A Topsy-Turvy Inside-Out Winner!

(early morning fog coming up from the river)

 Alrighty then!  Today is THE day to announce the winner of Susan Anderson's "Topsy-Turvy Inside-Out Knit Toys".  Thanks so much for all the praise for Susan - she deserves every bit of it.  She's a special person and it's evident from your comments that I'm not the only one who thinks so.

Random.org has chosen number 63 and that belongs to a comment from Ashley (ashleym103) (I eliminated any accidental duplicates).  Ashley,  I've sent you a message on Ravelry and as soon as I hear from you, I'll send your mailing information on to Susan's publicist.  You should be receiving your very own copy of the book soon.  Thanks to all of you who took the time to enter and, if you'd like to have another chance at winning, the last stop on the blog book tour is with Angela Tong on her blog Oiyi's Crafts and is scheduled to start sometime today.

(Luna's always ready for a little extra attention)

So, with the excitement of reading all those comments behind me, it's back to my real life ... which is  tending the sheep, alpaca boys and llama girls and spending my days with my hands on this year's fiber harvest.  I'm not going to be vending at any of the fall fiber festivals this year.  I'm still waiting on my yarn to come back from Echoview Fiber Mill, but I'll be making the drive up to Ohio Valley at the end of this week to have some wool/alpaca blend roving processed, then it will be into the dye pots for me.  I'm planning on an open farm day sometime later this fall and I want to have a nice selection of yarn and dyed roving available.  As always, the hardest part for me is settling on the color palette to dye this year's "Fresh From the Farm Yarn".  After hosting the natural dye workshop here at the farm in May, I'm excited to use as many natural dyes as possible.  Stay tuned for progress reports!

(definitely want to repeat these colors from logwood)

It's also time to be making decisions about which ewes will be put in with Rowdy.  I have twelve half Wensleydale yearling ewes that I think would make a fine cross, but they are yearlings and have never lambed before, which means they'll need more hands-on attention than the older, more experienced ewes. Given my plans to simplify by only breeding a few girls (and the on-going issues with my shoulder), experience may be the winner here.   I'm still mulling over all the possibilities.

Here on the farm, we're moving into another part of the yearly cycle.  In most ways, we're getting ready for the cold winter days ahead.  At the same time we'll also be looking ahead to warm spring days of new lambs and fresh, green grass coming up in the pastures.  (And, unless there's another no-show year in the lambing maternity ward, the LAMB-CAM will return!)

The view from here

Yes, this is the view out the back door of the cottage.  I've been looking at in wonder all week.  Could there be anything that looks less like the view I usually see out my back door?  (And, yes, the water really is that color-even more so at certain times of the day.)  All the way out past the end of that dock, it's only about three feet deep and crystal clear.  Out where the water is darker it's almost three hundred feet deep and that water is cold all the way to shore!  Apparently, July and August are the months to brave the waters without a wet suit and that's okay because I had no plans to swim, just to sit in the sun and enjoy the sounds of the water lapping against the dock.

We've been out and about, exploring the sweet little towns in the vicinity.  We've had excellent late lunches in Traverse City and Alden and on Mackinac Island.  Apparently, we've reached the age where we can enjoy having a wonderful meal in early afternoon and then having a light supper back at the cottage.  (It's a much more comfortable way to eat, but we can only manage it on the weekends at home.  I'm thinking that almost puts us in the "Early-Bird Special" age category!)

We've had a mixed bag of weather, but it's worked out fine.  Mike has managed to get in some fishing on three days and the weather hasn't affected my knitting, one way or the other.  Besides my vest and Olive sweater, I've been working on a little project that I'll show on Tuesday.  As part of Susan Anderson's Topsy-Turvy blog tour for her newest book, I've got a great little giveaway coming then, so be sure to check back.

This area of Michigan is beautiful.  There are acres and acres of fruit tree farms and wineries.  It's farming country for sure, with fields of rich, blackish-brown soil and a gently rolling landscape that allows plenty of sky to be in sight.  Lakes and rivers are everywhere and I suspect that if you know where to go, it's a fisherman's paradise.  Mike has taken his fishing kayak to several smaller lakes and streams and though it's taken a bit of trial and error and asking the locals for advice, he's been catching some fish, which always makes him happy.

(See that fabulous topiary on the left?)

Tuesday we drove up to Mackinac Island - a place I've heard about and wanted to visit for many years.  It's such a lovely island, but I couldn't help feeling some sympathy for the folks who call it home because of all us "tourist-types" hanging around, looking at their houses and gardens and getting in the way of their daily lives.  The Grand Hotel is impressive, to say the least.  We weren't dressed to partake of their formal tea-time, but did enjoy our walk around the grounds.  There is so much history on Mackinac and walking around was a lesson in the birth of our country.  We met up with Taylor and Crimson and baby Atticus for the day.  (They were vacationing near Mackinac.) Atticus is a charmer for sure and a great little traveler.  He's growing so quickly and is in that wonderful, smiley, everyone-is-my-best-bud stage.  It was fun to spend the day with them.

The week has flown by and early tomorrow morning we'll be loading up and heading back to the farm.  Truth be told, I miss my animals and feel ready to jump back into my routine of farm chores.  This has been a wonderful little respite and I feel ready to "strap on the harness" (as Mike likes to say) and get back to work!

(Moonrise on Torch Lake)

And the winner is ....

It took me a little while to re-number the entries and then go back to double check myself.  There were some accidental duplicate comments and then my comment at the end that made the the blogger total off by a few numbers.  So, without further ado - random.org selected comment number 127, which belonged to lulu!  I've sent off an email and hope to hear from you soon, lulu!!  Thank you all so much for participating in this little give-away.  Kristin has so many, many fans and I know it gladdens her heart to hear how much you all appreciate her talents.  Sometimes, when you live on a farm and spend a large part of your days wearing boots and barn clothes, finding time to be creative can be a real struggle.  The fact that Kristin is able to continually amaze us with her sense of style is a real testament to how hard she works.

A common theme in the comments was how much we are all looking forward to spring arriving in our parts of the country.  Everyone is craving color and I'm especially longing for green right now.  We have run out of hay already and had to buy another load to get us through.  The grass in the fields is definitely starting to show some green and, if we can get four or five days of warm sunshine, I'll probably be able to start complaining about the mowing :-)  Those of us who live in the country are obsessed with the weather,  especially if we have livestock or seasonal crops.  We have no control over it, but have to learn to adjust our plans according to the latest weather report.

That picture up there, of Mrs. Dandy and Jim Dandy (Junior) has nothing to do with anything in this post, obviously.  It just happened to be what I saw when I walked outside a few minutes ago.  Sitting on the side of the truck is not where we like to see them - for several obvious reasons, but there you have it.  One more thing I don't seem to be in control of around here!

Bring on the Sunflowers!

Thanks so much to all who have entered!  The comments are now closed and I'll be back very soon to announce the winner.

Kristin Nicholas is an exceptionally multi-talented and hard working person.  She designs books and knitwear, paints the rooms in her house vibrant colors, sells Leyden Glen Farm lamb at the farmer's market, develops recipes, plants a garden and huge field of sunflowers every year.  All of this (and more) while she's being wife, mother and assistant shepherd.  Her color sense is so inspiring, she's even managed to nudge me out of my earthy colored comfort zone on occasion!  I think she's a wonder woman!

Kristin has a brand new book out that is full of so many fun little projects, it's impossible to resist.  50 Sunflowers to Knit, Crochet & Felt has flowers, birds, bees, butterflies, lady bugs and more!  It's all so clever and creative, I want to knit them all.

Now, the good news for you.  I'm giving away a brand new, autographed copy of Kristin's book, 50 Sunflowers to Knit, Crochet & Felt along with a sampler pack of 20 balls of Color by Kristin wool+alpaca+mohair blend yarn from Classic Elite Yarns.  The yarn is perfect for nearly every project in the book and the only way to describe it is luscious.  The winner of this giveaway will have many, many hours of knitting fun ahead of them.  All you need to do is leave a comment here and I'll have random.org select the lucky person next Tuesday, April 2 at 5 pm EST.  Good luck everyone!!

Moving right along

Whew! I'm sorry for all the confusion. I fully intended to get this up in the morning, but like a lot of plans I've made lately, it just didn't happen. So, I'm going to go ahead and include all those folks who got here a little late to the party. After all, it tis' the season!

According to random.org, the winner of the Christmas Give-away is comment number 6. Michelle said..."Oh, I would be wonderfully happy to win ANY book by Alice Starmore; thanks for the chance!" So, Michelle, send me an email at diannemac1010@gmail.com, with your address and I will get this package right off to you. Thanks to everyone who stopped in and commented. It is so much fun for me to read all the comments and follow links back to your sites. I never cease to be amazed at how the internet can connect from so many far flung places.

Our farm lane has finally thawed out and is safe to drive on. We are going to have a few days of "normal" (whatever that is) temperatures in the 30's and then the bottom falls out again and we head for single digits. I'm going to be excused from farm chores for a while. My poor husband will be doing all my chores while I recuperate from carpal tunnel surgery. A big part of my panic at being ice-bound for 4 1/2 days was because I could see that I was not going to be fully prepared for Christmas in time. I found out the day before the ice storm that my surgery is scheduled for tomorrow. I would not have chosen a pre-Christmas date, but having to work around the surgeon's schedule, Mike's schedule and my own made it a necessity. I'm just hoping, hoping, hoping I'll be able to figure out how to knit. I am a very right-handed person, so the idea of wearing a cast on that hand for three weeks is daunting, to say the least. It's possible I'll be forced to practice my continental style knitting (at which I am lousy)!

(that's little Miss Olive looking at me...hoping for special treat...because she knows she's special!)

We are still seeing the coyote on a regular basis. In fact, yesterday morning he (or she) came within about 30 feet of the house. I'm worried that this one is getting just a little too comfortable around here. Holly was doing her duty, staying close to the sheep, protecting them and barking. She spent the entire day out in the field with the ewe lambs and, as I write this, is doing her nightly patrol, now that all the sheep are in the barn for the night.

Thanks to all who commented and I hope you'll check in here again. There is always something going on here on the farm..........and lambing time will be here before we know it!

A winner coming soon!

Thanks so much for all the comments. I'm so sorry for the delay, but I'm having a bit of a glitch here. I should be able to post the winner's name a little later today. Be back soon!

Christmas Give-away

Still here on the farm and still iced in. This is an exercise in patience and one I would have preferred to experience after Christmas. Honestly though, we are doing fine. I think it's more the idea that we can't get out that makes us a little restless. That and the fact that I'm not finished with Christmas gifts. Mike noted today that we could probably live off the food in the pantry and the freezers for several months. I'm hoping this is not the time for us to find out!

So, enough of my whining. Here we have the last give-away of the year and I think it's a great one. I've had a ridiculous time trying to get some decent light for pictures. It's been gray and gloomy during the daylight hours, so I've taken these in the house, under some strong lights and they are a pretty good representation of the colors. Not perfect, but close enough that you will get the idea.

There are three skeins of Rowan Colourscape Chunky by Kaffe Fassett (lamb's wool and very soft), two skeins of Cascade Pastaza (50% llama/50% wool) and one skein of Merlin the Cat Yarns Superwash Sock (560 yards of merino wool). The book is "Fishermen's Sweaters by Alice Starmore. It has tons of sweater patterns (mostly ganseys, but some fair isle) in sizes for the whole family.


I imagine next week will be pretty hectic for all of us, so I'm going to ask that you leave a comment by 9:00 am on Tuesday morning, December 21st (Eastern Standard time). If I hear from the winner soon enough, I just might manage to get it in the mail before Christmas.

Thanks to all of you for taking the time to check in here and participate.

New day, new week, new giveaway

Pippi loves the snow!!

It's been way too busy around here.....already. I want things to slow down so I can savor the season instead of rushing, rushing through it, trying desperately to get everything done.

As I write this, it's snowing outside, the animals have had their morning rations and I hope to spend most of today cozy in the studio. We got the little Vermont Castings stove installed not long ago and it's just as I hoped it would be. It warms the studio quickly, gives me just a little glimpse of the flames behind the glass panel and, now that Mike has cut some firewood small enough to fit, I can build a fire in no time at all. Plus, it's just cute!

So, on to the new giveaway. Kristin Nicholas is someone I would love to know personally and attending one of her on-farm workshops would be a dream come true! She is inspiring in so many ways. I love her use of color and seeing her designs makes me want to be more brave in the color choices I make in my knitting. So, for this giveaway I'm offering a copy of Kristin's book, "Kristin Knits", and eight skeins of Julia yarn. The reason I have two copies is because I pre-ordered the book, but when I discovered Kristin was selling autographed copies herself, I decided I wanted to support someone I admire by buying from her directly. The yarn is a scrumptious blend of alpaca, mohair and wool and has 93 yards in each ball. The colors are fabulous and the book will give you plenty of ideas for using it.

Leave a comment between now and Wednesday midnight eastern standard time and I'll random number generate on Thursday morning. Good luck!

A winner and some Little Things to Knit

Alrighty then! I love it that so many of you came by to enter this giveaway! Thanks to every one of you so much. This morning I used the random number generator at random.com and the number it selected was 35....katjobson, who said, "Red is my favorite color and perfect for Christmas. I would love to win :))))))". So, katjobson, please email me within the next 24 hours at diannemac1010@gmail.com with your name and address and I'll get this box of goodies on the way to you.

I'll be having at least three more giveaways between now and Christmas, so I hope all of you will stop by to see what goodies I'll be offering. (Hint: more fabulous yarn and books!)

And now, back to our regularly scheduled program.

So, looking for some great little projects that you can whip up quickly? Here are a few I'm working on and loving every stitch (which, to be totally honest, I cannot always say about my knitting!)

The Melissa Scarf-I found this by visiting one blog and then followed a link on to another and so on and so on......you know how that goes. In the end, I have no idea how I got there! I'm not sure why, but this scarf is just plain fun to knit. (read...borders on addictive!) Something about those bobbles at the end of every row (this from someone not that fond of bobbles). Try it. I'll bet you your favorite set of knitting needles that you'll like it.

These mitts-A great gift and a reasonable amount of knitting time involved. If you make them with some of that chunky stuff you've got lying around, you'll be done in no time. I'm all about chunky stuff right now! And, here's another pair of mitts that are even more stylish and fun to knit.

This cowl is fabulous! This is a last minute gift from heaven. And there's a matching beret! Perfect. Thanks for calling my attention to this one, Mary!

Need a gift for someone who doesn't want to muss up their hair putting on something to warm their neck? Then this neckwarmer is just the one. Once again, practically instant gratification!

I love to give handmade gifts (even more than I love staying out of the mall!) and though these are all quick and easy, they are all gifts that I would love to receive.....which is my criteria for whether a gift is nice enough to give to a friend or family member.

Got any great, fast and easy Little Things to Knit that you'd like to share?

Black Friday Giveaway!

So, did everyone have an awesome Thanksgiving? After days and days (and days) of cooking, it's all over in what seems like a flash. We were missing a few grandchildren this year and we missed them, but everyone else was here and it was great. Every year brings the noise level down because the little boys are growing up and are not so rowdy anymore!

It was weirdly warm (70 degrees---and that's just not right) and rainy and the prediction for a drastic drop in the temperature and a chance of some snow flakes actually came true. We woke up this morning to a dusting of snow! What a thrill for those folks lining up outside the big box stores at 4 am. Ha!

So, here's my plan. I'm thinking of doing several giveaways leading up to Christmas. I've got some nice "stuff" to send out to someone. All you need to do is leave a comment here sometime before 8 am on Tuesday morning, November 30. Then I'll either figure out how to do the random number generator thing or have a someone else pick a number and the lucky number will get all of the things pictured. For this go-round I've got 13+ balls of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino chunky in a beautiful red (color #17016 - 71 yards in each ball). Add to that one skein of Cherry Tree Hill Laceweight Possum (40% merino,40%possum,20% silk - 480 yards). Also, one skein of Mountain Colors 4/8 wool - color Firestorm - 250 yards. Lastly, a new copy of "Knitting New Mittens and Gloves" by Robin Melanson. It's a great book with lots of Christmas knitting ideas. Somehow, I have two copies. (I'm sure it has nothing to do with my lack of memory when it comes to my personal knitting library!) So, there you have it. Spread the word and keep your fingers crossed!

(the Debbie Bliss yarn color is closer to that in the first picture)

I don't know about you all, but my plan is to get back to my knitting today. It's cold enough to have a fire and there are plenty of leftovers, so no cooking required for the next few days. Perfect!

COMMENTS CLOSED. Thanks so much for entering. Check back a little later today and I will announce the winner!