Identify Yourself

Hello Knitters!

Here are photos of all the squares in our two blankets. Check your collection to make sure you know what's what. Most of us have all twelve squares, except those waiting for a lavender sunflower field. Please note, your squares may vary in color and decoration from those pictured below.

Sheep Pasture (Yvonne & Janalee)

Barnyard (Marna & Pam)

Raised Beds (Toni & Michelle)

Flower Meadow (Denise & Allyssa)

Vegetable Garden (Leah & Nina)

Horse Pasture (Barbara & Shannon)

Pond (Shannon, Jim & Bazzi Family)

Plowed Earth (Kathleen & Trish)

Wheat Field (Katherine & Debbie)

Hayfield (Trish & Toni)

Oat Field (Patty)

Cornfield (Debbie)

River (Natalie)

Lavender Sunflower (Anette) This field is coming to us all the way from Germany in September. It's worth the wait!

Remember to RSVP for the Road Crew workshops in June. Happy Summer!

Crop Report

Everyone is excited as we approach May 1st. The children and their families are anticipating the annual May Day Festival, and besides that, our Farmyard Blanket Knitters are preparing for the Square Swap on Friday morning. Twelve knitters will exchange fields with one another, each one receiving a dozen assorted designs. Congratulations to those who have completed their squares on schedule! It has been one full year since we began this amazing group project, inspired by an article in Living Crafts magazine. (see link)

The remaining twelve knitters are planning to exchange at the end of May. Congratulations to all of you for your determination and hard work. Being a part of this group has been wonderful, and I am grateful for the experience. Thank you one and all!

Did I mention how monumental this project is? One year ago, the sign up sheet was posted and quickly filled up with names. Twenty four knitters joined forces in this creative endeavor. Our goal was not only to knit beautiful farmyard blankets for our families and classrooms, but to raise money for the school as well. We purchased yarn and eagerly cast on our first stitches before the school year was out. It seems like yesterday that we joined our hearts and hands....

AN INSPIRING DAY AT THE FARM

The weather this weekend is absolutely perfect for being outside. My daughter and I spend a lovely Saturday afternoon at Wolcott Farm. The skies are blue and the breeze cools our hot faces. A few barn cats lounge in the straw of the cow barn. Don't bother to get up, we know our way to the door.

Quiet, gentle calves in the nursery barn; a cool place for an afternoon nap.

Curtis - what a character - the billy goat of the barnyard, and father of all the kids this year.

What adorable kids. They relax, romp around, and bleat happily in the sunshine. A volunteer picks up the littlest one, and the children gather around to pet her surprisingly soft fur.

This mom is raising four kids without supplementary bottle feeding; a rare and unusual feat for a nanny goat. Everyone at the farm is pleased to watch them nurse, thrive, and grow. As Grampa Beebe once said, "Them sucky smacky sounds is purtier than a whole flock o' meadowlarks!" from Stormy, Misty's Foal by Marguerite Henry. My city ears couldn't agree more.

This little horse shares a yard with Curtis, and they are very close in size. He rolls on his back, scratching his shaggy coat and covering himself with bits of dry grass. A donkey looks on, and then decides to do the same. What fun!

This little chestnut horse nibbles grass without stopping to look at us. He reaches into the next yard where the grass grows taller and greener. Vivian finally coaxes him over so she can pat his warm shaggy side.

A dozen or so sleeping piglets, and their lovely mother, from the Farm at Kensington Metropark. Three cheers for hardworking moms! Mother's Day is just around the corner.



Next week's outing...the Wolcott Mill

Emerging Beauty

Spring has arrived! We didn't get the snow and slush that hit Chicago and Traverse City this past weekend. Instead, we got a cold blast of wind and a bit of frost on our lawns. Some friends got a bit of sticking snow, but by afternoon it had melted and the warm sun was shining. A lone snowdrop welcomes us as we enter school. As we depart, a happy scattering of purple and yellow buds are peeking through bright green leaves. Our hearts dance at the sight! The first graders found tiny daffodils blooming in the playground gardens. They look with admiraton and respect, and make sure the delicate flowers do not get trampled.

Here is our school nature table, a familiar sight near the front entrance. I was tempted to put a bit of wool snow around the flower children, but couldn't bring myself to do it after all. Mrs. Thaw has diligently swept it all away, and Lady Spring is here to stay, despite that bit of snow we had outside. Old King Winter can play his tricks, but I am not taking him out of the box again until next school year. I put bits of green moss here and there, and I will add more as the season progresses. Doesn't that shade of green make you smile?!

My favorite color is beginning to appear all around. How refreshing! Here's a wild looking bit of land in the middle of the suburbs; a spot just off the highway called The Plumbrook Drain. I pass by here every morning and get about a two second view. This time, I pull off the road to take a picture. There are geese and ducks going about their business, ignoring the traffic in their own morning commute.

Kerstin made this lovely Pussy Willow Lady for our school nature table. It will remind us of her when she has gone back to Germany. We are blessed to have such talent for a few more months. Her other original designs include a Rainbow Maiden, and most appropriately, a Forget-Me-Not. Here is a Snowdrop Lady she made for a friend.
My Daffodil Girl stands triumphantly with her flowers at home. All this Nature Table show and tell is a fine distraction, but what about the knitted farmyard blanket?

Here are the squares for blanket number two. Three new designs have emerged among nine old favorites, so this blanket will be different than the first one.

We are talking about what to do with it when it is finished. After much discussion, we have decided. We will display it around town for a few months, and then raffle it off at our annual Holiday Bazaar in November. That way, friends and families who don't yet know about our wonderful school will have a chance to learn about Waldorf education. Share the wealth, share the joy ~ the more the merrier!

The first stop for our blanket is the Earth Day Expo in downtown Rochester on April 18th and 19th. This is a wonderful free weekend that features green ideas and living well, including organic foods, farmers' market, and family fun. Oakland Steiner School will have a booth. Stop by to see Kelly and friends! The event is presented by Upland Hills Ecological Awareness Center. Learn more at http://www.earthdayexpo.org/

Denise has decided to donate her farmyard blanket to the school. She has enjoyed knitting her squares, and says it inspired her daughter to knit beside her. They shared many wonderful moments together, and she sees this as the true benefit of being in the group. She has chosen to live in the moment - and enjoy the journey. Thank you for your generous spirit, Denise, from all of us.

Caught in the Current

The Paint Creek - Clinton River is moving fast through Rochester Hills Municipal Park today. There is similar beauty and power in the handwork room at OSS. We are caught up in the excitement of the school auction, taking place this Saturday. Many busy hands knitted and needle-felted in a combined effort to complete the farmyard blanket. Thanks to all for your willing efforts.

An afterschool trip to the duck park was a welcome break from our work. The children were delighted! Mr. and Mrs. Mallard invited them in for a closer look at the water. The moms were grateful for rubber boots. Everyone is enjoying the change in the weather. Even the groundhog was out of his burrow and nibbling near the roadside.

Winter has kindly stepped aside for awhile, allowing spring to take hold of the earth. Last week, we experienced the mighty winds of March. This force of nature sent garbage can lids sailing down the driveway, along with windswept children holding tightly onto their hats. This week, we are graced with the golden rays of the sun, plenty of smiles, and warm children asking to remove their coats. This afternoon, at a park not far from school, we had a chance to bask in it. How wonderful to be outside - carefree and happy amidst bikes and strollers and dogs.

I worked on joining two blanket sections, beginning where the river meets the pond. A simple knit stitch allows for easy transition of colors and quick completion.

Shannon tackled the complicated road between the hay field and the corn field. She managed to finish it despite my vague pattern, three varied stitches, and six strands of color. In case you can't tell, its a two track road that dead ends into shrubbery. I think everyone who has driven in the country has seen a road like this. Thanks to Melissa for quickly knitting the long gravel road in seed stitch. Yvonne has added a few rocks since this picture was taken.

Kim used the basketweave stitch to make our cobblestone path. Its a repeating combination of 5 knit, 5 purl for so many rows, then reverse. Brown Sheep's bittersweet and praire wildfire create the brick red color.

Kathleen is making a dirt road to connect her plowed field to the flower meadow. I appreciate her willingness to learn color changes. It will come in handy when she makes roads for her own blanket.

Our first photo of farmyard blanket makers in action was sent in by Yvonne. At the top, Judi, her nother-in-law, knits a sheep pasture while Yvonne adds her trademark needle-felted rocks and blades of grass. Her son Jake enjoys watching them work. Her husband Jeff must be up in the maple tree taking the picture. The Stefani family visited Kensington Metro-Park last Saturday to see how maple syrup is made. Many of the Huron-Clinton Metro Parks host similar maple syrup events in March. It is a seasonal occurance, unique to our region of the world. Check out the link for nearby parks and a schedule.