Antlerstock was WONDERFUL!

Another Antlerstock has come and gone and it seems like we just beat the true chill of late fall. This morning the farm is 26 degrees! Luckily this past weekend wasn't so cold, but instead just a little soggy. That didn't stop the teachers and attendees who made the event as wonderful as it was though. Saturday folks worked outside between the raindrops as they learned traditional woodsman skills, cut down trees, learned about draft horses and harnessing and watched a ton of horse move a 25-foot log up a country road. We cut wool off a sheep's back and learned to wash, card, and hand spin it (And all that before lunch on the first day!). Over the course of the next two days three authors, seven teachers, and a pile of excited folks tackled everything from learning to tend sourdough bread starter to chainsaw safety. There was small livestock butchering demonstrations, herbalism for beginners (which made an amazing cut and scrape salve) and beekeeping naturally under the tents while the rain came and went.  Greg of Living Iron Forge set up a blacksmithing demonstration and showed us how he made a knife with nothing but hammer, anvil, and fire! Some folks shot arrows for the first time on a hillside.  Folks spread out items for barter on quilts and traded everything from homemade quilts to herbal teas and chicken feeders. This might have been the most informative, put-together, and fun Antlerstock so far! People did things that surprised them and myself, including getting their hands between the skin and fur of a rabbit, throwing axes over their head at a target in the forest, and considering a backyard pig for the first time in their lives. I thank all who attended, taught, and gave their time, spirit, and smiles to my favorite festival of the year. Antlerstock is small, but mighty, and a club worth being a part of! I will certainly do it next year, and if you were one of the folks who attended this year and want to reserse a spot for next fall (Columbus Day Weekend, this time) you may do so for half price if you email me about it soon! My thank you for traveling from Canada, Ohio, Jersey, Vermont, Tennessee, and beyond.

Well, folks. Right now I am inside with a hot cup of coffee and a fire roaring. I am tired, very much so, but so pleased. For two days the farm, roads, forest, and fields around Cold Antler were full of a grand scene. And that little wool demonstration I did in a hour inspired a new wool to yarn Vlog I'll post this week and has me all excited for the workshop in a  few weeks where folks will really get to talk in detail about handspinning, sheep, and the amazing world of fiber arts that can live in your own backyard (while mowing your lawn, to boot).

So that was this weekend. I'm back to writing about a monster, updating The Birchthorn Project, planning new workshops (dates are set for Spring Fiddle Camp! March 28-29 2015) and some folks are already signing up!

I'll leave you with the best cake ever to grace this farm! Homemade by Tara Mattison, a barter for a few pounds of honey and worth every drop. A custom Merlin cake! Shared with friends by the wood stove in my little home on the mountain!