Things were so nutso-bananas last week that I feel like some things may have slipped through the cracks. Just to be sure no one misses out I’m going to recap a bit.

Apropos of nothing. I just love this picture.

-Last week, I asked y’all what you thought about diverting some of the money we had been raising for the Heifer International to a Haitian Earthquake fund like the Red Cross. Although most of you agreed, Susan in Katonah pointed out that Heifer has it’s own Haiti relief fund. I think it’s a fantastic suggestion! We get to support Haiti and Heifer at the same time. I hope y’all agree.

-I am extending the deadline on our Finished Objects Photography Contest after hearing from some of you that have a special project very nearly finished.

Send us your pics of the coolest/prettiest/most lovely sweater/scarf/socks/whatever that you knitted up with Juniper Moon Farm yarn. We’ll chose a pool of finalist for all the blog readers to vote on and the winner will receive a $50 Juniper Moon Farm Gift Certificate.

The fine print: At least 75% of your project must be Juniper Moon Farm to qualify for entry. By sending us your photo you’re giving Juniper Moon Farm permission to publish your photo on our website. Send your photos to susie AT fiberfarm DOT com. PLEASE put “photo contest” in the subject line of your email. If you used a published pattern you MUST include the name of the pattern in the email so that we can credit the designer; if it’s an original pattern, indicate so. If you remember the name of the color and which yarn you used please include that info in your email as well. Also include the name you would like to be used with your photo on the site. You may enter as many FOs as you like but please include all the info above for each photo. All photos must be received by February 15th, 2010. Spinners, you will not be left out! Send us pics of your finest JMF handspun. We’ll have a separate category just for you.

-Big Shepherding Camp/Farm Stay news! After much conversation and planning, Paige and I have decided to convert Erin’s former room into another guest room for Shepherding Camp and Farm Stays. We are really excited because a second room will allow us to host families with children and larger groups. We will be taking more reservations this year than in the past, and offering weekends that focus on yoga, cooking, cheese making, photography and more. We’re lining up the instructors now and will publish a schedule ASAP.

If you prefer a more private weekend, we can arrange for private spinning, dyeing and knitting classes, as well as private yoga instruction and massage for an additional fee.

Reservations for Kidding and Lambing Season- March through May- are filling up fast. For more info, email paige AT fiberfarm DOT com.

-The 2010 Shearing Day Celebration will be April 24th. Mark your calendars and make your reservations.

- We still need YOUR suggestion for names for our 2010 kids and lambs. Please leave your entry in the comments on that thread so we can keep them all organized.

-I was a little bummed that this blog post about eating meat got lost in the shuffle last week. I was really enjoying hearing your thoughts and I’d love to hear from more of you.

-Finally, Juniper Moon Farm will be taking on one, possibly two spring/summer apprentices this year. These are unpaid positions but room and board will be provided. To apply, email me at susie AT fiberfarm DOT com with a resume and cover letter explaining why you’d like to live and work at Juniper Moon for a few months. We are especially looking for individuals with production garden experience but will carefully consider all applicants.

First, the Lucy report. Paige and I took Lucy to see Dr. Johnson this morning for a post-accident check-up. Dr. J was thrilled with Lucy’s progress! She said that Lucy’s heart and lung “sound gorgeous” and she seems to be healing really well. She’s keeping Lulu on NSAIDs and pain killers for another week and wants us to keep her in the small barnyard paddock for at least another week. Lucy, of course, wants to get back to work in the big pastures, but better safe than sorry. We’ll have another follow-up visit next week.

As far as damage to her reproductive system, it’s just too soon to tell. They would like to do an ultrasound in a few months once the swelling goes down and she grows a bit. Fingers crossed.

Lucy and Dr. Dawn Johnson

Everyone at the Fork Union Animal Clinic loved Lucy even before the accident- we had been in a week before for puppy shots and her four feet never touched the ground- so when Paige brought her in after she was hit, the whole staff dropped what they were doing and came running. I can’t tell you how grateful I am to these amazing people.

BTW,when I told Dr. Johnson about all the contributions we received from readers and shareholders, she totally teared up.

In other news, I have just listed some new colorways in the shop, as well as some spinning fibers. As always, supplies are limited.

Finally, I am thrilled to announce that the Juniper Moon Farm Spring 2010 Shearing Day Celebration will take place on April 24th, 11 a.m. to Dark, at the farm in Palmyra, Virginia.

Like last year, the event will be potluck. We’ll provide the dinnerware, silverware, etc., drinks and the marshmallows (and peeps!) for roasting. Like last year we hope to have plenty of demos going on. Several shareholders and readers will be bringing their musical instruments to play around the fire and you are encouraged to do the same.

More details here as the day comes together.

As regular readers know, I have spent the last couple of months trying to find a new home for our farm. A big change in my personal life necessitated leaving the New York farm, and staying on Martha’s Vineyard year-round- however much I love it- just isn’t a financially sustainable option at this point.

I spent a lot of time looking at property in Texas. My mother and  sister live there, which made it an attractive option, but ultimately I decided that the Lone Star State is just too far away from most of our shareholders, customers and friends. So, after a lot of soul-searching and back-and-forthing, I finally settled on Virginia.

Why Virginia? A lot of reasons, actually. I have a lot of family there (aunts, uncles and cousins), it’s way more affordable than anything I could find in New York, Connecticut or Massachusetts, and it’s a lot warmer in the winter than the Northeast. (This was important if I wanted to keep Erin as my farm manager.)

It’s also close enough to Washington D.C. to be easily accessible by train from NYC and Boston, which is important to me because I still want to have lots of visitors to the farm.

Once I’d settled on Virginia, I had very little time to find a place that would work. I needed at least 10 acres and a barn, and a house that was large enough for Erin and I with a couple of guest rooms. And I needed something that was available November 1st. I knew it was going to be hard to find a place that met all the requirements, so I gave myself four whole days to look.

Let me tell you, I looked at some pretty horrific places. One of them was so bad that I have since referred to it as as “the murder house.” I could find farms with lovely little houses and falling down barns and no fencing, or adequate barns and condemnable house, or a great house and great barn on 2 acres. It was so frustrating that I actual melted into tears in the car of a friend who was driving me around to look and told him I didn’t want to see any more.

Lucky for me, he talked me into to looking at the last place on my list because it was…well…perfect. Great barn, great house, 11 fenced acres, near Charlottesville. And it was available nearly immediately.

Next week, Erin and I will be moving to our new home in Virginia. Actually, Erin will be moving next week; I’ll be sticking around New York until Rhinebeck.

The other big change is that we will be leaving most of the goats with Patrick in New York. This was a really hard decision for both of us, but in the end, Patrick and I decided to split up the flock. I will be taking the Cormos and the other sheep to Virginia, along with a handful of goats that I just can’t bear to part with. (Yes, Miss Linda is one of them!)

Because we will not be taking very many goats with us to our new farm, we will no longer be selling shares in our Fall Shearing for knitters. We may offer a few Handspinners Shares, but we have a few months to make that decision.

Starting with Spring 2010, our CSA shares will feature all Cormo yarn and roving. We will be cutting the number of shares we sell nearly in half to be sure that everyone receives a bountiful supply of yarn and spinning material.

As for the Vineyard, it’s our hope to have some kind of presence on the Island every summer. What form that will take will be figured out in the next couple of months.

I know that this is a whole lot of change to throw at you all at once, and I apologize for the last-minuteness of this announcement. Unfortunately, there were some legal issues that had to be settled before we could say anything. I hope you’ll understand.

It is your support that has kept us going for the past year. Every time I thought it was just too hard to keep going, to move, to start all over again, I got a card in the mail or an email from one of you. Believe me when I tell you that those notes made all the difference.

The remaining goats will be sheared in NY in the next week or so, so that we can get the Fall 2009 shares to the mill as quickly as possible. Instead of a shearing party this year we will be having an open farm day in November, and Erin and I hope that most of you will be able to attend; we’re anxious to show you our new place. I’ll let you know which weekend in the next few days so you can make travel plans. As always, the party will be open to all of our readers, not just shareholders.

To celebrate our new farm, new home, new everything, Erin and I thought we needed a new name. Something symbolic of our new beginning. Martha’s Vineyard Fiber Farm will know as Juniper Moon Farm. We’ve even changed the logo up a bit to go with the new name.

We hope you love the new name and logo as much as we do.

Thanks Cat and Eric!

Let me start by saying that I HATE watching myself on camera. Hate it like poison. Hate it like Nazis. Hate it like that nasty fake buttercream made with Crisco (which was on my wedding cupcakes!!!!)

BUT I am going  to share the spectacular video that Cat and Eric from Let’s Knit2gether made at our Shearing Celebration. Because I want those of you who were not able to attend to see it. AND because Cat and Eric were absolutely lovely people who took time out of their very full and busy lives to come to our party. AND because some of you will get to see yourselves in the video. AND because Jeff Traver, our shearer deserves the spotlight he gets in the video.

So, against my better judgement and every instinct for self-preservation that I posses, I am posting the first of two episodes of Let’s Knit2gether at the Fiber Farm. (You can click on the little tv screen icon to watch the video larger.)

Much love to Cat and Eric for allowing us to share this with you! If you’ve never watched their video podcast you are really missing something. I worked in network news for ten years and I know good production when I see it. A whole lot of work goes into these things. Most podcasts making me cringe- Cat and Eric are pros and make it look easy.

Ernie Gets Sheared from Linda Campbell on Vimeo.

Today is the most important day of the year on the Fiber Farm, and not just because we’re expecting a couple of hundred people at our house. Spring shearing is our biggest because it’s the only day the sheep are sheared for a whole year. (Goats are sheared twice a year.) Usually we would we shearing up to 50 animals today, but due to last night’s rain, we’ll only be able to do the 10 that we barned last night. 

For those of you who can’t make it today due to distance or other commitments, have a wonderful day and know that I am wishing you were here.

Our biggest day of the year is this Saturday when we shear our flock and we want you to be here to celebrate!We will be making making one trip to the Beacon train station to pick up NYC folks coming in on Metro North. We’ll be at the station in time for the train that arrives in Beacon at 12:08 p.m. (leaves Grand Central at 10:50 a.m.) and can pick up as many people as we need to, but we will need to know you are coming. Please leave a comment here to let us know you need picking up.

If anyone would like to arrive early to help with set-up you are more than welcome but know we will put you to work.

Until Saturday, everyone think sunny, dry thoughts! Can’t wait to see you all.

I am so excited about the week’s giveaway that I can hardly sit still. Shareholder Jennifer King and her husband Jason have recently re-opened the Litchfield County, Connecticut inn that has been in their family for years and years. It’s called The Sachem Farmhouse Bed and Breakfast, and, oh my, but it is lovely. You can see some photos here and read all about the Inn’s history here. 

Just look at these amazing old pictures of the inn.

The B&B is just as lovely today and it’s only an hour away from our New York farm. Jennifer and I are working on putting together a weekend dyeing workshop for a few lucky guests sometime soon, but in the meantime, she and Jason are letting me giveaway a two night stay at The Sachem Farmhouse Bed and Breakfast to one of our lucky readers!  You might even be able to use it the weekend of May 9th when we have our Hudson Valley Shearing Celebration.

All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this post telling me about your favorite weekend getaway. One comment per person, please. You have until Saturday, March 28th at Noon EST to enter. The winner will be announced here on Saturday and he/she must email us to claim his/her prize.

Good luck!

p.s. Coming soon- a giveaway that brings together knitting, our cormo yarn, baseball and the most fun group of women I know.