I Love Spring

Can you see the turkey? just to the right of the little cedar tree, he's really big. This is the field out back of the barn, I'm really bad about estimating distances but I know he was at least 50 yards from me. I guess he was feeling pretty safe in our field, I generally don't allow hunters here so even though it was turkey season he still strolled around the field like he owned the place.

I just love it when the redbuds are in bloom, the mayapples are up and the pastures get green. Soon everything will be lush and the dogwoods will be blooming with the peonies not far behind.

If anybody knows what this plant is, please leave me a comment. The leaves remind me of a slow growing, variegated mint but I've never seen these flowers before. It's really happy under a big old elm tree. I'd love to know what it is.

New Year's Day on the Farm

Sorry, no pictures of this adventure. We found out early in 2008 that Chocolate Bar had figured out how to open the gate latch. He's very talented with his horns. I'm hoping he can't figure out how to get the new carabiners off. Yes, plural, he also generously opened the gate for the girls.

I looked out the office window and what did I see? 6 sheep wandering around the orchard, exploring the new space. They were quite content and if they weren't so close to a place with no fence between them and the road, I probably wouldn't have been so concerned. As it was, we all grabbed our coats and boots and split up. My granddaughter and I headed to the road to come between them and any traffic, while my husband headed to the barn for a little pan of oats.

I barely had time to get to the driveway, much less the road, when I saw the sweetest sight. A nice single file line of sheep following my husband into the girls fence. Once they were all in, it wasn't too hard to get Largo and Chocolate Bar and move them back into their own pen.

I knew we were completely smitten with these little cuties when, even as we were working to get them back in the fence, we were laughing about how cute they are and how much we love them. I've worked with farm animals off and on since I was a child helping my parents and I had never before enjoyed a day when the livestock got out. Something about the difference between a sheep that I can pick up and a 1000 lb cow trampling the landscaping around the house . . .
Give me a little Shetland sheep any day!

Now it's off to the studio to spin up some yarn for that hat I promised to make.

Cocoa Girl

This one's for my swap partner on Ravelry - Meredith. The two little faces you see in the background are Cocoa Girls cria. I hope you enjoy knitting something with the yarn from Cocoa and I.

New Beginnings Stole

Once upon a time there was a new knitter who wanted to learn to knit lace. She was fortunate to have several wonderful friends ( Christian Aritsans ) who began a KAL for the Elegantly Simple Triangle Shawl
It was a wonderful time of learning, working with new and different yarns, getting to know some incredibly kind, patient knitters ;) and
completing a rather impressive looking project for the very new knitter. Altogether a fabulous experience, there was just one problem.

The colors in the yarn were spectacular, the pattern with the vertical stripe effect was lovely, the problem was, the triangle shape that pointed out a not so favorite part of the new knitter.
Being that she had put a tremendous amount of time into it... she was loathe to rip it all apart, but as time went by and her skills and confidence grew, she decided to design the stole she wanted to wear, using the fabulous yarn she had grown to love. Of course once the design was begun in her mind,
frogging the shawl didn't seem so bad, it was just the means to the desired end. Besides, as she made other lace wraps and stoles, the many mistakes in the first attempt became more and more glaring. All in all, it was not the painful experience she expected, it was almost delightful to see the mistakes disappear and think on the improved version to come.

and so with the casting on of hundreds of stitches comes the New Beginnings Stole. In the best of traditions from the original, there are prayers for a loved one involved in the stitching. Hopes for a new beginning for her as well.

Kristy's Hoodie

is almost done. I just need to finish the arms and the front buttons etc. then block it. Just in time too, the weather is starting to cool off. This has been a fun knit, specially considering it's my first sweater ever. We'll see if I can get her to model it when it's all done. This is my hand spun yarn, made from Stone Soup roving's from my friend Cary at Serenity Farms it was so much fun to spin, I couldn't believe how quickly I got it all spun up and the knitting has been wonderful too. I can't help thinking part of that is due to the care and heart Cary puts into taking care of her flock.

Glorious fiber

I just couldn't resist one more picture of this yummy fleece. I got it from Firth of Fifth Acres earlier this summer. Oohhh it's so much nicer in person than the pictures can show. When I start spinning there will be more pictures. What do you think I should make? It's a 12 lb fleece so unless I sort the different shades of gray I have almost unlimited possiblilites.

Rebel Kitty

Isn't that some beautiful Wensleydale fiber?? I've been washing and drying little bits at a time and the picture doesn't do it justice. Normally the cats are outside but I guess Rebel thought it was about the perfect place to hang out for a nap. I almost didn't see him as I was going out the door.