Nationwide buying statistics show that people are buying less at small shops and spending more of their money at the big craft stores like Michael’s, Wal-Mart and JoAnn’s. I am not affiliated with any LYS but  I am committed to supporting my friends and neighbors by buying locally when possible. The Puget Sound area has lost three yarn shops this year, and I urge you to visit the ones we have and let them know how much we value them!

For those in the area, have you ever done the LYS tour?

For everyone, do you try to buy local or has that become less of a priority lately?

It is a treat to be able to pick up fiber without it sticking to me. My first project was to ply this beautiful hand dyed roving with some black merino from Crown Mtn Farms that has been sitting on my shelf since last autumn. I should end up with three bobbins of this and plan to weave it into a wrap using black rayon warp. Next I have some blue merino and some natural angora and cashmere to finish.

The yarn being plied on the Ashford traveller. The singles were spun on my Journey Wheel

I love earthtones!

Now that the roof, drain, sewer and porch projects are finished I can get back to making messes in my studio! I have avoided most of the serious mess-making arts like painting, pottery and stained glass but I do love clay, polymer clay to be exact. I love how organic the polymer clay looks with my stones and how sturdy it is. The clay settings impart a completely different feel than my wire settings and provide a more massive ancient look. Most of these are available in my Etsy shop and I’ll have the rest listed soon. Hover over the picture for the titles. Click to enlarge.

There are many holidays and customs associated with March besides Easter. Click here to browse a few.

Signs of Spring:

Aries (Mar 20-Apr 19), Taurus (Apr 20-May 19), & Gemini (May 20- Jun 19)

Symbols of Spring:

Baby animals, rabbits, lambs, colored Easter eggs, robins and tulips

Foods of Spring:

Asparagus, artichokes, strawberries, apricots and fresh greens

Colors of Spring:

The pale green of young leaves, white of apple and pear blossoms, pink of camellia, azalea and cherry, yellow of witch hazel and forsythia, and all the colors of tulips.

Stones of Spring:

Ruby, diamond and red jasper are the traditional stones for Aries.  Amethyst. aventurine and rose quartz are traditional to Taurus, agate, moonstone and tiger eye to Gemini.

Activities of Autumn:

Walk in the arboretum under the cherry blossoms, go to the garden show and purchase plants and seeds for next year, make camping reservations for Summer!

Ostara’s place in the The Wheel of the Year.

Click these links to learn more about Spring and Equinoxes:  Rites of Spring or March Equinox Explained.

I love this kind of thing, here is a site that discusses all the things that are wrong with Easter for Christians.

Check out all the wonderful animal photos at National Geographic.com

Groundhog day is Candlemas in the old European Calendar. This is the day that Christmas or Yule decorations officially come down. Here is the full verse:

If Candlemas day be fair and bright,

Winter will have another flight.

If Candlemas day be clouds and rain,

Winter is gone, and will not come again.

~ E. Holden

The US tradition honors the groundhog, or marmot, as the local weather prognosticator. Other regions honored the fox, the robin and a host of other animals. The animal chosen is not important, nor is the forecast supposed to relate to a whole country, but is said to describe a local microclimate phenomenon. Whatever, I ask you all to wish for a cloudy day tomorrow, wherever you are, so that no beast can see his shadow. We don’t want another repeat of last year!

The American Ground Hog: Click here to visit Punxatawney Phil’s official site.

For some of the science behind the tradition, yes, there is a wee bit of science, see the Farmer’s Almanac article.

Most importantly, watch Groundhog Day again.

Ingredients
Country style pork ribs 3 lbs
(it doesn’t matter whether they are boneless or not and feel free to use more or less than this amount)
Prepared pico de gallo or fresh salsa, one 16 oz container
crockpot

Yes, you read it right, you only need 2 ingredients. You can complicate this by chopping onion, garlic, tomatoes and cilantro yourself but the pico de gallo in your grocery’s produce section already has those in it.

Place pork in the bottom of the crockpot, pico de gallo on top, cook for at least 8 hours. Remove bones and shred the chunks with two forks before serving.

You can cook it a day ahead of time, refrigerate the cooker and skim the fat if you are into that sort of thing. I serve it hot and as is.

For a party, you could serve it with rice or tortillas and melt grated cheese on top or just serve it in bowls with salad and bread or chips.

Bon appetit!

At the Solstice, the Sun enters the part of the space-time continuum belonging to Capricorn. This is the official first day of Winter in the Northern Hemisphere. The word Solstice is derived from the Latin sol, or “Sun,” and stitium, or “stoppage.” At the Solstice, the Sun appears to both rise and set at the same spot on the horizon. On or around June 21, the Summer Solstice, the North Pole is tilted most directly Sunward. Those of us in the Northern Hemisphere experience this as the longest day and shortest night of the year. On or around December 21, the Winter Solstice, the North Pole is pointed away from the Sun giving us in the Northern Hemisphere, our shortest day and longest night. It is this tilting of the Earth’s rotational axis that gives us our seasons. If you want more information on how this works, just ask and I can recommend some articles and books that explain it really well. I don’t know about you, but to me, the important part of this is that from here on out, we get a few minutes more of daylight each day, until the Summer Solstice, that is.

Symbols of Winter:

snow, bare-branched trees, icicles, yule log, Santa Claus, elves, a creche, etc.

Foods of Winter:

Mulled cider, brandy, eggnog, Julekake, fruitcake, nuts, yams, satsumas, candy canes and fudge.

Check out this link: spices that increase circulation.

Colors of Winter:

blue, white, silver, red and green.

Stones of Winter:

Capricorn is onyx, hematite and garnet. Aquarius is pietersite, malachite and amethyst. Pisces is aquamarine, and turquoise and jade.

Activities of Winter:

Skiing and snowshoeing, hanging up lights and decorations, Holiday celebrations, watching sappy movies and shoveling snow.