Episode 22 - January Thaw

Apologies for not getting the shownotes up for the last podcast..........I really, really did have them all typed up on my iPad and I totally lost the whole thing somehow.  And since time was of the essence, and it had already taken me two days to record the podcast, I just threw up my hands in disgust----I really will do better!  For one thing, I don't think I'll be using my laptop for recording or my iPad for blogging any longer---so long as the threat of losing material is so very real on those devices!

This past weekend it was over 40 degrees outside---our January Thaw here in Vermont.  I took Bentley and Cooper for a walk and we slogged through the slush---they didn't seem to mind.  They just like being out in the snow.  A little change up in the podcast----I'll be putting "Sleeping on the Job" on a temporary hiatus and replacing it, for now, with----dare I say it?----a Knit-Along (KAL--for those of you who enjoy acronyms).  More about the KAL later........

Fiber Conquests

Knitting

I'm still working on the Sebastian Gloves by Kristin Nicholas (A Classic Elite pattern booklet---and I believe you can buy just the pattern PDF for the gloves-$6.00- at WEBS)  If you look at the picture, I'm making the mostly pink-colored ones---but I do have yarn for the others.  The yarn, of course, is Color by Kristin and it has 50% wool, 25% alpaca, 25% mohair. Nice stuff---but I'd expect no less from a designer such as Kristin Nicholas.

I took a class a one of my LYSs:  The Whippletree in Woodstock, VT.  We made the Stained Glass Hat, a Green Mountain Spinnery pattern.  I used a solid color yarn (brown) for the background and a self-striping yarn from Poems for the "windows."  The class was fun and our instructor Karen was kind and patient---always very good qualities in a teacher.  This class gave me the confidence (and the practice of holding a yarn in each hand) to pursue the construction of one of my UFOs (un-finished objects) which has been languishing and hibernating for two years:  the Norwegian Roses Cardigan from GMS.  I had to frog what I already had knitted (which was only two inches or so..........but frogging colorwork can be a bear!) because my gauge was off and now that I'm using a new technique for the colorwork, of course, my gauge is going to be different.  I really enjoy doing colorwork---takes my mind into a deep place where time stands still for just a little while......................do you know what I mean?  So, off I go....

Crochet

So much to crochet, so little time..........contemplating starting yet another project in crochet...........can you say 'Start-itis?'  The Crochet Circle Vest first caught my eye on the Craftsy website whilst I was purchasing yet a few more on-line classes!!  More about that, hopefully, later down the line.  I'm thinking that I'll crochet this in some of the millspun yarn from the flock---namely the rich, dark, worsted-weight yarn from the fleeces of Dugel and Harvey.  I had quite a bit of a ball left over from knitting up the fingerless mitts for my brother----you can't let stuff like that go to waste now!  Anyway, I went on over to Ravelry and low and behold, the pattern was there as well---so I bought and downloaded that puppy straight away.  More on that later.........

Spinning

The long, loving process of processing Harvey's fleece for spinning continues---I am, more or less, chipping away at it ever so slowly whenever I have a few minutes to flick-card.

What's happening in the barn and on the farm?

We are happily anticipating the arrival of Tasmania ("Tassie")---our bred BFL ewe from the state of Massachusetts.  She will be arriving on Saturday, January 19.  She'll join Sayda in sisterhood and I have no doubt that they will get along famously---BFLs are such a kind, gentle sort---unlike my Shetlands who tend to want to 'redecorate' the barn come February-March.  And, come April, hopefully, we'll have a lamb or two to boot!

The chickens are thriving---we get about 2 eggs a day.  The DH set up a light with a timer in their coop to give them a "longer" day in hopes that this will stimulate egg production/laying.  My two French Angora rabbits share half of the annex with the chickens so hopefully, that light is not keeping them up at night! :-)

Cooper after a long walk

Bentley and Cooper are loving the snow of winter and hopefully, it won't all be gone with this spring-like weather we've been having for the past couple of days.  Cooper is in full-blown adolescence and will 'pick and choose' to listen from time to time.  I feel blessed though that Puppy Kindergarten and Level I dog classes have been effective because he comes when called, and, like the instructor said, this is the most important thing that you can teach a dog to do.

Ray continues his hunter duties in the house---Doora chooses to nap frequently and chase Ray when she has the energy.  Our backyard bird feeder is a busy place---we enjoy watching the birds and know that we need to get our "fill" now before the feeders need to come down when the bears come out.

Yammer

For lack of a better place and because I don't yet know what to call the segment for our KAL, I'm putting this in the Yammer for now.  Yes, Counting Sheep is having a Knit-Along (it's first---the maiden voyage!).  The pattern is the Capricloak by designer Maureen Clark.  This is a Green Mountain Spinnery pattern and it can be found for purchase (via instant PDF download or snail-mail) at their website.
The pattern requires approximately 784 yards of a bulky weight yarn.  I'll be using GMS's Capricorn yarn in the Natural Dark.  Looks like a nice, cozy project for the winter.  We'll start it on February 3rd and that will give everyone about 3 weeks to gather materials.  Should knit up fast at 3 stitches per inch.  Come and join us!