Watch Hat, made up with 1 skein of Fatter Sheep Yarn.  Pattern written for Children's, Ladies' and Men's sizing.

Nessa's Doggie Sweater, made up with 1 skein of Fatter Sheep Yarn.  Pattern written for small, medium, and large.

Cozy Crochet Afghan, made up with odds and ends totalling approximately 22 skeins of Fatter Sheep Yarn.

Hello Friends,

Fall is finally here, and I hope the knitters are coming into your shops to prepare their fall knitting projects.  We have some new and not so new designs for you, pictured above.

The Watch Hat is not necessarily new--actually it is one of the original classic designs we started business with ten years ago.  But, with the new Fatter Sheep Yarn and the cool button embellishment, it deserves fresh attention.  Made up with just one skein (remember--Fatter Sheep comes in generous 150-yard, five ounce skeins), the hats knit up in just a couple of hours, and they make fantastic gifts for everyone on the list.  With the generous yardage (just compare price per yard with commercial brands), Fatter Sheep is one of the best values on the market.  And, it is American-made, of course.  More on this below.

Nessa's Doggie Sweater is another one-skein project.  It is knit in one piece, and with simple simple shaping, it is a great first project for just about any knitter.  Again, knits up in just a couple of hours.  This design was inspired by one of my friends, a long-time Farmhouse fan, Diane Kapoor.  You will be seeing lots more from both Diane and her son, Nick.  Their designs are perfect for teaching classes, and you know, those students are always looking for new classes!

Finally, I have been into the crochet mode lately.  How many times do you get the question, "Can you use this yarn for crochet?"  Well, of course you can!!  The finished afghan measures 75 inches square, but of course can be made smaller or larger as needed.  Simple granny-square style double crochet, changing colors at random, is easy to do.

All three patterns are available immediately for you.  Fatter Sheep Yarn, too.

More about the American-made thing.  Everyone knows this economy is just not improving quickly enough.  Everyone has a family member, friend, or acquaintance who has lost a job due to the recession.  I know several.  Since going into business ten years ago, it has always been our focus at Farmhouse to make our yarns here in America  We try to do our part to keep jobs in America.  I started off doing everything myself, driving all over the Northeast in my pickup truck buying wool from farms from Pennsylvania to Maine.  The mills that do my spinning are all within a day's drive of my farm, and I personally pick up my yarn directly from the mill (as opposed to using a trucking company).  I do this because I want to meet and know see the folks who make my yarns.  When I am dyeing up a batch of Andy's Merino or Lumpy Bumpy, or whatever yarn, I have met the person who spun it, I have met their supervisors, and I know the owner of their company.  As we grew, my sister came on board to help out with the dyeing.  One by one, friends and acquaintances approached me looking for job opportunities, and as business increased, we grew to 10 employees in our Farmhouse family.  Though Bonnie and I do all the dyeing ourselves, our helpers do just about everything else from winding yarn into skeins, labelling finished yarn, organizing the inventory shelves, making those color card books for you, and winding those little baby skeins we give you at TNNA.  Everyone in our family is part-time (by choice), each person works a schedule that fits into their life nicely, and most importantly of all, each earns a living wage that is up to 40% above the wages offered in the market for comparable work.  This probably seems crazy, but I believe in taking care of those who make all of this possible.  We have been able to employ folks who might not have been able to work a typical job if it were not for our flexibility in schedule.  We have 2 single mothers on board who really need to spend time with their families but need to support them as well.  We have 3 people who have lost their full-time jobs due to the economy, and we have 2 college students working with us.  And, of course, Mary Margaret, my teenage daughter and her friend who are really trying to save up for that car someday, but for now it is clothes and all the other things they want so badly.  I think we are doing the right thing, and I hope we are making a difference.