Ah, Spring!

Yes, it's here! Know how I can tell? My taxes are done, the daffodils are up, there are newborn lambs at Squam Farm, and visitors are starting to appear around the island on the weekends.



The arugula and lettuce seedlings have punched through the soil in my garden. It always amazes me that these delicate little sprouts can survive such chilly weather, but they actually thrive in it. The peas have only just started to gingerly poke through, slightly behind the greens.



I wish there were more colorful signs of spring in my garden, but without heroic efforts involving wire, deer netting, and foul smelling sprays, tulips and hyacinths are little more than convenient snack foods for our neighborhood deer. To be honest, I just don't have the energy. For reasons that are beyond my understanding, the deer will not eat the daffodils. They eat everything else, to be sure, including my chives and lilies, both of which will rebound when the deer move on to what must be more delectable greenery later in the season.

Did I mention the lambs?



Some of the sheep in this flock provided the wool that I am using to weave rugs for the Nantucket Conservation Foundation. I've posted quite a few photos on my Flickr page if you'd like to see more.

I've spent the last week and a half weaving linen scarves for spring and summer and played around with weaving with beads. Fun... I think I'll keep going with the beads and will see where it leads. I can envision some interesting possibilities. Here are some photos of the scarves in process, I'll have photos of the finished scarves soon.





I'm working on designs for dishcloths right now, a project that will be a fundraiser for Sustainable Nantucket. The idea is to ask knitters and crocheters to knit up these quick little projects and donate them to SN; the cloths will be sold at the Nantucket Farmers and Artisans Market and the proceeds will be donated to help offset some of the cost of running the market. I'm going to design and distribute some basic patterns as a guide to get people started, although my hope is that most people will take this opportunity to design their own patterns and play around with color. If you are a knitter or crocheter on Nantucket (or elsewhere) and would like to contribute a cloth or two (or more) to the cause let me know and I will send you more information.