Merry Christmas! Simple Gifts Farm Book!

Yes, I finally wrote a book about our animals. It is written from their point of view. You can do an e-read online or you can order the book from: www.bookemon.com. Simply go to the site and select the title: "Simple Gifts Farm". Enjoy! The book was written for our grandchildren but I decided to share it with all of you! The animals and Ray and I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!

Sheep Pondering!!

Fall 2011

Back to spinning and drying on my antique drying rack! This year am spending more of the fall with family. There is chopping to be done with expert help and of course time to relax and enjoy the beauty of nature. Now here is nature's trick! The sheep are wondering too! Could this be a snowstorm in October?

Summer Retreat 2011

Ray and I love Maine. We get to spend time with family and friends at "a beautiful place by the sea". Watching sunsets and being thankful for our blessings!!

Summer Road Trip to Notre Dame!

As an "retired" baton twirler it was a thrill for me to finally get to Nationals at Notre Dame where my granddaughter and her team competed day and night for nearly a week! The Red Star Twirlers are so talented taking home over 150 metals. Emma placed 3rd in the USA in 3 baton within the 13-15 year olds!! That is huge!!

We have been dyeing for Saturday, 4/30th CT Sheep & Wool Festival!

Beautiful natural, hand dyed, hand spun yarns, new knitting projects, made in USA alpaca products, maple syrup from our farm! We have been working hard for CT Sheep & Wool Festival 2011! Come by this Saturday, April 30th to the Gold Building. Food is at one end, Simple Gifts Farm is at the opposite end. Support all of our small farms, see sheep shearing, border collie trials, spinning contests, activites for kids and much much more!!

Spring Is Just Around The Corner...

A Basket Full of Spring!! Hand dyed alpaca yarns with more on the way. Check out the rest of our Farm Blog for projects. And, remember to save Saturday, April 30th for the CT Sheep & Wool Festival. We will be there with lots of new ideas and yarns for your knitting and crocheting pleasure. If you can't wait, and like something on the Blog, call me at 203-378-0893. In the meantime, we here have much to do with the trees dripping maple sap and the syrup to be boiled down and packaged. On this, hopefully, last storm of the season day-a stash of yarn (see my color mix) is just waiting for an idea to emerge and the needles are itching to be used for a New Spring Look!

Here is where the work happens...

Our home and familyroom are perfect winter hideaways for spinning, and creating. The incentive is a cozy spot where all the worlds problems disappear and you sit at the wheel and feel the alpaca and wool run thru your fingers knowing that you will enjoy the yarn a second time when you knit with it and enjoy it a third time when you gift or keep your creation. Winter is almost over. Has it really been that bad?

Scarves are the Chocolate of Knitting....

Here are two delicious versions! Natural off-white Lace Pattern Handspun Alpaca Scarf. Only 8 pattern lines repeated to give you this Victorian look! Our Suri Alpaca is just perfect for this pattern with its luster and silkiness! Buy the yarn and the pattern is free. Also, for years I have been searching for a double-sided cable. Thanks to Samantha, here it is! And the secret is so simple, stick to the pattern and it works perfectly! This scarf is beautiful in natural or hand dyed (isn't the purple gorgeous?) worsted alpaca. I know you will all want to try this one!

Cable Mania

Cables are fun and not too difficult. Cable hats are made in natural alpaca-Ray & I both love ours! Earwarmer is from our Babydoll Southdown Sheep spun in bulky for extra warmth. Handwarmers are knit flat for ease but look complicated with an awesome cable. Knit in light worsted alpaca with one skein either in natural or hand dyed alpaca. All of these patterns are available free with yarn purchase!

Spiral Neckwarmer for the Brrrrr Day

Joanne is enjoying her neckwarmer on this very cold mountain day. Designed for one skein of alpaca hand dyed or natural.

Supplying Our Warmth!!!

Hanley likes to eat snow! (He isn't the only one.) The alpaca and sheep hang "in" while we are outside cleaning and filling water pails. And they say these animals are not high up on the chain!

Winter Warmth

Knitted and delivered! Shepherd's Handspun in Ray's choice of blue. Joanne's comfy cardigan-all spun from our sheep and alpacas! Michelle's special birthday-alpaca lattice work!