Winter Holiday Wishes

From Our Farm to Yours

Hello Colorful Friends:

Popping in today amongst the pre-holiday chaos. I should be working on Christmas stuff but I’m not. Procrastinator to the end. Anyone there with me???? I didn’t want the holiday season to pass by without thanking you all for reading and supporting me, my work, and my family. Since I resumed this newsletter I have looked forward to sharing the different things I find interesting online and IRL and sharing news about our farm.

Thank you for all the Tea Towel Orders which I hope have arrived in time for gifting. I hope that you and yours enjoy them. It’s a very strange thing - thinking about my art and my handmade items going out there in the world and prettifying folks’ homes. Thanks for your support. I didn’t get enough pottery finished to do an online website update. Hopefully I’ll get it together in time for Valentine’s Day.

In news from the farm…… Our new greenhouse barn is now in use. The ewes are back at their winter headquarters and now we are waiting for lambs. They are still several weeks off. The barn is spacious and clean but it won’t last long.

In November, Mark met a fellow sheep farmer at the local livestock auction. A few weeks later, we went for a farm visit to look into purchasing a new ram. We picked out two. Last week, they arrived. The black face is a Suffolk ram lamb of British breeding. He will be shorter than typical American Suffolks (and hopefully won’t be able to jump the fence). The white face ram lamb is an Ile de France, predominantly a meat breed which was developed in France in the 1830’s by crossing Dishley Leicesters and Rambouillets. We will use both as terminal sires for breeding next year. They are not yet full grown and we look forward to seeing what they look like when they reach their full size.

Just a few links for today….

• I stumbled upon this film about Fiber Artist Sheila Hicks who has been one of the leaders in the fiber art world. Filmed in her studio in Paris, she is still working at 91 years old.

• Maria Rodale writes a Substack Newsletter that I really enjoy. Her post “The Magic of Christmas” was thought provoking and lovely.

• I got a kick out of this older couple from the UK who have become something of an internet sensation.

• This NYT video is so good that I’m embedding it here.

• We are pickle lovers. Evidently the rest of the world is the pickle train. (Via Smitten Kitchen)

May your holiday be full of delicious food, conversation and holiday movie watching with a little bit of crafting thrown in. Thank you for being here.

Colorfully yours,

Kristin Nicholas

p.s. The photo at the opening was taken several years ago at our farm. If you look closely, you will see our Border Collie Ness amongst the sheep.