Suburban homestead in Southeast Wisconsin: 👩🌾🧶🌻🌱🐇
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It's finally here! 🥳📚🌠 If you know me, you know I love my Starset. Pre-ordered the new novel and it showed up today along with bonus goodies! Now to try and read it before the next concert. ✨️💫🌟 (Of course had to get an autographed version by lead singer Dustin!)
Save your retinas! PPE is cool, kids! 😎 Happy eclipse viewing 🌔
Happy Easter, everyone! ✝️ He has risen!
Brunch I whipped up for today included: French toast casserole with maple syrup, fresh berries, ham & swiss baked croissants, sausages, and orange juice.
Each year I have a food goal: to stop buying something specific at the grocery store, and make it entirely on my own going forward. Previous years have included: pre-made spice mixes, tortillas, salsa, pie crusts, and canned soup. This year, I am giving up store bought noodles for good! 🍝
First, I've learned how to substitute out noodles in certain dishes, like zucchini slices in lasagna, and cabbage in spaghetti. I assure you, the flavor is still there, tastes awesome, and better for you! (I 💜 carbs as much as the next person, but they aren't always needed.) The next step is becoming proficient at making noodles- which I've done before, but need to get better at. Excited to roll up my sleeves and tackle this challenge!
Pictured above, left to right, top to bottom: clipped beef on toast (breakfast dish), basil penne beef, grilled chicken salad with walnuts, cranberries, grapes and blue cheese, smoked ham & stuffing, walnut banana bread, taco soup, lasagna with zucchini, salmon burgers on cloud bread, and spaghetti with cabbage.
Happy Valentines Day & Ash Wednesday! 💝✝️ Showing some love for my coworkers with homemade banana walnut bread; made with sourdough starter.
According to this varmint- we're due for an early spring! Time to start your indoor seeds, folks! 😆
Finally finished & gifted! 🥳 Total of 921 yards of alpaca fiber spun into yarn & crafted into this 30" x 30" baby blanket. It's dense for cold weather, but has wonderful drape from the stitch pattern. I used nearly TWO entire alpaca fleeces to spin all of this! (And no, this does not count towards the 2024 Tour de Fleece project, hah.)
This was a "stitch as you go" project, where I crocheted the blanket as I had yarn made. Average was 75 yards of chain-plyed yard per bobbin: about a dozen bobbins spun. Quite a humbling experience as a spinner to see how my work turned out immediately in a finished product.
My skills grew by leaps and bounds from this project. I discovered that color fatigue really gets to me, and will try to have two spinning projects going on simultaneously in the future to prevent that. My hands found a new rhythm to chain-playing where I can better conceal the "loop" created in the final yarn, ensuring a smoother project. And, I improved my skematic pattern reading skills for crochet. (Followed a diagram rather than written pattern.)
Here's to the next project! 🥰 And, can't forget: I am at 720.06 yards spun for 2024 so far.
WIP Wednesday! 🥳 I'm up to 680.05 yards of white alpaca yarn spun so far. I finished another three bobbins in the last week. Still going strong, and only have a few batts of fiber left until I'm out of this fleece. The home stretch is almost within reach!
(That brings the total for 2024 to: 478.72 yards spun.)
With a high of 0°F and over a foot of snow, it was time to tackle another wool project! Pulled this lovely raw, chocolate brown Shetland fleece from my stash for processing. Half was scoured and washed, and when dried, picked and ran through the drum carder twice. How delightfully soft and lofty!
The remaining half was washed yesterday and will need a few days to dry. Then, off to the carder it will go. All in all, to remove the remaining VM, each batt will be carded about 5 times each. The goal is to get this fleece ready for spinning, although it may not be next in line.
Winter is the perfect time to finish prepping all the raw fleeces in my stash, since the humidity is so low in the house. I'm also thinking ahead to the 2024 Tour de Fleece, and what my goals for this year's event will be. Perhaps just one whole fleece? 🤔
Snowbunny! ☃️ Hope everyone has been safe thru this recent winter storm ❄️ It's the perfect building snow; couldn't pass up the opportunity!
The October wooly bear caterpillar prediction was a mild to moderate winter. I find that to be spot on so far! The only substantial snowfall we've had was back on Halloween. What do you think: easy winter ahead, or going to take a turn?
Hope you all had a wonderful New Years celebration! 🥳 165.3 additional yards of alpaca yarn have been spun, bringing my total for this fleece to 366.63 yards. I adjusted the project and actually need quite a bit more, so it will be a work in progress!
Total yarn spun for 2024: 165.3 yards.
Merry Christmas! 💜 Eryn & Opalay Moon
With how busy life gets, sometimes I feel like I'm chasing my own tail and not getting very far. (Do you ever get this way, too?) I've had to learn that momentum means progress! And progress rarely is a straight line from Point A to Point B. 🔄 Something I've been keeping in mine while setting goals for 2024.
Hope you are all having a wonderful advent season! 🎄 Been too busy enjoying the festivities with family & friends to focus on social media- also known as- having your priorities right 😉 BUT! I am looking ahead to next month and a bunch of new homesteading projects! 💜
WIP Wednesday! 🐑 Running totals for this handspun alpaca fiber: 201.3 yards of completed yarn. 🧶 This is 3 bobbins worth of spun singles, chain plyed to make a worsted weight. My goal is to reach 600 yards of yarn to make a project.
Hope you are all having a wonderful Advent season! 💜
Baking season is here! Building up my sourdough starter to epic proportions (slowly) to ensure I can bake ✨️all✨️the✨️things✨️! What's on your holiday cooking list? 🥖🍞🥐
Happy WIP Wednesday! 🧶🐑 This week's "work in progress": three full bobbins of white alpaca fleece. I'm averaging 1.25 batts of fiber per bobbin. This will be chain plyed. I have a LONG way to go with spinning this entire fleece, but it's so incredibly soft, it's like spinning a cloud. I'll be keeping a running total of yardage as it's created!
Congrats to the winner for the wool winter hat giveaway! 🧶 And, a special THANK YOU to everyone who stopped out for "Small Business Saturday". By choosing to support entrepreneurs, you are helping people achieve their dreams 💜
Now until 2 PM: Small Business Saturday! Find me at the Saukville Feed Supplies store. I'm inside the warehouse, straight down the entrance on the left side. Looks for the purple 💜 Stop by for a FREE entry form to win a 100% wool, completely handmade hat! (No purchase necessary, need not be present to win.)
Location: Saukville Feed Supplies
313 W Church Street
Saukville, WI 53080
Giveaway revealed! 💜 Tomorrow, one lucky person will win this 100% handmade winter hat! Made with 6.74 ounces of 100% handspun yarn, neutral colors, sized for an adult, this THICK hat is guaranteed to keep you warm on the coldest of Wisconsin winter days. Retail value is $50. Entirely handmade!
How to win: no purchase necessary. Simply find my booth at the Saukville Feed Supplies store for "Small Business Saturday". Fill out a slip with your name and contact info, so I can contact the winner & ship the hat by Tuesday. (Remaining slips to be destroyed right after- I'm not soliciting or contacting anyone else.) No need to be present to win.
This is just my little way of saying ✨️THANK YOU✨️ for supporting small, local businesses, like mine.
See you Saturday!
-Eryn 👩🌾
Date: Saturday, November 25th, 2023
Time: 8:00 AM until 2:00 PM
Location: Saukville Feed Supplies
313 W Church Street
Saukville, WI 53080
Happy Thanksgiving! 🦃
-Eryn & Opalay Moon
Giveaway hint! 👀 This bobbin was as stuffed as a Thanksgiving turkey. 🦃 I'll be seeing you this Saturday at Saukville Feeds! 💜
Happy "gun season" eve! 🦌 A decent 8-pointer chased a doe across the road in front of me this morning, so the rut is still on. Fellow hunters: be safe this season!
This "WIP Wednesday", I am making something special just for YOU! 💜 Yes, YOU! To show my thanks, I am giving away a fun little something, carefully handmade, just for you. Well, one of you 😆 How do you receive such a gift? It's simple!
My next booth is Saturday, November 25th at Saukville Feeds, from 8 AM until 2 PM. This is "Small Business Saturday", and myself along with many other vendors, will be there. All you have to do is stop by and say hi! 🌻 No purchase necessary, you don't need to be following me on social media- nothing like that. I just want to show my heartfelt appreciation for all of you that turn up to support small local businesses.
Simply fill out a slip with your name & contact info so I can ship you the prize, for free. (Those contact slips will then be destroyed promptly after.) So, you don't need to be present to win. The drawing will take place at 2 PM when the event ends, and I'll share the video of it on social media right after.
Easy peasy, right? 🍋 Finished prize to be announced in the near future. And, please mark your calendar for the fun event!
Date: Saturday, November 25th, 2023
Time: 8:00 AM until 2:00 PM
Location: Saukville Feed Supplies
313 W Church Street
Saukville, WI 53080
WIP Wednesday! 🐑 🧶 My new winter hat is finished! (Made with wool yarn that I spun & dyed.) What autumn projects are you currently working on?
Since we are officially a week into November...
WIP Wednesday! 🐑 🥳💜 Here's the progress on my new business winter hat. I've got about 10 rounds left to crochet, and then make a matching pompom. (The wool yarn for this hat was spun during the Thresheree weekend.)
I'm still chugging along on the green cardigan...about 20 rows left on the back piece, which is the biggest section. Doesn't look that different from the last picture update, hah.
Happy November! 🥳
Snow on Halloween? 🎃 In Wisconsin, you betcha! ❄️ It's even sticking to the ground today, hah. On the first snowfall of winter, my tradition is to listen to my favorite Christmas songs, and then a bit of Michael Buble after. (That is enough to hold me over until Thanksgiving.) Still looking back fondly at the possum pumpkin I carved earlier this month.
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Congrats to the winner for the wool winter hat giveaway! 🧶 And, a special THANK YOU to everyone who stopped out for "Small Business Saturday". By choosing to support entrepreneurs, you are helping people achieve their dreams 💜
Road trip to pick up the newest addition to our rabbitry: a blanc de hotot doe that we named 😇 Halo! She is named after the song "Halo" by Starset, my favorite band. 💫 "Send out the signal And I'll fly low If it means the death of me I won't let go And if I'm lost in the world's shadows I'll use the light that comes to me From your halo" #thehumblehomesteadllc #rabbitrylife #blancdehotot #rabbitbreeder #rabbitbreedersofinstagram #starset #starsetsociety #halo
We are now on TikTok! Enjoy our first ever video: a clip of the hardwood floor reveal. #thehumblehomesteadllc #tiktok #tryingsomethingnew #homesteadremodel
Happy 4th of July! 🇺🇸 Our own light show in the backyard: dozens of fireflies blinking in the twilight. Today's photo challenge is "sparkle".
🥳Minty had her babies tonight! 🐇 At 7:00 PM, I went out to the rabbitry to feed them dinner and give fresh water. Peeked inside her cage and she was pulling fur like crazy. Watched her line her nest with the fur. Then, she hopped in and started giving birth. I watched for a few minutes, and then gave her privacy. (She trusts me and didn't care that I was there at all.) It was perfect timing and I'm blessed to have witnessed such a miracle! Most rabbits give birth in the middle of the night, and are very secretive about it. At 8:30 PM, I made another stop out for food/water, and to check on the newborn kits. Minty had seven! 🐰 They all looked perfect. She even had covered them up with fur this time. I gave her some tasty greens from the garden and she still even wanted some pets. Fingers crossed that this time around goes well. I think she has it figured out this time, but we shall see! 😊 #thehumblehomesteadllc #homestead #meatrabbits #backyardmeatrabbits #homesteadersofinstagram #homesteadersofamerica #growyourownfood #babykits #bunnybirthday #newzealandrabbit
☀️Heat wave!☀️ Helping the bunnies keep cool with fans and big blocks of ice. #thehumblehomesteadllc #backyardrabbits #backyardmeatrabbits #meatrabbits #homestead #newzealandrabbit #heatwave #keepcool #iceicebaby❄️ #rabbitrylife
Cold weather got you down? It's bitter cold here and I wanted to think of warmer times. Enjoy my video of exploring the waterfalls and sights at Copper Falls in Wisconsin, USA. #waterfall #wisconsin #copperfalls #wisconsinparks #thehumblehomesteadllc #beautiful #trails #outside #outdoors #vacation #hiking #hike #camping #campfire #campfirecooking #tentcamping
Convenience food at it's finest! Canning food ahead of time is a delicious time saver. Here is an easy 15 minute dinner that you can make with simple ingredients and preserved foods. #thehumblehomesteadllc #easymeals #chickennoodlesoup #cowboycandy #cooking #cookingathome #homemade #homemademeals #madefromscratch #canningisfun #canningandpreserving #homecanning #dinner #dinnerideas #dinnertime #homesteadmeals #homesteadersofinstagram #homecooking #wisconsinhomesteaders #homesteadersofamerica
Beet harvest from tonight! #thehumblehomesteadllc #beets #veggiegarden #harvest2020 #raisedbeds #growyourownfood #selfsufficient
Cleaning and scouring a Navajo Churro lamb fleece from Puddle Duck farm in Oregon. There's very little VM (vegetable matter), and the locks are long and GORGEOUS! 😍 This breed of sheep is in the Shave Em 2 Save Em (SE2SE) program that I'm working through. Since I have several pounds of fleece, I will be spinning some, but the majority will be needle felted into a fun project. #se2se #thehumblehomesteadllc #shaveemtosaveem #navajochurro #fleece #wool #clean #yarn #needlefelting #unicornscour
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