It May Be Freezing Outside...But It's Kool Inside

The original plans for today were some of the usual.  Chores, art class for the girls, groceries, laundry...like I said, the usual.  I even thought I would spend some time outside playing with my camera and getting some shots around our property.  However, with temperatures hovering somewhere in the 28 below range it didn't take long for those plans to change.  Children who have been sniffling and coughing lately were relieved of chore duty and art class was not attended. 

Today is one of those days that is so cold you can actually see the air.  Honestly, there is almost a faint fog hanging in the air.  So cold that even the critters are giving looks this morning that screamed "SHUT THE DOOR" when we walked into the barn and rabbit hutch.  So Andy and I finished chores, came in to warm up and agreed that it would definitely be an "indoor activity only" day.

We are a family that loves history, old family tales and all things antique.  Andy long ago told me the story of how his Grandpa made his own meat pies and sold them to take care of his family.  Recently, we found out that his Grandpa started making these pies in his tiny local grocery store and how he had people lined up waiting for his pies.  Unfortunately, like so many family tales of the past, the famous family recipe was never written down.  So after talking with his aunt and borrowing some of his Grandpa's original mini pie pans from his dad, Andy got to work today trying to duplicate the secret family recipe.

Trust me, this first attempt tastes every bit as good as it looks.  So with my tummy full, I turned my attention back to my fabulous stock of fleece.  This fall I found myself constantly noticing all the beautiful autumn colours and thinking how I would love to try my hand at dying some of the fleece that our boys gave us.  Then, just when these thoughts were being replaced with thoughts of what cozy things I could make from all the fleece I have been spinning....my friend, and fellow alpaca owner, who lives in Kentucky posted pictures of her first attempt at dying fleece with Kool Aid.  I found myself feeling inspired....and at the grocery store stocking up on Kool Aid.  Today seemed like the perfect day to hang out in the kitchen over a simmering pot of Kool Aid and try my hand.

We are very fortunate to have our Windsor.  As self-proclaimed "King" of JADA Farms, Windsor has supplied us with the most wonderful fleece.  His fleece is so luxurious, that I found myself feeling almost guilty.  What if I messed this up?  So for my first attempt I used only a small amount of the yarn I had recently spun.

After a bit of indecision, Sydney and I finally chose cherry Kool Aid.  I was still feeling a bit unsure due to the fact that Windsor is not a white alpaca, he in fact has beautiful light fawn fleece.  We diluted the Kool Aid into the pot of water as per Kaylen's link and in went my yarn.

I don't think I have ever followed instructions so closely.

This final rinse was the worse part.  What if the water wasn't the right temperature?  What if I ended up with a felted mess?  But after all was said and done, what was once my king's natural light fawn fleece had been transformed.

 

Who knew this...



Could be turned into this!

 Now that it has started to dry, I have a beautiful faded pinky coral colour yarn and I can't wait to make some more.   Hmmmm maybe some purple?  Thank you Kaylen for this link and all the other wonderful information and photos on your blog.  Click here to see Kaylen's wonderful creations.

As for those plans to get some shots with my camera....well I did get manage to get one or two from the warmth of our little farmhouse.




Well I guess the icicles are loving these temperatures!

A Great Day!!!

Today is a great day!!!

What I thought was an uneventful Monday, just kept getting better and better.  I found out this afternoon that my daughter Sydney, who has been working very hard this year to make the school volleyball team, has been asked to play an exhibition game on Wednesday so that the coach can make the final decision.  She has worked very hard and dedicated a lot of free time to working toward this goal....so all I can ask is for everyone to send best wishes her way.

Then, while browsing through my usual blogs that I follow, I discovered that I had actually won a giveaway I had entered last week.  I would like to take this opportunity to thank Lindy for her wonderful giveaway.  If anyone who follows my blog is interested in checking out a truly creative artist and photographer check out the Loco Life of Lindy ( http://locolindy.blogspot.com/ )  And look what I won!!!!

GORGEOUS!!!

I can hardly wait to curl up with these cozy alpaca socks on my feet and play with that absolutely gorgeous yarn...thanks again Lindy.

And finally, after two weeks of cloudy skies, our Sydney finally got a clear sky tonight.   Trust me, it didn't take long for that telescope to get taken outside.  Everyone got a chance to brave the cold (and trust me, it is cold here tonight) and check out the skies.  I think we all have a brand new appreciation for this world we live in.  How anyway could not be amazed once they see the moon the way we did this evening is just beyond me.

Well off to spend the rest of this great day with my wonderful family, good night all!!

And Let the New Year Begin...

Well the hustle and bustle of the holidays are done, gifts have all been opened, way too much food has been consumed, the decorations are all tucked safely away and once again I have vowed that I will start earlier to avoid that crazy desperate rush next December...I'll let you know how that works out for me.

As I said before, we decided to do an old-fashioned "homemade" Christmas this year on our little farm and I am proud to say it was a complete success!  The kids got right into the swing of it and we had so much fun opening new knitting bags, 2 very gorgeous oil paintings, hand knit socks, sweaters, mitts and bookmarks, plaques, little decorative pillows, Christmas decorations, hand painted treasure boxes, handcrafted notepads, and one "Stress Kit for the Toronto Maple Leaf Fan".

The first pair of hunting socks I made were a success!!

And you can always count on Grandma for cozy mitts!!

Of course, there were those few store bought gifts and a few items from Santa.  Poor Sydney has been asking for a telescope...and when I say asking, I mean begging....for about five years now.  This year, we were thrilled to finally fill that request...and we think it took her about ten minutes to have it out of the box and assembled...this must be a new record somewhere in the world...

And another 20 minutes to convince Andy to load up the astronomy software that came with it.....

However, this is where the poor kid lost the battle and had to wait until daylight before she could drag Andy outside to brave the -21 windchill and get him to sight it for her...

Did I mention, the telescope we purchased has these little, itsy, bitsy, tiny screws that need to be adjusted in order to sight it?  You know, the ones that are so small that there is no way physically possible to wear winter gloves while doing it.  Did I also mention that Andy is a wonderful, patient man and we love him very much?  Of course, after waiting five years for this gift, we have had nothing but cloudy skies every night since.  But being the ingenious little trooper she is, she has gotten a lot of use of it and we now know what every neighbour on the next concession road keep in their backyards.

There were also those....well....unusual Christmas gifts.  For anyone who knows our kids, they love their meat!!  One of their absolute favourites is bacon....yes that's right...B-A-C-O-N.  Now at this point I know you are all sitting staring at your monitors, trying to figure out what bacon has to do with Christmas presents.  Forget the obvious, yes we live on a farm, NO....none of us got a pig for Christmas.  My youngest, Logan, is no different than the rest of the kids, she loves her bacon....only difference is, she asks for it a little more often than the rest of the kids.  By often, I mean pretty much constantly!  So, after a few weeks of consuming Grandma's bacon supply and pretty much making it impossible for the poor woman to keep up with the demand....yep, you guessed it....our Logie Bear got a pound of bacon for Christmas from Grandma...of course along with cozy mitts and other more traditional gifts.   But between you and me, I could be wrong but I think the bacon was her favourite!!!

I have to say, Christmas was a complete success this year and one of the most enjoyable ones I have ever had.  We had tons of family time, playing outside, relaxing and just plain being together!

Logan & Sydney playing outside with their Snowart Paint

Even Smokey, our little barn cat made it up to the house to get her dinner....as you can see, she even got to meet Levi.

Well, off to start the new year....Happy 2011 to all!!

4 days to go....

Well, gifts are just about done, the wrapping has begun, the house is filled with the smell of Christmas cookies, the menu is planned and the kids are busting with excitement....

And now that the wind chill has died down enough for the boys to come out and have some fun, everyone is getting into the spirit of the season.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE !!!!

And the Holiday Countdown Begins....

So the temperatures have dropped around here and we actually got our first dusting of snow about a week ago.  Although the chickens don't really appreciate this change in seasons, it has left me in the Christmas spirit.  That being said, the countdown has begun here on JADA Farms.

The hustle and bustle has started as everyone rushes around getting ready for the upcoming holiday.  Workers here are running around taking down all the fall decor on the main streets, Santa Claus parades are scheduled for just about every weekend in the little communities around us and people are rushing around trying to get shopping done and be ready for the holidays.

This year we have decided that we are going to have an old fashioned Christmas, right down to the giving of homemade gifts.  Let the creating begin!!  The kids have jumped on the bandwagon and are actually just about done their gifts.  As for me, a few creations are done and sitting around the house already, while others are tucked out of sight until Old Saint Nick arrives....and then there are those that are still in the creative stages. (Obviously, I can not actually post any pictures of these creations until after the holidays). 

Hand Carved Chair

Actually...this one picture I can show you.  I made this hand carved pine chair for Andy.  However, due to space constraints and the fact that I was so pleased with my new creative outlet, he did receive this as an early Christmas present and it is sitting proudly just inside our front door for all visitors to see.


The house smells like peppermint thanks to the new cookie recipe I found, Peppermint Snowballs....so yummy!!

Note to self....ALWAYS MAKE A DOUBLE BATCH OF THESE!!!!

Christmas decorations have started to be dug out of storage and arranged in the yard and throughout our little home, which now looks even homier thanks to all the candles burning every evening.  Every spare moment you can hear the clicking of knitting needles and the whir of spindles spinning fine alpaca threads.  There is still wood to be carved, a tree to be brought home and decorated, more baking to be done and gifts to be wrapped.  And most important of all....family to be loved!

I am slowly realizing that, old fashioned Christmas or not, I am still wishing I had more time.

One Down...One to Go

Started my second pair of thrummed slippers...one down and one to go.  Thanks to requests from my youngest daughter, I got a little creative with the pattern on these ones.

Hope you like them Honey!!!

Dropped to -4 here last night so better get back to knitting....

The Farm is Spinning

So I have spent the last few weeks hand carding fleece and dusting off my knitting skills to work on thrummed slippers for our little family.  It is very exciting finally finding a creative use for all this gorgeous, soft fleece.  Of course, I haven't made a very big dent in our supply and all this has done is peak my creative curiosity and left me wondering what other projects I can come up with.  Luckily, while searching for ideas online, I came across a little fibre supplier about an hour from our farm, Gemini Fibres.  This supplier is a family owned and operated business.  They run this wonderfully helpful and friendly shop from a separate building situated right on the same property as their home.  The shop is small but their selection is huge and the best part is they offer workshops in spinning, carding, dying fibres and felting!  

Now here on Jada Farms, we have turned this tiny little farmhouse into a cozy and loving home...but the operative word is still T-I-N-Y.  So, as much as I would love to have a loom, that particular creative endeavour is out of the question....for now.  I don't own a spinning wheel, so now what??  Easy!!  I am now the proud owner of my very first spindle and very happy to say it was handmade right here in Ontario.  I purchased this wonderful little tool during my very first workshop at Gemini Fibres, Beginning Spindle Spinning.  One week ago, I spent the day at Gemini Fibres with the most wonderful bunch of ladies, chatting, getting to know each other, sharing experiences and knowledge and of course, spinning.  By the time we broke for lunch I was browsing the shop and making  a huge wish list!  I also found my beautiful handmade spindle.

The design was actually burnt into the whorl of my spindle using a technique called pyography and is made up of a minimum of 300 free-hand strokes.  The yarn pictured with my spindle is my very first spinning creation.  The twist is not even, some is too loose, some is too tight....but I could not be more thrilled!

Probably not enough to make anything but it is mine!!

I was fortunate to spend the day with a group of ladies who were from all over Ontario and had a wide range of experience.  Some were knitters looking for a new challenge, a couple of them were spinners who were looking for a way to make their craft portable and our instructor, Wendy, was a wonderful teacher who can only be described as extraordinary!!  Her teaching style is comfortable, flexible and encouraging.  She shared her story with us and by the time she finished telling us the names of the different parts of our spindles, I felt I had made a friend.

Now only I, the lady with six big bags of raw alpaca fleece at home, would go to a spindle class and come home with two bags of hand-dyed sheep roving....you know, so I could practice before I started working with my boys' gorgeous fleece.  And practice I have!

I haven't spent nearly the amount of time I would like to practicing, but my latest single is looking a lot more uniform.  I am sure that by the time I get through spinning all of this royal looking purple roving I will feel a lot more confident.  Of course, I have registered for my next spindle class and I am now faced with the dilemma  of what to do if my spindle is full.  OOPS now what??

I am very glad I decided to take the workshop, I have found a new creative outlet.  One that I love and that makes time stand still.  You definitely can lose yourself while you watch that wonderful little thread appear right before your eyes.  Of course, that is, until I look out my window at our little farm and all the colours it is showing off now that Autumn is here.

Our Backyard

How could you not think, "I wonder how hard hand-dying fleece would be" when you look out your window at this everyday?  Well off to make a call to Gemini to see when the hand-dying workshop is...