Mid October 2023 News from the Farm

Summer, Now Fall and What I've been up to.....

Hello Colorful Friends….

It’s been a while since I’ve sent out this newsletter. I hope your summer was pleasant. Summer on Leyden Glen Farm flew by and — happily — my favorite season — Fall — is beginning. I love spring and summer but there’s something about the arrival of Fall ….. the beautiful warm colors, the lower light that gives everything a beautiful glow, and the thoughts of cozy wood stove warmth while making something with a needle of some sort.

It’s been another wacky weather summer here on Leyden Glen Farm. We have had crazy amounts of rain which has once again made sheep farming and gardening very challenging. Last year we had a drought; this year - monsoons for literally weeks. On a good note, my zinnias have fared better than ever - they grew taller than I ever remember from all the rain. Our water supply on our hill is marginal at best and I cannot water my garden at all. I rely on heavy mulching with cardboard and rotted hay for moisture and weed control. You can learn more about that here. I grow Benary’s Zinnias (seeds are available from Johnnys here) and old fashioned Come and Cut Again. They are both tried and true and rather easy except for some black spot in the beginning of the season. I rip those leaves off and then apply Azomite Trace Minerals and the rest of the summer is full of colorful blooms.

I’ve grown sunflowers for decades. This year (like most) I didn’t get them in the ground until late June and mid July. They have just finished blooming. Stunning all around! I purchase most of my seeds from Sunflower Selections here. I like the branching varieties best because each plant has many flowers on it. Primarily I grow them for the beauty and color and to make every day better. The other bonus — by leaving the plants to go to seed, there is plenty of food for birds and critters over the winter.

It is breeding season here at Leyden Glen Farm. The rams have been with the ewes since early August. We are expecting lambing to begin in late December. The sheep have survived the wet weather but hay harvesting has been incredibly challenging because the grasses have to dry out a bit before they can be baled into “giant marshmallows.” Here’s a pretty photo from the other day. I was in the right place at a perfect moment.

Autumn color in western Massachusetts is sorely lacking. All the rain has resulted in moldy leaves that began turning brown in late summer. A large majority of the leaves have fallen early without turning red or gold or orange. The fall apple and summer peach crops of area local orchards are much smaller or non-existent due to super cold weather in February destroying the peach buds and a very late mid May heavy frost killing lots of apple buds. Top it off with extreme flooding this July and it has just been one of the most challenging years for local farmers in recent memory.

In August, I was interviewed by Anne Merrow of the Long Thread Podcast where she asked me about my life in fibers and textiles and color. It was an interesting experience because it brought me back to the early days of my life when I began learning about textiles and making by hand. You can listen to the Long Thread interview here or wherever you listen to podcasts. There are plenty of great interviews on this series. I especially enjoyed Susan Druding’s interview.

I started writing this newsletter from the middle of the USA where I spent the week at the video studio of Missouri Star Quilting. I was asked to design, knit and film several video tutorials for an upcoming knitting project series for their knitting division - One Big Happy Yarn Company. More about that to come but I’ll just hint that it involves lots of color, embroidery, and small projects. Here’s my friend Sara on the set before we began taping.

Speaking of videos, the last of the One Big Happy Crochet videos I filmed in March is live on YouTube. I am really happy to share this video with you today. The project continues my CROCHET HEXAGON EXPLORATION which I have shared with you for several years - beginning with my blog back in the day. Here you go…… a Crochet Hexagon Christmas Stocking.

I first became obsessed with Crochet Hexagon Christmas Stockings via a post on Instagram by one of my favorite accounts - Cutterbrooksshop

Aren’t they gorgeous? I shared the photo with Sara and lo and behold, Sara’s Grandma made the exact same stockings for her and her sister. Sara found her childhood stocking and she deciphered the pattern. We were able to make this video for the Crocheted Hexagon Christmas Stocking. The pattern is available here. Kits are available for the stocking here. It is made of Berroco’s Ultra Alpaca 50% Alpaca and 50% Wool. Each kit will make 2-3 stockings depending on color placement. There are kits for the other projects over on the One Big Happy website here.

Speaking of Christmas Stockings…… (That phrase was really hard to type as I’m really not ready for it yet.) ……. Don’t forget about my very popular KNIT Christmas Stocking Patterns available on my website or on Ravelry. It’s coming fast people! These are two fantastic patterns - each with many variations. Perhaps you have a new person in your life who will need a Christmas stocking.

I’m still selling our farm-raised lamb at the Amherst Farmers Market each Saturday from 7:30 to 1:30. The market goes through November 18th. I also sell my handmade colorful ceramics and tea towels. I hope to have some to sell here on my website before the holidays.

Now for fun links to things I am finding interesting…….

• Here’s how the beloved Granny Square Afghan came to be. Hint: It was inspired by the Crazy Quilt fad of the 1880’s. For more of a deep dive, here’s a much longer very interesting history lesson.

• I enjoy Series NY on Instagram. They re-purpose vintage afghans and quilts into one of a kind clothing. Here’s their origin story. 

• Long Thread Media (the publishers of SpinOff, Handwoven and PIecework along with the podcast Long Thread which I was recently interviewed on) has begun a newsletter and subscription based “immersive digital experience” exploring knitting, fiber producers and crafts called Farm & Fiber Knits. Check it out here. Follow on Instagram here.

• There are so many great podcast interviews to listen to. Here’s a new interview with Martha Stewart.

• It’s not a secret I love shelter magazines and beautiful interiors. Here’s an excerpt from the new book Haute Bohemians: Greece by Photographer/Author Miguel Flores-Vianna over on the This & Tat Blog.

• I’ve discovered a better kind of ramen noodle. I think you will like them too. Order here. My favorites are the Wide Hakka Noodles. They also make Momofuku Noodles.

• Soup season is upon us. Here’s Smitten Kitchen’s List of favorites.

Lastly….. It’s knitting season. Check out all my knitting PDF’s over on my website including the new collection of 26 designs from Color By Kristin.

+ Lots More to see on kristinnicholas.com

Thanks for reading til the end. I know this was a very long one but that’s what happens when I don’t send a newsletter for several months. I wish you a good Sunday and week ahead.

Colorfully yours,

Kristin Nicholas

P.S. I want to welcome all my new subscribers. I hope you will find something interesting and my emails will be a fun and colorful surprise each time one lands in your in-box. For those of you who have recently signed up for my newsletter, in each missive I share farm news, what I’m creating, color inspiration, and fun links that I find interesting and inspiring. At any time you can unsubscribe at the bottom of the newsletter. You can also share the newsletter with your friends who might find it fun and of interest.