podcasts

Episode 76: Farm Tour

May 2, 2015May 15, 2016 by Sara

This episode includes the following segments: Yarn Lover at Large, The Back Porch, The Front Porch, Gratitude Journal. You will hear all about my trip to Washington County, NY for the annual Farm & Fiber tour. Did you know that Washington County is the most prominent producer of fiber in the state of New York? I didn’t either, until Fernanda and I began our tour. From farms to mills; from sampling local fare to holding a baby goat; from shopping to sipping and making new friends, we thoroughly enjoyed our fiber-y weekend.

Yarn Lover at Large

Washington County Farm & Fiber Tour

One One One Main

St. Mary’s on the Hill

Ensign Brook Farm

Battenkill Fibers: Carding & Spinning Mill

Foster Sheep Farm

Amigos Cantina

Dancing Ewe Farm

Farm Tour Photos

Ready to visit the Cashmere sheep at St. Mary's on the Hill. — Ready to visit the Cashmere sheep at St. Mary’s on the Hill.

Goats are harnessed to a cart. Each can pull up to one and a half times its weight.

Sister Mary Elizabeth sings to Sir Lancelot and friend.

Fernanda cuddled this baby goat, which fell asleep in her arms.

The idyllic barn yard at Ensign Brook Farm.

"There's a sheep under here somewhere," said Joe the shearer, before he began shearing the fleece of this Romney. — “There’s a sheep under here somewhere,” said Joe the shearer, before he began shearing the fleece of this Romney.

Not only does a shearer need to handle the sheep, he needs to manipulate the fleece as he works to keep it on one piece. — Not only does a shearer need to handle the sheep, he needs to manipulate the fleece as he works to keep it in one piece.

The initial work of skirting the fleece is completed immediately after shearing.

The table prepared for lunch at Dancing Ewe Farm.

Contented sheep munching at Dancing Ewe Farm.

Purchases

One ounce of cashmere and hand-carved napkin rings from Malawi.

900+ yards Merino / Romney (DK) from Battenkill Fibers.

Beautiful DK weight yarn hand-dyed by Carole of Foster Sheep Farm.

Gratitude Journal

After delicious Mexican food with Fernanda, Lisa, and Tracey.

3 thoughts on “Episode 76: Farm Tour”

Lesley Lyon says:

June 12, 2015 at 12:15 am

I’ve listened to this episode twice and thoroughly enjoyed it. I also did the Washington County farm tour and had lunch at the Dancing Ewe as well as came home with cheese and olive oil. IT WAS TRULY WONDERFUL. We visited about four other farms and bought some fiber. We did not get to ST. MARY’S but hope to visit there in the future.
admin says:

May 12, 2015 at 12:06 pm

Hi, Judy. Thank you for your kind words about this episode. Visiting St. Mary’s was truly a delight. I look forward to knitting with the cashmere, so that I can keep the memory of the visit with me!
Judy says:

May 5, 2015 at 5:36 pm

Hi Sarah,
This was a terrific episode! I always enjoy your podcasts, but this one was extra special. I loved all the pictures of your weekend with Fernanda. Being an Episcopalian, I thoroughly enjoyed hearing about the St. Mary’s convent and their angora goats. I want to visit all of the stops you mentioned, but living in Georgia will make it a challenge! Maybe next year.
Thanks again,
Judy

Arrows and Doorways

The design for this super-cozy cowl was inspired by textiles in a hotel lobby. Concentric geometric shapes kept playing in my mind until finally I was able to chart the pattern and get it onto my needles. The interplay of this chevron-like patterning has a mesmerizing effect–while you’re knitting and when you wear the finished accessory.

Knit up a cowl with yarn from your stash, adding some magical new mini-skeins from your advent calendar, or exchange leftover yarn with a friend. The design invites frequent color changes, and makes an ideal knit for the advent season. It could be just as striking knit with two high-contrast colors.

While most cowls of this type are seamed within a band of a single color, this pattern incorporates a technique called stranded donut grafting, an incredibly clever and completely seamless graft that allows you to maintain colorwork patterning so that your starting and ending rounds are undetectable. Really! With many possibilities for color play and a new technique to add to your skill set, this cowl pattern is really an opportunity for knitters to level-up!

NEW PATTERN DESIGN!

ONE DARK BLUE NIGHT

This hat is the third in a series of patterns inspired by teachings in Clarissa Pinkola Estés’ Women Who Run with the Wolves. This time, I drew inspiration from Estés’ retelling of a Japanese tale, Tsukina Waguma or “The Crescent Moon Bear,” in which a young woman travels to the cave of an incredibly intimidating and ferocious bear. She makes several journeys to the cave, leaving food and quickly retreating, until “one dark blue night,” she musters the courage to stand her ground and ask for what she seeks--one hair from a moon-shaped patch on the bear’s chest--which she is granted. The young woman returns, triumphant, to the old healer who has sent her on this quest. She believes this single hair is the magic ingredient in solving the problem that plagues her. She holds it forth, but the healer tosses the hair into the flames. The young woman is in despair until she realizes the true lesson of her quest: that using her determination, courage, and patience, as she did with the crescent moon bear, will help her to confront the challenge at hand.

The moon phase motif of this colorwork hat is meant to capture the magic of a dark blue night--when the moon shines brightly overhead, the frosty air sparkles with possibility, and we succeed in summoning accumulated wisdom from deep within ourselves so that we can apply it to our own healing. Choose colors to conjure a wintery night sky, or select a palette of your signature colors.

Available on Ravelry December 20th.

Yarns at Yin Hoo