It was so amazing being back in person for the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival, but I did actually expand my yarn horizons during the pandemic. First, online yarn sales meant that I could peruse all the web sites (and yes I really did click on all of them). I discovered fiber artists and sellers I probably never would have otherwise.
The other thing that I learned about were special colorways specifically designed for an event. I'm positive I've seen signs, walked past yarn, maybe even been told by someone at checkout - but it never actually sunk in that this was a thing. Being back in person for the festival this year I was looking for it and bought several.
The yarn in this design is a special from the Sheep and Wool. It is by Dragonfly Fibers (who I did know about and love pre-pandemic) and is called Welcome Back. I love the name and love the yarn. This was worked up with their Pixie yarn which is a fingering weight superwash merino. This pattern is super simple with some nice edging. I did play yarn chicken and that's why there is only 1 pocket - if you have more yarn then certainly there could be 2. :)
Can you tell that we're up in Chaumont at the cabin? I was searching for the right place to take pictures and I'm really happy with how the dog pen fence looks. Just had to avoid the poison ivy - that's a different kind of project for another day.


I used a 4mm hook.
Stitches in this pattern:
ch - chain
sk st - skip stitch
sc - single crochet
dc - double crochet
v-stitch - dc, ch 3, dc
picot - ch 3, sc into the same stitch




Back Panel
Chain 80
Row 1: sc in the 4th ch from the loop, *sk st, dc, ch 3, sk st, sc, ch 3. Repeat from *. End the row on a dc
Row 2: ch 3, *dc in the sc, ch 3, sc in the dc, ch 3. Repeat from * to the end of the row. End the row on a dc
Repeat row 2 until you reach your desired length. This is 48 rows.

Side Panels (make 2)
Cast on 36. Follow the rest of the Back Panel instructions




Sew together the back and the sides. I left 15 rows for the arm holes and 3 rows at the bottom seem (just because I like the look).




For the arms I picked up the stitches around the edge and used the same pattern of sc, ch 3, dc, ch 3 for 6 rows.
Row 7 and 8: ch 1, sc all the way around in each stitch. Slip stitch to join
Row 9: ch 6, dc in the same stitch, sk stitch, v-stitch. Repeat the v-stitch all the way around. Slip stitch to join
Row 10: ch 1, sc, picot in the middle of the ch 3 of the v stitch, sc until the next middle, picot all the way around. Slip stitch to join

For the trim of the main body I started on the bottom left side with it still inside out. This is the same edging as the arms.
Row 1 and 2: ch 1, sc all the way around in each stitch.
Row 3: ch 6, dc in the same stitch, sk stitch, v-stitch. Repeat the v-stitch all the way around.
Row 4: ch 1, sc, picot in the middle of the ch 3 of the v stitch, sc until the next middle, picot all the way around.

Weave in and trim all ends and flip right side out.




I really wanted pockets, but wasn't sure if I had enough yarn. I had enough for one so that's what I made.

Chain 16
Row 1: sc in the 4th ch from the loop, *sk st, dc, ch 3, sk st, sc, ch 3. Repeat from *. End the row on a dc
Row 2: ch 3, *dc in the sc, ch 3, sc in the dc, ch 3. Repeat from * to the end of the row. End the row on a dc
Repeat row 2 until you reach your desired length. Mine is 48 rows.
Sew the pocket on the side for your dominant hand. I'm a left so the pocket went on the left. The right length for me was 3 rows from the bottom and 3 rows back from the sc of the edge.

Enjoy! Let me know if you make it, would love to see pictures!

As I start doing shows I thought that maybe I should have some more Maryland wares. When De La Designs put up this adrobable crab I knew I needed to have it. I got it in both sizes and alternated it around the mug. I think I'll make some bowls with it soon as well. I like that the Laguna 60 is going to make it a bit like the crab is walking in the sand. Oh! I'll make the liner look like the ocean. A plan coming together!

When we were in Chaumont over Memorial Day I collected a lot of leaves to press into clay. I keep them in my refrigerator. The delicate leaves from ferns still wilt and turn brown within a few days. The maple and oaks, however, are still as green as when I picked them. I'm finally getting around to making something with the maple leaves now that I've worked my way through the other leaves.


My thinking is that I'll wipe back something that will enhance the tecture like an underglaze then either do a clear coat or just leave it as bare clay on the outside.




I'm not sure that this print inside will end up coming through or if the liner glaze will obscure it too much, we'll see. On the other bowl I made I put it on the bottom like I normally do.

I signed up for the annual Chaumont Craft Fair coming up at the end of July. As I've been to the various shops I haven't seen any Chaumont mugs or bowls - so I decided to make some! I actually really want to call the mugs "Chaumugs", but multiple people (including my husband) have told me - no, just no. This is the first time I've used my new alphabet stamps from De La Designs and I really liked them. This font is "salty."


I didn't make quite as many bowls as I did mugs, but I thought a coffee mug and cereal/ice cream bowl would be fun. I went with a fishing/woodsy theme for all of them.




As I was planning the design for these I realized how diverse the waterways are in the area. Lake Ontario is right there, but there is also the Chaumont Bay and of course the Chaumont River. Our property is along the river so I always think about it as river, but that's just a small part of the overall water area. I got this new stamp "lake life" that I really thought was cute with the fish. I want a river life one too!






More mugs drying.

I've made myself a list of the things I'm supposed to be making for my upcomong shows. However, I went a little off script. As I was pulling out the template for the bowl I was going to make, I saw my calla lilly candle holder template and decided to make that instead. I feel like the more I make these the better I'm getting at them. I really want the flower to be expressive.


I cut the flowers from the template, but I also freehand a bit because I do want them to be similar and yet not identical. As I was veering off my plan I also came to the realization - these should be on my plan. I need to add them to my list for what I'm making for the upcoming fairs and price them. I can't decide if I want to sell them individually or as a set of two. Buying a single candlestick seems weird, so probably a set of two, right?

I'm a big fan of the Good Elephant blog and in one of her posts Mea Rhee talks about having price markers vs price tags. I was really intrigued by the idea. As I prepare for these upcoming large shows I am continuing to try to narrow my voice as an artist. How do I make things that have a cohesive voice? This will enable me to have cohesive pricing.


I rolled a coil and then cut the top at an angle. At first I thought that I needed to make them all exactly the same, but as I made the first few I thought they were more visually interesting if they were a little different. My current thinking is that I'm going to glaze the bottoms in some of my common glaze colors. Probably no more than 5 colors, but also not one single color. What do you think?