Wooly Abundance!

Family-Style Felting Workshop
For Children Aged 6 to 106!
Featuring Felted Valentine’s Bouquets

Saturday ~ Feb 4th ~ 12:30-4:00

With fiber artist Regina Mason
At the Ahimsa Yoga Center in the Dewitt Mall, next to the Moosewood

Working with natureʼs finest wool, warm soapy water, and felting needles, fellow felters will learn fun tricks of the trade and leave with the skills to create fine handmade gifts. The creative possibilities are endless!

$35 fee includes supplies
Family rates and limited scholarship available.
Children 6-11 must have an accompanying adult.
 2-2:30 gentle yoga stretch and snack break, bring a snack

Please pre-register: (607) 693-3210
or e-mail via the Contact Us form on the sidebar

About Regina Mason: Fiber artisan, shepherdess, educator and homeschooling mother, Regina holds residence at the Shepherdʼs Child handwork studio at BelleWeather Farm in Coventry, NY. With her M.Ed., Waldorf, and public education certifications, Regina offers homespun and historic fiber arts to colleges, schools, homeschool collectives, conferences, fiber festivals, and historical events throughout the US.

Twelve Days

2011-2012
Sunday, December 25^th through Thursday, January 5^th
5:00 – 8:00 pm

5:00 pm
Soup’s On the Cookstove

6:00 pm
Tree Candle-lighting
In this darkest time of year, come share in some of the richest traditions of the season, followed by the evening’s events.

…What can you bring?…
Pot luck desserts, gluten welcome ~ Veggies for next day’s soup ~ Cider, fruit & cheese ~ Instruments, Songs, Wintry Poetry ~ Dear friends ~ Slippers & Sweaters

The Twelve Days Schedule of Events 

Sun 25:  Schmooze by the fire… 

Mon 26: Song Circle

Tue 27: 8th Night Hanukah Celebration
Eight candles grace the Menorah on this last day of Hanukah. Join us for an evening of Martin Bidney‘s Klezmer fiddling, noshing on traditional Latkes, and playing dreidl.

Wed 28: Longer Tales for Taller Folk
Tuck your young’ns snug in bed and come on over while we share in a longer
literary piece that we rarely have time for. We’ll serve tea.

Thu 29: Schmooze by the fire… 

 Fri 30: Almost Epiphany Celebration 
BelleWeather Children’s Puppet Festival presents:The Story of Cordita and the Three Little Men
An adaptation of Isabel Wyatt’s tale of a kind heart…
&
Brother and sister musical duo:
Jayne & Bram Pomplas
On fiddle and bodhran playing Irish Traditional fare
&
The evening closes with the:
Annual Gingerbread Village Demolition 

 Sat 31: New Year’s Eve Starlight Bonfire
Popcorn and marshmallows at the fire circle, hot cider on the stove….

 Sun 1: New Year’s Day Song Circle 

Mon 2: Schmooze by the fire…

Tue 3: Woolly Winter’s Eve
Bring along your current knitting or spinning project and enjoy a warm woolly evening together.

Wed 4: Schmooze by the fire…

Thu 5: Schmooze by the fire…

A Joyous New Year to All
from the two-legged,  four-legged, and winged
at BelleWeather Farm!

The Shepherd’s Child Handwork Studio was found by Coventry & Warwickshire BBC UK’s radio host Vic Minett. She was doing a search of other Coventrys around the world and found us!  She called today to interview me, I was on live national radio in England!!!

Go to the following link to enjoy! The interview begins more or less around 2:20 on the playbar.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00lh6hs

THE GOLDFISH

Please join us for the
BelleWeather Farm Youth Puppeteers
Presentation of
an adaptation of Eleanor Farjeon’s classic tale:

THE GOLDFISH

Friday August 12th
at BelleWeather Farm 

6:30 pm ~promptly
Potluck Desserts Following

PLEASE RSVP (607) 693-3210 

May Day 2011

May 1st, Sunday
8:30 am sharp~ Gather at the Bonfire, Opening Verse and Song, Procession to the May Garden, Maypole dances begun!

Potluck Breakfast Following ~ all foods welcome!

RSVP if coming

Mason Family at BelleWeather Farm
1216 State Highway 235
Harpursville, NY 13787
(607) 693-3210

“Here’s a branch of frosty May, a branch the fairies gave me!
Would you like to dance today with the branch the fairies gave me?
Dance away! Dance away! Holding high the branch of May!”

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

We are in the thick of maple syrup season, no pun intended. Photos from production next time, but for now, “Inside and Outside” during an idyllic Sugar Snow:

Inside

Outside

Better late than never!

12 Days Open House at BelleWeather Farm

~ 12 Days Open House ~
at BelleWeather Farm

December 25, 2010 ~ January 5, 2010

Soup 5:30
Tree Lighting & Story 7:00
Homeward Bound 8:00

Potluck Desserts

Ready and Waiting for Devouring...

Sunday January 2nd, 2011

Spinners and Knitters Circle 2:00~ 4:00
Family Style Wet-Felting Workshop 4:00 ~ 5:00
Cup of Soup 5:30
Gingerbread House Demolition 6:30

Tree Lighting 7:00
featuring
Brin Taylor on Pedal Harp
playing Bach, Grandjany, Latin American & Seasonal
and
Jayne and Bram Pomplas on Fiddle & Bodhran
playing Irish Traditional

Goodnights 8:00

Silent night... Holy night...

BelleWeather Farm, 1216 State Highway 235, Harpursville, NY 13787

Hope to see you there!

RSVP (607) 693-3210

The autumn winds blow open the gate,
St. Michael for you we wait.
We follow you, show us the way.
With joy we greet this autumn day.

Michaelmas Morn~ You can feel the dragon coming!

Rosy Mist Hanging On...

Later that day, in comes the blustery autumn

The silver rain, the shining sun,
the fields where goldenrod does run,
the fallen leaves winds lift away,
with joy we greet this autumn day.

We heard many stories of conquering the dragon from many different lands throughout the week. We sang it, spoke it in verse, painted it, sculpted it, drew it…

The Battle~ in chalk

Li Chi slays the serpent with her sword and snake~hunting dog.

Can you find the letter "D" in the dragon drawing?

Dragon in Clay

Form Drawing~ the Sword

Silent and Focused...

Sword of Michael brightly gleaming,
Down to earth its light is streaming~
May we see its shining rays
In the winter’s darkest days.

We boiled our annual Michaelmas goldenrod dyepot:

Goldenrod Simmering Overnight

Add the alum, and the sun appears!

Simmer the Wool

Wool is drying. Yes, a little colored wool for fun!

Michaelmas Wool Ready to Spin~ Look at that sunny goldenrod wool peeking out! The beige is goldenrod with iron.

Spinning Michaelmas Wool

The forge, designed by the children and fired up on Michaelmas:

Michalemas Forge

Michaelmas Forger! Crafting a Fine Blade...

And somehow, we fit in so many other things:

Drawing Collected Treasures

Making our own felted woolen chalkboard erasers.

Yes, they really work!

See the turtle one on the left?

"Frau Feder" visits two time a week for German class. Do you remember Madeline? In German?!

Making Maple sugar for cake baking:

Boil to 244°, cool to 180°, and stir as fast as you can!

Quick! Swipe it warm and soft into the mold!

Then, stir it till it cools for baking sugar! Mmmmmm...

And now, for a good book…

Silent Reading time...

As if the week weren’t full enough, the children all met on Saturday morning at the Newark Valley Apple Festival to hear Johannes’ perform with the Toast n’ Jammers Fiddle Club.

The "Boat Song"~ Johannes' own piece

And home we came, to the last rose of summer:

We named it the Michaelmas Rose

First Stop

Second Stop

Third Stop

Fourth Stop

Fifth Stop

Sixth Stop

Seventh Stop

Eighth Stop

Ninth Stop

Tenth Stop

Can you believe we live in such a beautiful world?

Monday Morn

Unexpected school visitor:

Scamper peeks in!

Ready to Paint

We can get it!

Claywork

Earth Puzzles project~ Experimenting with “surface tension”, paper boats propelled by dish detergent on milk:

On your mark, get set...GO!

The Winner!

More Earth Puzzles~ Making Paneer Cheese ...mmmmmm

Tuesday and Thursday handwork:

Spinning Committee

Making a present for mommy's homecoming...

This week embraced the first day of autumn:

Last popsicle of summer...

First Touch of Autumn~ Equinox morn

Equinox Bonfire

The projects this crew produces are ever amazing. This week:

Launchers for Planes

Machete Forge

T-Wal Machete Company product~ Yes, this really can cut through the brambles!

The woodman came to cut some trees down:

Timber! Best view is from the hen-run roof, of course...

The week winds down:

Wylie Brook Whale Watch~ fiddle band practice

Friday Tea~ The week is done