Juniper Moon Farm » Video

Probably something you would like…

Susan — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 17:08:35 +0000

I am a big fan of all things Wes Anderson and I cannot wait to see Moonrise Kingdom!

The Christians and The Pagans

Susan — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 15:32:48 +0000

I love this Dar Williams song so much that is in my rotation year ’round. I think it’s what the holiday season is all about. I hope you love it as much I do.

Happy First Night of Hanukah!

Susan — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 20:28:14 +0000

Hanukah begins at sundown tonight. Wishing everyone a joyous Festival of Lights!

A holiday favorite!

Susan — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 18:59:35 +0000

I know it’s not new and I’ve posted it before, but I kind of consider this video the Charlie Brown Christmas of the sheep world. It never gets old! Enjoy

Contributor Post: Knitting According to Lisa

Jenny — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 01:01:30 +0000

Hi everyone!

This is Lisa again (lasdcm on Ravelry) with another installment of “Knitting According to Lisa”! The first video is a new version of the provisional cast-on. I had a question asking why you could not just crochet the chain directly onto the needle with waste yarn, why did you have to crochet the chain separately then pick up the bumps? I had always been told that if you did that you would not be able to pull out the crochet to leave the live stitches but realized I had never actually TRIED it. So I did. Worked like a dream! Thanks Deb! So here is how you crochet directly onto the needle with waste yarn for a provisional cast on:

Provisional Cast-On – Revisited! from Lisa Stockebrand on Vimeo.

Now on to the next chapter. Here are three videos relating to Continental-style knitting, that is holding the working yarn in your left hand and “scooping” it up with the right-hand needle. There are some pretty good reasons to learn how to knit this way if you don’t already know, and some tricky things you can do with it. People will tell you that knitting continental is faster, and it is, mostly because you make fewer movements with your hands, but if you learned the English method first (throwing the yarn with your right hand over the right-hand needle) then you will most likely always knit that way faster. Why was the “English” way invented? According to knitting historian Richard Rutt, it was developed at the very beginning of the Victorian era specifically for ladies knitting in drawing rooms across England. They were instructed to hold the knitting needles “like a pen” so the needle tips were manipulated with the tips of their forefinger and thumbs. This let them make delicate movements necessary to knit teeny weeny things out of teeny weeny silk thread and beads and do so in a very elegant manner with pinkies held up in the air, clearly distinguishing themselves from the peasant knitters who needed to knit for utilitarian purposes. In actuality, the fast way to knit makes use of a knitting sheath- the right hand manipulates the working yarn, the right hand needle is stuck into the sheath or a pad of leather or straw attached to the knitter’s hip. The stitches from the left needle are slid over the stationary right needle and knit off. This is how the people who knit for production kept up their output. The continental or German method came to Germany from upper-class knitters of Norway, and was also commonly used in Russia. Eastern knitters may use a tensioning loop fastened to their clothes, Peruvian knitters tension their yarn by bringing it around behind their necks, a method taken from traditional Portuguese knitting. There are a gazillion ways to knit, so don’t get too serious about the “right” way!

OK, that was your history lesson for the day! That said, if you can knit both ways, it is easier to do two or even three color knitting since you can hold one color in each hand. You can switch off between methods which helps with carpal tunnel (just not in the same project – your gauge will differ). If you purl back incorrectly in continental you actually CAN knit much faster, and it is really easy to knit “backwards” and make a stockinette fabric on two needles without ever purling! So here are three demonstrations for you -

First, is how to knit continental:

Continental Knitting from Lisa Stockebrand on Vimeo.

How to knit REALLY FAST (with a little lesson on stitch anatomy):

Knitting Faster from Lisa Stockebrand on Vimeo.

How to knit BACKWARDS:

Knitting Backwards from Lisa Stockebrand on Vimeo.

Thanks for watching!

Lisa Stockebrand is a contributor to A Shepherd’s Tale. Her blog can be found at Union Street Fiber Blog

Probably something you would like…

Susan — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 06:42:29 +0000

Baylor and Tupelo, two baby elephants at the Houston Zoo, enjoying a springtime swim.

Contributor Post: Knitting According to Lisa

Jenny — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 18:48:48 +0000

Hi all, this is Lisa, aka lasdcm! When Susie put out the all-call for possible blog contributors, she probably figured nobody would actually volunteer to embarrass themselves publicly on video demonstrating knitting done their way! Well, I figure, what the heck! So I am here laying out my knitting skills for all of you to see – please be gentle!

I really love teaching people how to knit, but what I really like is knowing why something works, or doesn’t work. Why are there umpteen million ways to cast-on, decrease, bind off? How is knitting constructed? Why do some ways to knit work better than others? I was taught by my grandmother when I was pretty young, I don’t remember learning. I do know that I was a very successful knitter for many, many years without being able to follow certain lace or stitch patterns before I realized I knit “backwards”. I took a class and saw how my knitting was constructed differently, and presto- a light went off in my head and I became so much more aware of how knitting was actually constructed, stitch patterns were developed and why there are really no mistakes or wrong ways to knit.

Anyway, I plan on a series of videos, hopefully one set every month, which will show you not only how to do something, but why you are doing it that way, and why that way and not another way. I hope that will help de-mistify knitting, and make you not afraid of your knitting, and not a captive of instructions.

So, here we go, with the first four videos of Knitting According to Lisa: Casting On!

Long Tail Cast-On: the basic all-purpose cast-on edge

Long Tail Cast-On from Lisa Stockebrand on Vimeo.

Crochet Cast-On: where you don’t run out of yarn and which you can also use to decorate a hanger

Crochet Cast-On from Lisa Stockebrand on Vimeo.

Knitting-On Cast-On: just how the heck do you cast on in the middle of your knitting?

Knitting On Stitches from Lisa Stockebrand on Vimeo.

Provisional Cast-On: my favorite because I tend to be hard on my knitting and this one does not fall out!

Provisional Cast-On from Lisa Stockebrand on Vimeo.

Blinded by the Cute

Susan — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 01:03:52 +0000

JMF/JRF Puppies from Juniper Moon Farm on Vimeo.

2010 in Pictures

Susan — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 02:10:25 +0000

Okay, before you watch my 2010 in Review video, a few caveats. First of all it is long. And by long I mean looooong, like, 28 minutes long. I tried to tighten it up where I could but, I swear, a whole lot happened! So watch when you’ve got some time. And some tissues.

Second, this retrospective cannot be considered complete, in spite of it’s epic length. Some how I managed to get zero pictures of some on my very best friends, like Kris and Charlie, Amy, Shirra and Tanis. But if you spent any time at Juniper Moon Farm in 2010 expect to see yourself in what follows!

Speaking of what you should expect, there are some rather graphic shots of sheep and goats giving birth. Circle of Life, etc.

Also, I might have stolen your pictures. So thanks.

I’d like to dedicate this montage to Sweet William, Tiny, Nan, Daisy and Miss Linda. I miss each of you every single day and the universe is just a little dimmer for me since you left.

2010 in Review from Susan Gibbs on Vimeo.

And thanks to all of you, my lovely friends, for giving me this life. Every single day is a perfect miracle, even the days that suck.

Speechless

Susan — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 11:49:05 +0000

Okay, I’m a total kittenhead, so take my opinion with a grain of salt, but the beauty of this little film made me weep. It’s a paper cut version of the Star Wars Trilogy.

Jeremy Messersmith – Tatooine from Eric Power on Vimeo.