We got the final load of hay in the barn last week…100 more which puts us great shape for the winter and spring months. Steve(counting bales in the field) and Liza did the offloading and Jack and I did the stacking in the barn and by the end we were unable to move more than 1 foot in any direction for the last 6 bales! It sure is cozy up there though and now with the hay in and the wood stacked we are ready for the coming season.

Out in the far field we keep a large patch of the field unmown this time of year because there is a lot of milkweed which the monarch caterpillars require to feed on. These are pictures of a caterpillar, a chrysallis which is the caterpillar in transformation to a monarch butterfly and then the final picture is butterfly that hatched this morning, the empty chrysallis below and another caterpillar waiting to form it’s chrysallis to the right. It is an incredible journey for these winged beauties. If you would like to read more just click on www.kidzone.ws/animals/monarch_butterfly.htm

Here are some of the colors of the week before and after indigo dips:

I can’t believe it has already been almost three weeks since Michele Wipplinger was here to teach our annual Earthues workshop at the farm. It was a fabulous week with a great group of dyers, some with experience, some with none, but all with a love for fiber and learning. In fact this group was so cohesive they will be back next year! Plans are to have 2 workshops back to back in August with Michele, the first filled; the second will be announced in the Spring, so mark your calendars and contact me if you are interested.
The course this year was learning to handpaint variegated yarns using Earthues natural dyes.
The first day was spent in lecture and discussion as Michele spoke about color and color theory, using many yarn and swatch examples to explain what creates a visually appealing skein.


Palette’s were individually chosen by each participant then extract solutions were created, then each student mixed their own colors based on their palette and the painting began.Days two and three were spent painting, steaming the skeins to set the dyes and overdyeing with indigo for some.


Everyone created beautifully dyed yarns and learned and understood the process perfectly.