HOW'S MY FROË.
One of our newest tools/toys is the froë from Garret Wade. I've never used one before so I have nothing to compare it to, but I'm both greatly intimidated and slightly obsessed with this beast. Essentially, it's a splitting maul, but instead of swinging the tool down hard and crashing into the log, you place the froë on top of the log and slam it in with a mallet to make precise shakes (cool video demonstration!) I made my own mallet out of a small cedar log, and then before I left on Sunday, gave it a whirl.And it. was. awesome.It's definitely going to be hard––if we side the entire house with cedar shakes, it will take several months of making them and I will have enormous hands––but it's a blast. When I go to Bugtussle this week I'm going to bring back a bunch of logs to Nashville so I can do some here, a form of long distance cabin construction. We're very excited about the shakes, and this new tool.- Jesse.
KNITTING PROGRESS.
I am slowly and steadily becoming more confident with my knitting. So far, I have only made scarves.....a lot....of scarves. But now that I feel I've got the basic rhythm down and have practiced many different kinds of stitches, I am ready to move on - circular and double-pointed needles are ordered and on the way! That means socks, hats, mittens - maybe even a sweater some day.- Hannah.
A HANDMADE CHRISTMAS.
Merry Day-after-Christmas! We hope that you had a wonderful holiday, spent in good company and good health. We had a lovely few days with family and friends in Kentucky - and it was definitely all about homemade gifts for us this year - all the way down to the envelopes. We hope to be in a better position to give next year - honey and bottles of wine for everyone!- Hannah.
EARLY CHRISTMAS.
Jesse, being the wonderful human that he is, gave me my Christmas present early this year - knitting needles and yarn and this book! I have been wanting to learn how to knit for a long time, and since I have had an abundance of free time here in Nashville while he is at work, Jesse decided not to wait til December 25. Bless him.I have only been at it a couple of days, but I love it so much. I am still learning (a.k.a. messing up often and accidentally letting the stitches slide off the needles and having to start over) but I am excited about the possibilities. Besides just wanting to knit for knitting's sake....this is also an investment of sorts. Jesse and I dream of raising fiber sheep (and possibly angora rabbits), and we want to be involved in that entire process: raising the sheep, shearing the sheep, dyeing the wool with our own handmade dyes, spinning the wool, and then the knitting! Whew! It is a dream that seems a little far off, but sitting here with my blistered fingers and my first half-finished scarf beside me - it feels one step closer.- Hannah.