It's the first day of summer vacation for my boys but...
Mood:  celebratory
Now Playing: Bobby Darin "Beyond the Sea"
Topic: A bit of everything

It's also my BIRTHDAY!!!! :)

I love celebrating my birthday. I've long ago given up unrealistic ideas of what the day will turn out to be like, but instead, use the philosophy of taking it easy and just enjoying what comes. However, there will be steaks and drinks here later tonight, just the family and my mom (since I'm the one that will be cooking). And my mom and brother were nice enough to take me out to dinner at Chez Albert on Saturday night, a new French restaurant that opened up about a month ago. The food was fantastic and I'm hoping to go back there soon!

The Contest

Marie sent her in ideas for several colorways, which is posted in the comments section of yesterday's blog entry. Please check them out! :)

I have some work to do this morning, but plan on taking the rest of the day off and just relaxing. The pool has been up for almost a month, and I've yet to get in. I think it's about time!

The Entries So Far.....
Mood:  celebratory
Now Playing: Jon Secada "If You Go"
Topic: Contest
The Contest:

Helen sent in several entries yesterday. You can find them posted in the comments section of the June 20th entry. Thanks Helen! Great job! :)

My secret pal from SP5 sent in this one:

"Ever been to Houston, TX? It's hot. It's humid. Most people can't figure out
why anyone would purposely choose to live there. The one bright spot to life
in that city are the beautiful sunsets. I've lived in many places in my
life, and I've never seen a sunset that can compare to those in Houston.
Why? It's the chemicals/pollution in the air from the chemical plants and oil
refineries in the area. Sadly, that's the reason you hear for it. You have
to try to forget the fact that you're breathing all that in. Luckily, the
sunsets are pretty enough to take your breath away at times.

So, my idea for a colorway is the following:
Name: Chemical Sunset
Colors: Ranging from purple to pink to orange to yellow. There are also
blues (the sky, of course) and other colors in the mix sometimes. The purple
and pink are quite vibrant. The orange is a bit reddish but soft. The yellow
is pretty pale and soft as well."


Keep them coming; so far you all are doing great! :)

A new list:

O.k, so I hadn't heard of this one yet, but over 600 other people had. It's called Summer of Lace. Could this be the push I've needed to try and conquer my fear of lace? Actually, it isn't really a fear, but as I described in my intro to them, it is a lack of solitude knitting time that allows me to concentrate which ends with me having too many stitches left at the end of a row. ;-)

Tonight is it off to a meeting. We are winding down to the parade, and I'm really looking forward to it!

THE CONTEST
Mood:  chatty
Topic: Contest

Dharia asked:

"i need clarification... what exactly do you want us to send you? images as swatches? dyed fiber? just a description? i'm perplexed. but i've got some ideas already to go! "

This can be done two ways; either send a very good description, or images as swatches down with markers, colored pencil, craypas, etc.

The important thing is that you are as descriptive as possible, so that I can get the colors as close to what you described as possible.

Ready, set, go!

And don't forget
Mood:  chatty
Topic: Contest
The CONTEST!

SP5
Mood:  lucky
Now Playing: John Fogerty "Centerfield"
Topic: Secret Pal 5
1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer higher quality and/or natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? Or is it all the same to you?

I prefer natural fibers, but like the fake fur yarns too. I do avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand, but mostly because I spin the majority of my own yarn.


2. Do you spin? Crochet?

I do spin. I'm crochet impaired. ;-)


3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.)

Not fond of cigarette smoke, but no allergies that I know of.


4. How long have you been knitting?

I learned how to knit as a small child, but never really got it right. I took lessons at Webs in 1997 and I've been knitting since.


5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?

Yes, but I'll have to update it.


6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)

Light florals or beachy scents.


7. Do you have a sweet tooth?

Oh yes! I love chocolate!


8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do?

My husband and I do woodworking, making Bobbin Trees and Bobbin Logs. And I raise German Angoras. :)


9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)

I like all kinds, but am really partial to 80's and 90's music. But I also listen to Big Bands music, Philadelphia sounds of the 70's, Nat King Cole, and some classics like Rachmaninoff, and Beethoven. No MP3, but CD's are good.


10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand?

I like blues, pinks, yellows. I'm not fond of olive or mustard tones or muddy colors.


11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?

I have two small sons, and a husband, We have three cats; Smitty and Smoosh who are sisters and almost 9 years old, and Trina, who is 2 years old (she is really my oldest son's cat).


12. What are your life dreams? (really stretching it here, I know)

I'd love to own a house by the ocean. I have a dream of having a house at the Cape Cod National Seashore, which overlooks the ocean and has a nice studio at one end. Or I'd also take a house on Nantucket or the south Jersey shore.

Other than that, my dreams are rather simple; happiness for my children, myself, husband and family.


13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with?

Noro, Brown Sheep Lambs Pride, and Prism yarns.


14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?

With the exception of Red Heart, not much.


15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s?

Shawls of my own design.


16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?

Shawls! I'm also partial to sweaters, when I can complete them.


17. What are you knitting right now?

I'm slowly working on a shawl of my own design made from 85% angora, 15% merino yarn from the yarn co-op I participated in with IAGARB. I've been so busy since April that I haven't had much time to knit. Every weekend has been full of things to do, either shows or other commitments, and after July 4th, I'll have the weekends to myself again until September. Can you tell I'm really looking forward to July 5th?


18. What do you think about ponchos?

For some people, they look great. But I'm not sure they would look good on me.


19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles?

Circulars, definitely!


20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?

Wood, aluminum.


21. Are you a sock knitter?

I have knit socks, but not in a long time. I like to knit socks using yarn that allows me to use a #5 12" circular needle. I wish I could get my hands on some Lorna's Laces yarn, but no store around here carries it.


22. How did you learn to knit?

An elderly cousin of mine learned of my desire to knit, and she showed me how. But because I was a lefty knitter, she had a hard time showing me because I did everything backwards.


23. How old is your oldest UFO?

A top I started in knitting class at Webs in 1997. It will never be finished as it was a simple vest pattern taken off of the internet and I realized it wasn't much of a pattern, so I switched to something else.


24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird?

A rabbit of course!


25. What is your favorite holiday?

Ooooh, that is a hard one. I love July 4th, celebrating our country's independence (I'm a colonial history buff), but I also like Thanksgiving and having my family around, and Christmas because I love watching my kids and family open up their presents.


26. Is there anything that you collect?

Besides spinning wheels? (grin) I collect coffee mugs from different places that have lighthouses on them. I also collect cookbooks that specialize in regional cooking (New England or Mid Atlantic/Penn Dutch).


27. What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?

No knitting magazine subscriptions. I only subscribe to Wild Fibers and Spin-Off.


28. Any books out there you are dying to get your hands on?

"A Good Yarn" by Debbie Macomber, "Dance with Me" by Luanne Rice, "The Summer I Dared" by Barbara Delinsky, and "Nantucket: The Quiet Season" by Nathaniel Philbrick.

I forgot to add.....
Mood:  bright
Now Playing: James Taylor "Up On The Roof"
Topic: Contest
After June 27th, all the entries that I have recieved, I'll put up the descriptions on the blog and on the Baycolonyfarm@yahoogroups.com website. We'll do a blind vote (no names will be included in the colorways). The top vote getter will be picked that way. :)

Contest time!
Mood:  on fire
Now Playing: The Beach Boys "California Girls"
Topic: Fiber
The time has come for me to make some decisions.

I need to start preparing for fall fiber fest season. In order to do that, I need to do some massive amounts of dyeing and fiber prep. This is where my readers come in. :)

I'm going to hold a contest. The winner gets a skein of this:

It is 85% German angora, 15% merino wool yarn. There are approximately 200 yards per skein. It has been washed and is ready to knit. This retails for $15 per ounce, and there are approximately 100 yards per ounce.

Or, if you'd like, I will make up a custom batt for you in your colorway if you are the winner.

The rules of the contest are (and I'm copying Cherry Tree Hill Yarns from when they did their colorway contest a few years ago):

Send me the colors you want to see in a carded batt, roving or yarn. It must contain at least 2 colors (and no more than 5 colors), and send me the name of your colorway. Include an explaination of your colorway (did you see these colors while on a vacation to the Cape, are they in your garden, etc.). Be as detailed as possible so that I can get the colors the way you see them. These must be original colorways, please! The winner of the contest will be announced in on July 1st. Your name and colorway will appear on the roving/batts ("Kathy's Romance" as an example).

Ready, set, go! :)

Rabbits for Sale
Mood:  a-ok
Now Playing: KC and the Sunshine Band "I'm Your Boogie Man"
Topic: Rabbits
It's time to move some of my rabbits out to new homes. I have three bunnies I'll be taking deposits on. They are from Samson's Mia, a (fabulous mom, and Samson's Gewurztraminer. They are purebred Germans with new import lines behind them. They are showing signs of good density and are very sociable!

I have a doe from Samson's Annie and Samson's Merlot (brother to Gwurtz) from a litter born here in September 2004. This doe is READY TO BREED! She has a lovely silky coat, and she is getting great growth on her coat.

I also have a pet/spinner quality angora ready to go. He is a buck directly from Leslie Samson. This guy is one of the sweetest rabbits I've ever known. And if his density was there, I'd keep him for myself. But because he doesn't fit into my breeding program, he would be a wonderful spinners rabbit for someone.

If you are interested in any of these rabbits, please let me know. I can send pictures of them, and will quote prices. Please contact me at Baycolonyfarm@aol.com for more information.

Pictures!
Mood:  cheeky
Now Playing: Percy Faith and His Orchestra
Topic: Class information

This is a picture of some of the spinners that participated in the Alden Amos/Stephenie Gaustad class. Don't they look busy?

Thank you to Susan at the Fiber Arts Center for sending the photo! :)


And for those interested in making felted mittens, Dharia sent a picture of the mittens she purchased at MAS&W from Leslie. Aren't they beautiful? Leslie will be teaching a class on making these in September (date to be announced).

If you'd like to be notified about this class, or any other classes that we are offering, please join the Bay Colony Farm group at Yahoogroups at

alt="Click here to join BayColonyFarm">
Click to join BayColonyFarm

July 16th Fiber Event
Mood:  a-ok
Now Playing: America "Ventura Highway"
Topic: Class information
Our district meeting for IAGARB is coming up on July 16th. Charlene Schultz is the district director, and has planned a great day for members. The theme for the day is "Bring a Friend" and all IAGARB members are encouraged to bring someone along who is interested in German angora rabbits, but also the fiber arts.

What Charlene has planned are several things:

potluck lunch
discussion on German Angoras
"How to market your angora and rabbits"
"Fiber Blending on a drum carder"
and a day of spinning, knitting or other fiber related arts (whatever you choose to bring).

If you are interested in joining us, please let me know. The event is FREE.

On another note, Susan from the Fiber Arts Center just called and has pictures of the Alden/Stephenie class that she is sending me. I'll be uploading those shortly. Thank you Susan for sending those along. I look forward to seeing them! :)