, 2023

Hello Colorful Friends:

The title of this newsletter is a bit of a lie. I’m not actually at our farm but am in northern New Jersey visiting my Mom Nancy. As we sit here and chat about times past, memories come flooding back. Mom has lived in the same house for over 60 years and it is full of the things of life after raising five daughters here. The home is very neat and tidy - so unlike the chaos that surrounds me and my family at our farmhouse. My Dad has been gone for close to 20 years and she has continued to live her life. The gifts that she has given me, my sisters, and her grandchildren - her love and encouragement and support — are the things that make me the person I am. Although she is no longer able to do as much as she used to do, there is still that spark and love of life that she has always had. Today we are going driving around this little town and will visit the cemetery where Daddy rests.

The last few weeks, I have been re-living my life in fiber. I suppose in one’s sixth decade, that is what you start to do — look back on what you have accomplished and think about what more needs to be done. Today I found this archive in a drawer marked Kristin’s Patterns of many of my knitwear designs that were published by Classic Elite when I worked there as Creative Director.

This walk back in time began when my friends Linda Pratt, Cathy Payson, Susan Mills and I were asked to speak at the Greater Boston Knitting Guild’s Annual Meeting. The presentation is tentatively titled The Lasting Impact of the Ladies of Classic Elite. My friends and I have been meeting virtually to plan the talk and we’ve all been sifting whatever physical remains we can find to add to the visual presentation.

I share this all with you here because through the pandemic, the GBKG transitioned to a hybrid model and you all - wherever you live - can join and partake of their incredible workshops via Zoom. The Greater Boston Knitting Guild offers workshops online and in person so even if you live in Australia or other far points of the world, you can partake in these workshops. Here is the link to learn more. Membership is reasonably priced at $45. I think that our talk will be “zoomed” as the physical talk is already sold out.

As most of you all know (if you opened up my last email), the first of my YouTube How-To Videos with One Big Happy Yarn Company launched this week. You can watch for free on YouTube. Here’s the 39 minute video……

You can grab a crochet hook and some yarn and learn along with me and Sara. One Big Happy Yarn Company is offering my Newsletter Readers a 20% discount on the kits for all the projects that go along with the Fun With Hexagons Series. The kits are not quite ready - they are waiting for yarn….. so I will re-share that discount code when the kits are in stock.

Here is the Hexagon Blanket I made that started it all…. I’ve made 5 more since this one with a 6th in progress. I find the hexagons completely addictive for all the color study properties. They also can be made in the summer when larger wooly projects just are plain too hot. These hexagons are quick to make and completely addictive. Even if you have never crocheted before, give them a try.

Here is one of my Hexagon Blankets in progress. I plan the placement of the hexagons by laying the pieces down on the floor and observe how the colors go together. I use safety pins to temporarily attach them together and then I sew them together. In the video, both Sara and I share how we seam the hexagons together — two different approaches that suit both our personalities. As you can probably predict, my process is a bit more scattered than Sara’s.

Here is my current plastic tub of hexagons waiting to be seamed together. I keep adding to it and I crochet and then weave in the ends. Sorting and stacking by the outer rim color helps me to see how color balanced my hexagon stash is. I add to the stash slowly and pretty soon there are enough hexagons for another blanket.

I hope you will join me, Sara, and One Big Happy Yarn Company in making Hexagons this summer. Our video series continues for the next couple months.

Next weekend the Amherst Farmers Market begins and happens every Saturday until the weekend before Thanksgiving. I will be selling our farm raised lamb along with my ceramics and tea towels. Here are some “I Love You” shallow bowls that I’ll have with me next week. They still have to be fired twice. Fingers crossed they fire properly. Hours at the market are 7:30 to 1:30. Info here.

Here are today’s inspirational links…….

• I love these tufted sculptures by Shishi San.

• Artist Melissa Louise Bolger draws granny squares with colored pencils. I can’t believe how incredibly real they look.

• This podcast interview with Matt Gibberb of The Modern House publishing/real estate company is quite interesting. The Modern House has a good YouTube channel too.

• Nice article here by Mark Hearld on Making a Collage. I love his work.

• Patti Smith visited the Vermeer exhibition at the Rijks Museum and shared some photos. You can watch a series on Vermeer on the museum’s YouTube channel here. Listen to Patti on a very interesting podcast with Hamish McKenzie.

I’ve got to back to chatting with Mom over a “Kristin mug” of nice hot coffee. It is raining now which is sorely needed.

My best for a lovely Sunday.

Colorfully yours,

Kristin Nicholas