More Puppy Love

Anyone who know me has heard about my amazing pup, Pistol. 
I just had to share the great article by Brooke Carbo that was recently in the Anniston Star.  It is a delight. 
http://iron-diva.blogspot.com/2013/08/abracadabra-crunch-challenge-day-01.html

We are Dying Here, "Art washes from the soul..... "

Art washes from the soul the dust of every day life. Pablo Picasso

Wednesday is dying day at the Farm. This is the day Linda and I look forward to each week for it is a time for expression of color, contrast and beauty. We are set up in a wonderful new dying studio, more organized and convenient. Linda and I express our love of color through fiber. The excitement we feel as the yarn is rinsed and we see our work hanging on wooden racks to dry is impossible to convey on paper. Perhaps you will feel it when you visit our shop filled with color and texture. It is great to get back to the artistic side of what we love. We are working towards a September opening. Watch for updates.

Turn Tragedy into a Positive

Overwhelming feelings of loss, disappointment, exhaustion, displacement are all things Linda and I have felt over the last few weeks.  But along with that we have seen an out pouring of concern, love and support as we sift through the rumble that was once our shop.  Offers of help, prayers and JillyBeans cupcakes have been so appreciated.  Thank you to everyone who has contacted us on Facebook, Ravelry, email, phone and in person.  We love all of you and miss you terribly.  We turned over all the information to the insurance yesterday and are waiting to see what will happen next.  What a relief!  I have to say, I am amazed a Linda's organizational skills.  We had every receipt, every invoice all compiled into 2 notebooks for a total of over 750 pages.  I remember telling Gary the night of the fire how thankful I was that Linda paid the bills, because there was no doubt she had written the insurance check.  Had it been my job, who knows???? Kudos to Linda, what a great business partner and most of all what a wonderful friend. 

Friday and Saturday Linda and I will be at the First Baptist Church Yard Sale helping sell the smoke damaged yarn from the shop.  Please come out and support this wonderful cause.   Help us turn tragedy into a positive. Buy yarn for pennies on the dollar. Smoke damaged inventory, yarn and needles from Yarns by HomePlace Farm will be at the sale, Friday March 2, from 8 til 4, and Saturday March 3, from 8 til 1. Funds raised will support the Honduras Mission Trip in June.   http://www.fbcjville.org/ 

Never loose that twinkle!

One Saturday last November an adorable woman and her son stopped by the shop.  As she stepped in the door she exclaimed "Oh my!" as she drank in the colors and textures we create with our spinning and dyeing.  I knew in my heart "she feels it."  Allison and I became instant friends.  She had knitted and crocheted since her childhood and was looking for Christmas gift ideas for her children and grandchildren.  I offered up a crocheted chain scarf and we set to work choosing enough yarns of varying colors and textures to create 7 precious love gifts.  Over the next several weeks Allison's son dropped her off for one hour on Friday and together we put the finishing touches on her scarves.  I found myself excitedly waiting for her visits each week.  You see it wasn't the crocheting that tickled me, it was the chance to drink in her humor and love for life.  Her eyes sparkled as she joined in the conversation, offering up antidotes and funny stories.  She was encouraging and kind, telling us how much fun her young friends were, as if we were doing something special.  Allison didn't realize we were the ones drawing energy from her.  As with all of us, I am sure her life has been filled with lots of joy and her share of heartache, but it has not broken her.  As I watched and listened I thought..... I want to be like Allison at 80 ......gracious, kind, full of life, real, honest with a twinkle in my eyes.  Allison, may you never loose that twinkle in your beautiful baby blues.

Puppy Piles and Puppy Love

Puppy Piles are my favorite. There is nothing sweeter than watching little pups piled up sleeping, dreaming about their next meal, and snuggled up with the love of their brothers and sisters. Watching puppies pouncing and playing with fellow pups is one of the simple joys in life.

Five weeks ago HomePlace Farm was blessed with a litter of nine puppies. Darlin', a Great Pyrenees, was rescued by Linda and Michael a couple of weeks earlier, and much to their delight Darlin' joined the family and surprised us all with puppies too. Now Linda says puppies are a lot of work, but they are worth it. They just make you feel good inside.

Last week I thought Linda and Michael were going to keep all nine, until they realized each little creature was consuming 3 cups of dog food a day. They were just 4 weeks old and growing in leaps and bounds. Actually, all but two have been adopted and are preparing to go to their new homes in a couple of weeks. "Chunk" the biggest boy is going to join the Boozer clan and stay at the farm with Harley, Duke, Buddy and Darlin' (the Great Pyrenees working farm dogs). I can't leave out Chocolate "Chip" the pack leader (a chocolate Toy Poodle), and Dee Dee the Princess (a retired Yorkshire Terrier show dog). Let's see, if we add the new puppy Chunk the total number of dogs at the farm will be seven, all busy working around the farm guarding the alpacas and running the house.

My friends Linda and Michael love animals and have compassion for those lost souls in need of a home. They have also rescued several alpacas since they have owned HomePlace Farm, the old Boozer Family farm established in the early 1900's. Animals have a special way of tugging on our hearts' strings, especially puppies. So I am thankful Darlin' and her pups are at the farm bringing joy, laughter and warm cuddles by the truck loads.

"Whoever said you can't buy happiness forgot about puppies." Gene Hill

49 Days

49 days until Christmas.  Growing up my mother encouraged us to make gifts for one another.  She always felt if someone cared enough to give up their time it was truly a gift of sacrifice and love.  Mama wasn't a knitter, but she was an amazing cook.  Each year a few days before Christmas, we would bake her famous cinnamon rolls.  Some with pecans, some with raisins and others with both depending on who was receiving the rolls.  I can still smell of yeast dough rising in the laundry room (on top of the dryer of course).  But that was nothing compared to the smell of cinnamon as the bread baked.  Now I am not talking about a couple of pans of rolls, I saying 3 dozen pans!  (She collected the aluminum pie pans all year and stored them in cabinet below the bread bag drawer).  You see my parents were children of the depression, and they saved everything.  In this world where it is cheaper to buy a new one than fix it, I appreciate the lessons they taught me about using what you have and learning to fix things yourself.  My dad could fix anything.  He grew up as the son of a farmer and had a career as a rocket scientist for NASA.  I am truly blessed to have parents who taught me to love others by sharing your gifts, to value what God has given you and take care of it. 

Now back to the rolls.  When they were done, we would cover them with icing, package them up, and my brother David and I would go out for delivery.  Of course we were greeted with squills of delight as we knocked on doors and handed over the much anticipated rolls.  Even now Mama's Cinnamon Rolls are a topic when we see old friends.  I believe I'll bake up a batch or two for my friends this Christmas, in between knitting up the scarves and hats I have in my project line-up.  Since I only have 49 days, I better get busy. 

What are you knitting for Christmas?  Have you got your list made up of all the memorable gifts you are planning?  I am working on slippers for Gary.  I've discovered thrumming and I am thrumming the bottoms of a cozy pair of felted slippers.  They will be at the shop Wednesday.  Stop by to see them.  Linda has worked up a beautiful scarf that is fast using a size 35 needle.  We've got some great projects and beautiful hand dyed yarns just waiting for you at the shop.  If you are running out of time, we are having a shop sample sale on Saturday, December 3 from 10-3.  Bring in what you are working on so we can gather some more ideas.  See you soon. 

The Marathon

The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres (26 miles and 385 yards),^[1] that is usually run as a road race. The event was instituted in commemoration of the fabled run of the Greek soldier Pheidippides, a messenger from the Battle of Marathon (the namesake of the race) to Athens.

From Wikipedia

            I feel like the past six weeks have been a marathon of knitting.  Linda and I have been knitting up a storm in July and August, preparing for the Fall Cpt Kyle Comfort Benefit Fashion Show at the Jacksonville Community Center on Sept 10 at 9:30-12:00.  We are designing new knitwear, which means that I have been doing a lot of knitting and taking out, and starting over the see what looks cool.  (Something I never thought I would have the heart or the will to do).  We have sweaters, shawls, scarves, hats and cowls in the works and they are impressive, if I may say so myself.  You have to come out to the Fashion Show and see them.

            I have found that when I wear something I have knitted, it usually elicits the response- "Wow that's gorgeous- where'd you get it?"  I love to say, I made it.  Or more often I say Linda knit it and it was too big for her so she gave it to me.  Isn't it wonderful!  I have learned that if I practice and relax my knitting muscles will become stronger and stronger.  Soon I will be knitting like Linda!

            So, back the marathon.  They say there is something very rewarding about a marathon.  In order to complete it, one must practice and grow progressively stronger.  When it comes to knitting, you begin with easy patterns and then challenge yourself with new stitches and more complicated techniques.  Linda, Susan and I try to teach classes that advance your skills.   In September Susan is teaching a pattern Linda wrote and knitted which we have put together with a shawl box.   The pattern will include simple lace patterns, combined with other techniques.  Linda is teaching a sleeveless vest/sweater with an inserted medallion.  It is stunning and looks complicated, but when broken down into individual parts it is easy to tackle with Linda's gifted teaching and encouragement.  I will be teaching a class which will use you bits and pieces of stash yarn to knit a beautiful caplet. 

            With Fall just around the corner (a refreshing thought with temperatures kissing 100 degrees) it is time to begin thinking about knitting Christmas gifts.  I have heard there are actually people who have all their gifts wrapped by October.  I can't imagine.... and where is the fun in that?  My mom always felt there was nothing more special than a hand made gift.  A loaf of bread, homemade jelly, a pair of knitted slippers, or a beautiful shawl or afghan.  Come see what Yarns HomePlace Farm is putting together for your holiday knitting.  Scarf boxes, shawl boxes and more are in the works.  We are busy dyeing Auburn and Alabama yarn for fall, and other striking color ways that are only limited by your imagination. 
            To bring this blog to an end, I wanted to share some of the past projects we have knitted up to inspire us all to begin training for our own marathons. 

Inspirations