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.

Now that Juniper Moon Farm is serenely settled in our new beautiful location, Erin and I are very excited to be starting up Shepherding Camp again!

Our Shepherding Camp is a six-day, five-night fiber vacation at our farm  You’ll stay at our farmhouse, help us take care of the flock, and knit and spin yourselves silly.

The price for Shepherding Camp is $1300 for up to two people. The accommodations are a private room with two twin beds, so it’s a great trip for two girlfriends or a Mother and Daughter. We can, in some cases, host a third person for an additional charge. While we encourage you to spend some time with our flock, you can do as much (or as little) farm work as you choose. If you’ve ever considered having a flock of sheep or herd of Alpaca of your own, Shepherding Camp is a great way to find out if shepherding is for you.

[2009 Shepherding Camper Kay snorgling Colorado]

When you’re not helping out on the farm you are free to explore the Charlottesville area. There are some lovely Vineyards nearby, as well as Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello,  The fee for Camp includes all meals, served family-style with the farm staff, but we can recommend some amazing restaurants nearby.

Space at Shepherding Camp is very limited! We can only accommodate two people at a time and we will only be doing three week-long Camps this year. However, we will be offering several mini-camps this year for the first time ever. The mini-camp will be a shorter, long weekend version of Shepherding Camp, with arrivals scheduled for Thursday evening/Friday morning and departures on Sunday. Just like with the week-long camp, all meals are included and we will keep you busy while you’re here. The cost for the Weekend Shepherding Camp is $600 for two people.

We will only be booking six weekends throughout 2010 so reserve your weekend early. I highly recommend the weekends during our lambing and kidding season, although we can’t make any promises that you’ll get to witness a birth. (Although, I will say that one lucky camper this summer saw twins being born half an hour after she arrived!) Kidding will begin in March and lambing will hopefully start in April.

And now, for the giveaway! You can enter here to win a Shepherding Camp Weekend for up to two people, all meals included. All you have to do is leave a comment here telling me why you’d like to spend a weekend at Juniper Moon Farm and who you’d bring with you if you win AND help us spread the word about the giveaway. Post the info and link on Facebook, twitter, your blog, in your Rav group, everywhere you can think of, cause we have to have 1000 comments before I’ll pick the winner. Fair enough?

One winner will be chosen at random from among all the entries. One entry per person, please. The winner’s name will be posted on the blog- then winner then has 48 hours to email us at prizes AT fiberfarm DOT com to claim his/her prize. A second drawing will be held in the event of an unclaimed prize and the clock will start again when the new winner’s name is posted.

The winner will work with Erin to schedule a mutually agreeable weekend for the visit. The winner will be responsible for all travel expenses to and from our farm.

Due to a strange turn of events we have just discovered that we’ll be able to offer Shepherding Camp this summer in June and July, with some limited availability in August and September.

Our Shepherding Camp is a six-day, five-night fiber vacation on Martha’s Vineyard. You’ll stay at our house on the Vineyard, help us take care of the flock, and knit and spin yourselves silly.

Here’s what you need to know:

The price for Shepherding Camp is $1300 ($1200 for shareholders) for up to two people. The accommodations are a private room with two twin beds, so it’s a great trip for two girlfriends or a Mother and Daughter. While we encourage you to spend some time with our flock, you can do as much (or as little) farm work as you choose. If you’ve ever considered having a flock of sheep or herd of Alpaca of your own, Shepherding Camp is a great way to find out if shepherding is for you.

When you’re not helping out on the farm you can choose from an assortment of activities. The fee for Camp includes breakfast and dinner every day you’re on the Island, bike rental and transportation, ferry tickets and several activities during the week. Our hand-dyeing workshop is included in the fee as well. [We have the dyeing workshop every week of the summer.] Martha’s Vineyard has great hiking, beautiful beaches, and several other sheep farms that welcome visitors. We’ll plan your visit to suit your interests.

Space at Shepherding Camp is very limited! We can only accommodate two people at a time and we will be spacing the visits out to ensure that we can give every visitor our full attention. For available dates and more information, email me at susie AT fiberfarm DOT com.