The Revolution Will Be...

Made By Hand.

The title of this entry is actually stolen from my friend Susan Gibbs, owner of Juniper Moon Farm.

Let's begin at the beginning. In 2009, my fiance' found a small ad in his Food and Wine magazine, advertising shares in a fiber farm in the Hudson Valley (where Susan was then located). He splurged and bought me a share in the 2009 Fall Shearing. What that meant was after the animals (sheep and goats) were shorn in the fall, I would receive a portion of the clip in the form of skeins of lovely, smooshy yarn. That year, I got 5 skeins. I think I've only missed one year's membership, and honestly, I won't miss another if I can manage it.

Why?

Because I've met the most WONDERFUL group of loving, supportive people through the JMF board on Ravelry. And even better, I've met some of them in person at the twice-annual Shearing Days that Susan holds at the farm. They're as wonderful in person as they are online. They're my big, happy, extended family.

Since I've been a member, glorious things have happened. The farm changed names and moved to Palmyra, Virginia. This past year, Susie launched a scrumptious line of commercial yarns that you can get at Webs if your local yarn store doesn't sell it. We're two seasons in, and I can't WAIT to see what comes next!!

But the big thing is right now, right this minute. Something new and wonderful is happening. Something that's going to knock your handknit socks off. Susan is launching a fabulous magazine called "By Hand."

To borrow from Susan's blog,


"The idea is to celebrate creating things with our hands, and to explore the motivation to make things in a world where there are cheaper and immediate alternatives. It will be both practical (patterns, DIY projects, etc) and thoughtful, with a lovely and gentle aesthetic."

To get it off the ground, there's a Kickstarter campaign you can find here. As of this writing, the project has been back by 75 people and is at a little under $6100, with an end goal of $16,000. The killer? IT OPENED THIS MORNING. I've no doubt the goal will be met and likely surpassed.

I can't tell you how much I love Susie and the "Aunties" at JMF. And the sheep. And the goats. Oh, hell, I just love the Farm in general - it's peaceful and beautiful and it's overall amazing. You want to be part of this. Really, you do. I'm not saying you have to buy a share, but check out the website. Peek in on the lambcam - we can't WAIT for lambing season, which begins in April!! Check out her shop for some really neat hand made items. Seriously - I'm crazy for everything Juniper Moon.

There's something in it for you if you can help Susie and the creative bunch she's gathered to create "By Hand." There are some really neat rewards for backing the project. And they're all made "By Hand."