Out to the Amish Farm

It was a clear, crisp day that we went to visit Jeri and Terry in rural Pennsylvania, not far from Cumberland. They bought this Amish farm a couple years ago and are in the process of bringing it up to its former glory.


We arrived late in the day, but with enough light to take a walk around the property.


Neighboring Amish men still farm the fields, making hay in the summer, planting soybeans and corn, but now the fields are at rest for the winter.



This lovely structure is the corn crib. Terry has a special sitting area in the house where he can see the old wooden building from a window. The wood has weathered to a beautiful golden hue.


These are roofing tiles that will go on the barn when they begin the barn renovation next year.


As the light began to fade, we walked up the hill and the sky turned that amazing yellow, pink and blue of winter skies.


The day we visited was opening day of hunting season. Jessie and Lucy, the two dogs who own Jerri and Terry, wore their bright orange 'I'm Not a Deer' coats. Briefly, we saw them standing still, but usually...


...this is all we saw of them, an orange and black blur.


The house was originally made of logs and still has some of the logs as the base structure. They had to take most of the house down, but were determined to save the logs.


It is now an arts and crafts style farm house and is finished with such perfect craftsmanship. An expert stone mason built the foundation, outside pillars, an amazing curved stone retaining wall near the driveway, and a 20' fireplace.


It's no surprise that their home is filled with art, mostly by local artists. Jeri owns a gallery in Cumberland and has featured many artists over the years, including ...


her sister, Katy. Katy does assemblage, creating art from found objects.




The cozy dining room, all set for our dinner.


Terry is a master woodworker and makes exquisite furniture and wall pieces out of exotic and domestic wood. This is the media cabinet.


This large (about 6' x 3') is a print done on canvas by our friend, Dave Romero. Absolutely stunning.


Every year Jeri and Terry will rehab an outbuilding. Next year it will be this barn's turn. T & J will pay for all the supplies and the Amish will do the work, in exchange for using the outbuildings for hay and storage. Good deal.
Thanks T & J for a lovely evening in your delightful home. I can't wait to come back again.

Winter Wonderland

I do love snow and am usually happy when it's coming down. But yesterday was our studio tour and it really curtailed business. I did have plenty of time to run out and take photos. The light was dim and made the pictures seem black and white. This is the lane next to us. One customer (one of the 20 who ventured out) said it looked just like one of those country lanes featured in calendars. I said it is a country lane and maybe I'll put it on my calendar.


Come on in


My pear tree still has leaves on and it looked all splendorous in the snow.




I've started to feed Mocha grain so now she has turned into a whiny baby. She's super thin (like a runway model sheep) so I want to make sure she gets extra feed. When she sees me she runs over and demands corn. I can't come out my back door without her spotting me and baaahing. When I'm in my studio, she sees me in the window and just stares. (kinda scary, stalker sheep!) Get a grip, Mocha. It's not all about the food! But it is nice to pet her sweet head and give her a kiss when she comes up.


I got this dreamy little tractor from my friend Beth. Love it!


Casey practicing his sad eyes, hoping to be let in.


starry eyed


Give me a hand.


Globe-al view


This is the lane that goes down to the farm behind us. Not as pretty as the other direction. It's a mish mush of gates and mean signs.


and this is my side field. You are welcome to trudge through the snow for a cup of hot cider and a ginger cookie. Hope to see you on the studio tour!

Holiday Studio Tour

Last week I turned the studio into a winter wonderland. It's packed with new jewelry...


new colorways


more of my happy sheep's yarn in natural colors,


a variety of gifts, including soaps,


wine stoppers,



and my wooly lambscapes.




Heaps and heaps of sock yarn


'This is It' yarn, a blend of brushed mohair stranded with a glitzy yarn


The shelves are stocked with warm, fluffy yarn


and the winter wonderland continued outside.

Sneak Peek

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things.....
...and these are just some of the things I'll have at our Countryside Studio Tour this weekend and next, December 4, 5, 6 & 11, 12, 13.


Cocktail knives and forks


Winestoppers


Fanciful ornaments


Kirsten models a new shawl with collar in a new colorway, 'Bluebell'




New nuno felted scarves


Felt squares for crafting




some of the felt pieces look like watercolors.


A hoodie baby blanket out of the softest cotton ever (I know, ugly baby)


Holiday 'This is It' yarn. One skein makes a beautiful scarf, just in time for the holiday parties.


'Minuet', my new lace yarn with a whopping 2480 yards in an 8 oz. skein!


New colorway, 'Morning Mist', inspired by the view across the road from us, the sun rising over the foggy field below.


I really like the way this Retro-Active Cabled Scarf turned out. It is mostly moss stitch, with a cable right down the middle, a slit on both ends to pull the spade shaped ends through. A great scarf to try out four types of stitch patterns.


It's really long too, about 80".


Miss Crossbeak checks out the stars. Add a star to your holidays. I've painted quite a few, ready for any room inside or on a building outside.