Fisherman's Net Summer Scarves, crocheted up in Cotton Blossom Yarn by Dixie and Farmhouse Silk Blend, just one skein required.

Granny Square Scarf, crocheted up in Farmhouse Silk Blend stash of several colorways, total of less than 300 yards required. 

Celtic Knot Fingerless Mitts, knitted up in Cotton Blossom Yarn by Dixie and Farmhouse Silk Blend.  You can make 2 pairs from just 1 skein of Cotton Blossom Yarn By Dixie, and 3 pairs from one skein of Farmhouse Silk Blend.

Blankie, worked up in I Am Allergic to Wool Bulky Cotton, total of 600 yards required for 36" x 36" blankie.

Every Which Way III Cardigan and Pullover (left) and Every Which Way Pullover IV (right), made up in Mary's Little Lamb and Every Which Way IV shown in Farmhouse Silk Blend.

Checkerboard Scarf, made up with 1 skein each of Fatter Sheep Yarn and Andy's Merino.

Christa's Cardigan by Lorna Miser, shown in Farmhouse Silk Blend. Pattern is written for both the Silk Blend yarn as well as Bonnie's Bamboo.

The "Blankie" is a simple granny square crocheted in I Am Allergic to Wool Bulky Cotton.  It is small enough to be carried around, but large enough to be cozy and warm.  Super soft, and the little ones will love it.  Your customers can make it up in Cotton Blossom Yarn by Dixie as well.

The Every Which Way III and IV include directions for both the cardigan as well as the pullover.  The original versions I and II were so popular, I decided to write it up for my lighter weight yarns for spring and summer.  Mary's Little Lamb and Farmhouse Silk Blend both work beautifully in this design, and it is simple to make.  The back piece is knit from the bottom up, and the front is knitted from sleeve to sleeve for flattering vertical striping.  A great class project, too.

The Checkerboard Scarf is a great way to get a jump on fall knitting projects.  The stitch is simpler than it appears, and with all of the colorways Farmhouse Yans has to offer, the combinations are endless.  Another excellent class project, and we know scarves are still hot!

You have probably heard from all the other yarn companies how fiber costs are going up dramatically all over the globe.  Some companies are announcing price increases as large as 33%!  Just a note to reassure you--I am doing everything within my power to keep my wholesale prices where they are at 2009/2010 levels.  I am on your side, and I will hold prices where they are.  I will also continue to offer promotions as often as possible like I always have.  Let me know if there is any way I can help you highlight Farmhouse Yarns in your shop.  I am here for you.

In the meantime, it is back to the barn to shear those sheep!

   Charlie says "hello"!

Left to Right:  Mermaid Scarf by Heide Barrett, worked in Bonnie's Bamboo, Indigo.  Skein of Bonnie's Bamboo, Dusty Rose.  Bonnie's Bamboo Top, worked in Bamboo colorway.  Eyelet Tee by Lorna Miser, worked in Baby Pink.  Right:  Christa's Cardigan by Lorna Miser, worked in St. Croix colorway.

Nantucket Shell, worked up in Lumpy Bumpy Yarn by Charlene, Natural (just 3 skeins!).  

Georgetown Wrap by Ellen McClinton, worked in Sage and in Claret.

Hello!

The ground hog says we are in for an early spring, but I am not sure I believe it.  Two more winter storms coming before the weekend is out, they say.  But no matter what the predictions, my needles are ready for spring knitting.  Above are pictured just a few of the many spring and summer designs and yarns I have ready to send out to you.  My dye pots are full of Bonnie's Bamboo, Andy's Merino and Lumpy Bumpy Yarn by Charlene at the moment, and they always fly out of here just as fast as Bonnie and I can make them.  Let me know what you would like me to send out to you before supplies get low again...

Cotton Blossom Yarn by Dixie (worsted weight) and I Am Allergic to Wool (bulky cotton) are both readily available as well.  Each of the patterns pictured above is available, and you can see my full collection of patterns on my website--we now have over 200 patterns!

Hubby is out in the sugar shack preparing for sap boiling, and it sounds as if he is beckoning for my help out there.  I will share some photos next time of the maple syrup production taking place on our farm for the next few weeks.  It's really pretty comical--hubby transforms from "Mr. Corporate Guy" to "Mr. Green Jeans" in five minutes flat the second he arrives home on Friday evenings during syrup season.  Then it is non-stop log-splitting and stoking the fire to boil that sap.  Gotta babysit the process 24/7 or else it can scorch pretty quickly.  40 gallons of sap to make just one gallon of finished syrup.  His rather intricate tap lines run from tree to tree to tree, ultimately running into very large tanks that collect the sap and must be moved with the tractor to the sugar shack (unfortunately, our sugar shack is uphill from our trees).  I say it is any excuse to drive that tractor around and make lots of noise and a muddy mess.  The sheep just stand around looking rather bewildered as all this goes on.  When it is all said and done, we will have plenty of syrup for friends and family to last the year, and hopefully more than that if we are lucky and have a good season.  I'd better run out there to see what he needs, then get back to my knitting.

Fluffy Fingerless Mitts (left)
Yarn:  One skein Winnifred’s Washable, Bo Peep Not Just for Socks Yarn, Mary’s Little Lamb, Fannie’s Fingering, Bonnie’s Bamboo, or Farmhouse Silk Blend, 150 yards required AND one skein Trixie’s Loopy Mohair.  Example above shown in Trixie’s Loopy Mohair (Natural) and Bo Peep Not Just for Socks Yarn (Pink Flamingo), worked together.
Supplies:  US size 9 double pointed needles (or size necessary to achieve gauge), 2 stitch markers, Stitch holder, Tapestry needle
Sizes:  Ladies’ Small (Medium, Large).  The Ladies’ Small will fit a pre-teen or older child.
Gauge:  2-1/2 stitches over stockinette.
Skill Level: termediate.  Basic skills in knit, increasing, and working on double pointed needles required.

One Skein Neck Warmer (right)
Yarn:  One 150-yard skein Fatter Sheep Yarn by Farmhouse Yarns, LLC.  Shown above in Toffee.
Supplies:  US size 13 straight needles, Tapestry needle
Sizes:  One size.  Neck warmer measures approximately 27 inches around, and 7” wide.
Gauge:  2-1/2 stitches per inch over garter stitch or seed stitch.
Skill Level: Easy

Hello Friends,

There is still plenty of cold winter weather before spring shows itself, and the two new simple designs above are great little projects to chase the chill away.  Both patterns are immediately available.

Changes at Farmhouse?  Mainly cost-cutting measures that will allow us to keep our wholesale prices where they are.  Fiber prices, fuel, and spinning costs have been going up regularly, but we have kept our prices stable and will continue to do so.  To do this, we are finding other areas where we can save, mainly on overhead items.  We would rather spend our $$$ on new yarns, new dye colors, and new designs for you. 

Speaking of designs, we are giving you a little bonus on each new pattern that is released--a time-tested family favorite recipe is given at the end of each pattern for you and your customers to enjoy.  I am not a gourmet chef or anything like that, but this is a great way for us to share with you and your customers my family's favorite dishes.  We are like most families in America with roots going back to many different heritages, cultures and countries.  Many of the recipes have been handed down in our family for generations.  Some of them originated with our immigrant ancestors, and others date back to American colonial times.  Many of the international recipes are for dishes I learned to prepare during our travels all over the world (before the yarn business) when my husband and I lived abroad in Asia and in Europe.  And now, I am sharing them with you to enjoy if you like.

Gotta Text Fingerless Mitts by Farmhouse Yarns, LLC (left), Peanut and Peapod by Heirloom Stitches and offered by Deep South Fibers (center).  More Flower Power (right) by Farmhouse Yarns, LLC, made up in I Am Allergic to Wool Bulky Cotton.

NEW DESIGNS!  "Gotta Text" Fingerless Mitts take just 175 yards of any of the following yarns:  Farmhouse Silk Blend (shown above in Natural), Winnifred's Washable (shown above in Berries & Caramel), Mary's Little Lamb, Bo Peep Not Just for Socks Yarn, Bonnie's Bamboo, and Fannie's Fingering.  The simple cable adds a nice touch.  This pattern is immediately available, written for adult ladies and an extra large option as well.  You can receive it FREE with your yarn purchase.

Peanut and Peapod was designed by Donna of Heirloom Stitches, and it is a perfect knit for "I Am Allergic to Wool" Bulky Cotton.  So soft and cuddly, the yarn flies off the shelves when customers see this cute gift for baby.  You can purchase the pattern directly from Deep South Fibers, and I have plenty of I Am Allergic to Wool Bulky Cotton all ready to go, and at the discount mentioned above.

Will You Be Mine Valentine Hearts, new pattern from Farmhouse Yarns, LLC.

It's hard to believe Valentine's Day is just around the corner, but it is true.  And, just in time for your crocheting customers to make quality Valentine's gifts for their sweethearts, I have come up with patterns for all five crocheted hearts in one pattern!  They work up very, very quickly, and you can make several (in some cases well over a dozen!) from just one skein of yarn.  Examples are shown in a variety of Farmhouse Yarns, including Bonnie's Bamboo, Farmhouse Silk Blend, Andy's Merino, Lumpy Bumpy Yarn by Charlene, Fannie's Fingering, Winnifred's Washable, Cotton Blossom Yarn by Dixie, Bo Peep Not Just for Socks Yarn, Fatter Sheep Yarn, and Mary's Little Lamb Light Worsted.  The hearts make perfect valentines--wouldn't they make a great alternative to the fuzzy dice hanging from your sweetheart's rear view mirror?  Perhaps an impromptu Superbowl Sunday class project? 

Let me know if you would like this for your shop, and I will get the yarns and patterns on its way to you immediately. 

From snowy Connecticut....

Flower Power, shown in Fatter Sheep Yarn, Fall Flowers Colorway

Accessorize! Thick and Thin belts shown in Fatter Sheep Yarn, Fall Flowers and Slate Blue Colorways.  Crochet Rose Brooch Pin shown in Trixie's Loopy Mohair and Woodland Spun Yarns.

Hello Friends,

A couple of new designs to offer you and your knitters this week.  Both Accessorize! and Flower Power are  fun, easy and quick, and best of all, you can get at least two projects from a single skein of yarn!  Accessorize! includes the pattern for both the wide and narrow belts shown above as well as the pattern for the Crocheted Rose Brooch!  The belts are a great accessory for casual fashions, and great to wear with jeans, of course.  The brooch is a great way to embellish bags, the lapel of your jacket, just about anything you can pin it onto.  The size of the Rose depends on the thickness of the yarns you use.  The Flower Power headband is a perfect project for that special skein of hand-dyed or hand-spun yarn as it shows off color and texture beautifully.  The little flower embellishment is sewn on after the headband is made.  All the teenagers are loving and wearing them--my daughter has been making them for aller friends, and she wears hers night and day.  Both Accessorize! and Flower Power are addictive and fun, and your customers will want to make several.  

Keep warm, keep knitting, and let me know what Farmhouse Yarns can do for you...

Outback Vest, made up with stash consisting of Fatter Sheep Yarn, Andy's Merino, and Bo Peep Not Just for Socks Yarn.  Shown in Kaleidscope (left), and Calico (right).

Hi all,

We are in between two blizzards here in Connecticut, so that means plenty of design time for me.  There is plenty of winter left, and I have come up with the new designs shown above to help keep us warm through the remainder of winter.  Both patterns and the yarn to make them are immediately shippable.

Jenny's Cowl was a Christmas gift for my 14-year old niece, Jenny Martin.  All the teens are wearing these cuddly cowls, or loop scarves this season and with just two skeins and a few hours, and you have this this easy scarf, pictured in Rhapsody colorway.

The Outback Vest was inspired partly by my dream of someday working on a sheep station in Australia (if for just a little while), but mostly inspired by the demise of my favorite old barn vest over the holidays.  Vests are hot this winter, and they are great when you need the warmth without the bulkiness of jacket sleeves.  The best part about this vest is that it is a very quick knit on size 19 needles, and you can use either new yarn or stash, or a combination of both.  It is sized for men and women, from 34 inch to 56 inch chest.  I used a combination of Fatter Sheep Yarn, Andy's Merino, and Bo Peep Not Just for Socks yarn, worked double and triple stranded to achieve the 2 stitches per inch gauge.  Add a few buttons (or not), and you have a great new vest!  

Happy New Year!!

I hope the New Year finds you well and that you enjoyed a happy and healthy holiday season.  With the New Year, it is time to show our spring and summer offerings, above!  Cottons, silks, bamboo, merino--natural fibers galore, and most of it is grown right here in the USA!  ALL of it is made right here in the USA, within a half a day's drive from my farm, and my sister Bonnie and I dye it ALL.  Call or email me if you would like to know more about these great yarns.  Fresh supplies of all of these yarns have just arrived (or are arriving in the next day or two) from my mills, so we can get them to you right away. 

As much as we would love to be enjoying Long Beach this weekend, I have chosen not to exhibit for this show.  Chores on the farm and family activities are taking priority--I had no idea how necessary I am here.  Sure makes me feel good, but I will miss seeing you and enjoying the camaraderie of my friends and colleagues in the fiber business.  We will be sure to see you at TNNA in Columbus in June, though.

Happy 2011!!

Carol