True2Ewe

2016-11-25T17:34:00.004-08:00

TRUE2EWE UPDATES!!!!

2016-11-25T17:34:00.003-08:00

We are moving our adventures.....
True2Ewe will remain our Fiber Farm. We still have our Etsy shop open, and we have big plans in the works for our tiny farm. In the mean-time, come join us on Facebook for our Adventures as a family!!! Eddie and I are working together full-time now, and we're looking forward to sharing more with you.

THE LAMKE LIFE

More Family Pics 2016

2016-04-25T23:29:00.004-07:00

Our November Family Photo

We managed to capture this one with all of us together at the end of February! Tulip tree just starting to bloom and daffodils all around us.
I promised to keep it real... and this is REAL! ha ha
We've got dress-up clothes, pjs, some thrilled to get the pic and some not so thrilled. I love this wild little tribe of ours. I'm not loving my experiment with red hair dye... but that's for another day!

12 Month Photo Project - January

2016-01-25T18:20:00.000-08:00

Kicking off our first blog project of 2016!

Our plan is to set that auto-timer on the camera and capture all TEN of us together, a photo for each month of the year. Nothing says January in Oregon ... like rain puddles and mud.

Seriously...

oh my goodness..

the MUD!

They had fun, we had fun, and it's a project that I'm really looking forward to visiting throughout the year. How hard can it be?

It starts off pretty good.

We all knew he'd be the first to crack... choosing the chicken was a give-away!

If you can't beat em'.. join em'!

And then this happened....

Not everyone was excited to get dirty.

It just took a little convincing!

Master Bedroom Remodel

2014-12-02T21:54:00.001-08:00

HERE'S THE UPDATE!!!
This is technically our first 'almost' finished room in our 1900 farm house. The complete album of photos can be found "HERE" .

The last time our house saw a remodel was 60 years ago. Our neighbor was just a young girl living here and her dad was doing the updates to the home her grandpa built. Yes, I'm blessed to have the original family as my wonderful neighbors.

We didn't come into the home with any set ideas how we'd design the floor plan, we just knew that we were going to tear it down to the studs so as to insulate and rewire and to rip the dropped down ceiling on the main floor of the home.
What ended up being revealed as we went along is what helped determine what is now our beautiful, cozy, master bedroom.

Before: open floor plan living area (green carpet). I pulled this out myself (ok, I had an AWESOME 9 year old helper) the day after I had keys.

Next came removing the plaster. No lathe and plaster.. it actually came off cleanly and revealed the GORGEOUS shiplap original 100 year old siding. There were old wallpaper remnants that had been tacked on. This was easily removed and started what would become our collection of 'wallpaper' keepsakes. (we cut a square of every new pattern and save for a scrapbook). What wasn't so easy, would be all the little tack/nail holes I'd end up filling with putty before priming and painting.

We pulled out the fireplace facade. We plan to build wall to floor bookcases on either side of fireplace later when we do the finishing touches to the downstairs.

THEN CAME THE MISSING WALL!!

Up to this point we still hadn't decided to turn this room into our master bedroom. What we discovered under the plaster was that this room had undergone a couple of changes 60 years ago, and a few changes before that. There was an exterior door filled in, there used to be an old window where the current wood burning stove it. And before that fireplace this room had a 'widow' maker wall stove that heated it. The chimney was abandoned, and does not go all the way to the roof. It still had bricks that needed to be removed from the wall. And the greatest discovery was that a VERY important wall had been removed. Yes, the load bearing wall that had originally stood near the front door had just been cut off to the studs. No beam. Decision made! Original wall returns, master bedroom takes shape. I am more than thrilled with this idea. The old hall bedroom adjacent to the living room will be remodeled into a new big bathroom. (coming soon...)

CUT STUDS ARE REVEALED... and TEMPORARY WALL PUT IN "IMMEDIATELY".

NEW WINDOW and INSULATION

WALL UP... GETTING READY TO PAINT...

ADD PAINT!!! It's getting closer.

AN EXTRA SPECIAL GIFT>>> HUBBY MADE THESE SCONCES FOR ME!

THE PAINT MATCHES OUR CEILING. AND I GET A SWITCH OF MY OWN ON MY

SIDE OF THE BED. ONE OF MY FAVORITE PARTS OF THE ROOM.

MY IKEA CLOSET WITH LIGHTS... COMES IN 2nd PLACE FOR THINGS I LOVE!

THIS IS THE PANORAMIC VIEW OF ROOM.

FOR MORE PHOTOS... BE SURE TO CHECK OUT THE "MASTER BEDROOM ALBUM" by clicking on the name. We will keep adding to the collection of farm house remodel albums as we go.

WINTER HATS FOR SALE

2014-12-02T12:17:00.003-08:00

I love warm wool in cold winter months!!! Snuggly babies in squishy hats are even better!!!

I've stocked the "True2Ewe Etsy Store" with hats for all sizes.

Sheep Shearing 2014

2014-11-30T13:57:00.002-08:00

Well, our baby boys are growing up and were ready for a trim! We had our sheep shearing day, and our Perendale sheep did not disappoint. One had a longer staple and a whiter coat, but both are ultra soft and lanolin rich. I won't be processing and spinning this wool until next year, but as soon as I do, I will be sure to tag an update to this post.

We will document the different flock varieties we try and the processes we learn along this adventure. I can say that this first year on the farm has been hard learning as we go, but definitely worth it.

Off the Needles!

2014-11-17T08:24:00.002-08:00

Scrappy Ruffle Set!!!
When I hand dyed this merino wool purple, I knew it was meant to be a sassy little newborn set.
Not sure what my next project will be, but it's knitting time here at the True2Ewe house. As long as it's freezing outside, there's sure to be wool on my needles.

Everyone here has pulled out their bright colorful knit hats and sweaters. What's on your needles right now? I'm dreaming of an afternoon scrolling Ravelry and weighing yarn for future projects.

Swing Set converted into a Chicken Coop

2014-11-06T11:36:00.002-08:00

Thought I'd start giving a photo tour of some remodel work on the farm, or maybe call it 'repurpose' work.

CHICKEN COOP #1....

I'm going to call it our first coop, because I have been assured that 12 chickens is just the beginning of our flock. I think an old swingset makes a great coop for a smaller number of hens like this, but we know this isn't the BIG permanent chicken coop that the farm needs. I imagine this will be ideal for housing the young chicks before adding them to the bigger flock down the road.

We knew our first batch of hens needed a good structure before winter gets here. We decided to go with repurposing our old swing set that we've out grown, and that was starting to show some serious rust issues after living a beautiful life on the Oregon Coast. Swing set conversion time!

The a-frame was built off of the existing swing structure.

Lots of chicken wire, and a make-shift, swing back, entrance that is locked in place with some cord, clips/locks. This is how we enter the play area of the coop, and the exit for the chickens to come out and free range right off of our big grassy field. They love it! Since Bubby has designated himself the master at finding bugs/worms for the chickens, he was already on hand to help me give the photo tour.

The upper story needed to be lowered so that we had access to cleaning out the droppings under their roosts. Eddie built a drawer to pull out and easily clean the droppings into the garden, etc. There's a clip that holds the upper door open. And inside is where the chicken's roost at night. This was just left over wood from the swing set ladder. Everything gets a new use, even the handle bars from the swing set, perfect for the drawer pull.

Hen Boxes:

A chicken ladder was made from swing set wood to give the chickens indoor access to the upper and lower levels of the coop. The hen laying boxes were added on to where the structure used to have a picnic table/bench. With cut in low doors, it's easy access for even the youngest kids to open and retrieve eggs.

There's another built in access we made to the lower level where we keep food and water. We have extra water upstairs and one outside too. We tried to think of everything as kid friendly because this is a chore that the little ones REALLY love being involved with. All the little added in clips to hold doors open are for keeping the kids safe, but I'm sure aren't a must have.

We covered the ground in wire, and extended to the outer play area for them to prevent predators from digging in. Then covered the ground with gravel and sand (mix in a little diatomaceous earth when weather is warmer).

I love the weighted door hung from a pulley. That's my man's ingenuity and making something awesome from parts just laying in the tool box. I like that we don't have to climb in the play area to let the chickens out in the morning.

I actually think this chicken coop is something beautiful.

I adore these projects and I love our little farm! Now it's actually hard to decide what to share next. I am working on an album of the 'before' photos of the farm, and farm house. There's too many to choose from so I may just have to post a link to the album in my next update. :-)

One year down! We made it....

2014-10-24T17:45:00.000-07:00

It's been a year since we moved into our farm house!

What a year!

Animals, and more animals.
Construction.. and more construction.

I can't count how many trips to the dump we made!

And then the PREGNANCY. What a Pregnancy!
One month into construction and we found out we had another baby that would be joining our full house.

Looking back I couldn't imagine that I had such a rough 9 months (hyperemesis gravidarum) ahead of me. But we made it through, and we have the sweetest little girl now. Miss Mabel Etta, our 8th precious child.

The longer I've been away from blogging, the harder it is to pick back up and start writing again. I have no idea where to start/finish. I've had a year of meeting new people, new experiences, new life, and every day starts and ends different from the one before it. There's no consistency yet, but there's constant awe and wonder all around me. I'm ready to share more.

The rain has started, fall is turning into winter soon. The sheep are ready to have their wool sheared off, my needles are constantly busy with clothing creations made for tiny feet, tiny legs, tiny heads. I am almost done canning my winter preserves, and pretty soon that cozy chair by the fire will be calling my name. I think it's the perfect time to spend catching up on what a year was like on our True2Ewe farm.

And nothing says it better than a One Year Photo...
and just like everything else in my life, as soon as I took this photo, we took out that front door and replaced more windows on the front porch. We added porch lights and removed two trees. NOTHING stays the same long. It's going to be a fun winter catching up, I hope you come back to visit the blog and enjoy a few new surprises along the way.

Back Online ... September 2013

2013-09-02T16:40:00.003-07:00

We are finally back online! Which means the website will be up and functioning soon.
I apologize for all the missing links, and hard to navigate site.
It's going to take a little longer to get the stores back open, since we are working...working..working here on the new farm!
It's a dream come true and we are loving every minute of it.
Outside work has consumed our first full month here, and we only just began the interior home remodel.
Floors were ripped out, walls are coming down all around me, ceiling too (restoring the beautiful high ceilings from 1900). It's too much for my brain to take in some days.

To get started we are going to make 2 acres cross fenced for pasture and grazing for a flock of sheep, possibly 2 goats, and I have my eye on some cute alpacas. The barn is 3 stories so the lower level will be the stables. The main level my hubby built storage for holding things while we renovate the home, and it has a work station for him. The third level is HUGE and for the time being will just keep housing the 2 Gorgeous barn owls that have had residence here for quite some time. The history of the owls dates back longer than I've been living, and I'm assuming many siblings later, they are still enjoying their home. We enjoy watching them, collecting their fallen feathers, and reaping the benefits of them clearing rodents for us in a natural way. :-)

Whew!!!

Well, that's it for a hurried update. Please hang in there with us. Soon will be back here regularly, we will have lots of exciting news to share, photos to post, and updates on farm happenings.

Thanks everyone!!!!!

Tattoo LOVE

2012-05-27T14:08:00.001-07:00

Well, she has done it again! She, being the amazing Laura Jade, our favorite tattoo artist.

She has now contributed five tattoos to my husband and myself, not including the full arm piece she's currently tattooing on him. You may remember the last time I wrote about my hubby showing me some love through permanent art 'here'.

And it doesn't stop there.

Our latest artwork "connects" me to my hubby in a, new, fun way.

When my oldest daughter had the idea of two sweethearts communicating through tin-cans, we set to work designing our latest piece. I took my drawings to Laura and she brought them to life. I love the little details she created like the heart in my girl's hair, and the boots for the boy. The colors are stunning and fit our personalities! I am SO in love!
I am equally pleased that our tattoos are filled with sweetness, memories, and external expressions of our life and love for each other!
I'm sharing a fresh photo, but I'll be sure to post more after healing.

My March Girls...

2012-03-21T15:40:00.000-07:00

We had two birthday girls this month.

My sweet Emery turned 3...

This always seems to be the age that my little ones really get into birthday celebrations. The homemade cards from siblings are enjoyed, the presents are exciting, and the whole day is filled with singing and dancing. I love it.

And darling Abigail turned double digits... big 10.

What a wonderful month. Taking the time to celebrate and to remember our wonderful blessings is the best. Smiles, laughter, and spending time enjoying each other, I can't think of anything better.

Saturated Colorways by True2Ewe

2012-02-23T18:00:00.000-08:00

INTRODUCING... Saturated Colorways

I'm excited to start offering what I will refer to as "Saturated Colorways" in my Hyenacart Store this week.

This is a style of colorway that will create OOAK (One Of A Kind) variegated colorways that cannot be repeated.

I will hand dye coordinating skeins using a process of picking one 'main' color to saturate the yarn with, and adding in small amounts of complimentary colors to create the custom colorway.

Each set will include 2 coordinating skeins to create an evenness to your project, and a solid trim that coordinates well with the colorway. Once this set has been dyed there will not be another dye set exactly like it created.

To see an example of the new method below. Please see that both of these colorways are the SAME, the lower one is "Saturated" using brown as the main color.

A great benefit to this type of colorway is that it creates a beautifully variegated look without the fear of pooling. You will get a lovely evenness to your project. And of course with no two sets exactly the same your project truly becomes One of Kind!

Up and Going....

2012-01-22T16:46:00.000-08:00

All right, so the new blog is up and running again.
Not all of the links are working just yet, and we haven't been able to archive the old posts.

It's a process.

For True2Ewe customers.. I hope the new look and some of the new links coming will make getting info quicker, and get you answers to the most frequently asked questions.

I'm really pleased with the progress of the new year, I hope we keep the momentum going.

For family and friends, I will have new updates to share soon, and a more convenient way to get you photos.

Thanks again to all of you for your continued love and patience.

Amy

Happy New Year! 2012

2012-01-07T12:39:00.000-08:00

Well, I have some BIG blogger changes coming for the New Year!

I've decided to integrate my personal blog with my knitting blog, and you'll be seeing some changes in appearance and activity here on this blog.

I have a busy little world over here with new baby addition, homeschooling, knitting, and trying to stay in touch with family and friends. Rather than try to be all over the place, I find that having most of it in one stop for me will free up some extra time.

Some of you already know me pretty well, but if you are just visiting here, or a new customer, you will definitely have a chance to get to know MUCH more about me and my little tribe I like to call family.

I will be able to keep in touch frequently, update knitting projects, and also keep family and friend updates here as well. I have SEVEN kiddos, so please don't be overwhelmed by the photo flood that occurs when I post updates! I love y'al and for those that ask, "how does she do it?", well, here comes a much better view on the answer to that in the form of written confessionals that I call my blog (I will be importing the personal blog posts into this blog).

I'm looking forward to the New Year ahead, and I hope you'll stick around and enjoy some of the new changes in store for True2Ewe and it's integration with Our Life.

Cheers!

PEACE * LOVE * VW

2011-10-15T11:14:00.000-07:00

Peace.. Love.. and Vw's

It all starts with some inspiration. I found these cute little "peace" buttons from TessaAnn in my stash.

Next came time to dye up the yarn. I chose an organic merino for the longies since they would most likely be used as a cover over cloth diapers. Then I chose some superwash merino (machine washable and doesn't felt) for the sweater and the hat.
I dyed them all to coordinate with each other.

Then came adding in the volkswagen bus!

I like the idea of TWO pairs of longies for a day that coordinate. That way you can rotate without changing baby's t-shirt.

Now it's time to part with this treasure. I'm listing it for sale at a discounted price this weekend. This set would cost $150 with items sold individually, but I'm going to price it at $100.

An Evening In My Home!

2011-08-24T11:44:00.000-07:00

Last night I had one of those moments within a moment.

The one where you are in a room just taking it all in, and you just let it surround you, you let each noise, each person, and even the smells around you just exist around you and imagine that it will always be a part of you... forever.

My moment was watching my hubby gently hold his newborn girl, letting her look around her world and enjoy her daddy gliding her in the rocking chair. Surrounded at his feet were his boys, playing with all the imagination they could muster, lost in their own laughter and story telling. It was after dinner, things were winding down for the night. The back door was open so the cool breeze coming off the ocean was blowing in.

My oldest daughter was sitting near and chatting.. my oldest son was being his joyful self, lending us a comical moment every few minutes.

My toddler decided to start up a dance routine in the middle of all of this ... swinging her arms back and forth to the music in the distance. She wiggled, and spun, and tapped those toes. Each dramatic move resulted in a room erupting in laughter, claps, or both.

Pretty soon, I had a snuggler next to me, asking if she could read to me from a new book she just got. Reading is her struggle and to have her volunteer is definitely a moment to capture. She proudly showed her accomplishments, sight words memorized, new words conquered, and above all, the courage to read aloud to the room. It was beautiful.

It was full! It was noisy at times! It was wonderful!

It was and IS my family!

Juniper 1 Month Old

2011-08-04T06:54:00.000-07:00

The past month has gone by quickly, but it's been filled with lots of snuggle time and rest.

In the past, the weeks following my births would be filled with doing too much, realizing I did too much, and recovering from doing too much.

With some very helpful advise, and my hubby, my midwife, and my children all in agreement that I should just take this postpartum easy.. That's exactly what I've done.

I spent the past few weeks, snuggling, resting, healing, and getting to know Juniper. It has been wonderful.

She is already 10lbs. 2oz.

Her bright blue eyes shine when she's awake, and she likes to grunt and make funny noises at us. She started smiling when we talk to her, but it's still pretty random. She loves snuggles, but she happily sleeps independent on the bed next to me. Breastfeeding is going great, the best experience post partum I've ever had. I give some of the credit due to breastfeeding Emery into the pregnancy. My breasts didn't have time to return to 'pre-pregnancy' and they were already ready to feed this new precious addition. That's just my guess on why things have gone so much easier, but either way, I'm so thankful for it.

My time to type is still pretty limited. I have no doubts that returning to the blog world will be a part of our upcoming 'homeschool' year, but right now we are working on a new schedule here on the homefront to help us stay focused and get things done.

The past 2-3 months things have just been very inconsistent. My littlest ones want to have an idea of what is coming, and what to expect from our days. I don't blame them, I do too!!!

So, we are trying out ideas here and there. With a newborn it's always important to remain flexible, but not throw out order and stability.

I'm sure we'll come to the decision to have a 'base' schedule and a list of 'goals' set for our new school year. The same will hold true for my cleaning schedule. I will want to work in time to do outings this year as well.

My 'time' to type is now coming to end according to a sweet Juniper that is ready to nurse now.

I will be back with more updates on how we are faring as a 'new family of nine' soon.

I'm here.. and She's HERE!

2011-07-13T13:57:00.000-07:00

Miss. Juniper Shoshana has joined our family earthside. She arrived at 3:50 p.m. on July 3rd. (more details coming soon)

I'm taking this time of rest and downtime to update this blog and get things going again.

The ocean breezes and the warm sunshine don't hurt one bit. It's a season of celebrating, enjoying each other, and lots of inspiration around us! I'm happy to be back to blogging and sharing some of these new days and discoveries with friends and family again.

Short and sweet today! I'll be back soon.

We have a NEW addition to the family!!!

2011-07-11T11:46:00.000-07:00

We welcomed Miss. Juniper into our family on July 3, 2011. She weighed 8 lbs. 2 oz. and is absolutely adored by each member of her family!
After a very long month of June, we were beginning to wonder when this sweet little bundle would join us, but she's here now and mama and baby are doing great.

Guess we'll be extending that 'baby moon' over the course of July too!

I'll let you all know when we're back into knitting again. I can also guarantee flooding the blog and Facebook with TONS of new pics. of Juniper in some of her sweet woolie goodness in the days/weeks/months to come.

NEW DESIGN!!!

2011-04-27T14:44:00.000-07:00

Well, I said I'd post my latest design.. and right now I'm calling it the "Puppy Pants" set. I am stocking it in newborn size, but it's available in any size.. in Merino Wool Yarn.

Longies and earflap hat are included in the set.

I love the different colored ears, and the puppy freckles...
I tried something different on the hat, and did just decorative Braided cords.

I may still make some color and design adjustments along the way, but I'm super excited to have this design finished and even STOCKED for sale in my True2Ewe Etsy store.

FIRST HAT PATTERN LISTED!!!

2011-04-21T18:25:00.000-07:00

Woo Hoo!

I finally have one of my custom hat design/patterns listed for sale. It's taken me awhile to get them into PDF format for emailing to my customers, but the day has finally arrived.

I have big plans for more patterns to come, but for right now ONE will have to do.

I have the TRUE2EWE Cable Flapper Hat and Headband Pattern in Etsy and Hyenacart. I love that this little headband can be worn in the summer, and then stitches picked up for the winter hat that you'll adore.

For you fellow Ravelry users and visitors... I have had an account over there for ages, but I just haven't gotten around to updating and keeping up with it. I will soon be on there more often, and have 'instant' downloads available for my patterns. Stay tuned on that future goal of mine.

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-10T15:45:00.000-08:00

Something fun about a day to celebrate LOVE!
I just got done custom dyeing this Cestari Superfine Merino yarn for this cute set. Now that it's all knit up, I'm thinking it may be just what I need to add to my own stash for our next baby.

So there's my NEWEST announcement to add...

We are expecting our next little "GIRL" in June.

Have a lovely Valentine's Day everyone!!!!

2nd Trimester

2010-12-29T15:42:00.000-08:00

So there it is.. my growing baby bump! I'm in my second trimester and feeling like this is my healthiest pregnancy so far. Pretty good considering how many babies I've had! I've gained five pounds and I think my belly tends to pop out due to experience and usage, and less to do with size of baby.

I've signed up for a pregnancy app that is filled with all sort of fun info. Like the fact that my baby is the size of a 4" orange right now, and about 2.5 oz.
I don't know how to get that app to post to Facebook or my Blog yet, but if I figure it out I'll get some updates and more photos on the way.

I've already started to think about baby names 'boy' and 'girl'... and I don't mind telling people that I'm 'hoping' for a June baby... and that 'Technically' that's when babe is is expected. BUT would really like to remind everyone that babies don't always find the technical 40 weeks to be on their schedule.
I've had some babies tend to prefer the pull of the moon cycle... I've had full moon babies, and new moon babies. I've had 3 week early babies and 'technically' late babies. And those children couldn't be more opposite. And they definitely were different in SIZE..hee hee

Still planning a homebirth! Not sure if we're feeling super social this time, or if we're going with a more private birth. I think I'll know more as I get further along. If I get super social about it, trust me, I'll let you know!

I keep getting comments about due dates. I'm not opposed to letting that info OUT.. as long as I don't get "those" emails of panic when I write that I'm walking around dilated at 36 weeks, or nagging calls "have you had the baby yet?" if it's a 42 week-er.

So while I'd like to get excited and say that I'm planning on holding my sweet baby on June 15, 2011 full moon, the truth is... he/she may want to stay put into July. And that's just fine, if baby is doing healthy (and we'll be checking) we're just letting him/her bake as long as he/she would like.

I'm not opposed to an ultrasound either and I'll likely try to squeeze an apt. in for one in about 3-4 weeks. I LOVE to find out the gender, Eddie likes surprises. We haven't decided which direction we'll take. If it weren't for the fact that I CAN NOT keep a secret, he'd just let me find out and he wouldn't look. But that's never going to work in this house.

Soooooo, if you read this long update, you pretty much know when I'm due, right?!

Love tons.
Amy