Gusman - Flying Goat Farm

Posted on May 29, 2020 by Gusman — Leave a comment

what are you doing this summer?

States are beginning to open up, they are. But life is still so different. Will you go on a plane to a summer vacation? Will you drive somewhere instead? Will you go someplace really crowded like an amusement park or will you look to a more remote place like a National Park?

I think we are staying home. We are lucky in that we have 25 acres to roam around. We have Netflix and Podcasts. We have a nice garden and orchard so we don’t really have to go to a pick your own place.

Throughout all of this time, I’ve been working on taking my in-person dye class and making it something that is totally online. It is filled with short classes that breaks down the process of dyeing self striping yarn and kettle dyed yarn. You will learn the two techniques. You will also build your color confidence with color exercises and experiences. There will be live Q and A sessions and a facebook group so that you can share your great yarn and swatches. And you can get all your questions answered.

I’ll be opening registration in the next 2 weeks. The class is $149 with an early bird discount for those of you who are quick to sign up.

The class will start near the end of June so that those of you who have been home schooling do have something of a break. And speaking of home schooling. This class is definitely one you can take with your child. There does need to be adult supervision.

So express your colorful self and learn a new skill. You can learn more about the class here. And you can sign up for the class list on that page as well. The members pf this list get first crack at registration.

Posted on May 22, 2020May 22, 2020 by Gusman — Leave a comment

terrific threesomes!

Yesterday was my first “Thrifty Thursday”. I showcased my shawl triads. These are sets of 3 skeins that can be used for a myriad of shawl patterns that are available to knitters and crocheters. This is a service that I typically provide buyers at in person shows. I help you pick out yarns that go together. Right now that isn’t available.

I have 12 unique sets. They are all one of a kind. Once someone grabs a kit, it is gone forever. All the sets are made with fingering weight yarn. Each skein is at least 400 yards. So the full set is 1200 yards or a little over depending on the bases involved.

Do you want to see them up close? Click on this Facebook Live video that I recorded yesterday during our event.

Posted on May 20, 2020May 20, 2020 by Gusman — Leave a comment

thrifty thursday tomorrow!

Okay what is this? Well, I’m going live on Facebook tomorrow to show you some of my curated trios of skeins. These trios are all fingering weight yarns. Each skein is a little over 400 yards. So the whole package is 1200 yards. I’ve searched Ravelry just for Shawls that need around 1200 yards and you know how many there are? Over 15,000 choices for you. I know that’s ridiculous right? But I can tell you that major designers like Steven West and Marly Bird have many, many choices for you with 3 colors and 1200 yards.

I love to pick out skeins that go together. And when we are at an in-person show, it is something that I treasure. Since we are now #aparttogether, I can offer these same services online.

I’m offering these trios at a discount on Thursday. I’ve set them on sale Thursday from 8am to 5pm for 15% off. So instead of $84 per set. They are $70. So you get my color expertise and a discount! I will have special sets tomorrow here.

So tune in here at 1pm to see what sets of #terrifictrios I have for you.

Posted on December 30, 2019 by Gusman — 1 Comment

what do you want to learn?

The new year is upon us. For me that means that I’ve been using this last couple of weeks as a time of reflection about last year and what I want my life to be in the new year. It is a time to think about what new ideas and creations I want to bring into my life. And it means that I usually also decide about what I want to learn this year.

My reading/study list for next year….not pictured is Fibershed by Rebecca Burgess since I have the Kindle book

As some of you know, I’ve taken some time off from teaching here. And now, I am ready to dive back into offering more classes on a more consistent basis. Most of these classes will be taught by myself, however we will also have some guest instructors as well. To be the first to find out what classes are scheduled and to get access to early booking, sign up for our email list here.

Examples of what you can make during my Dye your Socks classes Jan 20th or Feb 8th

So I’m asking you, what do you want to learn? Leave a comment so that I can add your ideas to the list.

Posted on December 28, 2019 by Gusman — Leave a comment

word of the year 2020

We are on the cusp of a new decade with only 4 days until we start the new year. At this time, each year, I reflect about last year and I look ahead to next year. I’ve picked a word of phrase of the year for maybe 8 years and it has served as a guiding light or North Star for me as a navigate the next year.

This year I decided that I needed a personal word of the year. Not just a business one. Why? Because I’m think I am needing to create more balance in my life. Enough work and enough time for leisure or fun, downtime to recharge and relax too.

So TA DA!!! My personal word of the year is SAVOR! And probably with the exclamation point too! What I mean is this. Savoring in taste. Savoring in sights. Savoring our vacations. Tasting with your mouth and smelling with your nose, and delighting with your eyes. And dancing with your feet. And listening to beautiful music. I absolutely love to see new sights. I love to taste new foods. I want to savor these things. I want to smell the roses and taste the peaches. I want to sail on a European river and spend time with people who are different than I am. Who hold different beliefs than I do. And yes, listen to glorious music. And sew beautiful fabrics. Life is short and I want to savor it all!

How about you? Do you have a word or phrase for 2020? Comment to let me know!

Posted on December 26, 2019December 26, 2019 by Gusman — Leave a comment

new sweater in the works

I need a warm and really sturdy sweater for this winter. The yarn I’m using is Cacao that I made into a 3 ply so that it is more of a bulky weight. I tried, believe me I tried to get the half brioche stitch correct in the raglan areas. I finally gave up and did a PKP rib there. Because this is going to be a outside sweater and barn sweater, I’ll probably make it longer than the pattern suggests. We’ll see how it goes.

What are you knitting this winter? Reply here or on Facebook and Instagram to let me know.

Posted on December 23, 2019December 23, 2019 by Gusman — Leave a comment

fun and easy knit for the new year

shawl for alpaca wool blend yarn — Camau Shawl

This is a really fun and easy knit shawl. It is a flat triangle shawl that can be worn in a variety of ways. It is primarily a garter stitch shawl with intermittent short rows of eyelet (k2tog, yo). The yarn is a 3 ply farm yarn that is a sport weight. There are 2 plies of wool and one of alpaca. So you have a slightly heathery look to the yarn. The yarn will keep its shape because of the wool but add some lovely softness from the alpaca.

Each kit is one of a kind and they are on sale to!!! So be sure to grab one here while they are still in stock.

Posted on December 20, 2019 by Gusman — Leave a comment

thought provoking book

I’ve known about the California Fibershed movement for quite some time. I long to have a movement like that here in the Mid Atlantic. Have you heard of it before? It started as a local indigo project and grew to a movement to source one’s clothes responsibly and preferably with 100 miles of your home. This can be really hard to do.

The first part of this book details how Fibershed got started and also the really alarming cost of our clothes to our health and the health of the environment. The fashion industry has brought us fast fashion. Clothes that are popular right now for a very short period of time. The 2 biggest manufacturers of fast fashion produce one billion items per year. Most of which are worn a few times and thrown away. Most of these clothes end up in our landfills, becoming more than 5% of all of the municipal waste each year. Over 80 billion garments were sold in 2017 which equals a $1.3 trillion industry employing 300 million people from nearly every country. The majority of those jobs pay a very low wage.

I didn’t realize just how damaging washing your clothes could be. Of course the detergents an be unhealthy for many people. And these synthetic clothes shed microfibers in each and every washing. These microfibers make their way into our water, where up to 40% end up in rivers, lakes and oceans. We know what these plastics are doing in our environment.

What can you do? Well, you buy clothes that will last for a long time, those made from natural fibers and not made from petroleum by-products. You can recycle your clothes by mending them or repurposing them into quilts or other textile items in your home. You can wash your clothes when they are soiled but probably not every time your wear them. And as knitters, crocheters, sewers and makers, you can be part of the fibershed movement. Consider making a wardrobe for yourself or others. Of course wool, alpaca, mohair and cashmere grown locally is sustainable and renewable. We fiber farmers are happy to help you build a wonderful, colorful wardrobe.

I encourage you to read this book and consider the impact of choices we all make in clothing ourselves and our families.

Posted on December 18, 2019December 17, 2019 by Gusman — Leave a comment

curated shawl trios for your new shawl

So many people feel overwhelmed when trying to make color choices for the next new shawl or sweater. Helping shoppers pick out colors is one of my favorite things, so I thought I would put together skeins that will make your next new thing.

All of these threesomes are fingering weight, but some are Corrie Sock, some are Really Fine and some are Sparkly.

I searched Ravelry’s patterns and there are more than 4300 choices of shawls that use 1200 yards of yarn. The choices are immense. Lots of A-list designers have shawls that use this kind of yarn in this amount: Stephen West, Melanie Berg, Casapinka and Andrea Mowry just to name a few.