KNITTING PODCASTS; UPHOLSTERY PODCASTS-NETFLIX SLOW TV BINGE Viewing

I am deviating today from my normal blog.  Why?  Because I have been working in the yard and field for 3 days and my knees, back, neck and hands are killing me.  I don't even want to go outside to take photos to show you what I am doing.

Instead, I wanted to share with you a couple entertainment sites I love to watch, to have fun and to learn.  If you like to knit or crochet, sit back and enjoy.  If you don't, they are still absolutely fun and you will be laughing.  

The Grocery Girls-on Youtube.TheGroceryGirls They are knitter sisters that are fast talking, having a great time, talking about themselves, their family, shopping, work, but most importantly, their knitting.  The family owns a grocery business and everyone works there.  They say it is their "real" job and a year ago, the sisters decided to do a little YouTube video.  And it has exploded into a really popular site.  They make me laugh every episode talking about just every day funny things.  But the knitting objects and yarns and tools they talk about are brilliant.  The one sister, Jodi makes these darling bags.  Both are on Instragram under sister Jodi-mresbrownbags and sister Tracie-Tracie.  It is on once a week or every two weeks, can't remember because it automatically shows up.  Once I found them, I spent hours watching their older YouTubes and it isn't like you can fast forward them.  They are so engaging, you want to be part of their conversations and not miss a moment.

Off Our Needles-Same sisters, but became an instant success that Craftsy picked them up to make Podcasts under their site.  Similar style-the two of them chatting.  But a bit shorter and structured.  Off Our Needles.  The last one I saw, they both were sitting in a studio WEARING PAJAMAS to celebrate Mother's Day.  They are up in Canada so their holiday may be different than ours.  Then they did a phone call to their mother who is also darn funny.  Topics are yarns, de-mystifying knitting stitches; products, but basically really fun.

Kim's Upholstery-Kim's Upholstery-OK, another YouTube Podcast and person I just love.  You want to learn how to slipcover or upholster from someone who is fabulous, watch her YouTube videos.  She is one of those people who shares all her years of knowledge.  She most recently started a Podcast, once a week, Wednesday morning with projects.  You start out from the beginning and for a month or so (or until it is done) she shows you how to upholster it.  Her husband does the video taping and they chat back and forth, complain to each other, help each other.  They both do upholstery work as a business.  For years, her YouTubes were filmed in their (I think they are in Maine) basement but now they actually have an office shop.  She has become quite popular, is asked to lecture and demo all over the place.  And she sells complete How To videos via the Internet.  So you can take her courses during your own time and convenience.  Kim is fun and during the live Podcast, you log in, she says hello to you and you can ask questions as she goes along.  

Arne &Carlos-arne&carlos.  These guys are famous all over the place, have written tons of books and go lecture all over the world.  Probably more famous in Europe.  They live in Norway, one is Norwegian and they have this fabulous old place overlooks a lake.  They present weekly YouTube tutorials on lots of crafting, but mainly crocheting and knitting.  They talk back and forth, laughing and having a good time showing everyone how to make beautiful objects.  Their knitting is the best, they make all those intricate sweater designs.  They used to work in the clothing design business and changed their focus.  Again, guys sharing their knowledge and skills with the rest of the world, at any time day or night on YouTube.

OK, I am not through yet, I have one other place I think you ought to go view.  I just found it and love it.

NETFLIX-Slow TV- Slow TV National Knitting Binging- It is filmed in Norway and it is 17 hours of everything you want to know, see, hear, learn about knitting.  But not what you think.  Set inside a very old knitting factory with the old looms.  There are people sitting upstairs, downstairs all working on different projects.  Some are knitting pieces to completely cover a Harley Davidson motorcycle. They bring in models of knitted objects; someone periodically teaches you stitches; they interviewed a woman who can't stand knitted projects not finished.  So people from all over the world send her unfinished projects (some projects are over 30 years old) and she completes them.  They talk about therapy for this person.  Tons of information, I can't stop watching it.  But I must say, I watch it late at night when everyone has gone to bed because I want to concentrate AND you have to read sub-titles.  Yes, the downside of it, it is in Norwegian but it really isn't a problem.  Only that I can't binge knit or crochet myself and listen to it.  You have to keep your eyes on the TV screen and read. Slow TV has other subjects, like burning wood for like 13 hours and watching it burn; taking a train ride and viewing what you see from a train.  Bizarre but fun too.

Those are some of my favorites for knitting and crocheting.  I have others, don't you have YouTube favorites?  I have one I love of a young man who metal detects mostly areas where there are Civil War items; coins, old homesteads.

No, I don't spend my day watching TV.  But I am a bit of a night owl and stay up late so that is when I do watch it.  And now my TV is a smart TV and I can get YouTube right on it without watching on my computer.  Oh-I have been known to watch a YouTube on my tablet on my lap and be also watching it on the TV, different programs.  Maybe I need therapy too.

See you next time and I will show you some photos of the farm, the yards, some flowers blooming-promise.

KIDS AT FAIRY GARDEN CLASS MADE IT SO MUCH FUN

We held another fun class here at the farm.  My friend and nursery owner Geneva brought a truck load of interesting small scale plants for us to use.  She also brought a couple of the fairy gardens she made and selling at her nursery in the town of Glenn.

A sweet friend of mine brought two of her adorable grand children aged 5 years and 7 years; and another friend brought her teen-aged daughter and they made gardens together.  They see the small gardening ideas from a totally different view than adults.

My great friend Jerry (ex mayor of Gridley) and woman extraordinaire came and she said she is going to devote a section of her garden to just be for her grand kids-fairy gardens.

I put together a lot of this and that which I thought might be something people could use; such as tumbled ocean glass; drift wood; pine cones; white rocks; glossy round rocks; lots of fairyland furniture.

Geneva brought the cutest miniature sets of rakes/hoes; some tiny watering cans; and some tiny clay pots.  Then she showed us how to cut off tips of succulents that made into plants into the tiny pots; and a tiny vegetable garden.

All dreamy and darling and personal.

I am putting together some more dates and classes so keep coming back to check on what is scheduled.  As I was talking to my friend who has come to many of my classes at the fairy garden day, she said she still is working on her crochet project she learned from me last year.  I think we both agreed that I need to have a once a month knit and crochet night.  People can bring any project they are working on to get inspired again to finish; or get through a difficult part; or just sit around and have an old fashioned girls craft night.

Are you interested?  Write to me if you are at the little "envelope" below this blog, which actually is the comment button or email me at windmillfarm@sbcglobal.net if you want to be put on an email list to be notified of future classes.  And lastly, there is Facebook-either check us out under Paula Carli or Windmill Farm.

Have a great week! Easter is coming up soon. I started growing these rye grass containers to use for Easter-easy and fun.

75 Degrees-Gardening Gardening; Macrame Class A Blast

Each class we have here at Windmill Farm is more fun than the last one, which actually is hard to believe.  People are wonderful and we all become good friends by the time we are finished with our projects.  It is like girls hanging out together chatter, sharing stories, laughing at our mistakes as we are learning new skills. They are a blast for me and I hope for the people that attend too.

The Learn To Macrame class was no exception.  Of course, we all had to discuss our evacuation stories which bonds us all to that horrible time.  Becka has horses, so I was curious what people with large animals did-there was no time, no warnings except TO LEAVE IMMEDIATELY.  We had some laughing out loud-hard, about how each person, each family dealt with this emergency situation and it amazes me how families, friends, and neighbors bonded together to help each other. Amazing stories that would make a fabulous book-what did you take with you when you had 30 minutes to leave your home. Why did I take Vick-why did Jen take powdered protein drink mix; Beth had 3 dogs and 2 cats in her car-not in cages!!  Even typing this is making me laugh at my computer screen.

So back to the class.  I believe a lot of people thought the class may be too simple, to easy, not worth learning to attend.  WRONG!!! You missed out on a lot of fun.   It is my belief that Macrame is just starting up and we will be seeing it everyplace and yes, it actually is easy, but not THAT easy.  It was said over and over how wonderful these would be to give as gifts.  

And by using different cords, jutes, beads, it changed each person's final plant holder even though we all were making the same design and using the same jute material for the 1st one.  

Then we moved on to a bit more complicated designs and people could pick whatever material they wanted to use to make their 2nd one now that their fingers could maneuver to tie the different knots and designs.

As usual, I forgot to take more completed photos because we ran over and in haste, bundling up all their completed pot hangers and gifts, I forgot!

This week as been a warm up weather week.  A few days have been semi-cloudy, but each day warming up until yesterday it was 75 degrees!!

There is so much pressure to get so much done, in such a short period of time. Frank has been painting his latest pergola between the house and garage.  Yesterday, I used the lawn blower and blew all the landscaping fabric in the flower section of the gardens.  I know that sounds weird, I thought it weird myself.  After all the dead plants from last year were removed and a winter of blowing leaves, dirt and debris on top of them-I wondered how I was going to clean them up.  I couldn't see the pre-existing holes to plant new seeds/plants.  The blower!!!  Actually, it worked and it inspired me to really get going out there.

Next Class-Making A Fairy Garden-This coming Saturday, March 18, 2017 here at our farm.  Geneva who owns a darling nursery, Garden Gleamings is teaching it.  She has to get back to open up her nursery, so we are starting our class a little early at 9:30-11:00am.  

All supplies are provided to make our fairy garden. Geneva will also be bringing some extra small plants if anyone wishes to purchase some from her to take home to make more fairy gardens.

Back outside to take advantage of this recent sunny weather.  Come back again-leave a comment below if you are enjoying my blog.  I am working towards revamping it as I know leaving comments isn't easy to figure out.  There is a tiny envelope at the bottom of the post and you click on that.  The boxes below to leave email, name, etc doesn't seem to be working.  Never enough time to figure Blogger out!!!

Happy Spring!

Part 3-BACK TO ALMOST NORMAL-BUT ON ALERT

All we want to do is get back to normal.  All we want to do is prune our trees; disk the fields; plant the seeds; clean up the yard of so much debris created from the two weeks of high winds.  All we want to do is to be able to sleep without half worrying a wall of water will be coming our way.  I want to unpack my car of the emergency items.

I guess, according to our wonderful Butte County Sheriff, who has guided us through this mess from the very beginning, says he can't lift the emergency notice until the Oroville Dam spillway; emergency spillway; hydro plant; and tons and tons of debris from the spillway breakage is fixed.  Gosh, have you seen the pictures of the damage?

Look at how small the people and equipment are-in yellow

It is almost hard to wrap your brain around the images as to how large this gorge is that was created next to the broken spillway.  It is almost hard to image the amount of gravel, dirt, rocks are piled at the base of the spillway dumped there from the raging water.  How can "man" fix such a huge earth disaster?

New worries-all the snow hasn't started to melt in the high country. When it does, more water will be coming down all the waterways into Oroville Dam.  I just have to put that out of my mind.

This will be the last segment of our experiences with the Oroville Dam evacuation.  We will be on alert, to be ready to evacuate, for a very, very long time.  And we thank all these people who have been working on this dam, day and night; 24/7 to make us safe.

What we have decided to do is-farm.  What we love to do; what we need to start doing soon, because the short window of putting seeds and plants in the ground goes by too fast.  

Nature doesn't stop because of an evacuation.  We saw it will be 71 degrees by the end of this coming week!! We have lost almost of month.  First with the 2 weeks of high winds and downpour of rains.  Then the week of the evaluations.  And a "limbo" week of the unknown-not knowing. What we have decided to do is just start living and stop worrying.  

It is out of our hands.  Farmers have always been positive thinkers, we always believe that there is another season; another opportunity; another day to start again.

We are starting again.  I have my bucket of seeds and bulbs.  We are pruning the trees.  We have disked the fields yesterday.  There isn't anything finer than to smell the fresh dirt disked in the fields.

On to living and dreaming of beautiful things growing here at Windmill Farm.  

Come back again and start seeing what is growing; what is being remodeled; what is being built;

new baby chicks; new farm classes being taught; just fun things happening on our small farm in Northern California. Stay tuned!!