Sharon Springs Harvest Festival and Beekman 1802

Saturday was cloudy and drizzly, but that didn't stop Paul and me from going out to Sharon Springs to their yearly Harvest Festival.

The focus is on local local local which is one of the things that makes it so great.  There were many vendors all up and down Main Street selling every kind of ware.

Vegetables of course, but also, local craftspeople of all sorts:  soap, cutting boards, bread, pastries, knitted and crocheted items, wool for spinning, herbs.....

There were also many agencies there with displays including SUNY Cobelskill and their agriculture program:

(that adorable cow is only 5 days old!)

And a local animal rescue agency:

There were also lots of other events throughout the day including a Harvest Feast, a Pig Roast, and a dance!

The Fabulous Beekman Boys are a big part of organizing this event.  They own the 1802 Mercantile which has loads of wonderful Victorian inspired goods (and goodies!).  If you don't know, Brent Ridge and Josh Kilmer-Purcell are the Fabulous Beekman Boys and I just love them and everything they are doing.    I could go on and on about them and their show, but I'll try to keep it brief.

They had a reality show on Planet Green - and I hear that they are in negotiations to have the third season on another network!   Great fun, watching two Manhattanites make their way in the country.  They have a whole lotta goats and make wonderful products with the goats' milk.  In additon they have a large heirloom vegetable garden. In fact they had a book signing for their new cookbook: The Beekman 1802 Heirloom Cookbook: Heirloom fruits and vegetables, and more than 100 heritage recipes to inspire every generation  We couldn't stay until the book signing but I came home and pre-ordered one immediately!  (click back there if you would like to see/order one -- it comes out tomorrow)    Don't worry, I'll be taking a picture of the postman delivering my copy and posting it here.  That's how excited I am to get it.

Our very first stop was the 1802 Mercantile because we knew it would get crowded.  We talked to Brent on the way out:

I told him I was the one who knit the sweaters their baby goats were wearing in their last episode and he thanked me for doing so, asking if I was excited to see them.  Before I could even answer, Paul said,"YES."  (He was very patient as I showed him over and over the adorable baby goats in their adorable sweaters on that episode!)  Here they are:

So cute, right?????  Then Brent asked me to make him a sweater and I said I'd look into it..... 

Our purchases from the festival?....

Blaak Cheese (60% goats' milk, 40% cows' milk; 100% delicious!), the Blaak onion jam (with balsamic vinegar - yum) and Sea Salt Fudge Cookies with goats' milk (OMG, sweet, salty, crunchy, chocolately goodness) ..... all from the Beekman 1802 Mercantile.  Also, that beautiful cutting board made in Canojaharie.  And Mu Mu Mueseli from one of the vendors.  So yummy with yogurt.

From there we drove to Cooperstown

 to Sal's who makes our favorite pizza!....

That's pretty much the only reason we go to Cooperstown.  Ok, that and the very pretty views.

It was a wonderful day and a beautiful drive... AND I was able to work on and finish my Baby Surprise Jacket in the car...

So, remember I told you it was knit all in one piece?

Then you fold it up and voila!:

An adorable baby sweater.  I left the sweater at the shop with these buttons and a bribe for Joan ($5) asking her to sew them on for me!

Stay tuned for my Sunday adventure with Jana to the Southern Adirondack Fiber Festival....

Re-Do's

We are having our chimney re-done.  Every year, a few more bricks would break off and we finally decided we needed to address the issue.  We didn't realize we'd have to practically sell all of our possessions and take a second and third mortgage out on the house to pay for it.  Ok, so I exaggerate.  But just a little.  Of course, if we waited, it would be 10 times more expensive because terrible things would happen to the chimney liner and the whole rest of the house (again, slightly exaggerating).

Today is day two of trying to take off that big cement piece at the top.  It's taking MUCH longer than they anticipated.  I think that guy was in that same position all day yesterday and today.  Ugh.  They now have 4 guys working on it.

On the inside of the house is the crap craft room re-do.

This is only a portion (maybe a fifth) of what I took out of the room.  I was debating whether to show you the "before" of the room itself, but here it is.....

And that is AFTER I took a bunch of stuff out of it and set up those wire cubes.  I wouldn't dare show you what it really looked like "before".  It was awful.  A few years of neglect when one is busy running a yarn shop and oh-my-gosh.  This is actually in-progress.  It still looks like this.  You'll have to wait a little while for the "after".  Especially if I decide to learn/practice installing wood floors in here!  Yay!  Wouldn't that be fun?  You'll definitely get to see that process.

Mandy and I took our usual walk around the yard today, sniffing for interesting things to take pictures of.  We scared the HUGE frog by the pond before we could get a picture so we were left with the pictures of the chimney guys and this sign of fall:

\

It's cloudy out and a little chilly so..... we came inside, had some tea and lit my most very favorite candle ever:

Yankee Candle's Cranberry Chutney

Click here if you'd like to get one!: Cranberry Chutney - 22 Oz Large Jar Yankee Candle (See all Scented Candles)

LOVE. IT.  It's so fall-ish and home-y.  Makes me want to go do some knitting!
I'm working on the Baby Surprise Jacket:

(phoebe just can't resist)

This is a pattern from the late 1960's by Elizabeth Zimmerman who was a famous knitter, known for her outlook that knitting should not bring one to tears.  So she set out to write some books and patterns that would help people learn easy ways to make knitting intuitive.  By the way, the "surprise" is that you don't really know what parts of this one- piece sweater you are knitting, but at the end you just fold it up, sew two short seams and voila, a sweater. You'll see.  It will be done soon.