Knitting and Reading

I am so excited to have learned how to knit a top down sweater!  And you know what - it can be very simple like this pattern.  It was intended for a doll, but I used size 9 needles using the yarn I dyed with goldenrod, and I it will fit an infant, probably newborn to 6 months.  Now I have to find some large circular needles (you need circular to hold that many stitches since it is knit in one piece) so I can make some larger.  Does anyone have any patterns for a simple top down sweater?

I am slowly working on the April Showers Scarf.  It is so hard for me to sit and count, but I am determined to do at least one pattern set per day because it really is beautiful.  Does anyone know of a pretty scarf pattern that doesn't require counting?

Finally, I am still reading Out of the Saltbox and enjoying the pure simplicity of a time passed.

Looking forward to all of the sharing today with Ginny's Yarn Along.

New Dreams

Just 7 years ago, our family felt called to pick up and move to northern Vermont with no savings and no job.  We knew, though, that God wanted us to work toward a simpler, family and home centered life.  A life where brothers and sisters truly enjoyed being around one another, where Mike and I would be able to see one another more than just a kiss goodbye in the morning and then again at the dinner table (if he didn't have to work late), where we would have time to give, and where we could some day afford to buy our own place.

We knew that there had to be another way and reading about others that were living just such a life inspired us - money never has.    We have had to work through some really tough times during our transition but I know that each of the challenges was God pushing us harder and making us grow just a little more.  

Now that our business has grown to a nearly unmanageable pace, we are back to thinking about where God wants us to go now.  We have established our family culture, developed many homesteading skills and applied them to our daily life (but do have so much more to learn and now our business is so busy it has been hard to spend as much time in this area as we would like), and have established a steady income stream by the work of our hands.

Mike and I both feel we are moving toward a new kind of life.  Yes, we will still be creating rustic decor and toys, but it is time to start moving back toward our original goals of living more simply (perhaps off grid again), growing more of our own food, learning new old time skills, and now - sharing all of this with others.  We are ready to share our family with others - to let them see in real life how our family lives by staying with us.

image from http://www.huckleberrytentandbreakfast.com/index.html

This will require a move - a move to a homestead with larger acreage (we have 3 here and more than 1/2 is wet).   Enough to gather all of our own firewood, provide material for our business, more room for gardens and fruit, and, to put up tent cabins for others to come and stay with us for a simple living vacation.  

That is our new vision - a working homestead where others can come and learn the skills of yesteryear.  We don't know when or where, but know that if it is God's plan it will all fall into place in His time.

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." - Jeremiah 29:11

In the meantime, we will keep learning and putting into practice our homesteading skills and be conservative with what we are given in order to  see where our new dream takes us.

Warm wishes,

Tonya

In My Kitchen this Morning

As there is nothing new outside my kitchen window, I have decided to share what is in my kitchen this morning.

On the counter I have two loaves of bread rising and a zucchini chocolate chip bread and my healthy treat waiting to go in the oven with the bread.

Today my "healthy treat" consists of - 1/2 cup coconut oil, 1/2 cup maple syrup, 1 t. cinnamon, 1/2 cup whole wheat flour, 1 cup millet flour, 1 cup oats, 1 cup cashews, 1/2 cup dried cranberries.

Also new to our home is this beautiful table.  My father brought it up from his home in Massachusetts last weekend as a surprise gift for my birthday (which isn't until next week).   Words truly cannot express how much his thoughtfulness means to me.  This table that he spent countless hours milling a piece of red walnut, sanding and more sanding and finishing and more finishing - a place that is truly the center of our home.

I am sure it is to become an heirloom to be passed on to generations to come.
This morning the table is scattered with remnants from last night - the Sunday Boston Globe, crayons and papers, and an erector set in progress.

What is happening in your kitchen this morning?

Moments from Last Week

Emmy and Poppa

I found 4 bags of potholder looms at a treasure shop for $1.25 each!

Zucchini with tomato, garlic, basil and mozzarella, and potatoes baked with olive oil, salt and pepper for a dinner with friends.

Just noticing these young men of ours.

Warm wishes for a beautiful weekend,

Tonya

Natural Dyeing with Goldenrod

I think it would be so wonderful to get all of the colors we need from nature - and I suspect that we probably could.  Just last night while reading the book I shared in my last post, I came across this - 

"When Ruby and her mother decided to stencil the front-room walls, Seth gathered the elder twigs and chewed their ends for the brushes.  He helped, too, to gather the huckleberries and prepare their rich purple juice into which the brushes were dipped to work the color through the tin stencils onto the plaster."  (from Out of the Saltbox, by Ruth Rasey)

With lots of goldenrod growing all around our homestead, we gathered the flowers

And then using the directions from here, and using Peace Fleece natural yarn, we put the goldenrod in the canning pan and added enough water to cover, then heated to a simmer and left for about one hour.  I left the goldenrod to soak overnight.    The next morning, I drained the flowers out and heated up the dye bath to a simmer again.

Meanwhile, I filled another large stainless steel pan with water and added the alum which is the mordant.  This is used to keep the yarn colorfast.   I then soaked three skeins of yarn in the mordant and then one at a time, added them to the dye and let sit for about an hour.  I probably should have left them to soak in the dye bath over night - as they did come out a little light.

I am trying to decide what to knit with this soft lemon yellow color.   Any suggestions?

Have you done any natural dyeing?  (There has been some  natural dyeing going on at this blog.)

What have you used?

I am thinking that it would be wonderful to plant a dyers garden next spring.  

Warm wishes,

Tonya

Knitting and Reading....

I finished up the Plain Vest with all of the leftover bits of Peace Fleece wool yarns and am happy with the rustic feel.

I have cast on a Christmas gift for a family member - it is called April Showers Scarf and I am using a dk weight yarn in beautiful green shades with size 8 needles.  This pattern does require counting so I anticipate that it will be on the needles for some time as I will probably save it to work on during car rides or quiet nursing times.

So I am having fun looking my through my stash, trying to come up with another simple knit to cast on.

On Monday, I was able to go to a sweet treasure shop and found this book, Out of the Saltbox, The Savour of Old Vermont.  The author writes about a house that was home to one of Vermont's first settlers and then remained in the family for five subsequent generations.  It is nonfiction, based on research, but reads much like a story of simpler (but often much, much more challenging) times.

Looking forward to sharing with Ginny and many others in today's yarn along.

Out My Kitchen Window

Each Monday I thought I would share a photo or two  - from our kitchen window - of a scene I captured while going about my daily work of baking, cooking, and cleaning in the kitchen.

I thought it would be fun to pay attention, to observe the changes of the seasons, and to appreciate the small bits of beauty that surround us.

This one I took at 6:30 am this morning when all the house was quiet.  Mike had just let the goats out and they were enjoying their morning hay.  

If you would like to join in, please leave a link in your comment.