21 - VCN 7 21 - VCN 1 Today was the first day of the Valley Craft Network Studio Tour.  I have enjoyed this tour every year for four years now, but this is the 34th year for the tour.  Most of the studios are in Frederick County, but a couple are in Washington County, near Boonsboro.  That's where Norma and I began the tour this morning.

 

21 - VCN 6 First we stopped at JRW Creations, at the home of Judith Williamson, where we admired her beautiful clothing and accessories, all sewn or embellished by her.  Another reason I wanted to start with this tour site was that it is located on a gorgeous piece of property, with stunning views.  There is an old barn on the property, with lots of animals, and Mr. Williamson told us we could go down by the barn to visit them.  There were goats, llamas, emu, donkeys, and perhaps a few others that were too shy to come out and visit.  The emu paraded around by the fence, clearly interested in us.  A few of the kids kept their distance, but the older goats were curious about us, too.  We took a lot of photos.

 

21 - VCN 4 21 - VCN 3 Next we visited M4 Studio, where the owner Kirke Martin and his son explained how he fills the brick kiln in his yard with up to 500 pieces of pottery, gauges the temperature within, and then monitors the fire and feeds in wood every five minutes for 36 hours.  His pottery is rustic and sturdy and the colors and texture on the finished pieces come from the firing.

 

21 - VCN 8 21 - VCN 5 We sampled goat cheese at Caprikorn Farms, and then examined more beautiful pottery at the van Gilder studio just below the War Correspondents' Memorial at Burkittsville.  Driving through Burkittsville on our way to the next stop, we saw that a store we photographed in September was open.  Stepping into PJ Gilligan's store is like walking into a shop from nearly 150 years ago.  As a matter of fact, the store opened in 1821, but now is "frozen" in the 1860's.  His shop specializes in Civil War period merchandise.  I loved his old truck parked out front.

 

21 - VCN 9 21 - VCN 2 Our last two stops were Susan Hanson's Catoctin Pottery, located in an old mill on Poffenberger Road.  Her guest artisan, Dave Swiger, had gorgeous wood furniture, cutting boards, boxes, and other wood creations in the lower portion of the mill.  We ended the tour at Kiparoo Farms, always a favorite.  I love their yarn, their displays, and their property.  Owner Annie Kelly raises the sheep, shears them, has the yarn spun, and then hand dyes.  The old farmhouse is filled to the brim with her colorful creations.  I buy yarn every year.

 

The tour continues tomorrow, 10-5.  Take your camera.  You'll come away with unique treasures and great photos.