The last stop on our week-long, whirlwind spring break road trip through New England was Vermont. We were only there for 1 night, and we stopped in Montpelier before heading up to Stowe to see how the other half lives.

We basically stopped in Montpelier for maple syrup and fabric. I’d read about Morse Farm Maple Sugarworks in our guidebook, and I really wanted to get my hands on some syrup to bring home. Sugaring season kicks off in March, so we were just in time. Morse Farm is one of the oldest there is, going back 200 years.

I’m not sure what I was expecting from the sugaring experience, but Morse Farm was basically a very muddy parking lot with a few small buildings and a store. Seriously, do not wear your good shoes if ever you find yourself there. You could stand at the edge of the farm and see all the trees tapped together, leading down from the forest and into the processing building. But there were no tours or real explanations of what was going on. It was almost a little voyeuristic; the family just going about their farm lives while tourists stared at them and shopped in the (surprisingly awesome) store.

But maybe since we were there on a Thursday we didn’t get the full tour experience. There was an ancient TV and VCR set up in a corner of the store with a couple of folding chairs, and you could help yourself to watching a video of the long-deceased patriarch in his heyday. That was kind of worth the trip just for the anecdotes because that man, who passed away in 1999, was not PC. Much discussion of Arabs and the Japanese, but he was so darn homespun and delightful that you almost didn’t know where to look or whether to laugh. We definitely felt like city folk.

However strange the farm itself was, I’m in love with the store. We left with syrup. Oh, boy, we left with syrup.

This was the first time Adam and I got to sample different grades of maple syrup, and it was definitely interesting to see what we each preferred. How could you not love a store with friendly honor system signs like this?

We also bought some of that maple cream on the left, btw. Heaven in a jar.

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I’m really starting to use the Cricut my brother and his girlfriend gave me for Christmas, and it is the easiest, coolest thing. I made this Valentine’s Day garland for the circulation desk at school, and now I’m hooked. It was extra long to stretch across the whole desk, and I made 2 different heart shapes in various different sizes strung on some yarn from my stash.

I wonder if I have any presidential shapes for our next holiday….

My mom knit me socks!

Also, she’s teaching me how to properly bind my quilts. I’m not so patient with that part. This is the 1st video (taken with my iPhone, so the picture is smaller), how to join the tails of my binding. More to come!

October is my favorite month of the year, hands down. And even though it’s still a week away, I thought it would be a great time to start planning! Nothing beats NYC in October, but if you live in the tri-state area here are some ideas to pack your weekends all over the place:

1. October 2nd, 2010.
Valley Shepherd Creamery Cheese Festival.

Last year I went to Valley Shepherd Creamery in Long Valley, NJ for their annual Sheep Shearing Festival (where I shot this photo of the sheep pre-haircut). We had a great time, but the thing that stuck with the most was the phenomenal cheese and butter made on site and sold in their country store. It is to die for, honestly.

So imagine how excited I was when my friend Meredith and I saw their stall at the Rutgers Farmers Market and heard about the Autumn Leaves Cheese Festival this fall. Wine/beer and cheese tastings, cheesewich and panini stations, and their incredible gelato? And it’s just $15 to get in? I will be there with bells on.

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Another great thing to come out of Adam’s 24 in 24 marathon is that I finished crocheting this fall scarf while he played away. Two months later and it’s done. I started this over the summer from a project in Stitch ‘n Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker.

I’m pretty terrible about keeping track of which yarns I have and use for different projects. I believe the camel, brown, and multi yarns are all Zara. The cream is a cotton from Knit Picks, definitely.

Next time I make a yarn project I will note what I use. And since I’m all amped up about yarn after the yarn crawl, it will be soon.