A friend of mine recently reached out asking if I would draw a logo for their small-scale farm in Prescott, Ontario. I jumped at the opportunity. Amanda and Adam live self sufficiently in an old farmhouse along the St. Lawrence. With their 2 young children, they raise animals for food and tend to a large vegetable garden. Years ago, we would spend countless hours talking about these dreams and they have made it a reality for themselves and their family which is just so awe inspiring.
Amanda is a magically minded woman who recognizes the power of the natural world and the richness that comes with incorporating it directly into your life. Her main request for the logo was one of my pen and ink drawings with the name of their farm Rooted Aster surrounded by a wreath like collection of plants and animals that abound on their land and that she uses in her handcrafted medicines:
echinacea
mugwort
dandelion
yarrow
red raspberry
among many others. I chose these 5 because of their unique shapes as well as their potent medicinal and magical properties. The raven was added at the very end – there was a slight gap which is fine but I just saw him there and started to sketch him out. A family of ravens lives on their property (how magical is that? I am absolutely in love with crows and ravens) so it’s an ode to these majestic ancient guardians.
Amanda is also old school and doesn’t have an instagram or website attached to her farm. If that changes in the future, I’ll be sure to insert that information here but for now, I just wanted to share with you the finished drawing of her vision along with photos from a recent walk in the Nova Scotian woods ❤
I’m really content with the end drawing. It’s the first pen and ink I’ve completed in a very long time. I have another one in the works right now to be made into a print for the shop (and the original gifted). There is something about putting headphones on and getting lost in detail work of the natural world that puts me in a meditative flow state. It’s so therapeutic for me personally, regardless of how good the drawing ends up being. I try to reiterate that my drawings and logo work will never be perfect. It will be wobbly and imperfect because I don’t use any digital programs and well that’s just how I draw! It’s one of my most beloved hobbies that has been with me for as long as I’ve been able to hold a crayon. Sometimes it wanes from my life (6 years of university…) and sometimes it’s my constant. Right now, it’s nudging it’s way right into my life so I’m grateful for that!
If you are interested in my work, feel free to send me a message through the blog, please consider donating or supporting the shop. Every bit counts and allows me to continue creating which is my dream!
I hope you’ve enjoyed this post! I have another one to come out soon which is FINALLY the Pangur Ban Sweater Pattern, LONG overdue like so much else in my recent life. It’s actually almost complete, moving back to Nova Scotia has really helped me tackle unfinished things. I’ve been spending hours and hours going over the math over and over again to make sure it’s correct. So, my hope is that it will be before 2021 is over. Next weekend, we are going to do the final photography for it and then it will just be some edits. This will be our first sweater pattern that we personally put out there so I am really sorry if their are small errors. It’s very possible because it’s SO hard to catch everything (I still occasionally get messages about my published patterns pointing out small irregularities that I somehow overlooked despite editing and reading it 100 times). So please, be gentle and patient ❤
In addition, because the pattern will finally be released, I have around 5 Pangur sweaters that we’ve knit to put up in the shop. So I likely will stagger those because that would just be too many for my to ship out at once. I’m also considering starting a ravelry to post the patterns as well as a pattern shop in the blog. Much to do and think about!
Thank you Amanda for trusting me to create a representation of your work and handcrafted life! Wishing you all the best in your quest to live closely to mother nature ❤
And thank you to my dear readers, I hope you enjoyed a glimpse into a recent drawing and I wish you all a beautiful December.
Blessed be,
Julia
Ways of Wood Folk 
What a beautiful logo! My sister is the one in our family with the line-drawing gift. I’m the fiber fiend and as soon as I finish the second sleeve of the ballet cardigan I’ve been knitting, it’ll be one to some of your lovely fingerless gloves. Looking forward to that!
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Thanks so much Beth!
Love having a fiber gift <3!! Hope so much you enjoy making the fingerless mitts! Do let me know how it goes 🙂 🙂 :)!!
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I absolutely will — I recently got your patterns for Woodland Folk Mittens as well as the Wood Folk Fingerless Mittens. I know I’ll be knitting both soon. Maybe more than once, if I can fit that in! Here in western Oregon it’s almost 60 degrees today (?!?) but I’m sure with the mood-swing weather we’ve had for nearly the past year we’ll be back to bundled up soon. BTW, who’s your source for the LettLopi (is that the Icelandic wool). Sounds yum!
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Do share with me how they turn out! I hope you like them ❤ I really enjoy using up tiny bits of wool (I think I have a scarcity mentality from my pioneering ancestors – I just love using tiny bits of wool rather than let them sit for eternity).
I basically get Icelandic Wool regularly from all different sources. Sometime’s it’s directly from Iceland, sometimes it’s Yarn Canada if they have my colours in stock, sometimes it’s Tolt Yarn and Wool (closer to you in Oregon). I actually just received an order last night (walking to my mailbox in the snow!) which came from the Iceland Store in Iceland. They now offer “letter” shipping which was around 13 dollars. Previously it was 30 PLUS you were charged when you received it by DHL and it ended up being around 60 dollars in shipping hence why I stopped for a time ordering from Iceland. Anyway, hope this helps!!!
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Your drawing is gorgeous!! And the woods you wander are simply breathtaking! I too love nothing better than a walk through the forest!!
This might be a odd question (!) – but would you be interested in a cold eye review/tester for your Pangur Ban sweater pattern? (Unpaid of course!!) I’ve released a few knitting patterns on Ravelry and Etsy (including 2 lopapeysas) and know EXACTLY how you feel about releasing a knitting pattern into the world – and the stress of it!! Are the stitch counts correct, did I put down the right gauge, do the charts work, will people knit it?!? 😬🙈
Thought I’d offer – I’ve been a longtime follower here (your work is such an inspiration!) and I finally got brave enough to comment here 😂
Winter blessings to you and yours!!
Hugs from Alberta,
Shelly
(ps. I’m working on a pair of Woodland Mittens in Lettlopi – and your pattern is wonderful! Clear and easy to follow!)
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Thank you so much! That is so kind of you to say. There is something both so inspiring but peaceful and nurturing while walking in the forest. It’s both a great healer and teacher.
That is really sweet of you to offer! I think we have it handled now and the pattern is just about ready to be published – I only have to make some revisions and math is involved >.< I have to be in a special headspace to tackle that (i.e. super high mental energy) so it’ll just take some time for me. It’s hard when there are so many other fun, hands-on things to do like drawing, knitting or searching for barred owls!
I really hope you like the woodland mittens!! I had a lot of fun writing that one up 🙂 Thank you so very much ❤ ❤
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As always, Lovely post Julia! I have always loved your pen and ink drawings. There is a freshness to them. You capture the true essence of the beauty in nature. You grace us with your gifts. I look forward to the release of the Pangur Ban sweater pattern. I’ve had a stash of lett Lopi set aside waiting for the day to make one. 🧶 🌿
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Thank you Bonnie!!
Thanks so much for your comment about my artwork, that is really kind and nice to say. I love drawing and making art but sometimes I get bogged down by comparing myself and telling myself it’s not good enough because of the quirkiness rather than the perfection. There are so many schools of thought in the artworld and the overarching one is really about how realistic and skilled you are. It took me a long time to break free of that thought because that just isn’t me!
I really hope you are finding happiness in Minnesota. Are you in your new home? Hoping you have a peaceful Holiday season ❤
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I have found happiness in Minnesota, Julia! I feel so at home here. I agree with your comments on the art world – and am so glad you were able to let go and allow your style (and passion) to come through. Blessed and peaceful holiday season to you & your family.
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Lovely!
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Thank you <3!
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Oh how pretty it all looks! I love this. And I love the news of Pangur Ban, I am really looking forward to knit it! I sometimes wish I was as old fashioned as your friend, it can stress me out with all the input and information from the digital world. On the other hand, if it was not for that world, I would not know of you and your work all the way here (to Sweden) and that would be such a shame. Your creating is very inspiring and I am so glad that some of your paintings and patterns has been able to cross the world and come home to me. I wish you a lovely december month Julia, and look forward to Pangur Ban ❤
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Thank you so much Sara! And thank you so much for your support of my artwork, I love sending items to Scandinavia ❤ it makes me so happy to know that you like it and imagining my work having a cozy home among the beautiful land 🙂
I totally agree about being stressed out by all the technological age. I find lately, I have become numb to it, it’s so over stimulating! But you are so right, it can also be liberating to find other people you connect to or that can make you change your perception of the world. It’s hard to find that balance sometimes though.
My goal now is to have Pangur available by the beginning of January at the absolute latest!! I’ll post on here when it’s all ready ❤ ❤
Many blessings to you ❤
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Your drawings are always lovely, and a favorite of mine!! Can’t wait to see more 🙂
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Thank you truly ❤
I have another pen and ink I recently finished as a gift for me partner but he encouraged me to make prints of it as well so I’ll share it on here very soon!
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