the spinnery

I'm back from a long week of meetings in Chicago.

It was exhausting and I'm glad to be home.

To combat the bit of cabin fever I felt creeping in I went for a ride along

 the Delaware River to one of my favorite places, Frenchtown, NJ.

I dropped by a shop called The Spinnery that specializes

in spinning, weaving and dyeing supplies.

Despite the cold it was good to get out and walk around

 and I made it home just as the snow started up again.

Thank you to those who left encouraging comments on my previous post.

xo, j

pumpkin patch

Saturday I went to my favorite orchard with the intention 

of picking apples, but it was so crowded I bought some in the 

farm shop and made for the pumpkin patch further down the road.

The three beautiful Clydesdales pulled a wagon 

full of hay and visitors around 'None Such Farm.'

I loved the jingling of their harness and the thunder

of their hooves as they trotted along side the fields.

Three pumpkins found their way home with me.

(one orange, one white and the variegated one shown)

Soon I'll be carving their faces and roasting the seeds.

The grey wrap is my latest weaving project.

(Again, I'm found out in the park dressing trees!)

A young man and his dog couldn't help but stare

as I smiled and wished them a good day.

It's back to work tomorrow....but I've had a wonderful week

spent outdoors and surrounded by yarn.

xo, j

walking and weaving

Well, my week of cleaning closets has gone out the window.

Instead I dusted off my 36" rigid heddle loom and started weaving again.

Two days later I have a completed black scarf and another half way done.

This morning I took a short break from the loom and 

went for a walk on the meadow trail at Jacobsburg State Park.

The colors are really starting to change and I was surprised to see all the pink.

It's very warm here with loads of bright sun, unusual for October.

I stuffed all my recent projects in a backpack and took them on my walk.

They photograph so much better outside.

Thankfully, no one saw me tying a scarf around the walnut tree!

The park was full of migrating songbirds and the random thump of falling walnuts.

Such a pretty day...

Now a bowl of soup and a bit more weaving before bed.

xo, j

Kutztown Folk Festival

 

What better way to spend the Fourth of July than at a festival.

This was my first time to the Kutztown Folk Festival and it was blistering hot.

Hex signs and quilts are a staple in PA Dutch tradition.

The quilt barn was amazing and all the pieces were for sale.

Glassblowing, weaving and beekeeping were only some

of the other traditional crafts being demonstrated.

For lunch I had a hotdog with sauerkraut and a huge cup 

of freshly squeezed lemonade, yum.

I love the little goat in the livestock tent and the girl

braiding the horse's forelock would have been me many years ago.

A Wood Thrush print, various herbal concoctions and simple stoneware mug

all came home with me.

Happy Fourth of July!