Hello everyone, and happy April! Eclipse energy is in the air, native plants are starting to pop out of the soil...although it hailed last week, winter is in the rearview! Here at Hammerstone we've been hard at work preparing for our tiny house build and gearing up for a very busy late spring and summer schedule.

Maria and Christina are deep in tiny house prep: ordering materials and plotting the production timeline for the build. (Have you heard that this year's house is going to be a BIG one, at 30x11 feet?) There are a lot of moving parts to manage, but if you've taken a tiny house course with Christina you're familiar with her organizational excellence. See the photo above from Rough Framing for reference!

Sophie, our apprentice carpenter who started with us last fall, has been finishing up a huge historic window restoration project at Cornell. Next week she'll install cedar shake siding on that building. As for me, I'm getting ready to leave for Peru to visit my family for a few weeks, and looking forward to returning to Ithaca in its fully-bloomed mid spring glory.

Happy Hammering!

Kimberly and The Hammerstone Team

Carp'ing Jokes

What do you call a nosy carpenter?
*find the punchline at the bottom of the newsletter*

immigrants & refugees basic skills class

Saturday April 27

One of my favorite Hammerstone events is coming up: for the 6th year, we'll partner with Open Doors English to offer our free intro carpentry class for immigrant and refugee women. In 2017 we started this class as a way to give back to communities alienated by the Trump administration's ban on immigrants from Muslim countries. We have continued to offer this course year after year as a way to support immigrant and refugee women in our community with cross-cultural connection and skill building.

Last year my mom, a Peruvian immigrant, was visiting from out of town and got to attend this class! She built a planter box alongside other Peruvian-Americans AND helped others with her translation skills. Amazing.

We need your help!

We try to make this event as accessible as possible by providing childcare and lunch, but we need your help to make it happen!

Ways to volunteer:
help with childcare
translate
prepare or serve food
loan toys for childcare
donate towards food & materials

All donations go towards covering materials and food for the group including students and their children. Hammerstone instructors and TAs work on a volunteer basis for this event. We always get a great turnout and it's a joy to teach carpentry to such a diverse group of women.

Do you know an immigrant or refugee who'd benefit from this class?
Help us spread the word!

Contact Christina at christina@hammerstoneschool.com
to sign up, volunteer, or donate!

We Evolved to Use Our Hands

Last week the New York Times featured an article about the unique benefits of working with your hands. Next time you're feeling down, anxious, or overstimulated, try getting lost in a project. It doesn't have to be big, and you don't have to execute it perfectly. Simple, imperfect projects are just as therapeutic as large ones!

“Skills involving fine motor control of the hands are excellent training and superstimulation for the brain...The brain is like a muscle, and if we continue to take away these complex movements from our daily lives — especially fine motor movements — I think that muscle will weaken.”

— Dr. Audrey Van der Meer

Summertime in the Finger Lakes

I want to take a moment to look forward to summer days and the full days of carp'ing, swimming, and enjoying the beautiful place we live, here in the Finger Lakes!

For those who haven't yet visited, Hammerstone is located in bucolic farm country between Cayuga and Seneca Lakes. This region is known for its abundance of gorges and natural swimming holes as well as its vineyards and small farms. I learned recently that the area around Cayuga and Seneca Lakes is one of only two areas in NY State where a majority of the total land area is farmland.

After class at Hammerstone there's plenty of time to visit a winery or two, swim at one of the gorges, go fruit picking at an organic farm....phew, the nostalgia is hitting HARD as I write this! Here are my top three recs for how to spend your time after class at Hammerstone - all within a 10 minute drive (or half hour bike ride!)

**1) Rabbit Run (4 mi)**
Take a dip at this locals-favorite swimming spot to wash off all the sawdust! Then sunbathe on the flat rocks. Perfect combination.

**2) Honeybee Embassy (2 mi)**
Enjoy an artisanal honey tasting and check out this gorgeous architectural gem in the countryside - unique and worth a visit!

**3) Finger Lakes Cider House (10 mi)**
Enjoy a farm-to-table dinner and explore an extensive selection of traditional cider and sparkling wine, all made on-site! Relax in the outdoor seating area and soak in the views of farm fields and Cayuga Lake. Friday nights they have live music!

If you've been following us from afar and wondering when to plan a trip, now's the time!

Sign up for a class early then look forward dreamy summer days.

plan your visit

course calendar

Genderqueer &
Non-binary Basic Skills

June 22-23

Oh yes! Our 3rd annual Pride edition of 2-Day Basic Carpentry Skills is coming up soon! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈

Taught by stellar teacher Em Moss and TA Saoirse, this is a special edition of 2-Day Basic Carpentry Skills specifically for genderqueer and non-binary students. While ALL Hammerstone classes are open to these groups, this session explicitly creates a safe and joyful affinity space.

As we promote this course we've gotten questions about why we offer it. I'll let testimonials from students answer this.

Was taking a class specifically for genderqueer and non-binary people important to you?

YES! I'm AFAB and non-binary, but I would have never taken a class for women. I might have taken a mixed class but I'm always anxious about transphobia and the pressure to act cis / hide who I am.

Yes. It felt really great to be my full self and not worry about how other people are perceiving me.

YES. The queer class is what moved me from following Hammerstone’s website for four years to feeling comfortable in a space where my belonging would not be questioned. I felt safe and among peers.

We offer this just once a year, so help us spread the word:
forward this newsletter or share our Instagram post!

genderqueer and non-binary basic skills

April classes are full! Time to plan ahead

Our April courses are all FULL with waitlists and May courses are filling up quickly! Our favorite (read: most annoying) chicken Auden wants to remind everyone that she'll be monitoring for proper technique and dropped crumbs at all upcoming courses.

April 12-13: 2-Day Basic Carpentry Skills - class FULL
April 26: Table Saw Fundamentals - class FULL
May 13-14: Build an Adirondack Chair *two spots left*
May 17-18: 2-Day Basic Carpentry Skills *a few spots left*
May 20-24: Rough Framing - Build a Tiny House
May 31 - June 1: 2-Day Basic Carpentry Skills

What if a class is full?
Be sure to add your name to the waitlist of your first choice class, then register for your second choice. If a spot opens off the waitlist, you’ll be transferred in at no cost!

all upcoming courses