How to survive a really long winter

Not sure what happened to the original words I composed for this post but I'm guessing a 2 year old banged a little too hard on the keyboard in a moment I stepped away.  I hoped to record the feelings and activities from this past winter - but this morning it is spring so I'm having a hard time retrieving the exact words. In this case I will allow the pictures to share the bulk of the story.

This winter was long, it was snowy, the van got stuck several times, the boys were iced over knee down after daily farm chores and hearts were heavy on the day our two ducks did not survive.

There were a variety of snow forts and snow people sculpted and the girls dug a snow cave with several holes and named it the "Holestel".The kids were cooperative in sharing two pairs of cross-country skis and the bees survived! 

Paul relieved us from an unexpected toilet episode and he also cleared lots of snow.  We celebrated birthdays and Valentines and it seems everyday was a costume party.  Oma and Opa treated us with a quick visit, we treated ourselves to indoor s'mores by the fire and on the longest of days spread out indoor picnics.  

We shed tears of gratitude as we feasted on our grass fed beef and spent nights crowded by the fire dreaming of summer projects and future farm plans.

The girls painted through pages of watercolor paper (Maryanna is the artist of the new blog header) while the older boys quietly dove into their individual passions - James performed physics experiments, Peter planned out the garden and started 85 tomato seedlings and William took thousands of photos for stop motion Lego brick films.  As for the younger boys, they took to sword fighting, begging for shows, and making messes whenever the opportunity allowed.  They were harder to contain but the baby wrap hammocks under the table did amuse them for one full day.

I stole away as many naps as I could and cooked pots and pots of warm rice pudding and even more of broth.

We watch with delight the daily growth and bloom of the amaryllis.  We also watched my belly grow and wondered of the new soul that will soon be a part of us.  Brother or sister?  there were many prayers begging for each and honestly a few punches thrown in disagreement over what this sibling may be.

Lastly, the hauling of wood and feeding the fire was constant.  It seems so long ago that we sweated through our 4th of July holiday splitting and stacking wood.  I am amazed at the extremes of the seasons, each with its challenges, joys and beauties.

The snowsuits and boots are washed and packed away, lost mittens have been found and mud boots are lined up on the side porch.  

I am grateful to for the fullness we experienced this winter and also grateful to once again see patches of grass, hear birds sing and welcome spring.

  
  

Made with love, made with wool

Way back in February the most exciting box arrived at our door - it was 22 lbs of spun wool from our sheep!  It was so long ago we dropped it off Up North at the woolen mill that I almost forgot about it.  Half is a 3 ply sport weight and the other half 3 ply worsted.  It is super soft Merino and still a bit oily so it feels like butter in your hand.  The plan is to use as much as we can, experiment with dying it and we are encouraging the boys to set up a small business selling it. 

I do not have a skein winder but do have many volunteers to help hold and wind by hand.

Many cold days were spent knitting by the fire with Maryanna and Clara.  They both have scarves they are working on and I leaned into the most simple patterns I could find. 

First thing I finished were some little baby socks and then a hat.  The hat was originally requested by Peter but I was way off on my gauge so may end up being a baby hat.



Or a hat for Charlie. 

Paul also requested a hat and still off on my gauge it was a little big - I shrunk it a bit and I suppose it is soft and cozy because he rarely takes it off.  He shared a photo of it on instagram and called it "Farm to head".

The next hat I finished for myself and it was actually a perfect fit - but Maryanna convinced me it was more her style than mine.  I believe she was right.

Along with the yarn another giant package found way to us with the other half of our processed wool - clean batts!  I can't remember how many pounds but it was more than enough to make two doubly thick twin comforters, two crib comforters, and a throw.  The last bit is stashed for a future baby quilt.

Assembling the comforters was not as relaxing as knitting.  I was on my hands and knees grunting like an animal as I hand stitched these into the desired size.



I then covered them in cheese cloth and tacked down every 6 inches before sewing duvet covers for them.  The wool cannot be machine washed so I thought duvets would be easier than quilts.



The girls picked out a stack of Anna Maria Horner fabric for their covers and I found sheets on sale at West Elm for the backing.  I made them narrow to fit the bunk bed as neatly as possible.  These are so soft and cozy and the girls sleep soundly under the weight of them as do the cats.



Instead of their names embroidered they each chose a different animal to separate who's who's.



The two younger boys were also in need of some warm bedding this winter so I did the same for them.  Their covers were made from flat sheets from Garnett Hill, used the pillowcases from the sheet set the girls got with their duvet backing and sewed the animal silhouette pillows just for fun.

They too are sleeping better under the warmth and weight of this wool.

I did their names free hand because I was too lazy to set up the embroidery unit. 

The last project was a small throw for the couch in our bedroom.  I used up some silk I've been storing since I was in China 18 years ago and the result is a super warm, soft and silky space to nap.  It pairs well with the sheepskin from our first lamb and I'm thinking I'll be spending much time there in the weeks to come. 

I'm so thrilled to share these projects because honestly not every project off the farm turns into a successful useful product.  I'm so so grateful for our sheep - they munch down the pastures, provide nourishing meat and now the wool is like icing on the cake! 

Some quick and needed sewing

Not sure why I haven't sunken into more sewing this winter, its been a long and sedentary season for sure.  I suppose it may be because my sewing space in the basement is cold enough it serves as our fridge overflow, there are boxes of yams, oranges, apples, grapefruit and Izze sodas nestled just under the sewing table and right up against my presser foot.  In addition, many bodies in a small home all winter leads one to have an aversion to stuff - whatever I sew, no matter how crafty, is just more stuff and my laundry piles are already overflowing.  Lastly, sitting behind the sewing machine with a big belly is about as comfortable as standing at the kitchen sink, I can barely reach.  

Now with all excuses aside I'm pleased to say there were a few immediate needs that found me in the creative process behind the sewing machine.  Most of these projects were simple enough that I did not have to think through them, I just checked out and let my hands do the work, I even let the kids help and that was amusing.

First up are some reversible baggy sword pants for George.  By mid January I had to hide all his shorts because that was all he was choosing to wear.  After that he wouldn't change out of his pjs.  We had a little chat about it and he reported that any pair of pants with a button and zipper were too uncomfortable.  So I pulled out an old baggy Burda pants pattern and made this set out of 3 pairs of Paul's old work pants and 3 old work shirts for the linings. George participated by helping me cut them out and designed the giant deep pocket ,on one side (it holds handfuls of toys) and the sword holder on the other.  

These are George approved!  and comfortable enough that even falls asleep in them sometimes. 

Next up was a new church dress for Maryanna.  We've been getting by by layering summer dresses with sweaters but those have been getting shorter and shorter on her by the week.  When I asked her what she had in mind she requested something that would be as warm and cozy as a nightgown.  So I pulled out a combination of Japanese t-shirt patterns and we designed a knit dress.  I put Maryanna on the task of tracing and cutting and she did a precise job. 

We used a rayon knit that's been waiting in my stash for over 2 years and so happy to put it to good use.  Basically this is a raglan sleeve t-shirt that was extended to an A-line with added funnel neck.  Maryanna said when it gets really cold she's going to pull the funnel neck up like a hood. I think I'll have to make something like this for myself next winter!

In addition to wearables there was an immediate need for some toy bags for the kids.  With a new puppy eager to chew and a pregnant mother tripping over unseen toys I had it! These bags were designed to keep all toys off the floor.  I'm happy with how they turned out and wish I could report 100% success but the truth is, I'm now tripping over over stuffed bags.  Come spring and once I find my feet again I'll be happy they were made.  The secret to making these is as simple as tracing a dinner plate for the bottom and using heavy fusible craft stabilizer.   

In addition to a new church dress Maryanna requested a scripture bag.  Not much to say about this except I love that she designed it all by herself and kept me company the entire time I sewed it.

The next project was the quickest and crudest of them all.  My parents came to visit and offered me a bag of old animal hides.  Of course I could put them to use!  Peter took one with hair on it and carefully made a quiver by hand with the help of some expert leather workers.  I on the other hand decided to just go for it by machine.  My last laptop lost its life to a sippy cup malfunction so I'm a little over protective of my new one.  If not in use it needs a safe home (or disguise).  Moving slow enough with the machine and a larger needle I was able to finish this leather case.  I forgot how much leather stretches though so next time I'd make it a tighter fit.

Lastly I had the joy of sewing a few baby items.  I suppose if I knew the gender I may be sewing more but the truth is I have most of what I need for this special arrival.  I was short on gowns so I refashioned this one from a women's t-shirt.  I'm also short on knit caps because after I washed them a few fell to the ground and the puppy got to them.  I also needed some more cloth wipes and a few swaddling blankets so that is what I whipped up.  

As the season changes so will the need for more sewing appear.  I'm not going to rush it though, for me it is no fun to sew sundresses and shorts when there is still snow on the ground.....especially when temps in the sewing area are still in the 50's.