tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44346858131696019432024-03-05T04:57:50.349-05:00Counting SheepA certified nurse anesthetist tells about her adventures and misadventures in and out of the operating room. Life on a small sheep farm in Vermont; hobbies including knitting, crocheting, spinning, and felting wool.Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07480273057358348466noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4434685813169601943.post-87566582452084722242014-04-08T19:04:00.000-04:002014-04-08T19:26:54.446-04:00Life on Mud Lane<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I was tucking into bed last night, I first heard the wind and then the rain came.....in sheets. And I hoped that my otherwise fair-weathered flock of sheep would take cover and that the small puddles in the chicken coop would grow no bigger. The thing about having an epic winter in Vermont, with an epic amount of snow is that you are surely in for an epic Mud Season. Let me tell you folks, there's mud everywhere----not just the obligatory ruts, holes, and dips that your car tires fall into on a dirt road. I'm talking mud that you sink into in the backyard........slippery mud that can be worse than ice causing you to do a header right into a pile of manure. Oh, and there's still a bit of ice around.....just to keep you guessing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I drove my car through the car wash last week regardless. I just wanted to 'wash the winter away.' I knew, that in a matter of hours, the tires would be caked and the finish would be sporting a layer of brown dirt......I didn't care. It was almost like the first sign of Spring to me---the first car wash of the season!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I arose this morning, already running late, hubby asked me to check Bentley's ears as he had been shaking his head intermittently all night long. Golden Retrievers, in my experience, struggle with ear fungal infections and Bentley is far from exempt. We have it down to a science---special wash to clean the ear and then drops. He's well-behaved about it, but he certainly doesn't enjoy it. I gave him a cookie and let him out into the dampness which I'm sure is not helping his ear affliction. No doubt he will, along with is younger brother, bring some backyard mud into the house on his return. My vacuum cleaner lives in the living room for now.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Before dashing out the door to work, I thought that I'd better peek in on the sheep. Out the back door and into the mud, I hurried down to the barn being careful not to get sucked into the abyss of water, sticks, and natural detritus littering the backyard. We still have snow cover as we are in the woods and on a hill. I slowed down once I reached the barn because a sheet of ice covers the ground in front of the door and I don't want to end up on the other end of surgery. I stepped into the barn and reached for the light switch feeling triumphant that I had not fallen. We have a Dutch door that separates the hay/grain/tools from the sheep and we usually keep the top part open. All I heard was quiet......and then I looked......</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT6m_-MVWs3CKKyPKcWM7B4HIcDG8r3vEKJdQ9XG3FG-2ASfbfwTRDtm6ABuoGDvoZfE3G8enpWKlr9JUo4OejNRs2cKwLgCl933fwU2tQiX7NlmPaq71lDrpXCd_LrcBT4BjHpDhtZS4/s1600/Sayda&Lambs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT6m_-MVWs3CKKyPKcWM7B4HIcDG8r3vEKJdQ9XG3FG-2ASfbfwTRDtm6ABuoGDvoZfE3G8enpWKlr9JUo4OejNRs2cKwLgCl933fwU2tQiX7NlmPaq71lDrpXCd_LrcBT4BjHpDhtZS4/s1600/Sayda&Lambs.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No matter how many times I see it----whether humans or animals, new life causes me to stop in awe, take in a breath, and bask in the miracle and the wonder that it is. And it is just that.....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I love Mud Season................Namaste! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07480273057358348466noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4434685813169601943.post-38596941083310747422014-04-01T21:30:00.002-04:002014-04-01T21:38:34.294-04:00Spring happenings.......even if the weather doesn't cooperate!<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had every intention of getting this blog post out yesterday (on the last day of March), but it didn't happening for a number of reasons. I won't bore you with those........instead, I think I will provide some updates.</span><br />
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<u><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #990000;"><i>Ravellenic Games Update</i></span> </span></u><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEtufYmRXmRSw3H0FRMbGegfKbZ3MjZ8sZe2V2jvL24lfmXBRLZSSMfTdaYSFxbLVUdpVjOxsZtLuS7Cc1oYR38JQrPmbWe7tX6F5BTsNS9VnmnZ0GB_hrEcxPeImBICpTIzO_Z_Lh91g/s1600/I+Love+Gansey+Socks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEtufYmRXmRSw3H0FRMbGegfKbZ3MjZ8sZe2V2jvL24lfmXBRLZSSMfTdaYSFxbLVUdpVjOxsZtLuS7Cc1oYR38JQrPmbWe7tX6F5BTsNS9VnmnZ0GB_hrEcxPeImBICpTIzO_Z_Lh91g/s1600/I+Love+Gansey+Socks.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I love Ganseys Socks</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had a feeling that my project for the Ravellenic Games was a bit of a steep challenge and it turned out to be just that. I did not even finish one of the socks by the closing ceremonies. I managed to finish the second sock last week during a short trip to Florida to see my parents. I am quite pleased with how they turned out.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The embossed hearts are kind of difficult to see in this picture, but they are my favorite accent on these socks. Oh, and they fit</span>---<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">another good thing!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My next sock conquest will be to finish a pair that I started well over a year ago......yes, I know, shameful! The pattern is from Fiber Trends and it's called Railroad Rib Socks. I started this pair right after I learned how to knit socks using the Magic Loop Method from a great instructor at <a href="http://www.bakersyarns.com/" target="_blank">Baker's Yarns</a> in Springfield, VT.</span> <span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They carry Malabrigo Sock Yarn there and I know it's the owner's favorite. I bought a skein and casted on for these socks right then and there in class...........then I brought them home and they languished like so many things that I start. Well, time to finish! Here's how far I am.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwneVTlajWNvNXDMmWsvbuV1ERiTsKRXA04YZny-gSiYi6uchueTN439klrBQh4Lw2UpB3n7DulDTXG9e9Bm8_oVjDE6BoNYwAAAroBuRuCnKGnlv4_U1D7el4LoEVIKJuyU7AXUkXTxc/s1600/Railroad+Rib+Socks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwneVTlajWNvNXDMmWsvbuV1ERiTsKRXA04YZny-gSiYi6uchueTN439klrBQh4Lw2UpB3n7DulDTXG9e9Bm8_oVjDE6BoNYwAAAroBuRuCnKGnlv4_U1D7el4LoEVIKJuyU7AXUkXTxc/s1600/Railroad+Rib+Socks.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Railroad Rib Sock Cuffs</td></tr>
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I have one tiny error in the right sock right at the beginning when I messed up the ribbing pattern.....can you spot it? My instructor said to just carry on and that the yarn will pretty much obscure it. I figure, that part of the sock is usually hidden by my pant leg so I let it be. So, there's a method to my madness........I picked these back up again for another reason: they are on my favorite needle. I really like the cables on the Chiao Goo circular needles. They are very flexible and I don't find myself fiddling and adjusting it so much---it just knows where to live and that's important when you are knitting Magic Loop.</span> <span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I will probably make the leg part of these socks a little longer than the usual 6-7 inches because I like some extra material for coverage.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRk8PXp2igs5-K2C17jwBrsJ8WUDZj0bO-iSpd4I8cMgCL88OvuSfB0b8FkXTpe8e0KMVrVSzV6HKRjW0hoKlXw8Bfdj2YmrdHc7o0rLasJFWChZkKSeZJdaFtVIDSaa39g4BmXCx2JvM/s1600/Remnants+of+Shearing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRk8PXp2igs5-K2C17jwBrsJ8WUDZj0bO-iSpd4I8cMgCL88OvuSfB0b8FkXTpe8e0KMVrVSzV6HKRjW0hoKlXw8Bfdj2YmrdHc7o0rLasJFWChZkKSeZJdaFtVIDSaa39g4BmXCx2JvM/s1600/Remnants+of+Shearing.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Remnants (what the shearer throws off) of Fleece</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In other news.........the Spring thaw is on.........at least we hope it continues. We've had quite some snowfall here since February and very cold temperatures. We are kind of wintered-out. Spring heralds the shearing of the sheep and I am glad to say that it went off without a hitch. Here's the remnants of the fleeces: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I took the fleeces to the spinnery mill today and by June should have some sock weight and DK-weight yarn! Shearing day is always a special day for me---it's the "harvest" of all the work that you did the rest of the year.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilAU1TlxVf7U24gl6w3lTSLi8ehPsQb2pA7bq_xugEOJkQH2Rth4W-qx7RxTHJ3pUFk4L2qmTXSwCpyFHhMr9BCdBVDZSYUU8QAgEJ-ToPEaEgbzpG7d7oflPRvdTO4p4Rv9MuPLkFWoc/s1600/Pregnant+Sayda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilAU1TlxVf7U24gl6w3lTSLi8ehPsQb2pA7bq_xugEOJkQH2Rth4W-qx7RxTHJ3pUFk4L2qmTXSwCpyFHhMr9BCdBVDZSYUU8QAgEJ-ToPEaEgbzpG7d7oflPRvdTO4p4Rv9MuPLkFWoc/s1600/Pregnant+Sayda.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pregnant Sayda</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The shearer's visit yielded another piece of vital information....the confirmation that we do indeed have a pregnant ewe on the premises. Sayda, our Bluefaced Leicester ewe is due any day now and we're keeping an eagle eye on her. I'll be blogging about that for sure.........wow, two blog posts in a month? Unheard of! Here is Sayda in all of her shorn, pregnant glory.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is difficult to tell from this angle how pregnant she really is, but she's not the easiest animal to photograph. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, I'm off to get some sleep now. My vacation is over and I'm back to work tomorrow. I'll leave you with a gratuitous pet photograph:<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhInqtu21HWXJRU7RN5mqAOK011woJlO8j8vP8QJEM6ILBvIwsjasMK4YGH862uFXBhF8HPUfIq_-hsAG783Hsd2oiU6eB9OQcX27sasWyt3q5d08dT4egjQMX5X-nvP1YRfx60qNHBVqc/s1600/BentleyRay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhInqtu21HWXJRU7RN5mqAOK011woJlO8j8vP8QJEM6ILBvIwsjasMK4YGH862uFXBhF8HPUfIq_-hsAG783Hsd2oiU6eB9OQcX27sasWyt3q5d08dT4egjQMX5X-nvP1YRfx60qNHBVqc/s1600/BentleyRay.jpg" height="320" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bentley and Ray</td></tr>
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</span>Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07480273057358348466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4434685813169601943.post-55829522571487128762014-02-06T18:24:00.000-05:002014-02-06T18:33:44.235-05:00Winter, Valentine's Day, and the 2014 Olympics<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We received about 10 inches of snow yesterday which was a sight for sore eyes around here lately. Looks like winter again instead of just feeling like winter. It's been pretty cold around here, but we haven't had much snow, by Vermont standards. I think the skiers are a much happier bunch today.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7e_oRs_1Qqz2PE_OZtRdiOOjhNZJJAvP1OAgbC3LFR8vaR4s3Y6CArMXVEgCeBhkqU-pTKHCgpD7Gutu5VEixJjAW3dW8eDWutFttM622MADELvh37BN7_dWNEZvO6GCbRTGYDSRBRY4/s1600/MerrySocksters4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7e_oRs_1Qqz2PE_OZtRdiOOjhNZJJAvP1OAgbC3LFR8vaR4s3Y6CArMXVEgCeBhkqU-pTKHCgpD7Gutu5VEixJjAW3dW8eDWutFttM622MADELvh37BN7_dWNEZvO6GCbRTGYDSRBRY4/s1600/MerrySocksters4.jpg" height="149" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeLRZir48zWwTEcXaO5Yb25r6V3TpW9TWqaUPNW9ETtaub860gw6oqCLzJpDtryy4iQVuGEVrm3WVfH7BjK70be67-oOofeRCUNI3BtNvmGOBDbK8L96G3XjZ3L5wXl0WtmTm6fiJIHCY/s1600/MerrySocksters3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeLRZir48zWwTEcXaO5Yb25r6V3TpW9TWqaUPNW9ETtaub860gw6oqCLzJpDtryy4iQVuGEVrm3WVfH7BjK70be67-oOofeRCUNI3BtNvmGOBDbK8L96G3XjZ3L5wXl0WtmTm6fiJIHCY/s1600/MerrySocksters3.jpg" height="200" width="149" /></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I finished my Merry Socksters socks on Groundhog Day----I really wanted to finish them within the month of January, but I'm proud that I got them done. The colorway really gets your attention and I'm wearing them right now. I made these on one long circular needle (40 inches) using the Magic Loop Method of construction (two-at-a-time). I did this because I am notorious for getting the knitting done for one sock on double-pointed needles and then not even starting the second sock----in the Knitting World they call this "Second-Sock Syndrome" and I think it just results from not wanting to do the same thing twice. Rarely have I ever knitted any project a second time----it's like the novelty is gone or it's like the saying: "Been there, done that, got the t-shirt." Anyway, I think that this was a good start for the Year of the Sock.</span> <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG47q7KPPhXA1qMtWr639Nwx6Xgl8ewwJDKvvT0ZvrQ4VCyJoY5Wv3Bmrl3vj_V54__ZuAdsCLEVDrUi0lBrJyu41SSXUsaHAPPxmNdchM-gbEouiBsyQfcZGXn19Tvqo73U8Kp3iMNXU/s1600/Ilovegansey1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG47q7KPPhXA1qMtWr639Nwx6Xgl8ewwJDKvvT0ZvrQ4VCyJoY5Wv3Bmrl3vj_V54__ZuAdsCLEVDrUi0lBrJyu41SSXUsaHAPPxmNdchM-gbEouiBsyQfcZGXn19Tvqo73U8Kp3iMNXU/s1600/Ilovegansey1.jpg" height="200" width="185" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For my next act I thought that I would work a couple of themes. February is upon us and one always thinks of Valentine's Day during this time (perhaps President's Day as well, but I'm going to go with the former). Valentine's Day holds a special place in my heart and not because it's a day of love, proposals, romantic dinners, and roses. My brother was born on Valentine's Day when I was a mere 4 year-old. Red tends to be the dominating color for Valentine's Day and it's always been my favorite color. So, to rock this first theme, I'm going to knit a pair of red socks with yarn that I received from <a href="http://www.dirtywaterdyeworks.com/" target="_blank">Dirty Water Dyeworks</a></span>. <span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The yarn is 75% Superwash Corriedale/25% Nylon fingering weight (434 yards) which makes it perfect for a pair of socks.</span> <span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The color is "Flame."</span> <span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The pattern I chose is <i>I Love Gansey</i> by Janine LeCras which is featured in the book <b>Sock Club: Join the Knitting Adventure</b> by Charlene Schurch and Beth Parrott. Above is an image of the socks that I pilfered from Ravelry. What the image does not show is a line of embossed hearts running down the front and back of the leg----a GREAT Valentine-themed sock!!</span><br />
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<div id="challenge_yourself_by_starting_and_finishing_one_or_more_projects_during_the_2014_winter_olympics" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The other theme that will predominate whilst I knit these socks is the Winter Olympic Games. I've been watching the Olympics all my life and this time will be no different. My favorite sport to watch is the Figure Skating, but I've been known to hold my breath during the Downhill Skiing as well. Ravelry gets into the Olympics as well by sponsoring the Ravellenic Games. Briefly, the Ravellenic Games is a self-imposed throw-down whereby you challenge yourself by starting and finishing one or more projects during the 2014 Winter Olympic Games. So, in theory, you cast on your project during the Opening Ceremonies and finish during the Closing Ceremonies. Here's the kicker: the Olympics start tonight (February 6).....the Opening Ceremonies are tomorrow. I don't think it's cheating to start tonight since I'll be most certainly watching the Figure Skating which is on tonight! Eighteen days to knit a pair of socks? Can I do it? Remains to be seen.....</span><b><b><span style="font-size: small;"></span></b></b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF_GkCW73HuCHfdPjusapLsMCyrWPFexnM9339KYU5-GQcA03ei3u8TfGaUPc4xAjRFAKOF5kK73bk2KRXfZ6QrGpbkW3862F_jeQBZQczl10B6HlQlCn3vbG7SBijFL0nuuIvbjXOoUE/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF_GkCW73HuCHfdPjusapLsMCyrWPFexnM9339KYU5-GQcA03ei3u8TfGaUPc4xAjRFAKOF5kK73bk2KRXfZ6QrGpbkW3862F_jeQBZQczl10B6HlQlCn3vbG7SBijFL0nuuIvbjXOoUE/s1600/images.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy Valentine's Day!</td></tr>
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Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07480273057358348466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4434685813169601943.post-23667250997843506872014-01-03T21:20:00.002-05:002014-01-03T21:20:54.904-05:002014-The Year of the Sock<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgshnm5XIPjlrPMBAdElgH1NBvJGVffOvBD995q1CsnDJ0h-_kwJKukHLfP0t8UcH010eDTM-2CpW5bNEraztbGbdLxqgRC92RQcda484TABKCd8DipnaPGC9rJgCU8XagrDa2K7hrkyyE/s1600/merrysocksters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgshnm5XIPjlrPMBAdElgH1NBvJGVffOvBD995q1CsnDJ0h-_kwJKukHLfP0t8UcH010eDTM-2CpW5bNEraztbGbdLxqgRC92RQcda484TABKCd8DipnaPGC9rJgCU8XagrDa2K7hrkyyE/s320/merrysocksters.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Merry Socksters</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've been collecting sock yarn for a long time now.....I don't quite know what my obsession is with it. Perhaps it's all the pretty colors that attract me.....or the fact that socks are a relatively small time-commitment project. All those self-striping colors are the most enticing; you just want to keep knitting to see what color or pattern comes next! Maybe I just fancy having some unusual, tricked-out socks on my feet some day. And therein lies the kicker (no pun intended)......where ARE all these socks that I imagine wearing? Not knitted that's for sure.....these wonderful sock yarns sit in a box, bag, or basket just languishing away.....waiting to become something spectacular; waiting to be free!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sock knitting is adventurous....not something I would teach a beginner. And yet, this is the very first project my mother had to knit as a girl in wartime Germany just shortly after she learned how to knit---socks for the troops. My mom still knits socks---it's her go-to knitting and she's good at it--no pattern required! I, on the other hand, being of the variety who cherishes the written word, need directions. I like to see progress; check off a line or stitch count; see a picture of what the end-product is supposed to look like. I enjoy knitting a sock---there is a lot going on in this small, unassuming little accessory and yet, the sock yarn still piles up.....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For the longest time I suffered from SSS---known to us in the knitting world as Second Sock Syndrome. You get one sock done and the second one never gets cast on let alone completed. Cue the magic loop method---knitting two socks at the same time on one long circular needle---genius! Books have been written about this method and I actually learned the ins and outs of this technique in a class I took at <a href="http://www.bakersyarns.com/" target="_blank">Baker's Yarns</a> in Springfield, VT. AND.....I completed a pair of socks in that class last winter. And the sock yarn stash still sits....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So a new year is upon us and with that comes the contemplation of what one wants to do differently/better. This year, I want to keep it simple----I want to personally declare 2014 The Year of the Sock. I want to dig out all those socks I started but didn't finish and well, finish them. I want to use up some of that sock yarn stash. I want to make as many PAIRS of socks as I can without getting distracted by some other project----the siren song of my existence. I can do this, right? This is not an insurmountable goal, is it? Well, I don't think so....right now.....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Okay, so here's the really embarrassing part----the first pair of socks that I want to complete for 2014 were started in March.......of 2011!! Yeah.....I dug these out two days ago on 01-01-2014 not because of my "Year of the Sock" declaration, but because the color way was, once again, calling my name from its cellophane bag enclosure. This project is leftover from the year I joined the Rockin' Sock </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Club of <a href="http://www.bluemoonfiberarts.com/" target="_blank">Blue Moon Fiber Arts</a> fame. The pattern is called "Merry Socksters" by Irishgirlieknits</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> and it's available on Ravelry. The yarn is Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock lightweight superwash merino in the color way Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. I'm in love with this dye job---so much so that I thought it would look good in a vest......maybe in another life.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, as the picture above illustrates, I am still knitting the cuffs of the socks, but this is progress! Trust me......there's a picot edge-turned under hem at the beginning of these babies---so there is more knitting than the eye can see! Updated pics, I hope, will be forthcoming.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On another note, we've been having some snow as well as some very cold temperatures here in New England. Cooper, our young Golden Retriever, loves the woodstove on days like this......<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gratuitous pet photo</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07480273057358348466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4434685813169601943.post-46099532946871623912013-08-29T16:44:00.000-04:002013-08-29T16:44:26.055-04:00Stress and the power of crafting<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last week was stress-filled. One could argue, given the profession that I practice, that every day is stress-filled. True, I've gotten used to a higher-than-average baseline blood cortisol level---par for the course for any healthcare worker. While the day-to-day nature of the job has become 'just what I do,' interpersonally butting up against one's co-workers is something I don't go out of my way to do. But, it happened, I said something that I felt needed to be said in what I thought was a professional manner and it blew up big time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, more than a week out from that, I'm still not quite right. Mentally, the strain has almost dissipated, but my physical well-being suffers for a long time after such incidents. You see, I suffer from irritable bowel syndrome and stress can really do a number on that condition, enough said. It's at these times in my life that I turn, in a desperate way, to the calming force of making things with my hands. Now, let me just say that if there is a day that goes by that I don't get to do a little something crafty, I do get cranky, but that's a whole other thing. What I'm talking about here is a psychic immersion---to quiet the mind, body, and spirit----similar to that "Calgone, take me away" commercial.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">About two weeks ago, I received via mail, the first installment of Yarn Knot---a "yarn tasting" of sorts available from <a href="http://www.dirtywaterdyeworks.com/" target="_blank">Dirty Water Dyeworks</a> (this proprietor had me at hello). So what exactly is Yarn Knot? It's a quarterly subscription to a variety of hand-dyed yarn blends in exclusive color ways complete with a suggested pattern. So, this first installment (which is like getting a package for your birthday!!) contained a luscious skein of 50/50 Merino/Silk blend fingering weight yarn in hues of blue----yum, I'm in love........oh, yes and the pattern is for a lovely lace shawl called the Dover Castle Shawl by Judy Marples. Now I've never been an honest-to-goodness girlie girl, so lace has never really made it that far into my wardrobe. I have to say that I'm totally smitten with this lace pattern---it's got a nice rhythm to it---not so difficult that you have to have your eyes glued to the chart every second, but engrossing enough to let you escape from the real world.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's the best part....the colorway is named Adrift!! Kind of how the mind feels when it's under stress, but also, ironically, that place you want to go to when all hell is breaking loose. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm sure that I will eventually give this shawl to some happy, lucky recipient because, like I said, I really don't "do lace." The process of knitting it will be a gift to me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07480273057358348466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4434685813169601943.post-34113399742367127302013-06-29T21:50:00.000-04:002013-06-29T21:50:06.484-04:00Grabbing hold<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hello friends & folks:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Long time, no hear from me---so I realize......and for those of you who were tuning into my podcast.......even more silence. So, here's the thing, I have placed the podcast on indefinite hiatus.......I know, so unfortunate for all of us, but my schedule just wouldn't allow for it---and if there's one thing that middle age has taught and shown me again and again it's that it is wise to know one's limitations. I work 32 hours a week outside my home, I have a small farm of animals and now a vegetable garden that need tending.......not to mention my voracious appetite for ANY craft that involves wool/fiber! Add in that I've become a gym rat and you don't have too many hours left in the day to turn on a microphone. Aside from all of these excuses, my prowess has always been the written word so to that end, I am devoting my energy to blogging not only about what I've covered before, but also other topics----which normally would be yammer.....but I might, in the future, devote a whole post to a particular topic. So come join the adventure.......</span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fiber Conquests</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Onward......so, whilst catching up on other folks' podcasts today, I came to the shock and realization that today, June 29th, is the first day of the Tour de Fleece. The Tour de Fleece is a Ravelry-based spinning (yarn, not the thing you do at the gym) challenge where we spinners set a goal for ourselves (say, I'm going to spin enough yarn for a pair of mittens) and then try to meet that goal during the same time frame as the Tour de France......spinning of bicycle tires, spinning of spinning wheels, get it? Needless to say, I have failed miserably at this in years past mostly because my goal was simply out of reach. Read, Overachiever. This year, I'm going to start with a specified quantity of prepared roving in a vibrant color way which I purchased some time ago---at the Knitting & Crochet Show nearly a year ago (don't laugh, I have fiber that's way older than this). I've always wanted to spin something from <a href="http://www.abstractfiber.com/" target="_blank">Abstract Fibers</a> and so, here's my chance and I think this will hopefully, fire up my passion for spinning again......</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At least for now, it's something to grab hold of!</span>Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07480273057358348466noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4434685813169601943.post-90353014736840743552013-01-16T17:25:00.001-05:002013-01-16T17:25:26.699-05:00Episode 22 - January Thaw<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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........</span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial;"><b><u>Fiber Conquests</u></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: lime; font-family: Arial;"><b><i>Knitting</i></b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt6btWOrVmEJIJ6ktxTZ8DNN8RQrXp4XbuqazmxZmiiVfRGvbtRS03jlFnP9bBnPSrCtEMkwLC2I5Cn6KFCePH3d0wAnQN_Ir4jwJzMD3snZyO1vuCG6wH8tzRvS1-9AKNCpj72CqZETY/s1600/gloves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt6btWOrVmEJIJ6ktxTZ8DNN8RQrXp4XbuqazmxZmiiVfRGvbtRS03jlFnP9bBnPSrCtEMkwLC2I5Cn6KFCePH3d0wAnQN_Ir4jwJzMD3snZyO1vuCG6wH8tzRvS1-9AKNCpj72CqZETY/s200/gloves.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial;">I'm still working on the <i>Sebastian Gloves</i> by Kristin Nicholas (A Classic Elite pattern booklet---and I believe you can buy just the pattern PDF for the gloves-$6.00- at <a href="http://www.yarn.com/" target="_blank">WEBS</a>) 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.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I took a class a one of my LYSs: <a href="http://www.whippletreeyarn.com/" target="_blank">The Whippletree</a> in Woodstock, VT. We made the Stained Glass Hat, a <a href="http://www.spinnery.com/" target="_blank">Green Mountain Spinnery</a> 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 <a href="http://www.spinnery.com/shop/proddetail.php?prod=50" target="_blank">Norwegian Roses Cardigan</a> 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....</span><br />
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<span style="color: lime; font-family: Arial;"><i>Crochet</i></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;">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 <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/" target="_blank">Ravelry</a> and low and behold, the pattern was there as well---so I bought and downloaded that puppy straight away. More on that later.........</span><br />
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<span style="color: lime; font-family: Arial;"><i>Spinning</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">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.</span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial;"><b><u>What's happening in the barn and on the farm?</u></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">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!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">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! :-)</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTJhEVMOUTnQ9NIEZW-OhlTV5o8nzAt5PYOKL9Io1P9UALJhRyumX1rYmrFpBpBjdE2371_2PqXmV-tYGopY8DWcLKkpiub-tCP5K2aX0EZOhsRTFFaJ4ASx8Jy8Db9_pJwhYJAmPfHvc/s1600/IMG_0203.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTJhEVMOUTnQ9NIEZW-OhlTV5o8nzAt5PYOKL9Io1P9UALJhRyumX1rYmrFpBpBjdE2371_2PqXmV-tYGopY8DWcLKkpiub-tCP5K2aX0EZOhsRTFFaJ4ASx8Jy8Db9_pJwhYJAmPfHvc/s200/IMG_0203.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cooper after a long walk</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">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.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">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.</span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial;"><b><u>Yammer</u></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;">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 <a href="http://www.spinnery.com/" target="_blank">website</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">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!</span>Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07480273057358348466noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4434685813169601943.post-78986097789151517092012-12-05T15:18:00.000-05:002012-12-05T15:18:30.724-05:00Episode 20 - Snow & Such<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hello everyone!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Had some snow that covered the ground this past week, but the temps warmed up and we received some rain, so guess where that went? Here's hoping for some more white stuff.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fiber Conquests</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Knitting:</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Mystery Cowl KAL is done. The cowl now has a name: The Sartorial Cowl. The word "sartorial" means 'of or relating to a tailor.' My cowl is blocking---I'll be adding buttons when it's dry.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPkjXe5-Od0cBAcKbVvjhDitOM8FsPPLzlg14ZrxewpTvg-P0Xyvjcg-wVyU61DxhNamKlaRWZGxXc8tRR31u5uFZN2dSkSPQcE6oOyFMeSc47qkXylkzrU7x05ZcKpk65ByGi7_nCfKs/s1600/IMG_0187.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPkjXe5-Od0cBAcKbVvjhDitOM8FsPPLzlg14ZrxewpTvg-P0Xyvjcg-wVyU61DxhNamKlaRWZGxXc8tRR31u5uFZN2dSkSPQcE6oOyFMeSc47qkXylkzrU7x05ZcKpk65ByGi7_nCfKs/s200/IMG_0187.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDSll8MxVfCVKKz5b4MmTOUT3M92uHUTQhNhSFzd1fPppFu4t9it8B_PSm3xdlUqINi5_LKQ0S5zUAfqPQCoV61qMzXsIA1C9k_2zHGMzuZWhWhMmrgtfKfYm-M2rkR2iH-cN64x3cLvo/s1600/KnitsMenWant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDSll8MxVfCVKKz5b4MmTOUT3M92uHUTQhNhSFzd1fPppFu4t9it8B_PSm3xdlUqINi5_LKQ0S5zUAfqPQCoV61qMzXsIA1C9k_2zHGMzuZWhWhMmrgtfKfYm-M2rkR2iH-cN64x3cLvo/s1600/KnitsMenWant.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'll be starting a couple of pairs of fingerless mitts for some of the men in my family for holiday gifts. The pattern is from <u>Knits Men Want</u> by Bruce Weinstein. The book gives multiple gauges for the projects which is extremely helpful when trying to use up stash yarn or whatever is on hand at any given time. I'm going to be using my own mill-spun yarn for these projects: a warm dark grey yarn from Harvey's and Dugel's fleeces.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Crochet:</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Work on the Fine Feathered Cloche by Linda Cyr continues (<u>Clever Crocheted Accessories</u> by Brett Bara). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'll be starting another hat from this same book (another gift, most likely): The Sedimentary Hat by KJ Hay. This hat uses two colors---the main color will be, again, the warm dark grey yarn from my sheep and a cream-colored yarn from Maple's fleece.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No news in <span style="color: orange;">spinning or other crafting</span> as these have taken a back seat to the holiday rush gifts!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What's happening on the farm and in the barn?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, we had a yearly vet visit this week. The sheep received all their shots (vaccinations) and they were checked over. Bentley, our Golden Retriever, also had an exam and some blood drawn to check for parasites---he was good as gold (no pun intended!)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Seymour is in good health and will be off to visit 4 other BFL lady sheep on another farm this Saturday. The farm is owned by a friend and I made her no promises about his verility. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The DH and I had to take a hacksaw to Harvey's wayward horns after the vet left. His horns grow straight into his head unless we chip away at them every now and again. He is, certainly, my most genetically-mutant sheep amongst the bunch---but he is our first and only (so far) lamb born on the farm and so, he's kind of special to us.........his fleece is beautiful too---and when you're a spinner, that's a good reason to keep on keeping on.....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Chickens!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! have arrived! Oh, it's so good to have chickens back on the farm again. We have four---all different breeds: Golden Comet, Rhode Island Red, Buff Orpington, and Bard Rock. Can't wait for the fresh eggs again---yahoo!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our wild birds have been coming to the feeder (which I just re-hung for the year) in droves. We have mostly chickadees and grey jays---it's great to watch them though. We had to move the feeder already because Cooper was chowing down on the feed that was dumped on the ground---makes for a very high fiber diet for a dog.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;">Sleeping on the Job</span>: Cognitive changes due to anesthesia</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The studies that are out there right now are inconclusive---in other words, is this phenomenon caused by anesthesia, surgery, inflammation, or a combination of these three. A lot of times, the cognitive changes are already there and anesthesia serves to "unmask" what a person has successfully been able to hide or compensate for. So, it may be what the patient brings to the table as this type of phenomenon is most common in the elderly. Sometimes, just some soothing words are enough to calm a patient who is experiencing emergence delirium.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVfgjkOenupNp0uljL_1YnMpZ29xxYh69yTRa3oH9mNQw6YmFVvvYQjNBREHuBSlw9OWgWbkHPkm5KTk-aBiSpSIdwEM_UFaCkfCbIcZflAVGFmoAWC-duWqjtozfMBo-Cm6e3UHeTJdQ/s1600/CastOn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVfgjkOenupNp0uljL_1YnMpZ29xxYh69yTRa3oH9mNQw6YmFVvvYQjNBREHuBSlw9OWgWbkHPkm5KTk-aBiSpSIdwEM_UFaCkfCbIcZflAVGFmoAWC-duWqjtozfMBo-Cm6e3UHeTJdQ/s200/CastOn.jpg" width="153" /></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;">Yammer</span>:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Folks, remember, we are having a giveaway for the month of December. On New Year's eve, I will be choosing one lucky listener to receive <u>Cast On Bind Off: 211 Ways to Begin and End Your Knitting</u> by Cap Sease. All you have to do is go on over to the Counting Sheep Podcast Group on Ravelry (please join us!) and leave a comment on the thread---tell be what your favorite cast on and/or bind off is. We've already had some great comments---thanks!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Geo-Georgie comes to visit</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlaKBxB6F_PLq6WCFLdqccyJvhFcVUSdhK7o8ZD_ndUkm61E8l6IBfz6foBREyGBxoJvtndvS1FQ1llC-Vs5WtUISw1I2c596V4NZmsYWaCxW-PUSjqJDSZmzwdYBnkzdH9VEMDlb6ER8/s1600/IMG_0147.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlaKBxB6F_PLq6WCFLdqccyJvhFcVUSdhK7o8ZD_ndUkm61E8l6IBfz6foBREyGBxoJvtndvS1FQ1llC-Vs5WtUISw1I2c596V4NZmsYWaCxW-PUSjqJDSZmzwdYBnkzdH9VEMDlb6ER8/s200/IMG_0147.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cooper with Geo-Georgie</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was given the opportunity to participate in a 2nd-grader's homework assignment and I had a blast. The 2nd-grader is Daniel, the son of a dear friend in NJ. Geo-Georgie is a cartoon turtle colored by Daniel----I took Georgie on a picture-tour of some sites in Windsor and on the farm and picked up some old photographs in town to send back to NJ with him.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So that's all for this week...........take care! </span>Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07480273057358348466noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4434685813169601943.post-82565564662314024832012-11-26T19:40:00.000-05:002012-11-26T19:40:33.590-05:00Episode 19 - A Renaissance<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A rebirth of sorts............my </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">hiatus from the podcast has lasted way too long: late spring, all of summer, and most of fall. The podcast has been "reborn," but with the same segments; new material. Thanks to everyone for sticking by me and waiting for another episode to pop up! Episode 19 had a rocky start with my recording the intro 5 times before 'getting it right.' I'm using a different microphone (the built-in one rather than the headset). Let me know if the sound quality is better, worse or just the same! So, let's get on with it, shall we?</span><br />
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<span style="color: orange; font-family: Arial;"><b><i><u>Fiber Conquests</u></i></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: red;"><b><i><u>In knitting:</u></i></b></span> I am actually participating in a KAL!! Woo-hoo! Well, I've tried this before---I had a lack-luster showing during the Ravelenic Games where I foolishly thought that my break-neck schedule would allow me to finish a simple knitted vest in two weeks during the summer! The joke was on ME. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The KAL I'm in right now is hosted by Star Athena (on Ravelry) and it is called the Mystery Cowl KAL. It's pretty simple: I ordered the recommended yarn from Blue Moon---it's a bulky weight Merino yarn called De-vine, but I suppose you could use any bulky weight yarn. I think the colorways offered by Blue Moon really make this project shine. My colorway is Currier & Ives, which I wasn't fond of so much in the skein, but the cowl is looking really good. Can't post any pictures yet as it is a mystery after all----will post the finished cowl when it's done which should be this week. The KAL consists of 3 clues; one released per week on Tuesdays. The last clue is due this Tuesday! It's been fun to see this develop! This cowl will most likely be a Christmas gift for someone in my family.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">If you'd like to participate, here's the link for the KAL info: <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/mystery-cowl-kal">http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/mystery-cowl-kal</a></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Small sock started in class</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: red;"><b><i><u>In other knitting news:</u></i></b></span> I took a class with Beth Brown-Reinsel at WEBS as part of my Expert Knitter's Certification Program. The class was Twined which is a Swedish knitting technique whereby two strands of the same color yarn are </span><span style="color: #000066; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">twined around each other, and creates a warmer, denser fabric than conventional stranded knitting.</span> <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So cool! In class, we started and worked on a very small sock to learn the technique-----but there is no way this sock is going to fit me and I'm all about utility, so I bought Beth's Twined Knitted Socks pattern that she designed herself.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Beth is a lovely lady and a wonderful teacher with the patience of a saint. I pondered to her out loud about designing a Twined-knitted sweater for my Capstone Project----she was so gracious and offered to be a consultant for me! Beth lives right here in Vermont----she's 'just down the road' from me..................maybe, if I get crazy enough to hold a Counting Sheep Podcast Retreat someday, I can convince her to teach at it.................mmmmmmmmm.......in the meantime, find her info here: <a href="http://www.knittingtraditions.com/">www.knittingtraditions.com</a></span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial;"><i><u><b>Crochet Corner:</b></u></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">So the gauntlet has been thrown down at work for a hat contest at this year's Holiday party for our anesthesia department. No men need apply------------because they are having their own contest which involves facial hair. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The start of my cloche</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Of course, I cannot BUY a hat to wear, I have to make one right? I'm crocheting the Fine Feathered Cloche by Linda Cyr out of Clever Crocheted Accessories. The book is full of do-in-a-weekend projects and there's not a dud in the book. I'm loving the stitch detail on the cloche which is finished off with grosgrain ribbon and some sort of floral pick of choice---mine might be holly berries or some such thing.........I'm using Lamb's Pride Worsted in Seafoam.</span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial;"><b><i><u>Spinning!!</u></i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Well most of you know about my great intentions of joining the Knitmore Girls' <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/the-knitmore-girls-podcast/2056116/501-525#525" target="_blank">SPAKAL</a>---what an Epic fail on my part. Work on Harvey's fleece has stalled because it's far easier to travel with my drop spindle in tow which already has another project on it. The roving on my drop spindle is so old---I'm not even sure if I dyed this roving or if I bought it (how pathetic is that?!?)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">BUT, it's almost all spun up and it's destination you ask? It will stay as a single and I intend to crochet the <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/boho-blocks-cardigan" target="_blank">Boho Blocks Cardigan</a> by Valentina Devine from Interweave Crochet Magazine Fall 2006.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><i><u><span style="color: red;">In Crochet Shirret<span style="background-color: white;">:</span></span></u></i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Had LOTS of interest in the Shirret at the shows---I demo the technique and display some of the things I've made. I'm brainstorming big time about writing up some of these patterns so stay tuned for more of that----------I'm lucky to have my own personal photographer (the DH) on hand to help with the self-publishing!</span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial;"><b><i><u>And FINALLY:</u></i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I am learning Rigid Heddle Weaving via an on-line class through <a href="http://www.craftsy.com/" target="_blank">Craftsy</a>. Not to worry, this is not going to turn into a podcast about weaving---just trying to burn through some stash quickly. I mention this only because I want to encourage you to visit the Crafsy website and take a look at what they offer in terms of learning new crafting techniques. I'm really enjoying this platform---it allows you to view the video, pause it wherever you like, rewind it, view it again, bookmark it, and take notes right on screen. In addition, you can e-mail the instructor with any questions you have and posting pictures of your finished projects is highly encouraged. I was firmly convinced that weaving was not for me after two different several-week classes on basic weaving. What I found is that I needed some individual attention/instruction in order to learn to weave (I guess it's just how I'm wired) and thankfully, Craftsy has provided such instruction. Really, I'm not a paid spokesperson for Craftsy (although I wish I were! ;-), I just love this learning platform---I've even learned how to make cheese----and I'm now a cheese monster! So go on over and check it out! If you hurry, all classes are $19.99 until midnight 11/26!</span><br />
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<span style="color: orange; font-family: Arial;"><b><i><u>What's happening on the farm? In the barn?</u></i></b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_GuzGs-n-DB8D0CHv4uH1umbucDLwrZvwnCthyphenhyphenkBkLWx97zLL0b7K0rHezjo2LkNb2dOwCVz3J4dx2xd8dRZF16wIuvWntbNvlzu1krJ2l2FqwXW5wefnUPyyRqlARA3ZIn5okGSlxUQ/s1600/IMG_0169.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_GuzGs-n-DB8D0CHv4uH1umbucDLwrZvwnCthyphenhyphenkBkLWx97zLL0b7K0rHezjo2LkNb2dOwCVz3J4dx2xd8dRZF16wIuvWntbNvlzu1krJ2l2FqwXW5wefnUPyyRqlARA3ZIn5okGSlxUQ/s200/IMG_0169.jpg" width="149" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><i><u><span style="color: red;">Cooper</span></u></i></b> is what's happening!! Our new, bouncing, springing, Golden Retriever puppy arrived early July. He settled in well and graduated from both Puppy-K and Level I Obedience. We had great intentions of going onto Level II Obedience and then taking a test to see if we'd be a good therapy dog but alas, the classes turned out to be more exhausting to me than they were to Cooper. Cooper had fun with all his dog friends at class and now has bonded well with Bentley (who at first, was a bit indifferent to his presence).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><i><u><span style="color: red;">Sheep:</span></u></i></b> No new babies at all---which begs the question: is Seymour interested in anybody but himself? We fought the good battle this summer trying to rotate the sheep on pasture so that they had enough to eat---the drought was challenging. They are eating hay now and are pretty happy I'm sure that they don't have to go "searching" for suitable grass for a while. The vet comes for a farm visit this Thursday to give shots and to make sure everyone is healthy---it's our once-a-year visit.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">On a sad note, we've lost all of our <b><i><u><span style="color: red;">chickens</span></u></i></b> to a very hungry, very tenacious raccoon. We had started to free-range our chickens in the spring so that they could get out on the lawn to eat bugs and do their chicken thing. I guess the raccoon caught wind of this and it was one disaster after another with the last three chickens being carried off in October. We are planning on reinforcing the housing with cinder blocks dug deep----should resemble Fort Knox when the DH gets done with it. We'll try again in the spring with starter pullets---looks like we can get chickens from the supplier as early as March---that will be nice since I am now totally addicted to farm-fresh eggs!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">In <b><i><u><span style="color: red;">gardening</span></u></i></b> news, the garden has been put to bed for the fall. It didn't really do well this year for two reasons: the drought and my lack of keeping up with watering and the lack of rototilling in the spring. So, we did a "lasagna" compost this fall. We layered newspaper, chopped up leaves, and then compost on the garden. We're hoping that this rejuvenates the soil and gives us some good crops next year.</span><br />
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<span style="color: orange; font-family: Arial;"><b><i><u>Sleeping on the Job</u></i></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Being supportive is such a simple concept and yet it alludes us sometimes. It can simply be, listening, not offering any advice, just being there for another colleague or individual at work. I have, in my not-so-distant past, been in management. Management, as a career, and I do not see eye-to-eye. Perhaps it's my German upbringing, but I don't have a great deal of tolerance for having to tell any of my colleagues how to do their job----I just assume that if you are a professional, you should know your job. So, now as an employee again---a nurse anesthetist whose job is to give anesthesia without managing other colleagues---I can see both sides of the coin. I am sympathetic to the trials and tribulations of managing and I understand the daily 'trenchwork' which, quite frankly, isn't too bad at all. Anyway, I find myself, more than ever, being supportive to those who have the onorous job of managing others.</span><br />
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<span style="color: orange; font-family: Arial;"><b><i><u>Yammer</u></i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><i><u><span style="color: red;">Book review</span></u></i></b>: <u>Cast On, Bind OFF: 211 Ways to Begin and End Your Knitting</u> by Cap Sease. Published by Martingale 2012. 160 pages. Retails for $27.99. Two thumbs up for this book. I like the idea of having so many options when it comes to starting and ending. The author has provided great illustrations (for us visual learners) as well as text (for those of us who excell at following the written word). Also, the purpose of each cast-on and bind-off is explained---that is to say, should you want a more structured vs. a more stretchy effect. I love some of the names given to the various techniques; some are named after the people who invented them. The index is a great resource if you need to reference one of these techniques quickly. The book is spiral-bound which is a great feature since the book will open flat on a surface and tuck away nicely into a bag.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">We are having a <i><b><span style="color: red;">give-away</span></b></i> of one copy of this book to a lucky listener. In order to enter, please go over to the Counting Sheep Podcast group in Ravelry and leave a reply on the thread: "What is your favorite cast-on and/or bind-off?" On New Year's Eve, I will use a random number generator to select the winner of this book.</span><br />
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<span style="color: orange; font-family: Arial;"><b><i><u>Hurricane Sandy:</u></i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">This storm hit the mid-Atlantic area hard including New Jersey, my state of origin. I spent many a summer day at the Jersey shore and many of the photos I've viewed on the news in the current weeks have been heart wrenching. My heart goes out those affected by the storm. My parents and my sister and her family reside inland and thankfully, are safe. They had some downed trees as well as long power outages, but it all pales in comparison to those who have lost their homes and livelihoods. Like Vermont with Irene, I know those folks will prevail---keep the faith my friends!</span><br />
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<br />Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07480273057358348466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4434685813169601943.post-55737386188608659522012-02-25T12:28:00.010-05:002012-02-25T13:50:29.506-05:00Episode 16 - Comittment<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0V0-2gwPt_U0s3q7VuCwZvtftL5yFjBaMD3KjSO8lH36CkAfhnwFQGj9rXPAZ9TwomBOCy3BAdIlpHHg6CXVuDsY9PxTmduc3yPv0BivXPeBEoOy_M1xLrT9-vI0MdZxR6ER9vhtCjhk/s1600/IMG_0078.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0V0-2gwPt_U0s3q7VuCwZvtftL5yFjBaMD3KjSO8lH36CkAfhnwFQGj9rXPAZ9TwomBOCy3BAdIlpHHg6CXVuDsY9PxTmduc3yPv0BivXPeBEoOy_M1xLrT9-vI0MdZxR6ER9vhtCjhk/s200/IMG_0078.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713135127215905058" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">Just a few days left to leave a response to our "Name the Sheep" contest! Contest ends midnight on February 29 and I will be drawing a name (via random-number generator) on March 1st and podca</span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">sting that day! Shocked? So am I! The winner receives a sweater's worth of our own yarn---han</span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">d-grown here on the farm---from our Shetland Sheep. The yarn is worsted weight and </span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">you have a choice of color---creamy white or brown-grey (I've been corrected on this color!) Here's a pic o</span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">f the two colors:<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">You can leave your entry here by commenting on the blog or on Ravelry under the thread in the Counting Sheep podcast group. Good luck!</span><br /><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><br />Fiber Conquests<br /><br />Knitting:</span><br /><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">Sizzlin' Hot Hat continues to be stalled.......I really do l</span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">ove doing this colorwork, but have been trying to meet other fiber-related deadlines. The ribbing for this hat is 2- 1/2 inches and once I get past that, I can add my own creativity with fish! Stay tuned for future developments!<br /><br />What HAVE I completed? The Citron Shawlet</span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">te!! YAAY! This item is the January project of the "</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiehNDQyn3tdODyYgtiwl6tb26FwKx2w-5yiZYdsYtkDUU-wd8ZXN7wpgdrEy9gYAAL4S9PjNNDBRmb6PgUSnZ4Q33UqPK-mUVisI4LaQFvuVKxqGFBsG9qs4RGAD7cxYOjkYJw9PAhb4/s1600/IMG_0099.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiehNDQyn3tdODyYgtiwl6tb26FwKx2w-5yiZYdsYtkDUU-wd8ZXN7wpgdrEy9gYAAL4S9PjNNDBRmb6PgUSnZ4Q33UqPK-mUVisI4LaQFvuVKxqGFBsG9qs4RGAD7cxYOjkYJw9PAhb4/s200/IMG_0099.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713136716334052466" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">Christmas Club" I joined up </span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">with at my LYS. February's project is the <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/jabberwock-scarf">Jabberwock Scarf</a> and I've bought the yarn: Cascade Lana Bambu (79% </span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">wool, 21% viscose from bamboo) Color #2. Pattern is a free Ravelry download. I actually started this after podcasting and have some pictures---you'll see that there is a di</span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">fferent, unique pattern on each side.</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN3SeG8wWiLYk9l84dK_ScbKdnJO3QhzEwb0r_Ivia0uM_4TMNH3ZegwYMI8DfKIjGFKerIfDRbQYKtdS_zX7LRcTQBbh87i1_SMYkB4M6BA8rMmMtF3gCMYBEAlna09FLeD5-l5tbIfA/s1600/IMG_0077.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN3SeG8wWiLYk9l84dK_ScbKdnJO3QhzEwb0r_Ivia0uM_4TMNH3ZegwYMI8DfKIjGFKerIfDRbQYKtdS_zX7LRcTQBbh87i1_SMYkB4M6BA8rMmMtF3gCMYBEAlna09FLeD5-l5tbIfA/s200/IMG_0077.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713139810381560802" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6tThq4bukttdpC0iXfHEtmrYJu3QnkfITRofz3uuv-dnHQjvrQlG1ntzLaMmrIA2dojL02o_a-vX8AWfx1jZNRoKY8Ij_-07DgP2f427T115YSR4N97QP5X46oh29Se9BCSc_cRCrNfg/s1600/IMG_0076.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6tThq4bukttdpC0iXfHEtmrYJu3QnkfITRofz3uuv-dnHQjvrQlG1ntzLaMmrIA2dojL02o_a-vX8AWfx1jZNRoKY8Ij_-07DgP2f427T115YSR4N97QP5X46oh29Se9BCSc_cRCrNfg/s200/IMG_0076.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713137830082526706" border="0" /></a></span></span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><br />Another project I completed is the Slip Stitc</span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">h Baby Blanket that I was making for a baby shower. Made the deadline on this one b</span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">y </span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">the skin of my teeth. The gift was well-rece</span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">ived by the mom-to-be. Pattern is from 60 Q</span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">uick Baby Knits.<br /><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7-tREuPzXGLg0hsWGevt1s2963YRZtbvK4qZ_QZHMnhZZ-JHHehl-pIsLLf0qXsJqir3NXx9t6SqhBPxcwmFsCaBREyP4o2hgfxw6eAV0l_4VcHEiTR2oFBCYgKNZ4-pN7T1oTd8KmRQ/s1600/IMG_0101.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7-tREuPzXGLg0hsWGevt1s2963YRZtbvK4qZ_QZHMnhZZ-JHHehl-pIsLLf0qXsJqir3NXx9t6SqhBPxcwmFsCaBREyP4o2hgfxw6eAV0l_4VcHEiTR2oFBCYgKNZ4-pN7T1oTd8KmRQ/s200/IMG_0101.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713141972541250242" border="0" /></a></span></span></span></span></span><br />Work on the Eco Vest has stalled as well & that's because of my enrollment in W</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5xSXL3f9cO0LxddEB-qjAK1aO9ND4Y2nADjTeV8pLDe05VFlA_QaN1Y7Sl8c6p1qq4W_FI6kCEY-3CFmUynF-OwjDRTU5lEmRRc6RNrnpJpxEoRSwiAFXxPhZSQAnNYh1H71c7xpL0M0/s1600/IMG_0080.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5xSXL3f9cO0LxddEB-qjAK1aO9ND4Y2nADjTeV8pLDe05VFlA_QaN1Y7Sl8c6p1qq4W_FI6kCEY-3CFmUynF-OwjDRTU5lEmRRc6RNrnpJpxEoRSwiAFXxPhZSQAnNYh1H71c7xpL0M0/s200/IMG_0080.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713143395124548674" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">EB's Expert Knitter's Certification Program (yes, CRA</span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">ZY, I know........welcome to my world!) The program consists of a curriculum of 15 core courses with 3 elective courses. Toward the end, you design your own sweater as a capstone project. This semester, I'm taking a course called: Top-Down Raglan Sweater from Measurements. The course text is Knitting from the Top by Barbara Walker which is back in print. My top-down raglan is going to be a cardigan </span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">and I'm using yarn from my stash: Cascade 220 in a lilac color (#9541)---a total departure for me!<br /><br />In Crochet:<br />The Dusty Snowflake Throw progress has stalled as well, but, hey, I'm only human right?<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">I promised in the last episode to get going on some kind of crocheted garment. Well, I found one: The Swain Sweater from the Winter 2011 issue of Interweave Crochet. The design is by Megan Granholm and the technique is tunis</span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">ian. Hook size is L or 11 (metric size: 8mm). The yarn is unique and probably not readily available anymore (I went stash-diving big-time on this one). Let me explain: Many moons ago when all the trouble was going on in the Balkans, the Green Mountain Spinnery teamed up </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfNCv3o0MbW5SquLamfiR9TctX9EOMCVjfH_9rdhaLvTGmQs10MX_bvKYwloS1PvaeKebwrJc1LuQZQ20oTI4jeaS1qemiyJHb-82JPFsYRTgcssJTz1ZyHrpic3BfQYqYbAR5rNmfAqw/s1600/IMG_0074.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfNCv3o0MbW5SquLamfiR9TctX9EOMCVjfH_9rdhaLvTGmQs10MX_bvKYwloS1PvaeKebwrJc1LuQZQ20oTI4jeaS1qemiyJHb-82JPFsYRTgcssJTz1ZyHrpic3BfQYqYbAR5rNmfAqw/s200/IMG_0074.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713144503698082386" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">with an organization called "Rainbow Socks." The "Rainbow Socks" project offered hope and income to refugee women from the Balkans through the sale of their handicrafts in the U.S. GMS produced a yarn calle</span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">d "For Kosovo" as a commemorative and I am the proud owner of several skeins of this yarn. I'm glad that this special yarn finally told me what it wanted to be. Ray couldn't resist being part of the picture for this one:<br /><br />In spinning: Drop spinning some Cormo fiber I picked up at the New England F</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGYh-15qQW1gHpjfrMfY_RJUbZwuc6Dt7ZtEepKQ5ikoxyCXxkFOPa1-RtFggX7ThcA7gTZoHFpiFgJGiWB80Fa4q6h9c0pYQ3-2dGrtyUUuIQgQkfFpYskiN5g0Vz0CjiCZ86aLHvliI/s1600/IMG_0072.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGYh-15qQW1gHpjfrMfY_RJUbZwuc6Dt7ZtEepKQ5ikoxyCXxkFOPa1-RtFggX7ThcA7gTZoHFpiFgJGiWB80Fa4q6h9c0pYQ3-2dGrtyUUuIQgQkfFpYskiN5g0Vz0CjiCZ86aLHvliI/s200/IMG_0072.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713145692151303010" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">iber Festival this past fall.<br /><br />What's happening in the Barn and on the Farm?<br />Fergus antics<br />Due date for Sayda???<br />Haircut for Bentley<br />Hershey & Midnight have a Valentine's date<br />Chickens continue to be productive<br /><br />Sleeping on the Job<br />Comittment to oneself----my comittments are yoga and walking everyday!! What are yours?<br /><br />Yammer: Our Knitting Community<br />Until next time............<br /><br /><br /></span>Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07480273057358348466noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4434685813169601943.post-28487380827821287972012-01-26T16:07:00.007-05:002012-01-26T17:04:25.046-05:00Wintry Mix<span style="font-family:lucida grande;">These show notes are a couple of days late......sorry folks---had an podcast upload glitch with one of my browsers and that took me two days to hash out. Took me another couple of days to get all the pictures taken..........as I've said before, som</span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">etimes I just can't get out of my own </span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">way!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">Thank-you everyone who has participated thus far in our very first contest!! I'm just loving all the names that you have come up with for our newest little fellow here on the farm. Your support means so much!!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Fiber Conquests</span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGi0SU9P7jhKys9L7aOuepmj4sshn1XKjaQBtxY_tkKSM-F-apADNX7m3lA_pZEENouuAgDSCoI7RyHOmPt0YjwtYlH01AMpFjQONVlcaTPfwzdt7SAofh-pXi93Yb1vaLQ2596nxZk_U/s1600/IMG_0082.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGi0SU9P7jhKys9L7aOuepmj4sshn1XKjaQBtxY_tkKSM-F-apADNX7m3lA_pZEENouuAgDSCoI7RyHOmPt0YjwtYlH01AMpFjQONVlcaTPfwzdt7SAofh-pXi93Yb1vaLQ2596nxZk_U/s200/IMG_0082.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702058458172255794" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);font-family:lucida grande;" >In knitting:</span><br /><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">My<span style="font-weight: bold;"> Wintry Mix Sweater</span> designed by <span style="font-style: italic;">Amy Herzog</span> is done and I am lovin' it!! Done up in Berroco Blackstone Tweed colorway "Steamers." Fits well, and it was a joy to knit---although I </span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">miscalculated how much time it would take to knit up the collar--</span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">-the collar truly makes the sweater.....I'm sure you'll agree!<br /><br />My second <span style="font-weight: bold;">Sizzlin' Hot Hat</span> designed by <span style="font-style: italic;">Lucy Neatby</span></span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"> is going at a glacial pace as I've been distracted by other projects which have a deadlin</span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">e as you will see....<br /><br />I've joined a 'Christmas Club' for knitters. The concept is simple----knit one project a month and stow it away to give to those lucky someones for Christmas 2012. Hoping this will fare better than the Rockin' Sock Club did</span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"> last year (update: have YET to finish a pair of socks from the Rockin' Sock Club--even though there were only 6 pairs to knit for the year! Shameful!). </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIbidbUgvrzZrG-YmWBMShfot4VfOTkjQWvu-76hgEpZE2X4jXDHixmxc_M3_J25VHQBdxUubtuO7bolTUZa0YhoOFGKDoQuqOpw-uCdwojyQ2tPG1IwX2p-0XsnZCd1Xcncn0KHeMk9E/s1600/IMG_0086.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIbidbUgvrzZrG-YmWBMShfot4VfOTkjQWvu-76hgEpZE2X4jXDHixmxc_M3_J25VHQBdxUubtuO7bolTUZa0YhoOFGKDoQuqOpw-uCdwojyQ2tPG1IwX2p-0XsnZCd1Xcncn0KHeMk9E/s200/IMG_0086.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702059504094800738" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">Anyhoo, the Jan</span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">uary (ergo, the first) project is the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Citron Shawlette</span> designed by <span style="font-style: italic;">Hilary Smith Callis</span>. I've been woefully late-to-the-party on this one because it basically went viral on Ravelry soon after its release on Knitty in 2009. What can I say? I'm not a big shawl person---inhabitants of New England tend to gr</span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">avitate towards sweater-knitting. I must say though that it's been a good knit---using some cool lac</span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">eweight merino by Ella Rae---AND it looks like I might just get it done by the deadline!! Fingers cross</span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">ed! Wish me luck!<br /><br />Have been searching around for a project to use my very limited supply of mill spun 'Fergus' yarn on. Fergus is our brown Shetland wether (neutered) sheep---it's a very lovely shade of brown and I thought I deserved something made </span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">from it since he's not the easiest animal to keep----recall the 'Fergus' damage that my DH has to repair on the barn every spring when Fergus decides he's had enough of winter and repeatedly bashes his head into the walls of the barn. You have to wonder what goes through their minds.............I digress.......the project, oh yes---I dec</span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">ided upon the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Eco Vest</span> by <span style="font-style: italic;">Katie Himmelberg</span> which is in the book <span style="font-weight: bold;">Knitting </span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="font-weight: bold;" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinWURH2By7jbOidHhl8cH3FJtQQXHedJBhr5B_n1CkcOwdlUGkm3vmoC6kyIOuW0WgXfU669btYdS60A1BTRFrMar4o09ZjbH4uQlbPnAEPs1j2-8FtaEbj7GZbondAzJNbOnupi10Gfg/s1600/IMG_0088.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinWURH2By7jbOidHhl8cH3FJtQQXHedJBhr5B_n1CkcOwdlUGkm3vmoC6kyIOuW0WgXfU669btYdS60A1BTRFrMar4o09ZjbH4uQlbPnAEPs1j2-8FtaEbj7GZbondAzJNbOnupi10Gfg/s200/IMG_0088.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702060676574939106" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Green</span>. The pattern came to me via a free e-book download from <span style="font-style: italic;">Knitting Daily</span> which is a daily e-newsletter put out by the folks at Interweave Press---I think I subscribe to 4 of their magazines altogether. Anyway, the Eco Vest is a great knit---4 row pattern repeat which is easy to memorize and this is going to be one cozy vest---pattern calls for Size 10.5 needles, but I've gone down two sizes as usual as I'm always the loosey-goosey knitter.</span><br /><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><br />I've been invited to a baby shower for a fellow co-worker who started with me back in 2008. I was in quite a quandary over what to make whe</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOjBAQSEw0nSzXOzyPrmCHKEdSa0CFGD7SIjpO4IeWCtdBQIuQfLX2IId2NGLtbBvWIPKoxCMNSQwzGFaLMrqtpXhUIzTet9_ITn4NmXIcL6wODwXInH4dI4k6GjmOL_E-u3kO078uzFc/s1600/IMG_0093.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOjBAQSEw0nSzXOzyPrmCHKEdSa0CFGD7SIjpO4IeWCtdBQIuQfLX2IId2NGLtbBvWIPKoxCMNSQwzGFaLMrqtpXhUIzTet9_ITn4NmXIcL6wODwXInH4dI4k6GjmOL_E-u3kO078uzFc/s200/IMG_0093.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702061833673282018" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">n I heard that she loves handmade things. Lucky for me, my LYS, <a href="http://www.whiteriveryarns.com">White River Yarns</a>, helped me out. Went in last Saturday an purchased enough Cascade 220 Superwash yarn in the appropriate colors to make the <span style="font-style: italic;">Slip Stitch Blanket</span> featured as project #59 in <span style="font-weight: bold;">60 Quick Baby Knits</span> (a review of the book is in the Yammer section of this episode of the podcast). Loving this p</span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">roject and REALLY crossing my fingers about getting it done on time---shower is February 8th!!<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">In Crochet:</span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4AVKJPzyeV0wEikWDuYmx0nXGqWrINM39UshDQZoFJoKFXRNKenu4qA72s_jf_84Og9hw6_xZvp_oJ_XpFYGD3bM8Sz_bIxJX49Qj38T-3B5ZnM7vyyr1HFvIqGn2giXfiCotVRdtK_s/s1600/IMG_0091.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4AVKJPzyeV0wEikWDuYmx0nXGqWrINM39UshDQZoFJoKFXRNKenu4qA72s_jf_84Og9hw6_xZvp_oJ_XpFYGD3bM8Sz_bIxJX49Qj38T-3B5ZnM7vyyr1HFvIqGn2giXfiCotVRdtK_s/s200/IMG_0091.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702063024320463346" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">Made some progress on my Dusty Snowflake Throw---added another row of </span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">sn</span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">owflake motifs to the throw with some speed bumps along the way. This is a join-as-you-go throw and I don't have a lot of experience (read: none) joining motifs as I go. So I had a couple of false starts, but I think I have the hang of it now.</span><br /><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">In spinning:</span><br />Still working on the dog hair from my sister---the ultimate procrastination project as I don't enjoy spinning dog hair much...just sayin'. But the sooner I get the dog hair done, the sooner I can move on to other wonderful fibers!!<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0); font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">What's happening on the farm and in the barn?</span><br />Listen into the podcast to hear me go on about some mishaps that happened with our newest addition to the flock. Also, where are the birds this winter?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Sleeping on the Job:</span> Settling in to being a 'full-time' worker at just one place of employment. May use this segment in the future to talk about the phenomenon of pain.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Yammer:</span><br />Book review: <span style="font-weight: bold;">60 Quick Baby Knits</span><br /><br />Thanks to everyone for tuning me in......talk to you again soon!<br /></span>Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07480273057358348466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4434685813169601943.post-86248825505712421072011-12-24T15:00:00.009-05:002011-12-25T12:39:03.999-05:00Tidings<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Episode 14: Tidings</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"></span></span></div><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"><br /></span>Seasons Greetings Everyone! The title of this episode of the podcast is "Tidings," a word derived from Old English, German, and Old Norse meaning "news" and "information." Very fitting for this late-arriving podcast on Christmas Day, because I have boat loads of things to tell you.<br /><br />Missed my pod-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">iversary</span> on December 4<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">th</span>---hard to believe that I started <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">podcasting</span> well over a year ago and was truly unaware of the type of commitment I was in for. It has been fun nonetheless and I aim to continue as long as I'm able to.<br /><br />Thank-you to all of you who have stuck with me through my erratic podcast schedule. As I attempt to keep all of the balls of my life in the air, 2012 will hopefully</span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"> in</span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">clu</span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0lkuwX8Rwhyphenhyphen9xFmWD1Cg3HfKhqZ1cJze1EIMf95pEv4VKtXty0y3maEoPf7q9xq9HechP3RhsW-OBI99qEJiWu8aHM3X7DRpk726s9LbARaPBMBP0XscZysuusP6T8Mnb1hyphenhyphenItvyxsEg/s1600/IMG_0074.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0lkuwX8Rwhyphenhyphen9xFmWD1Cg3HfKhqZ1cJze1EIMf95pEv4VKtXty0y3maEoPf7q9xq9HechP3RhsW-OBI99qEJiWu8aHM3X7DRpk726s9LbARaPBMBP0XscZysuusP6T8Mnb1hyphenhyphenItvyxsEg/s200/IMG_0074.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5689790484954468850" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">de</span> a more regular schedule of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">podcasts</span>. Enough said, let's get on with it....<br /><br />Fiber Conquests:<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Knitting: Wintry Mix Sweater by Amy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Herzog</span></span><br />Inspired by her "Fit to Flatter" class I took at Fiber College way back in September!!<br />Yarn: <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Berroco</span> Blackstone Tweed (65% Wool, 25% <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Superkid</span> Mohair, 10% Angora) in the "Steamers" colorway. Looking fantastic---have 1/2 of a sleeve to set in yet and then the collar to knit........almost done!<span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjep1iA5ZlnEvJshwOtbUnSPfVtBQNTXMGQyCSeDt01ldsUM98c6-uI24o0yOSE7Qq7YxmRcphDaQjTWXatcK2JlAdU2Y90VJJioahHocms9ntsNYiMEKzmC25u9T7WnwQc7BexGJE1W2c/s1600/IMG_0076.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjep1iA5ZlnEvJshwOtbUnSPfVtBQNTXMGQyCSeDt01ldsUM98c6-uI24o0yOSE7Qq7YxmRcphDaQjTWXatcK2JlAdU2Y90VJJioahHocms9ntsNYiMEKzmC25u9T7WnwQc7BexGJE1W2c/s200/IMG_0076.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5689793316652549490" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Also, </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">crazy me! </span><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> Knitting another </span></span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Sizzling Hot</span></span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"> Hat by Lucy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Neatby</span></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;">.</span></span> Yarn: Crystal Palace Mini <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Mochi</span> in solid Black</span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"> and colorway Feldspar (I think..........misplaced ball band---I think the kitties are conspiring against me by hiding my ball bands so that I'll pay more attention to them!) Hat is by request for a co-worker anesthetist who fly fishes in 40-degree water (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">brrrrrrrr</span>)----well you know what your mother said about keeping your hat on (it's true---we lose quite a bit of heat through our heads---just a little anesthetist <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">tid</span> bit thrown in there ;-) Thought I would work a steel head trout motif into the patterning.......I'll let</span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"> you know how I make </span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">o</span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">ut</span> with that one!!<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">In Crocheting: </span></span>In keeping with the season, I'm making my own (mine! mine! mine!) Snowflake afghan. Check it out: free pattern from <a href="http://www.redheart.com/search/apachesolr_search/dusty%20snowflake?filters=tid%3A208">Red Heart: The Dusty Sn</a></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiscjXNrsjUdybk23P_3yefHojT3-k-PsvEhO4M_uoBTmSEXCuMO1w59bViPKiG5KiL_MARtoEsLPn_XGXdufY7OIGLaywnP6DldMA6lI2o9awLEVKYa9DnHf82e3ECzXeVpKnEKWK4PQg/s1600/IMG_0073.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiscjXNrsjUdybk23P_3yefHojT3-k-PsvEhO4M_uoBTmSEXCuMO1w59bViPKiG5KiL_MARtoEsLPn_XGXdufY7OIGLaywnP6DldMA6lI2o9awLEVKYa9DnHf82e3ECzXeVpKnEKWK4PQg/s200/IMG_0073.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5689797959407202018" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><a href="http://www.redheart.com/search/apachesolr_search/dusty%20snowflake?filters=tid%3A208"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">owflake</span> Throw</a>.<br />Yarn: Cascade 220 Color #8505 which is a creamy white AND<br /> Cascade 220 Paints Color # 9848 which is a blue variegated yarn.</span><br /><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">Purchased at <a href="http://www.bakersyarns.com/">Baker's Yarns & </a></span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><a href="http://www.bakersyarns.com/">Fabrics</a> in Springfield, VT. Owned by Bonny Andrews, a very nice lady and avid knitter---she'll help you with anything!<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">In Spinning: </span></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1H9KNOhZtcVb3NMsJJWiNoi5iWBMve0OAOGKfNX3qnhuev15IT-aBvH-X19PX4XzVUU2enFHQL7yBETn1opeA0ER23lOR8c1YY7r9EMI_Bm6u1y4BwqPhOCjOPCbjuOGT8Y6L8y0W43Q/s1600/IMG_0078.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1H9KNOhZtcVb3NMsJJWiNoi5iWBMve0OAOGKfNX3qnhuev15IT-aBvH-X19PX4XzVUU2enFHQL7yBETn1opeA0ER23lOR8c1YY7r9EMI_Bm6u1y4BwqPhOCjOPCbjuOGT8Y6L8y0W43Q/s200/IMG_0078.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5689799721800271442" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><br />Dog hair from my sister's <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Sheltie</span> (now deceased). I gifted most of it to her for Christmas and have just a small amount of it left. Not greatly fond of it---just doesn't spin like wool! ;-)<br /><br /></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-7mwE_nlK2LBYdFrYLeV_P88jT5c_8NdpvaL2E8-rlsIaIgnVmu4CUUAFDx-EF81cjM0V-zDGZ6eMsImBh7X6jIj1UyMllXm5HuG12Idn9MN9NgNFyQYvqi70XzXQxG0Ujt6PWFenqLs/s1600/IMG_0072.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-7mwE_nlK2LBYdFrYLeV_P88jT5c_8NdpvaL2E8-rlsIaIgnVmu4CUUAFDx-EF81cjM0V-zDGZ6eMsImBh7X6jIj1UyMllXm5HuG12Idn9MN9NgNFyQYvqi70XzXQxG0Ujt6PWFenqLs/s200/IMG_0072.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5689801709331726210" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><br /><br />In Felting: Finally got my sheep done from the "Baa" <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">cla</span></span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">ss</span> with Amy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">Felske</span> </span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">at Fiber College. The sheep is soft sculpture with wooden legs--mostly sewn by </span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">machine and hand---one <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">needlefelts</span> the fleece of choice onto the body of the sheep as a last step!<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">What's happening in the barn & around the farm?</span></span><br />Our chickens are producing five eggs a day---we have one free-loading slacker out there and I'll have to have a talk with her as soon as I figure out which one it is....<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">Our rabbits, Hershey and Midnight are fairing well with the drop in temperature--what with a nice angora coat on, wouldn't YOU be comfy? Their winter watering system is on and keeping their water ice-free. I think they're finally used to the chickens and all the chicken noises!<br /><br />Big news with the SHEEP: we've added to our flock!! After a lot of thought & attempts to get a suitor for our <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">Bluefaced</span> Leicester (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">BFL</span>) ewe, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">Sayda</span>, we decided on buying a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">BFL</span> ram. Our ram came from Vermont (Kat Smith @ <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">Stonesthrow</span> Farm in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">Wallingford</span>), which we are very h</span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">appy</span> about and he arrived on our farm on November 2<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">nd</span>.<br /><br />Our new ram lamb is the topic of my first-ever <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">CONTEST</span> on the podcast. We need a name for him---mind you, he came with a name, but we aren't too fond of it as it has 4 syllables and while we can shorten it, it's not in keeping with the general theme we have here on the farm of two-syllabic names.<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Vhj0QBowd3jmDILHCg-WSeA1o6d9czvpGuFqxIJGglWDkug0syblbmEROA8XWlL0UgD8PAEUft24bDN3GaQaVZkIEw8HDUm9OadjY4lUKG9X2PoJdJ_fXMXfUsElnors1rCNztFWK40/s1600/IMG_0003.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Vhj0QBowd3jmDILHCg-WSeA1o6d9czvpGuFqxIJGglWDkug0syblbmEROA8XWlL0UgD8PAEUft24bDN3GaQaVZkIEw8HDUm9OadjY4lUKG9X2PoJdJ_fXMXfUsElnors1rCNztFWK40/s200/IMG_0003.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5689806381582440626" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">So, here it goes LISTENERS: I'd like YOU to name our sheep. I have a picture posted of the cute guy. Respond to the blog or the thread in the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">Ravelry</span> group (Counting Sheep Podcast) with the name that you think fits him. Some guidelines:<br /> a) It should be a <span style="font-style: italic;">male </span>name<br /> b) One or two syllables please<br />I'd like to run the contest at least until the end of February so that I can catch as many of you listeners as I can. Of course, I reserve the right to extend the contest if the submissions are meager in number. I'll select the winning name via random number generator and the winner will receive 1200 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">yds</span>. of yarn from our sheep. Your choice of color is dark grey or creamy white. The yarn is worsted weight.<br /><br />So that's pretty easy right? So submit your idea for a name for our handsome newcomer---can't wait see your postings!!<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sleeping on the Job</span></span><br />This episode topic is not so much about my career and not about anesthesia. It's about the ties that bind <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">healthcare</span> workers together. Those that take care of others have a unique relationship with each other. When that which we fight takes one of us, the loss is that much deeper. Rest in peace, my friend, I will remember the happy times we had:<br /><br />This podcast dedicated to Denise <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31">Comito</span>-McGowan RN<br /> April 9, 1955-November 12, 2011<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Yammer<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Fall Re-cap<br /></span></span></span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span><br />Well, it was a busy fall for me and here's where I was:<span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">SOAR (Spin-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32">Off's</span> Autumn Retreat, Manchester, NH)<span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>Was I ever glad I went to this which was literally right in my backyard!! Great mentors and great shopping for the spinning enthusiast! Sessions I participated in:<br /><br />Mohair <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33">Boucle</span> the Easy Way with Maggie Casey<br />Hand Carding with Andrea <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34">Mielke</span>-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_35">Schroer</span><br />Cotton Spinning on a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_36">Tahkli</span> with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_37">Sephanie</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_38">Gausted</span><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_39">Navaho</span> Spinning with D.Y. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_40">Begay</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Stitches East (Hartford, CT)</span><br />Always a blast especially if you take classes! Went to the fashion shows and the Opening Day Session as well! Leaves you the good kind of tired!<br /><br />Intro to Rigid <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_41">Heddle</span> Weaving with Deborah <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_42">Jarchow</span><br />Seamless Crochet with Kristin <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_43">Omdahl</span><br />Beyond Beginner Crochet with Drew <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_44">Emborsky</span><br />Japanese Crochet Motifs with Myra Wood<br />Columns of Color with Knit One Below with Elise <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_45">Duvekot</span><br />Thrummed Mittens Knitted or Crocheted with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_46">Marlaina</span> Bird<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">New England Fiber Festival at the Big E (Springfield, MA)</span><br />Great turnout of fiber enthusiasts and a BIG special THANK-YOU to you podcast listeners who stopped by to say hello and give support---that meant so much to me---it's YOU who motivate me to turn on the mic!<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">And finally.........</span></span><br />To all my listeners, supporters, and friends: May you have a safe and happy holiday season------many, many wishes for a happy, but more importantly, a healthy 2012! Remember, until next time, keep your needles, hooks, and wheels humming, be kind to other folks, and I'll talk to you soon!!<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /></span>Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07480273057358348466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4434685813169601943.post-90081643763791419022011-07-27T19:30:00.008-04:002011-07-27T20:55:31.848-04:00Sum-Sum-Summertime!! Episode 12 is LIVE<span style="font-family:arial;">Last weekend was warm & humid here in the Northeast---thankfully, we've had a reprieve---a front came through and we have much more comfortable conditions. Hoping that your summer is going well and you are able to find a cool spot somewhere.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Fiber Conquests:<br />Knitting: Well, unfortunately, my one-and-only sock from the first installment of the Rockin' Sock Club has two serious flaws........the first is that the heel does not line up properly with the toe and the other, more disconcerting problem is that the colorwork has made the sock way too non-forgiving i.e.: I can't get it on my foot!! All is not lost however, I intend to frog the sock (after I've had a couple of glasses of wine!) and re-purpose the yarn! The July installment (4th) has arrived and I'm liking the colorway.........maybe I should just leave it in the skein and adm</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpwzwjF23Op7jgkAGXXFYPgfNLN9SGmWaqfRIDUNuGcy0oLs9Q084WFqHqIfuIMdTqQ1TS90Irib8DQIPdINHO5E-UMoX0f8j3O1tI5P6WiL4poPHA1lD3LqA0g_iDbn0aWCV3En4a1CM/s1600/i%2527maconvert.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 136px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpwzwjF23Op7jgkAGXXFYPgfNLN9SGmWaqfRIDUNuGcy0oLs9Q084WFqHqIfuIMdTqQ1TS90Irib8DQIPdINHO5E-UMoX0f8j3O1tI5P6WiL4poPHA1lD3LqA0g_iDbn0aWCV3En4a1CM/s200/i%2527maconvert.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634191614079387106" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">ire it.<br /><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />In crochet: </span><span style="font-family:arial;"> the "I'm a convert sweater" from the book, Crochet Me: Designs to Fuel the Crochet Revolution, DONE!! I decided to leave the lower sleeve pieces off and go with a 3/4 length on the sleeves---looks good. I'm pleased with the yarn as well.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWz5PlRSCZoZNSlP-m24kjP6XEnkdexszZEbOyXzKNIgfRZGM-ii0fmo7v3Q_Ztv3cIrKj_DZYOYvqQ2ssmgike9UZlcvre4qPTmQjtFKG2gq_sbF8xOiB9Pbth9keG7UGDbh-Y-9D47c/s1600/kristy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 112px; height: 154px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWz5PlRSCZoZNSlP-m24kjP6XEnkdexszZEbOyXzKNIgfRZGM-ii0fmo7v3Q_Ztv3cIrKj_DZYOYvqQ2ssmgike9UZlcvre4qPTmQjtFKG2gq_sbF8xOiB9Pbth9keG7UGDbh-Y-9D47c/s200/kristy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634192126817095058" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Bi-crafty project: The Kristy cardigan from Green Mountain Spinnery has been set aside until the fall when cooler temperatures will prevail.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Petal Pullover by Robyn Chachula from the Spring 2011 edition of Interweave Crochet. After a few false starts, I'm on my way working </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFWe4_aj1Fh1CF3Fam2gDSZUSMQKDhbXQrCDQexImQPlOhyyFVHP5AIB274Snq6FDHKv6PGbXYOvgJ7bDCkfKmmRLM-15nooa5QcTXtfEO48TqMFdY7ksgnrgeZJt-EIFO53bfeGtgQbQ/s1600/5280.petal_pullover.jpg-550x0.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 133px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFWe4_aj1Fh1CF3Fam2gDSZUSMQKDhbXQrCDQexImQPlOhyyFVHP5AIB274Snq6FDHKv6PGbXYOvgJ7bDCkfKmmRLM-15nooa5QcTXtfEO48TqMFdY7ksgnrgeZJt-EIFO53bfeGtgQbQ/s200/5280.petal_pullover.jpg-550x0.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634192534005430258" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">on the body of the pullover wi</span><span style="font-family:arial;">t</span><span style="font-family:arial;">h Louet's MerLin---60% linen, 40% Merino. Hook size: F Colorway: Crabapple (a raspberry red)<br /><br /><br /><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br />Painted Desert Skirt by Kristin Omdahl from the Fall 2009 </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHdrcJ6qAvXb1TKBHrKXfuZ4uqqC-83BZkCphe_IsVTjIrCQEe4TCHO2zs7zl4rUnoMGmRP0RYlbcedm5HtnUBF8GvUX7wqXcifmQyXN5HoWeuLCNCbQhcNdGJikFSVJYqcP_5xzxd3og/s1600/painteddesertskirt.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 74px; height: 111px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHdrcJ6qAvXb1TKBHrKXfuZ4uqqC-83BZkCphe_IsVTjIrCQEe4TCHO2zs7zl4rUnoMGmRP0RYlbcedm5HtnUBF8GvUX7wqXcifmQyXN5HoWeuLCNCbQhcNdGJikFSVJYqcP_5xzxd3og/s200/painteddesertskirt.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634192837450694530" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">edition of Interweave Crochet. I've completed all of the motifs that make up the hemline of the skirt and I've sewed them together. Now I'm working upward from those motifs toward the waist of the skirt. This</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> has been a really fun project and quite a departure for me---I've NEVER crocheted/knitted a skirt!! I hope it looks good on me!<br /><br /><br />Spinning: I participated during the 'Tour de Fleece' and I was quite productive! My goal was to spin one of the two alpaca fleeces that I have in my possession---I don't own them; they belong to a colleague. The fleece has been spun, plied, skeined, washed & set---DONE!! Yay! I'm thinking that I need to get back to my own spinning projects.........<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxv0UFD6QiLTkWzQZUNM54ifHCdq4gStjpNq-hRdYuMldHA82ei9YIEncWcOlAmjMoOp4-bl_Pt7TM-ezhrXrm2dLuzUXwFfYUA3aWHLY_zT5OAkDzYEfnP0ZAplngvXJIG0Mgyr7QvqQ/s1600/shirret.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 143px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxv0UFD6QiLTkWzQZUNM54ifHCdq4gStjpNq-hRdYuMldHA82ei9YIEncWcOlAmjMoOp4-bl_Pt7TM-ezhrXrm2dLuzUXwFfYUA3aWHLY_zT5OAkDzYEfnP0ZAplngvXJIG0Mgyr7QvqQ/s200/shirret.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634194945978354594" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Crochet Shirret! I've ordered the supplies for the class I'll be teaching at <a href="http://www.fibercollege.org/">Fiber College</a> this September! Yay! Still working up sample projects for inspiration!<br /><br /><br /><br />What's happening in the barn and on the farm?<br /><br />Rabbits: Midnight and I lost her entire litter due to age and operator error.........lesson learned!<br />On a brighter note, our chickens, all six of them, arrived on 7/9 and have settled in nicely. We've gotten a few eggs already (YUM!) and we're hoping that they eventually will figure it out that they should lay the eggs in the nest boxes rather than on the floor!<br /><br />Garden notes: We had a great harvest of salad greens this year---it was great to have fresh salad every evening for two weeks straight! The zucchini has come in and we've harvested two peppers so far. The string beans are just about ready for the pickin'----and our CSA box is keeping us busy!<br /><br />I found a stud ram for Sayda---he will arrive this fall around Thanksgiving and stay on the farm until Christmas---hopefully, we'll be welcoming a lamb or two in the spring.<br /><br />Cats: Ray is slowly becoming a lap kitty and Doora is still being stand-offish, but I know she'll carry her weight around here as a good mouser.<br /><br />Sleeping on the Job: Hail to our 1st responders.<br /><br />Yammer: SOAR (Spin-Off's Autumn Retreat) is being held this year at the Radisson in Mancheter, NH. After much himming and hawing, I have signed up to go to the retreat portion of the "Retreat." The retreat is made up of workshops that run Monday-Wednesday, and Thursday of the week of October 2, 2011. The "retreat" portion happens Friday-Saturday of that week. Due to work constraints and the fact that I've been dragging my butt about committing to the retreat, I've decided to partake in just the retreat portion and I'm happy with my choices of classes that I'll be attending. The vendor market consists of 35 vendors and will be open on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.<br /><br />Other upcoming events: Fiber College in Searsport, Maine. September 8-11.<br />Vermont Sheep & Wool Festival @ the Tunbridge Fairgrounds, Tunbridge, VT. October 1-2.<br />SOAR (Spin-Off's Autumn Retreat) @ the Radisson Hotel, Manchester, NH. October 2-8.<br />STITCHES East @ the Connecticut Convention Center, Hartford, CT. October 20-23.<br />New England Fiber Festival @ the Big E in Springfield, MA. November 5-6.<br /><br />Hope to see ya there!<br /></span>Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07480273057358348466noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4434685813169601943.post-74601596813487792372011-06-06T13:59:00.004-04:002011-06-06T16:16:47.691-04:00I'm baaaaaack.............celebrating Bi-craftism<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxfr__fKCyZDQinqvmqi0xgG-icjxAMNStUI8fzp3apFdaLe1ttR6W7Aa77dQaaWHySHi8-K833j9PngAR2-H9dWoIBK-VyK9jMibuf8N6xV91S7NiIbkN1zjzsfzOb9zUvpHaBjRqz90/s1600/IMG_0168.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxfr__fKCyZDQinqvmqi0xgG-icjxAMNStUI8fzp3apFdaLe1ttR6W7Aa77dQaaWHySHi8-K833j9PngAR2-H9dWoIBK-VyK9jMibuf8N6xV91S7NiIbkN1zjzsfzOb9zUvpHaBjRqz90/s200/IMG_0168.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615169583418497122" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Hello everyone..........been a looooong time! So sorry, as I've said, sometimes I can't get out of my own way!<br /><br />This episode dedicated to Buddy, </span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">our cat, may he rest in peace! Thanks for the good times old friend! </span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">And thanks for sharing........</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Bi-craftism...........a new term for me which ref</span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">ers to those of us who both knit and crochet..............so I suppose Tri-craftism includes those of us who spin?!?</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Fiber Conquests!!</span></span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);font-size:100%;" >Sizzling Hot Hat!!</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> Done! Done! Done! I've worn it twice since completion----once at the NH Sheep & Wool Festival and then again last night when I couldn't shake a chill! Your mom was right---if you're cold, put a hat on----you lose a lot of heat through</span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"> your head!<br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaXeTSsvrbvYj-kohFQzKQ56kNPuzilUZ5dDU9bSdHlFNlvqHkfjQ_YZj-z3vYPMP_AWvvrMQqSN25uXBFlCIhW4T7zFGswPvkQ7wztjJyk1goazBes71OVylnJw1KqYCClsuajKobdDM/s1600/IMG_0272.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaXeTSsvrbvYj-kohFQzKQ56kNPuzilUZ5dDU9bSdHlFNlvqHkfjQ_YZj-z3vYPMP_AWvvrMQqSN25uXBFlCIhW4T7zFGswPvkQ7wztjJyk1goazBes71OVylnJw1KqYCClsuajKobdDM/s200/IMG_0272.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615193824978178866" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitQtRHETFbEW7Vnm-EJqaLCBkD2LOunPXhyphenhyphenjQMo97QRqCuiTTYyYPWdaJRVyX1AghlV0_vbcLGM35zC-Joz6F3Q_9hs9kehafaBgGZxZVjFgB2J4BGw4kerD70eFdeuScC3VCfllGbzB4/s1600/IMG_0271.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitQtRHETFbEW7Vnm-EJqaLCBkD2LOunPXhyphenhyphenjQMo97QRqCuiTTYyYPWdaJRVyX1AghlV0_vbcLGM35zC-Joz6F3Q_9hs9kehafaBgGZxZVjFgB2J4BGw4kerD70eFdeuScC3VCfllGbzB4/s200/IMG_0271.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615191280941682018" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5gNdOVEJsFSHrlAmNve79p-sTk4sAC1FfIMgcpreBUF36PaEoSz5RHiK9Wo6Lj7dQd9xXnoT-CqeISx6-2RllFN1m9va2F3ClZp-Tw30bdRGxI64zNclrgaVgSN_aGWQdQbL8GeJtA0w/s1600/kristy3.jpg.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 141px; height: 193px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5gNdOVEJsFSHrlAmNve79p-sTk4sAC1FfIMgcpreBUF36PaEoSz5RHiK9Wo6Lj7dQd9xXnoT-CqeISx6-2RllFN1m9va2F3ClZp-Tw30bdRGxI64zNclrgaVgSN_aGWQdQbL8GeJtA0w/s200/kristy3.jpg.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615190051044163810" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">In celebrating </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:100%;" >BI-CRAFTISM</span><span style="font-size:100%;">, I am going to swatch and start the </span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);font-size:100%;" >Kristy</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);font-size:100%;" > Cardigan</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> designed by Maureen Clark of <a href="http://www.spinnery.com/">Green Mountain Spinnery</a>. This cardigan utilizes BOTH knitting and </span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">crocheting---fun! fun! fun! I've gone stash-diving again and have come up with a pretty re</span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">d (my favorite color!) yarn for this s</span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">weater: Berroco Ultra Alpaca Light which is a 50% Super Fine Alpaca, 50% Peruvian Wool blend. Yay! Can't </span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">wait to get </span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">started!!!<br /><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);font-size:100%;" ><br /><br /></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);font-size:100%;" ><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI7YB2vWBozIab4iz3OuYG9WnVKS5jV3JHyRkhvG2NPSBmxXkdPAED4Si-o1twZUcC_sbHZgMgKrI6aaMaFhhcpKAsUCUAYhyyhxJlP8vytnXbCw8GEaSUl-QoP_tKEhvg_RonXTEqb2w/s1600/IMG_0172.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI7YB2vWBozIab4iz3OuYG9WnVKS5jV3JHyRkhvG2NPSBmxXkdPAED4Si-o1twZUcC_sbHZgMgKrI6aaMaFhhcpKAsUCUAYhyyhxJlP8vytnXbCw8GEaSUl-QoP_tKEhvg_RonXTEqb2w/s200/IMG_0172.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615195370035959426" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);font-size:100%;" ><br />Iris Crocheted Shawl</span><span style="font-size:100%;">----made from 100% cashmere---I just have a photo of it as a </span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">work in progress as it was no sooner done, then out of my hands to a worthy recepient--my mom! Pattern available from <a href="http://www.yarn.com/">WEBS</a> (America's Yarn Store).</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);font-size:100%;" >Frosted Windowpane Pullover</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> is on hold as I am making a baby blanket for a co-worker. I'm sewing the squares together now----another work in progress!!</span></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZwyH87xiCaTwxchk3KdEI1bqtFSstFUIzEnQL2zdO0yXsgAtZ6JbpI1Vek-CfB6uxVJc4fg7VT2umZXBLHiyHtzg2r61Cc68URXhd0iKAe-zdtzFlMFc5mGy5xjoif41GYwyBxh484HQ/s1600/IMG_0270.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZwyH87xiCaTwxchk3KdEI1bqtFSstFUIzEnQL2zdO0yXsgAtZ6JbpI1Vek-CfB6uxVJc4fg7VT2umZXBLHiyHtzg2r61Cc68URXhd0iKAe-zdtzFlMFc5mGy5xjoif41GYwyBxh484HQ/s200/IMG_0270.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615199615346680370" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Still in pieces, but essentially done is the <span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">I'm a Conve</span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">rt Sweater</span> from <span style="font-weight: bold;">Crochet Me: Designs to Fuel the Crochet Revoluti</span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">on</span>. I crocheted mine in Rowan Purelife Organic Cotton DK (I mis</span><span style="font-family:arial;">spoke on the podcast and said it was a worsted weight---ooops!)</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153); font-weight: bold;font-size:100%;" ><br /><br /><br /><br />Crochet Shirret</span><span style="font-size:100%;">--------remember I'm teaching this at <a href="http://www.fibercollege.org/">Fiber College</a> this September (8-11) in Searsport, ME. This the "Mexicali Tote" that I'm making as a sample of what you can do with this </span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGEwPI19Xvp-sCNqN7yLENS0pfNT_4vn3IZO0nYvlyHyHbf-vUNSPQHfu1waOj5H1BZBy5ujsVrzn_AO29eqtgkCGbFHFaFW31XJRWBJp4FZOXReFjLG9HlAaN9JAiUxxzqBe6nzovVaU/s1600/IMG_0265.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGEwPI19Xvp-sCNqN7yLENS0pfNT_4vn3IZO0nYvlyHyHbf-vUNSPQHfu1waOj5H1BZBy5ujsVrzn_AO29eqtgkCGbFHFaFW31XJRWBJp4FZOXReFjLG9HlAaN9JAiUxxzqBe6nzovVaU/s200/IMG_0265.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615197328325361970" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">technique.<br /></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:100%;" ><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />What's happening in the barn? and around the farm?<br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span><br /></span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Muckin' is done finally after figuring out why the John Deere wouldn't start---misplacement of the battery!<br /><br />Harvey came down with a serious case of bloat aft</span></span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:100%;" ><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">er go</span></span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:100%;" ><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">rging </span></span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:100%;" ><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">himself on grain------a very worry-filled time on the farm, but we got through it and learned from it!!<br /><br />The damaged boards from Fergus' 'renovation' have been removed and now the sheep have an even bigger window to look out. The damaged boards were re-purposed into laying boxes for-----you guessed it---CHICKENS!!! Waaaaaa-hoooooo------the farm-fresh egg is </span></span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:100%;" ><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">on </span></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg46aWX-oFSGBaWSciL3kMVBim0vaciZCsUml63uEIypjoGPPtCtgs4UXis-2SfeVJLpglY5RYD79XSrWx6hzfG38sqyQXMb3t2OG195x-zPCTKmUr1C5NtF6Nr5yhmKzesyc-M6a-Tn3c/s1600/Hyline.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg46aWX-oFSGBaWSciL3kMVBim0vaciZCsUml63uEIypjoGPPtCtgs4UXis-2SfeVJLpglY5RYD79XSrWx6hzfG38sqyQXMb3t2OG195x-zPCTKmUr1C5NtF6Nr5yhmKzesyc-M6a-Tn3c/s200/Hyline.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615200126645784578" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:100%;" ><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">the way! We're looking at a delivery of 5 or 6 pullets in July or August. The chickens will make their home in part of the rabbit annex of the barn----we have two rabbits left---Hershey and M</span></span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:100%;" ><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">idnight---thanks to a referral from </span></span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:100%;" ><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">the Green Mountain Spinnery folks </span></span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:100%;" ><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">and the NH Sheep & Wool Festival. </span></span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:100%;" ><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Hopefully, Midnight will give us one more litter (with hopefully a female in there!) and then I will retire her to a leisurely life on the farm.<br /><br />Our gardens are planted. The vegetable garden is featuring Brussels sprouts, Mesclun lettuce, carrots, bush beans, two kinds of tomatoes, a pepper plant, zucchini, butternut squash, spaghetti squash, and two kinds of pumpkins this year. I've done my usual flower planting as well since I'm in need of a color besides green---- of which the summer gives us plenty. My irises are blooming and my peonies are just on the verge of blooming------GREAT time of year when everything is waking up!<br /><br />May I introduce you to Ray and Doora, our newest editions t</span></span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:100%;" ><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">o the household. Since a house is not a home unless you have a cat (it's true), I went to the</span></span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:100%;" ><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> <a href="http://www.lucymac.org/">Lucy Mackenzie Humane Society</a> to see if I could offer two of their cats a "forever home." Ray and Doora came to the shelter after a barn rescue of quite of few of their kind. They were the last two left of the barn group to be adopted and had been living at Lucy Mac for almost two years----so they got pretty used to shelter life. Since coming home, they've been a bit put out by Bentley's effusive hospitality, but they are slowing adjusting, and I'm happy to say that both of them have been out today spending some quality time </span></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ReR-OgPef2_PqBPQeDdqEjPdiiK4UstvT08k8-rgh-tlYYYCkYQzuah1_HQrqVcQr4GTcxV8B7Tkhne-TdV-0C6T10RzTNjnYqVR3is09UBOqmHbhG-Y-p51L3p6_PrBFe12gnLhzxs/s1600/Ray%2526Doora.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ReR-OgPef2_PqBPQeDdqEjPdiiK4UstvT08k8-rgh-tlYYYCkYQzuah1_HQrqVcQr4GTcxV8B7Tkhne-TdV-0C6T10RzTNjnYqVR3is09UBOqmHbhG-Y-p51L3p6_PrBFe12gnLhzxs/s200/Ray%2526Doora.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615200480091000914" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:100%;" ><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">with me and Bentley. These photos were taken at the shelter (they are the two on the right)----I don't have any of my own photos of Ray and Doora yet---I didn't want to spook them with the flash of the camera----so we'll all have to wait for that opportunity!</span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:100%;" ><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Sleeping on the Job<span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /></span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br />Just long HAVE you been doing this...............? And what does having "experience" mean anyway?!?<br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"><span>Yammer<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Events past and present!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.nhswga.com/">New Hampshire Sheep & Wool Festival</a> was a blast (May 14 & 15) as was the <a href="http://www.jamaicafiberfestival.org/">Jamaica Fiber Festival</a> on May 21st----thanks to Margie Miller-Silva who organized the Jamaica event!!<br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHwlaisoRHVrWSUXA7Tq5CsVvSufJsZ_NbTMa6glgD0lgklgPsmNi1cdHzeZv_Clt7TIsKncpMU8LGBdE2Oxl-2Mc0cBR_gQJqcCWSfSOTPfJ3wNJuCTQltPf6PAC47Uwv9wk4TUdYdAw/s1600/wwkipamericaonwhite.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 199px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHwlaisoRHVrWSUXA7Tq5CsVvSufJsZ_NbTMa6glgD0lgklgPsmNi1cdHzeZv_Clt7TIsKncpMU8LGBdE2Oxl-2Mc0cBR_gQJqcCWSfSOTPfJ3wNJuCTQltPf6PAC47Uwv9wk4TUdYdAw/s200/wwkipamericaonwhite.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615201498443553634" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:100%;" ><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br />Upcoming: World Wide Knit in Public Day this Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Hartland Public Library in Hartland, Vermont. 10 am - 2pm. Bring a drink and your knitting and let's show the world what we've been up to!!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.fibercollege.org">Fiber College</a>: September 8-11 in Searsport, ME<br /><a href="http://www.vermontsheep.org/festival.html">Vermont Sheep & Wool Festival</a>: October 1-2 at the Tunbridge Fairgrounds, Tunbridge, VT<br /><a href="http://www.knittinguniverse.com/STITCHES">Stitches EAST</a>: October 20-23 at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford, CT<br /><a href="http://www.thebige.com">New England Fiber Festival</a>: November 5-6 at the BIG E in Springfield, MA<br /><br />Hope to see ya there!!<br /></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /></span>Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07480273057358348466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4434685813169601943.post-50767444362843063632011-03-13T20:55:00.012-04:002011-03-14T10:41:19.791-04:00Spring Thaw<span style="font-family:arial;">Busy weekend, what with not one but two knitting skills classes!! I'm NOT complaining---can't think of a better way to spend a late winter weekend in New England. We had some warm temperatures and rain which has caused some melting of the snow pack; some ice jamming on the rivers and some flooding. An ice storm earlier in the week made for some interesting travel to say the least. Not ready though, to knit co</span><span style="font-family:arial;">tton or linen---still likin' my wool!<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf3UKTp4b6w1Iwy2FK46GHCSryw7H6g5p414WjdRejfjtfSHKeeKKkAxUqJ3KvGxwbiP1uIHoXS0a7QvO-eDS0wswEC8sHfE_7oJTGfNwgM00Zauesrips2APEejLNz9golLqJQFxU7Q8/s1600/hat.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 120px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf3UKTp4b6w1Iwy2FK46GHCSryw7H6g5p414WjdRejfjtfSHKeeKKkAxUqJ3KvGxwbiP1uIHoXS0a7QvO-eDS0wswEC8sHfE_7oJTGfNwgM00Zauesrips2APEejLNz9golLqJQFxU7Q8/s200/hat.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583740147931180786" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Fiber Conquests</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Knitting:<br />1) Double Knitting Class at the <a href="http://www.elegantewe.com/">Elegant Ewe</a> in Concord, NH. We're making the Sizzling Hot Hat by Lucy Neatby. The hat incorporat</span><span style="font-family:arial;">es double knitting, a technique that makes a double-sided fabric. Yarns by Crystal Palac</span><span style="font-family:arial;">e: Mini Mochi and Mini Solid. Yarn is 80% merino wool/2</span><span style="font-family:arial;">0% nylon, m</span><span style="font-family:arial;">achine washable, and k</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />nits to 7-8 sts/inch on size #1-2 needles. My swatch:<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNG3gCSSJxh_NN23YtNieh3zq9ScdK8LsAhYzV_CZXSEak21OwHTTFXJWpd4psFeudp_-c9v3pZWP0xM5MO0CLz2viV3Tgi78XylIwgpkCNGax29nteZn-vkrCR8QG6fOAOJ5SHcdcxqI/s1600/IMG_0159.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNG3gCSSJxh_NN23YtNieh3zq9ScdK8LsAhYzV_CZXSEak21OwHTTFXJWpd4psFeudp_-c9v3pZWP0xM5MO0CLz2viV3Tgi78XylIwgpkCNGax29nteZn-vkrCR8QG6fOAOJ5SHcdcxqI/s200/IMG_0159.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583931036690193234" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj_3nB3tjNV-ppgv47dj3d8d0XSypwnbSeyQWhkh3-WHqPW_VNB6W9nuppazIsqXidW70jnCj0QByKJAzRlAbnIUS29Ys9SEtmAn-8Xbtc3FCGqE7Kj_HOmNltqjtb0BQlSLXI7PRc3xM/s1600/IMG_0158.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj_3nB3tjNV-ppgv47dj3d8d0XSypwnbSeyQWhkh3-WHqPW_VNB6W9nuppazIsqXidW70jnCj0QByKJAzRlAbnIUS29Ys9SEtmAn-8Xbtc3FCGqE7Kj_HOmNltqjtb0BQlSLXI7PRc3xM/s200/IMG_0158.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583931332902398914" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">2) Shawl collar Vest class continue</span><span style="font-family:arial;">s at <a href="http://www.yarn.com/">WEBS</a> (Class #3 was last week, Class #4 today). We crocheted th</span><span style="font-family:arial;">e 3 steeks and cut them open last week. Today, we finished off the armholes with garter stitch</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> and I-cord bin</span><span style="font-family:arial;">d off.<br /><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHPJEJjeC86nQ4Uuf1O0LmQ3jVWYOSXsgAf3hyphenhyphenS0wbZNB6aR_fbGftslj8Cla7OVccOcEYVGUvjwBQpljVDB1ZHFA1l9UghnehzEPT2qRYUlLxcFdJo77ADjqxvSTEpAn8NyxcjF03iXo/s1600/IMG_0162.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHPJEJjeC86nQ4Uuf1O0LmQ3jVWYOSXsgAf3hyphenhyphenS0wbZNB6aR_fbGftslj8Cla7OVccOcEYVGUvjwBQpljVDB1ZHFA1l9UghnehzEPT2qRYUlLxcFdJo77ADjqxvSTEpAn8NyxcjF03iXo/s200/IMG_0162.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583931889916456882" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">3) <a href="http://www.bluemoonfiberarts.com/newmoon/">Rockin' Sock Club</a>---okay glacial progress here, but at least it's </span><span style="font-family:arial;">progress! I'm past the zip line heel and onto the foot. MUST GET SOCK DONE!! Next </span><span style="font-family:arial;">installment of the club is probably o</span><span style="font-family:arial;">n its way to my door...........no pressure.<br /></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Crocheting!!<br />1) Frosted Windowpane Pullover from Interweave Crochet Winter 2010. Swatch--done. Started the foundation single crochet.<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsIttUUyDInw1FxxL2JBQnfP9Xuh8k7jJd6Zi6743glWL3Ltuir5SKfJZZaENzDKJony7dDn2jbyA0aJYFvEyHVvvysEXfVLaLgczatLtxLMhh8ZMne03FIKKujZN-FE0rtQbaka7-wZo/s1600/IMG_0161.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsIttUUyDInw1FxxL2JBQnfP9Xuh8k7jJd6Zi6743glWL3Ltuir5SKfJZZaENzDKJony7dDn2jbyA0aJYFvEyHVvvysEXfVLaLgczatLtxLMhh8ZMne03FIKKujZN-FE0rtQbaka7-wZo/s200/IMG_0161.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583943728722623250" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">2) Seamen's Church Hat (check pr</span><span style="font-family:arial;">evious blogpost for link--free pattern) DONE</span><span style="font-family:arial;">!! Nice </span><span style="font-family:arial;">construction on this </span><span style="font-family:arial;">hat---made from my handspun.<br /><br /></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />3) Crochet Shirret: Cut up some strips from a new fabric---a white and pink checkered fabric. Will add this to the rug-in-progress (see last blog post for pic).<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6_P43QuuG84UJ-FalabzIG2GI6vZoPhvu1E1qywiU_0kHvD7qNN5KxaE5bfQDLOCSEAevC5eb3Cw5nU2VktrwXbVKB4nITJllwViu3koUqz0mj2nx465wdVUlt26u3vlMTVOgTHFYNKg/s1600/IMG_0163.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6_P43QuuG84UJ-FalabzIG2GI6vZoPhvu1E1qywiU_0kHvD7qNN5KxaE5bfQDLOCSEAevC5eb3Cw5nU2VktrwXbVKB4nITJllwViu3koUqz0mj2nx465wdVUlt26u3vlMTVOgTHFYNKg/s200/IMG_0163.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583944248354950994" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">4) Want to participate in a really neat Crochet-along a.k.a. CAL? Check out Crochet Me--the e-newsletter (free!) put out by Interweave Crochet. The CAL (hosted by Sarah Read) is Sidney's Sideways Socks which you can find in Interweave C</span><span style="font-family:arial;">rochet Accessories 2010 (special edition) which came out last year. Find your edition at the <a href="http://www.interweave.com/">Interweave</a> website.<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRQEpNsCP3YKommsIa2I_l-rIgFotyKK7bvcMOUkiuDxo7GM7c7Q9hp8IB-Z42V_wPW-RGPh3g8ZJABaYCoU0fZgxhMdOYbmD9_rrEdjheyKNZ0Ez0WfH_A3IatMXdMAJ6uTEpE3PrRhQ/s1600/IMG_0160.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRQEpNsCP3YKommsIa2I_l-rIgFotyKK7bvcMOUkiuDxo7GM7c7Q9hp8IB-Z42V_wPW-RGPh3g8ZJABaYCoU0fZgxhMdOYbmD9_rrEdjheyKNZ0Ez0WfH_A3IatMXdMAJ6uTEpE3PrRhQ/s200/IMG_0160.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583944561354504370" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpsNQqORN7vRms5Faz0vqVNBpTxjp0rqgcgvJesbHYkFPtqm_ZiclypDPMmFpBcJUo-dL4eM9Puw4CMNKTDBR5ETWzWVjr5SEwTR8Oc0BDE0qdV29fJc1dRiv3oQPRMflmmDAAOTRwR6g/s1600/IMG_0164.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 99px; height: 132px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpsNQqORN7vRms5Faz0vqVNBpTxjp0rqgcgvJesbHYkFPtqm_ZiclypDPMmFpBcJUo-dL4eM9Puw4CMNKTDBR5ETWzWVjr5SEwTR8Oc0BDE0qdV29fJc1dRiv3oQPRMflmmDAAOTRwR6g/s200/IMG_0164.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583945134524570738" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Spinning: Check out this BFL hand-dyed wool on my Mongold spindle.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />What's happening on the farm?<br />No new redecorating, but now I have sheep walking on snow and jumping over the fence!<br />Shearing this week---YAY!<br /><br />Sleeping on the job: The language we speak<br /><br />Yammer: <a href="http://www.fibercollege.org">Fiber College</a> update<br /><br />Check out Robyn Chachula's blog and her <a href="http://www.crochetbyfaye.com/">website</a>.<br /><br /><br /></span>Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07480273057358348466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4434685813169601943.post-46468962978151770402011-03-02T14:49:00.010-05:002011-03-02T16:09:36.755-05:00Episode 6: "Barn Fever"<span style="font-family:arial;">Hello folks! Sorry for the delayed Show Notes----life and farm sometimes conspire to get in my way or, sometimes I just can't get out of my own way!<br /><br />Thanks to lasknit2 & Byshyp for wonderful reviews on iTunes!! Yay! A big welcome to all the new folks who have joined us on the Counting Sheep group on Ravelry. Great pics of some great projects---check it out if you haven't gone over ther</span><span style="font-family:arial;">e in a while.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Fiber Conquests</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUQ8QJgTndnED2cCkYGv8UAIMGhM3EaQXprx3Tpiqbxet6ife9SMTxGUzP-s5u_rdPnA-suwZqrDIl1VbLntufZUqL1NZK0q0xFiJLdWVRf8Fnf8_LfugEFY0E8AOsUjSa1S64sqn65CY/s1600/IMG_0154.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUQ8QJgTndnED2cCkYGv8UAIMGhM3EaQXprx3Tpiqbxet6ife9SMTxGUzP-s5u_rdPnA-suwZqrDIl1VbLntufZUqL1NZK0q0xFiJLdWVRf8Fnf8_LfugEFY0E8AOsUjSa1S64sqn65CY/s320/IMG_0154.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579579858248421906" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Knitting: Shawl Collar Vest Class at <a href="http://www.yarn.com/">WEBS</a> with Annie Foley. We've had </span><span style="font-family:arial;">some t</span><span style="font-family:arial;">ime for homework </span><span style="font-family:arial;">(3 weeks) and I have knitted up to the shoulders aft</span><span style="font-family:arial;">er forming two armhole steeks. Along the way, we are decreasing at the neck to form a V in front where we will be knitting the shawl collar eventually. The picture will probably look a little wonky to you as the armholes ha</span><span style="font-family:arial;">ve not been cut op</span><span style="font-family:arial;">en yet. Next class, this Sunday, March 6th. Pattern can be foun</span><span style="font-family:arial;">d in M</span><span style="font-family:arial;">eg Swansen's Handknitting.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"> <br /><br /><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Rockin' Sock Club: Still on the leg but making progre</span><span style="font-family:arial;">ss. </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3lmNwHSSfEErpaknmLpI1UhasY0oqtC5q80mxF_I8w36XG-rOyKErHvyhRXd_6EL74XIgzNiVQgaPyPuisooc1TEVho3C9PNT2YaJyYws6zRif9sarfLeSjEJD0gjTWcXEdAamwH2710/s1600/IMG_0157.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3lmNwHSSfEErpaknmLpI1UhasY0oqtC5q80mxF_I8w36XG-rOyKErHvyhRXd_6EL74XIgzNiVQgaPyPuisooc1TEVho3C9PNT2YaJyYws6zRif9sarfLeSjEJD0gjTWcXEdAamwH2710/s320/IMG_0157.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579581264179718834" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"> Loving the colo</span><span style="font-family:arial;">rwork!</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Crochet: Riverstone Cardigan is DONE!! Yay!! A fun crochet project done in Cascade 220--a great yarn. Had lots a good times with this one. </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKEBNVWRwGkzYI_FKEvEXqyjYzQqD4FVe_r8op9KJfDMB312bNTIB9z0Sh9Xn9wiFJWFL4cfpNeGM7fub8HodOrhZsWnmcrQxQLIG2EHypdikQI3lxEBRA7j-2JAQmaSm_ZOpQksm7E-A/s1600/IMG_0152.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKEBNVWRwGkzYI_FKEvEXqyjYzQqD4FVe_r8op9KJfDMB312bNTIB9z0Sh9Xn9wiFJWFL4cfpNeGM7fub8HodOrhZsWnmcrQxQLIG2EHypdikQI3lxEBRA7j-2JAQmaSm_ZOpQksm7E-A/s320/IMG_0152.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579583403949907714" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Now on t</span><span style="font-family:arial;">o the Frosted Windowpane Pullover on page 48 in the Winter 2010 issue of Interweave Crochet. I'm</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnP7m6WZXOC8Io11Ce1g_uup4rWMcvBe9a5rCU46jrZItXH54ociMssszYcJEeVYTZxuHQHAOygw6Q_WhziF3LsufJHj6oVkmKCFyKigQWWCmb9FR5SWpUBqjz5ZpdlyuDujtS3zMSVWk/s1600/IMG_0155.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnP7m6WZXOC8Io11Ce1g_uup4rWMcvBe9a5rCU46jrZItXH54ociMssszYcJEeVYTZxuHQHAOygw6Q_WhziF3LsufJHj6oVkmKCFyKigQWWCmb9FR5SWpUBqjz5ZpdlyuDujtS3zMSVWk/s320/IMG_0155.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579584653979387810" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">swatch</span><span style="font-family:arial;">ing for that project right now.<br />Timely tip: Make c</span><span style="font-family:arial;">opies of patterns</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> you are using---less wear and tear on th</span><span style="font-family:arial;">e magazine and/or book!<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br /><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Crochet Shirret: a Uniquely American craft that combines shirring of fabric strips onto a special hook and crocheting the folds of fabric into an array of projects. Check out my rug in progress:<br /></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiEbJbGhxGsa3grrUFGMpCV090tMaegsPzWmDaF6FpnjGVTMe8xoKM2ZLTHt9g_25_fjfWOMh7TP6DrgvSkInB8sb5MfdV3kIKUscFLXLvDzV1JqrC9z5m99_OsKuR7b7Huaju3zLO8F4/s1600/IMG_0151.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiEbJbGhxGsa3grrUFGMpCV090tMaegsPzWmDaF6FpnjGVTMe8xoKM2ZLTHt9g_25_fjfWOMh7TP6DrgvSkInB8sb5MfdV3kIKUscFLXLvDzV1JqrC9z5m99_OsKuR7b7Huaju3zLO8F4/s320/IMG_0151.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579586085899882434" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Spinning: Nothing new---2010 alpaca clip is </span><span style="font-family:arial;">spinning lik</span><span style="font-family:arial;">e a breeze thanks to the folks who professionally processed the fiber for me!!</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieY7fvc38uF0KVDEiIT2h6C38EcRcJ6HdbBKNb9lIepirNd4ehjc4oH9Rgg2lF-qRJ-XqMRIBwpeLotHHPaTsO2h7woQwAzXFfivqN-Ce14isx_ziyYgQGb8LWoBWmDj_KC7rQ5ou_2EA/s1600/Lamb+031.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieY7fvc38uF0KVDEiIT2h6C38EcRcJ6HdbBKNb9lIepirNd4ehjc4oH9Rgg2lF-qRJ-XqMRIBwpeLotHHPaTsO2h7woQwAzXFfivqN-Ce14isx_ziyYgQGb8LWoBWmDj_KC7rQ5ou_2EA/s320/Lamb+031.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579589265340363058" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">What's happening on the farm?</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Fergus redecorates......much to my chagrin. Bentley is hoping </span><span style="font-family:arial;">the snow NEVER melts.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Buddy had his thyroid hormone levels </span><span style="font-family:arial;">rechecked this past week and we found out that we're over-medicating him..........so I went back to the vet to get a proper dos</span><span style="font-family:arial;">age of </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3I1f54II_lige-INiLdjrBHWhmVosKsLtwPc75TAnjCv-ZvW0bkEHb0NzBz9ocmbhZPyUEec6rDqycc1UxOqotagJFNlNDNFBkVg8qSjwEQYBjKhunXxfmzIuCgQYlcuzF4WZ93PUXEE/s1600/IMG_0149.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3I1f54II_lige-INiLdjrBHWhmVosKsLtwPc75TAnjCv-ZvW0bkEHb0NzBz9ocmbhZPyUEec6rDqycc1UxOqotagJFNlNDNFBkVg8qSjwEQYBjKhunXxfmzIuCgQYlcuzF4WZ93PUXEE/s320/IMG_0149.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579590722969515426" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">m</span><span style="font-family:arial;">edication---he'll need a recheck in a couple of weeks. Good news is that he gained over a pound in the last month---which I'm happy about----he was getting to be quite skeletal in nature.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEuLzJBGCceSKfW3cKEzWUPB1fJLBUrCBrbuo9UM4HvvHBgkhtoFBt-e7NLZ4CNv1j10pc1zPfOb-avEc9QAkPFTkxqblUOId52LSbk7utEoijJtlgpdOgCDgvFn2QCZ52G4CJqzUALqI/s1600/full-moon.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 152px; height: 219px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEuLzJBGCceSKfW3cKEzWUPB1fJLBUrCBrbuo9UM4HvvHBgkhtoFBt-e7NLZ4CNv1j10pc1zPfOb-avEc9QAkPFTkxqblUOId52LSbk7utEoijJtlgpdOgCDgvFn2QCZ52G4CJqzUALqI/s320/full-moon.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579591256889291858" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Sleeping on the Job: Do YOU believe in a full moon?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Yammer:<br />Check out the latest edition of Knitting Traditions from the folks at Piecework Magazine. You can find it at the <a href="http://www.interweave.com/">Interweave</a> website.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I've submitted an application to be an instructor at<a href="http://www.fibercollege.org/"> Fiber College</a> which is held in Maine in September. Hoping to teach Crochet Shirret there. Also hoping to be a vendor there.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Until next time!<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /></span>Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07480273057358348466noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4434685813169601943.post-90360523343648209022011-01-30T14:02:00.015-05:002011-01-31T19:33:10.706-05:00Winter Quiet: Reflect in the Stillness<span style="font-family:arial;">HEY!! GO PLAY IN THE SNOW!</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Clear your head, problem-solve, gain persp</span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-style: italic;">ective, or just groove on the season!<br /></span></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Fiber Conquests</span></span></span><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAuKF6BIYchZ1SeVe-mWroC_tPMhGcKTIgsB8tKMz50p14mrDHtGO3yq_3Ciw-7l0XSajldAIvFxh-4QfbjT79sKKW63BQi-n6UaXOzsR4iZlaRDAliVGmgG0lYvpiLAZmCBebr0HFLEA/s1600/shawlcollarpic.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 120px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAuKF6BIYchZ1SeVe-mWroC_tPMhGcKTIgsB8tKMz50p14mrDHtGO3yq_3Ciw-7l0XSajldAIvFxh-4QfbjT79sKKW63BQi-n6UaXOzsR4iZlaRDAliVGmgG0lYvpiLAZmCBebr0HFLEA/s320/shawlcollarpic.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568071592024529122" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0); font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Knitting!!</span><br />Mayflower Vest</span>---on hiatus (as well as </span></span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">EZ's rib warmer) due to the start of the <span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">Shawl C</span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">ollar Vest Class</span> </span>@ <a href="http://www.yarn.com"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">www.yarn.com</span></a><br />Instructor Annie Foley is excelle</span></span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">nt---learned several tips/tricks already.</span></span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> Vest's cables start in the ribbing (I haven't done THAT before). Need to knit up to the armholes by next Sunday's class! Time to get cr</span></span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">acking!</span></span></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMjSdjRmkuBeVZXAOLdpfnU-Np5qGubXMa54yEJwluCAKD6pdRuA-hlAZL4y7EyJ8tRSjV6vX5qhWQReSZp9HKApN-Efr638hqgj96M6X3YL-IgdOH4WYu4JN3NhNoGkgnxAyd-zq9IoY/s1600/IMG_0145.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 242px; height: 137px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMjSdjRmkuBeVZXAOLdpfnU-Np5qGubXMa54yEJwluCAKD6pdRuA-hlAZL4y7EyJ8tRSjV6vX5qhWQReSZp9HKApN-Efr638hqgj96M6X3YL-IgdOH4WYu4JN3NhNoGkgnxAyd-zq9IoY/s320/IMG_0145.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568074411380504866" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">SOCKS!! <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Check it </span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">out:</span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Rockin' Sock Club by <a href="http://www.bluemoonfiberarts.com"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Bluemoon Fiber Arts</span></a>!! Yay! How did I miss THIS for 6 years?!? Please let me NOT have Second Sock Syndrome during this!!!</span></span></span> <span style="font-family:arial;">Sorry, can't post pictures of yarn as some participants may not have received their shipment yet---I promised not to be a "spoiler.</span>"<br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">Crocheting!!</span></span></span><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">Riverstone Cardigan <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">by</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> Mandy </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Moore</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Up to the armholes on the body--this part is 'resting' whilst I work on the arms which will be joined eventually with the body. Stay tune</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">d!</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br />Still working on the <span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">Pinebark Hood!<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Started a crocheted hat from my hands</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5bOdRsUkXvmocGjzM7oP1AMxqX2vTO5ZAixKcxqUvAZbg3kyYCbwTu3hSsG396DZBAGAH1jMYSq7IxkHVocdLKDzfx05gw_ABtU3goQ5ChngpT8ZWkPSczKIr7gC9Vrlsk12hWdmuwyk/s1600/IMG_0144.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 204px; height: 114px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5bOdRsUkXvmocGjzM7oP1AMxqX2vTO5ZAixKcxqUvAZbg3kyYCbwTu3hSsG396DZBAGAH1jMYSq7IxkHVocdLKDzfx05gw_ABtU3goQ5ChngpT8ZWkPSczKIr7gC9Vrlsk12hWdmuwyk/s320/IMG_0144.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568077783299137746" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">pun ragwool from my sheep. Pattern: <span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">Crocheted</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"> Seam</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">en's Ca</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">p <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">by Beth Hall. Download the pattern free at <a href="http://www.seamenschurch.org"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">www.seamenschurch.org</span></a>. The Seamen's Church Institute cares for the personal, professional, and spiritual needs of mariners around the wo</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">rld. Founded: 1834.<br /><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Spinning!!</span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br />Alpaca!! 2009 clip is done and delivered!! John, owner of the alpacas, surprised me this we</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBWQoGHjubHksdoGXXScyejp6_8OM-H2jH73gaNaEHsjUbsKYsmkW7fvrfcnx3401sMMQ5u3KOrvYqAmMNqExaDWFtaA02kixTAThxwOtU8fT3IyQLfsaSSZqT3bXDZVNfIDPxJz793-s/s1600/JohnsHat.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 118px; height: 118px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBWQoGHjubHksdoGXXScyejp6_8OM-H2jH73gaNaEHsjUbsKYsmkW7fvrfcnx3401sMMQ5u3KOrvYqAmMNqExaDWFtaA02kixTAThxwOtU8fT3IyQLfsaSSZqT3bXDZVNfIDPxJz793-s/s320/JohnsHat.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568081058304799026" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">ek</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> by showing me a hat he had knitted (on a round peg loom) from the yarn</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> I had </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">spun. 'Back to the land' at its best!</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Felting!!</span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /><a href="http://www.northeastfiberarts.com"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Northeast Fiber Arts Center</span></a></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Felt Boot Kit......</span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM-URx-DETXhzEi6qMFxMQJXJ2c_GsmUABH9aFFBV2i_qP3ZPLBXMN4ddYKs-V55L99GvPA0ZCiPfiSOcTJ-ok3_VDcZ9uIuSrySbf2XzXIp2g0yxgYAIkCJWvqePS_kNvB9HlEB1XwLg/s1600/feltbootmaroonsidew.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 155px; height: 147px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM-URx-DETXhzEi6qMFxMQJXJ2c_GsmUABH9aFFBV2i_qP3ZPLBXMN4ddYKs-V55L99GvPA0ZCiPfiSOcTJ-ok3_VDcZ9uIuSrySbf2XzXIp2g0yxgYAIkCJWvqePS_kNvB9HlEB1XwLg/s320/feltbootmaroonsidew.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568081396366410658" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /><br />and Fitzwolle Slippers Kit</span></span></span></span></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPmgA0OYVq3vLRHl4VWSqjFq_p5gdo4nUDpFr_wujcp8vxUY-BmsQBJKNQx-SCL7Uolq_z-etGmHGtle2PUmKjfomdoRBaZg4s6oaM2H-5oLEaqvRyaSTkrmmZOEcfsLGHjMww6CVs43s/s1600/filzwolleslipperst.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 114px; height: 139px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPmgA0OYVq3vLRHl4VWSqjFq_p5gdo4nUDpFr_wujcp8vxUY-BmsQBJKNQx-SCL7Uolq_z-etGmHGtle2PUmKjfomdoRBaZg4s6oaM2H-5oLEaqvRyaSTkrmmZOEcfsLGHjMww6CVs43s/s320/filzwolleslipperst.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568081907416017666" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-family:arial;" ><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">What's happening o</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >n the farm?</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />Sheep </span></span><span style="font-style: italic;">are getting grain on the frigid days (when there's a minus sign in front of the number). Grain is crack cocaine to sheep---get out of the wa</span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-style: italic;">y when administering.....<br /><br /><br /></span></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgXLtEPas5-chm1zKwawiRTxme4cf0iyBToiRN-Y-s1tuHFgiMJAI57DOh7rY_XOogkrm-tQa_ksYSCd5RUmPOKFFzRV_f-Y_5o93iJIOjUhrf7caAkmzR4BdW0qxmGlDKpW-ZLAemPJ0/s1600/IMG_0140.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 147px; height: 197px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgXLtEPas5-chm1zKwawiRTxme4cf0iyBToiRN-Y-s1tuHFgiMJAI57DOh7rY_XOogkrm-tQa_ksYSCd5RUmPOKFFzRV_f-Y_5o93iJIOjUhrf7caAkmzR4BdW0qxmGlDKpW-ZLAemPJ0/s320/IMG_0140.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568083058837154562" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br />Mr. Squirrel </span>@ the bird feeder.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" ><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br /></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" ><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br /><br /></span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" ><span style="font-style: italic;">Buddy</span> </span><span style="font-family:arial;">survives a</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhebhKe1FbR9rdhY133D4W-E7pCakJoTveWZaJrGMhxF6r9CiJfNA2jXh8F30FYN5MyKT6jwLjItZNdHGebVatk9GkQQeFUpuNMAGc3f1LJIWWdOcHw2y3VoG6e_95gHRfYw-4qyDedpQQ/s1600/IMG_0142.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 220px; height: 165px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhebhKe1FbR9rdhY133D4W-E7pCakJoTveWZaJrGMhxF6r9CiJfNA2jXh8F30FYN5MyKT6jwLjItZNdHGebVatk9GkQQeFUpuNMAGc3f1LJIWWdOcHw2y3VoG6e_95gHRfYw-4qyDedpQQ/s320/IMG_0142.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568084064335797074" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"> trip to the vet and is surviving his medication regimen! Thanks to all the vets and vet techs of the world and all th</span><span style="font-family:arial;">e good that they do! :-)</span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" ><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" ><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br /><br /><br /></span></span><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" ><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />Sleeping on the Job</span></span><br /><div style="text-align: left;"> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTPgIuwgKcW9DGxkc4Rqxt9zMC7Tl7-lqN8J4JqyKZbNVIYaUaAR35ArIsuwKdySojScmUKeG-8ltk4JkRIs_zzT68Zinpof-FAExFA61lZjBybu5uJH_5yIEJyA8uVtR5hjFKvUCBUJI/s1600/images.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 147px; height: 111px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTPgIuwgKcW9DGxkc4Rqxt9zMC7Tl7-lqN8J4JqyKZbNVIYaUaAR35ArIsuwKdySojScmUKeG-8ltk4JkRIs_zzT68Zinpof-FAExFA61lZjBybu5uJH_5yIEJyA8uVtR5hjFKvUCBUJI/s320/images.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568086253950909698" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Anesthetizing children can be a challenge.........to say the least.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-family:arial;" ><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-family:arial;" ><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Yammer</span></span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Marrying knitting with papercraft----creating a container for your knitting needles. Brought to you by Knitting Daily.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWrJUP5b-meHe8O0nKr66Tc8mLzsapWe2JUPkWhQ5t81BqwGK_tT4MiCBQsxx6LuJMCaWPKHZsrZn3cL78GpjvXG3VeBV58ok0l4UGGSutbqRX8Hgq12uPu4AT7c3cCbzXe_ik64P5Yl0/s1600/7318.finished-box.jpg-550x0.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 127px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWrJUP5b-meHe8O0nKr66Tc8mLzsapWe2JUPkWhQ5t81BqwGK_tT4MiCBQsxx6LuJMCaWPKHZsrZn3cL78GpjvXG3VeBV58ok0l4UGGSutbqRX8Hgq12uPu4AT7c3cCbzXe_ik64P5Yl0/s320/7318.finished-box.jpg-550x0.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568088004674528210" border="0" /></a><br />My blog: www.countingsheepblog.blogspot.com<br />My e-mail: countingsheepblog@gmail.com<br />Find me on Ravelry: I'm rabbitlady<br />Join our Ravelry group: Counting Sheep Podcast<br />Find the podcast on iTunes by searching for 'Counting Sheep'<br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"><span style="font-style: italic;">If you like what you're hearing, leave a review on iTunes; helps me and it will help others find the podcast.<br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-style: italic;">You can also find the podcast on Libsyn: www.countingsheep.libsyn.com<br /><br />Until next time.........stay warm, go play in the snow if you have some, and be kind to other folks.<br /></span></span></span></span></div></div></div></div><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"></span></span></span></div>Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07480273057358348466noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4434685813169601943.post-44607807174495100012011-01-16T15:25:00.009-05:002011-01-16T16:58:53.356-05:00Warm Woolie Weather!!<span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Episode #3 is Live!</span><br />Getting out during the winter---to stave off Cabin Fever, I'll be taking the Shawl Collar Vest class at WEBS in Northampton MA starting this Sunday, J</span><span style="font-family:arial;">anuary 23rd. Looking forward to knitting up this Meg Swansen design from her book, <span style="font-style: italic;">Handknitting</span>. Check out other WEBS classes: <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.yarn.com">www.yarn.com</a><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Camp KIP: Check it out----a knitting retreat sponsored by Jackie at KIPing it real Podcast. Day passes still available. I'll be donating a sweater's worth of yarn from my own flo</span><span style="font-family:arial;">ck of sheep as a a door prize. Find Camp KIP at:<br /><a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.campkip.com">www.campkip.com</a></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">FIBER CONQUESTS!!!!</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Knitting: Work continues on the </span><span style="font-family:arial;">Mayflower Vest despite a disconcerting needle faux pas!<br /></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxdA-kIopg9e6NFZWpJav_mDVSB-u7B4ym3UInx5elad1ayxT794JWuSQssslG7f_0Jr-zdmB8AOKF16l0-uf14kFMgdKTADqmDfWLRWbVd-FNevkVwdYWbmr8wmiQ8rC4bimBh70WMPY/s1600/IMG_0121.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 306px; height: 259px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxdA-kIopg9e6NFZWpJav_mDVSB-u7B4ym3UInx5elad1ayxT794JWuSQssslG7f_0Jr-zdmB8AOKF16l0-uf14kFMgdKTADqmDfWLRWbVd-FNevkVwdYWbmr8wmiQ8rC4bimBh70WMPY/s320/IMG_0121.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562888304737524994" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"> EZ's rib warmer knitting up in handspun:</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiKjQwlHUDtn1Z8IiHrZAlky4Y2Hl6YYcFvnSGQbA1Np3SrLzUQ-cQVDVSCewyEmAiP1puBgHC-ejPD-Ghyphenhyphen79ovN6M5Pj-IFS6cjcGm25hIfNICmEKiK2c2K8otuW6cw5B-tvq8V3xYj0/s1600/IMG_0123.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiKjQwlHUDtn1Z8IiHrZAlky4Y2Hl6YYcFvnSGQbA1Np3SrLzUQ-cQVDVSCewyEmAiP1puBgHC-ejPD-Ghyphenhyphen79ovN6M5Pj-IFS6cjcGm25hIfNICmEKiK2c2K8otuW6cw5B-tvq8V3xYj0/s320/IMG_0123.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562888310940114674" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0tOvHUJMQq0MUCVMJif9HBCaR5A-u0VPgzyEfv-ogV0c-5xZS-YlnXIikotUx0iKQ66ghS-l5Jnp686yw59yGcG5Ssm9qWdfBOVoauIaCgE7ak13mX3-4pTGYufja3c2KfA-EzfRaOPA/s1600/IMG_0122.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0tOvHUJMQq0MUCVMJif9HBCaR5A-u0VPgzyEfv-ogV0c-5xZS-YlnXIikotUx0iKQ66ghS-l5Jnp686yw59yGcG5Ssm9qWdfBOVoauIaCgE7ak13mX3-4pTGYufja3c2KfA-EzfRaOPA/s320/IMG_0122.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562897033793583794" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Crocheting: Riverstone Cardigan by Mandy Moore featured in Interweave Crochet Magazine Winter 2010 issue. Loving it!<br /><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsSs62HTia8bZ2j81hop6KKi7kIGIhWC71OyaEYhulNYCPnt16c3TD6jli_28bbl0YCV3ENa7_nMWlebZpS_YMiyAswJ1yDeR4IYHiApR_8PA-Ju-4y2UN8DCdgjQ5aA2iwS37wwN_wzg/s1600/IMG_0125.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 308px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsSs62HTia8bZ2j81hop6KKi7kIGIhWC71OyaEYhulNYCPnt16c3TD6jli_28bbl0YCV3ENa7_nMWlebZpS_YMiyAswJ1yDeR4IYHiApR_8PA-Ju-4y2UN8DCdgjQ5aA2iwS37wwN_wzg/s320/IMG_0125.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562898395644980354" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Also: check out Pinebark Hood by Shannon </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Mullet-Bowlsby. I'm making mine in KnitPicks<br />Gloss, color: Fedora. </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br /><br /></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1hoIpPpV0dxjylsJOD0YJiUS4Mj3R9fIv2drqVnoiU-SeBPm5XKCtIvg27koNOt3UYQC4j4BaJ0TvYba6FuaF38y0341YABymYxfu655jjsJzOJRT2cw84sZh6xqMb2v_Rag7u1ZRXl0/s1600/IMG_0124.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1hoIpPpV0dxjylsJOD0YJiUS4Mj3R9fIv2drqVnoiU-SeBPm5XKCtIvg27koNOt3UYQC4j4BaJ0TvYba6FuaF38y0341YABymYxfu655jjsJzOJRT2cw84sZh6xqMb2v_Rag7u1ZRXl0/s320/IMG_0124.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562901887653868802" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Finally, made two of the Blo</span><span style="font-family:arial;">oming Hat by Robyn<br />Chachula from the Mission Falls goes Crochet<br />booklet. Stunning little hat do</span><span style="font-family:arial;">ne up in 7 different</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">colors with texture.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br /><br />Spinning: Alpaca clip from 2009 almost done---yay! Onto 2010 clip which was processed by <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.zwool.com">Zeilinger's Wool Mill</a>.<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNiEX-N5NVAcuMziwqLgu9WspzkS9VSaQFVp4dTs-SPWDhPX-Xaww9og8sQqeHl7WLEzMFnu9FWV1-oaFN-_XmbK8msSFsjHbLUdJdOrtM8LWJGd_cdnVSTKNz57E5-4pY2AHZF7NOYKE/s1600/IMG_0126.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNiEX-N5NVAcuMziwqLgu9WspzkS9VSaQFVp4dTs-SPWDhPX-Xaww9og8sQqeHl7WLEzMFnu9FWV1-oaFN-_XmbK8msSFsjHbLUdJdOrtM8LWJGd_cdnVSTKNz57E5-4pY2AHZF7NOYKE/s320/IMG_0126.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562904115560965522" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxsWwhurJlyTbW0yiiODxdN70nbwifBiZ1ECB09FeWggMguzlgDgsXKu6D-uesemgs5XWMLuT1pSQHwcA0NETslgxJZJopnyeiZa1k4TEM5F9pi4vDybn_MgEUXimp49Ywtg5BWenpHvo/s1600/IMG_0127.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxsWwhurJlyTbW0yiiODxdN70nbwifBiZ1ECB09FeWggMguzlgDgsXKu6D-uesemgs5XWMLuT1pSQHwcA0NETslgxJZJopnyeiZa1k4TEM5F9pi4vDybn_MgEUXimp49Ywtg5BWenpHvo/s320/IMG_0127.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562904118364083810" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br />Also spun up some ragwool f</span><span style="font-family:arial;">rom Robyn and<br />Dugel's fleeces.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br /><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br />Felting: not much done on this front. New kits in the future.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">What's happening on the farm?</span><br />Robyn's epiphany----Robyn learns how to eat in a flock of sheep who are not fond of him!<br />Feeding frenzy----watch your knees while feeding these ovines!<br />Rabbits----more protein needed for a small-ish babe<br />Bentley the SNOW dog!!<br />Birds: welcoming the sighting of a male cardinal!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Sleeping on the Job</span>: Do you talk in your sleep?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Yammer</span>: <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.sunfloweryarns.com">Sunflower Yarns </a><br /> Fiber arts by Amanda Dahl<br />check out the DK, fingering/sock, sport, and worsted weight dyed yarns (formerly NH Knitting Mama) She's on Facebook and Twitter too!<br /><br />In the news this week: Tuscon, AZ shooting rampage. Thank goodness for the miracle of modern medicine, but REALLY, should it be THIS necessary?<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"It's important to pause for a moment and make sure that we are talking to each other in a way that heals, not in a way that wounds."</span> -President Obama<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Contact info</span>: countingsheepblog@gmail.com<br />I'm Rabbitlady on Ravelry and our new podcast group is "Counting Sheep" on Ravelry.<br />Find the podcast at iTunes by searching for Counting Sheep or at Libsyn: <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.countingsheep.libsyn.com">www.countingsheep.libsyn.com</a><br /><br />So until next time, keep your needles, hooks, and wheels humming; be kind to other folks and I'll talk to you soon!<br />Ruth<br /><br /></span>Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07480273057358348466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4434685813169601943.post-27899634657975908962010-12-25T17:13:00.000-05:002010-12-25T17:13:50.978-05:00Christmas on the Hill<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7u2HHqDWO0_Wi8YkNq0AQc9w5aSqJ3SEfY3SEDxRBF_n22red5aPp7igr-W9ZM3_xxvGWOXmVluWDsikmLSNHAYtNWTDhv6jhcNkn4NIFkDuFX1RsJuB_6May6mYTJechpL5xK2ZT4OA/s1600/IMG_0107.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7u2HHqDWO0_Wi8YkNq0AQc9w5aSqJ3SEfY3SEDxRBF_n22red5aPp7igr-W9ZM3_xxvGWOXmVluWDsikmLSNHAYtNWTDhv6jhcNkn4NIFkDuFX1RsJuB_6May6mYTJechpL5xK2ZT4OA/s200/IMG_0107.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwX3VjJsoUUjEn8-iKGwhg71-KA_9pTg0v7QhadZpFcMiqQ8oymxyiJVfQCMA2H_QjRkYs_mL7Zp9ngFxlug1XvweFgZdmRbU2O3qLt_tKF1wm5HRP8VD2lAqZDAPbg-tyGbdeQtytoec/s1600/IMG_0101.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwX3VjJsoUUjEn8-iKGwhg71-KA_9pTg0v7QhadZpFcMiqQ8oymxyiJVfQCMA2H_QjRkYs_mL7Zp9ngFxlug1XvweFgZdmRbU2O3qLt_tKF1wm5HRP8VD2lAqZDAPbg-tyGbdeQtytoec/s200/IMG_0101.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhhXUYPB6XEgmp8xR4lsJBYG07B-EpMXWWLtZjI9MonI0BsuZkCTy8JIiLqvNIlCF-MdVWUWk_wnh174NMKakqvYLoW66sSt0KBx0Y7kK9RaRK8aOKicYQ7JJnwyhyphenhyphenXoGZRXVxJkCZRhE/s1600/IMG_0105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhhXUYPB6XEgmp8xR4lsJBYG07B-EpMXWWLtZjI9MonI0BsuZkCTy8JIiLqvNIlCF-MdVWUWk_wnh174NMKakqvYLoW66sSt0KBx0Y7kK9RaRK8aOKicYQ7JJnwyhyphenhyphenXoGZRXVxJkCZRhE/s200/IMG_0105.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Episode 2 is up!<br />
Yes, after almost 3 weeks----episode 2 is live.....thanks for your patience. Life events conspired against me in the process of getting the episode out sooner, but better LATE than never. The good news is, I'm going to try to get a pre-New Year episode out by December 31st (Episode 2.5 hopefully! Stay tuned my fellow listeners.)<br />
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With a layer of natural snow on the ground, temperatures hovering in the teens-twenties, and the ski areas humming away, winter is here and the "Hill" is no exception.<br />
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Let's start with the <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">CORRECT</span> contact information for me and my podcast endeavors!<br />
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The podcast can be found on iTunes----just type "Counting Sheep" into the search box; look under the podcast heading, then you can go ahead and subscribe. The podcast can also be found at: <a href="http://draft.blogger.com/www.countingsheep.libsyn.com">www.countingsheep.libsyn.com</a><br />
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My blog, well, you've found my blog, but here it is: <a href="http://draft.blogger.com/www.countingsheepblog.blogspot.com">www.countingsheepblog.blogspot.com</a><br />
You can drop me an e-mail at: countingsheepblog@gmail.com<br />
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The Ravelry group is Counting Sheep and my "ravetar" is Rabbitlady<br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000;">Fiber Conquests:<br />
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<span style="color: #009900;">Knitting!!!!!!<br />
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</span><span style="color: black;">Mayflower Vest by Donna Kay (e-mail: treeoflife@metrocast.net)<br />
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Progress is slow but steady---2 repeats of the pattern are done (which doesn't sound like much in writing---but quite the accomplishment on the needles)<br />
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Gadget of note: the Knitting Chart Keeper by Knitpicks: <a href="http://draft.blogger.com/www.knitpicks.com">www.knitpicks.com</a><br />
a knitter's "easel" of sorts; it allows you to view your pattern chart easily & keeps it in place with magnets. The magnets mark the row you are working on & you can move them as you go. The unit folds up & snaps closed for storage. WELL worth the price!<br />
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<span style="font-style: italic;">Another Vest:</span> EZ's rib warmer; pattern can be found on Ravelry: <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Ribwarmer Revisited WG58 SO42</span> for $1.00. Also, if you keep back issues of Knitter's Magazine, it's in the Fall 1997 (No. 48) issue, pp. 80-82. All garter stitch with short rows (don't let that scare you---the pattern spells it out for you and it's easy) fast, fun. I'm knitting mine in my handspun yarn from my sheep Maple and Sugar.<span style="color: #33cc00;"><br />
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Crochet Crazy!!!!!!<span style="color: black;"><br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">The Fiber Trends Crochet Felt Boot Slippers</span> are done and have been gifted!! YAY!!<br />
This project included my only foray into needlefelting for this episode!<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Amazing Amigurumi</span>: Lion Brand free patterns<br />
1. The Weiner Dog (#70579AD)<br />
2. The Penguin (#81012AD)---too cute for words<br />
3. The Turtle (#81009AD)---an Christmas gift for a friend (and you know who you are!)<br />
4. The Reindeer (#80971AD)---didn't get to this one, ran out of time, maybe next year.<br />
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These items almost crochet themselves. Check out other amigurumi patterns as well as load of other free patterns at <a href="http://draft.blogger.com/www.lionbrand.com">Lion Brand's Website</a><br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Christmas Trees:</span> featured in the Nov/Dec 2010 issue of<span style="font-style: italic;"> Crochet Today</span>, pp.67-68. Done in Red Heart Heart & Sole sock yarn. One ball color #3973 "Christmas" and one ball color #3931 "Berry Bliss" with a size D-3 hook. I used these as package toppers, but you can use as garland, or ornaments. Very quick and very easy.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Interweave Crochet Magazine Issue Winter 2010</span><br />
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Riverstone Cardigan by Mandy Moore on p. 14. My yarn of choice is the one used in the pattern, but I couldn't find the tweed so I made a substitution:<br />
#4010 (straw)<br />
#8509 (light grey)<br />
#7822 (Vandyke brown) as a substitution for #7617 charcoal tweed<br />
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I purchased the yarn at one of my favorite LYSs: <a href="http://www.bakersyarns.com/">Baker's Yarns</a></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #33cc00;"><span style="color: black;">This project is started and I have about 4 inches done already---and I'm in LOVE---more comments on this project in the future as it progresses......</span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #33cc00;"><span style="color: black;">The Frosted Window-Pane Pullover by Kimberly K. McAlindin is in my future as well. I strayed from the pattern and bought Knit Picks Gloss DK in color Doe for this project. I love the texture work of the bodice and the high empire-style of this sweater.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #33cc00;"><span style="color: black;">I'm also in love with Lily Chin's Mesa Pullover as well which is featured on pp. 18-19 and Robyn Chachula's Belcarra Cardigan on pp. 51-53. If I wasn't completing a cardigan very similar to this one, I'd be all over this project as well.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #33cc00;"><span style="color: black;">Bravo <a href="http://www.interweavecrochet.com/">Interweave</a> for putting out a fabulous issue of Interweave Crochet!</span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #33cc00;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: lime;">Spinning! </span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #33cc00;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;">Alpaca, alpaca, and more alpaca.............ho hum.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<div style="color: lime;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Needlefelting:</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #33cc00;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;">No progress (okay, I haven't even started!) on the Ski Sheep by Woolpets----but I did needlefelt two sheep already (one the crochet boot slippers) so that counts, doesn't it?!? </span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<div style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: arial;">What's happening on the farm?</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #33cc00;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;">Larry, Moe, and Curly are growing like weeds and eating like piggies! They will be going to their own hutches soon as mama Midnight needs a BREAK!</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #33cc00;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;">Sheep introductions</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #33cc00;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;">Feeding the birds can be hazardous to your health---when you don't wear the proper shoe attire! :-)</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<div style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Sleeping on the Job: zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz, wake up!!!!!!</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #33cc00;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #33cc00;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;">Information for this segment is taken from: Watchful Care: A History of America's Nurse Anesthetists by Marianne Bankert and also from the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists. Questions are gladly encouraged to be answered in future podcast episodes!!</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<div style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Yammer!</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #33cc00;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #33cc00;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;">WEBS Annual Year End Blow-Out Sale (on-line sale has already begun as of 12/22). Take advantage and stock-up for the NEW year!! <a href="http://www.yarn.com/">www.yarn.com</a></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #33cc00;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;">Group Knitting & Knitting Groups: try it, you'll like it! E-mail me for tips on how to start your own group in your vicinity!!</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #33cc00;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;">Okay everyone, e-mail YOUR new year resolutions or goals! Episode 2.5 will cover this old tradition of making resolutions.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span></span></span>Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07480273057358348466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4434685813169601943.post-54989327954441856512010-12-09T17:47:00.005-05:002010-12-11T17:13:28.699-05:00Podcast Promo & Episode 1 now on iTunes!<span style="font-family:arial;">Hello one & all!<br />'Tis the season to start something new! As promised, I have begun podcasting! I managed to navigate quite a few unexpected bumps in that road (because I'm basically a computer cretin)---but I'm happy to say that I've learned quite a bit from both the Libsyn & iTunes support people. Hope you enjoy listening!<br /><br />Show notes: These will be rudimentary for this first go-around since I expended most of my time and energy into recording, uploading, etc. of the podcast.<br /><br />Knitting: <span style="font-style: italic;">Mayflower Vest by Donna Kay</span><br /> This is a fair isle vest done in two colors with an all-over pattern. The yarn is Rauma Finullgarn in off-white and maroon. I'm knitting it in the round with one steek up the center. Donna Kay's designs are fabulous and she spends a great deal of time getting the pattern right! I love her designs which can be found at Harrisville Designs right here in Northern New England:<br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://www.harrisville.com/">www.harrisville.com</a><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Donna's contact information: treeoflife@metrocast.net and she is treeoflife on Ravelry.<br /><br />No pictures on this one yet---perhaps next week!<br /><br />Crocheting: <span style="font-style: italic;">Crocheted Felt Boot Slippers by Fiber Trends<br /> </span>These are a Christmas gift for my sister (who wore out her last pair). Crocheted huge on a big hook (size N) and then thrown to the washer on hot cycle. They shrink down to the appropriate size. The yarn is Araucania distributed by KFI in color #416. (<a href="http://www.knittingfever.com/">www.knittingfever.com</a>) Can be done with double soles that you crochet and attach with a row of single crochet OR you can crochet one sole and attach a suede sole after the machine felting---this version tends to last a lot longer! Added bonus with this pattern: you can needle felt a sheep or other such item of your choice to the side after the boots have dried. My sister will probably be sporting the sheep. Fiber trends patterns & kits can be found at: <a href="http://www.fibertrends.com/">www.fibertrends.com </a><br />Suede slipper soles can be found at Patternworks: <a href="http://www.patternworks.com">www.patternworks.com</a><br /><br />Needlefelting: Ski Sheep from Woolpets<br /> This little guy is soooo cute as are the other animals in this line. The kit comes complete with the wool, directions, and needle to make this adorable little sheep on skis! All the materials are packed within a clear acrylic Chinese-food-style package including the metal handle. To see this and others log onto the WEBS website: <a href="http://www.yarn.com/">www.yarn.com</a><br /><br />Spinning: Alpaca, alpaca, alpaca<br /> I'm spinning a friend's alpaca----trying to finish up last year's clip so that I may go onto THIS year's clip-------how did I get myself into this? Still wondering........as I need and want to do my own spinning!<br /><br />What's happening in the barn?<br /> New bunnies!! Pictures to follow<br /><br />Sleeping on the Job: Some background on the profession of nurse anesthesia.<br /><br />Yammer: Those podcasts that inspire me!<br />Cast On by Brenda Dayne<br />CogKnitive Podcast by Dr. Gemma<br />KIPing it Real by Jacky<br />The Knit Wits by Carin & Rick<br />KnitCents by Rachel<br />Knitmore Girls by Jasmin & Gigi<br />Knitting Pipeline by Paula<br />Spin Control by Shilo<br />Ready, Set, Knit by Kathy & Steve Elkins at Webs Yarn Store<br />Yarn Craft from Lion Brand Yarns<br />Yarns from the Plain by Nik<br /><br />Thanks to all of these talented folks who have entertained and inspired me for quite some time now!<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></div><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></div>Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07480273057358348466noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4434685813169601943.post-75990464419611193922010-10-10T10:51:00.003-04:002010-10-10T11:24:41.463-04:00Amsterdam-bound<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwQJqCoDORVhlx_ZHZ2XHqYo_nD0kVGr9HllPTcFFMEcyBHg0NwnEqVfhpNNVpeO1cU59t5jrniTP0El-3bCUZjKLYF-SWOCc5xwWoVIitf8QAKa8dLTQeeXVBEZm8-bk3fn_Lc95khi8/s1600/IMG_0044.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwQJqCoDORVhlx_ZHZ2XHqYo_nD0kVGr9HllPTcFFMEcyBHg0NwnEqVfhpNNVpeO1cU59t5jrniTP0El-3bCUZjKLYF-SWOCc5xwWoVIitf8QAKa8dLTQeeXVBEZm8-bk3fn_Lc95khi8/s320/IMG_0044.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526438434044801330" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Hello all!<br />Whew! It's been a LONG time---sorry for such a delay in posting. I've been busy with lots of stuff and now that I have the Vermont Sheep & Wool Festival behind me, I can try to settle into what is ahead. We are T-minus less than two weeks till the hubby and I fly off to Amsterdam (with a side trip to Germany to see the relatives) so that I may present my poster of my doctoral research at the Second International Conference on Violence in the Health Sector (October 26-29).<br /><br />Just some background information; I graduated April 2009 with my Doctorate in Nursing Practice from Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. It was a 'mostly on-line' program with some in-person intensive weekends in Michigan. To complete the course of study, one must do a 'capstone' project which usually entails some kind of research. My research study focused upon looking into the extent and impact of horizontal violence within the work environment of Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists of which I happen to be one. Yes, there is horizontal violence within the operating rooms of this great country of ours---sad to say. Anyway, to make a long story even longer........my research abstract was accepted for poster presentation at the Sigma Theta Tau (Honor Society for us nursing-types) International Convention last autumn in Indianapolis, IN which lead to my abstract being accepted at the International Conference in Amsterdam at the end of this month------WAY too exciting!!! I can hardly contain myself! But, mostly, I'm excited to attend the conference to see what else is going on related to this topic---which is soooo HUGE right now (i.e.: bullying in schools, workplace bullying/violence).<br /><br />So, anyhoo, we fly off to Amsterdam at the end of the month with a side trip to Germany as I said. My parents are accompanying us for part of the trip (the Germany part). I have two uncles and two aunts (my mom's siblings) in southern Germany whom I haven't seen for 18 years!!<br /><br />Other items on my plate: Midnight, one of my French Angora rabbit does gave birth to a litter of baby bunnies on October 2nd. They are doing well and we already have people interested in purchasing. The autumn color here in Vermont is glorious and we are enjoying it! Sayda, our newest sheep (I believe I introduced you to her in a prior posting) has been busting out to browse under one of the apple trees. The hubby has since tweeked the electric fence to the proper voltage and fixed some areas of it where she was sneaking out underneath---but it will require a trip to our favorite fence company Wellscroft in Harrisville, NH this week. I see a side trip to Harrisville Designs in my future........<br /><br />I have been duly inspired as of late to initiate my own podcast under the Counting Sheep name---I have been brainstorming about segments for the podcast and I think I have enough stuff for the rudimentary beginnings of a podcast!! I'm kind of excited about this new venture, but I probably won't tackle it until after we get back from Amsterdam---too much going on.<br /><br />My knitting group survived a change in venue----we named the group as well. We are now called the Mt. Ascutney Fiber Arts group (MAFA for short) and we meet at the Hartland Public Library on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of the month from 6:30pm-8:00pm. We're welcoming ALL fibery arts including knitting, crocheting, spinning, rug-hooking, and beyond.<br /><br />Okay, I think that's all for now---stay tuned for the podcast update....now that I've typed it, I HAVE to do it, right? <br /></span>Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07480273057358348466noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4434685813169601943.post-5165624494719860762010-07-31T13:33:00.006-04:002010-07-31T13:54:56.015-04:00Busy, busy, busy<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">So I haven't posted for a while---July has turned out to be a fairly busy month, Tour-de-Fleece aside (I'll get to that later). We started the month off with a visit from my dear friend Barbara and her two children. I barely made it home in time from a Lions event that I cut out early on to greet her and Emily and Dan. We immediately made our way to our favorite Antiques store (The Antique Mall in Quechee, VT---if you're in the area, it's worth the trip!) to prowl around there. We picked up a few items, tasted some chesse and then went to the Harpoon Brewery for dinner. I think our dogs were a hit with Dan as he spent lots of time with them and asking questions about them!</span><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">After their visit, we helped our friends bring in the hay---sheep in Vermont need to be fed about 7-8 months out of the year---and so, summer months are spent cutting, raking, tetting, baling, and storing hay. It was a particular joy this year as we have had quite some humidity which makes even getting near the hay less than desirable.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">On Saturday, July 10th, I went to the ChainLink (CGOA) conference in Manchester, NH. It was fabulous! First off, I ran into Doris Chan (one of my favorite crochet designers) and she graciously signed a copy of "Crochet Lace Innovations" for me which has a design that I'm crocheting right now. Well, no better place than a convention to get inspiration for your craft. I took a class on crocheting Bruges lace with a lovely lady, Susan Lowman from Arizona. Check out her site: Susan@theCrochetArchitect.com. I'll have to post pictures of the lace I've made in the next post. Of course, I bought some yarn (for Chan pattern) from The Elegant Ewe of Concord, NH---they also have a website and they are really nice!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I've been busily trying to find a new venue for our knitting/crochet/fiber group here in Windsor, VT. It's taken a bit of back and forth, but we will be meeting at a very nice community room every other Thursday evenings. These changes have finally forced me to hone in on a name for our group and the group has decided upon the Mt. Ascutney Fiber Arts Group.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">My last bit of news to report is that my spinning wheel has been extremely lonely this month---yes, I've failed miserably at the 'Tour-de-Fleece!' As a matter of fact, I didn't ever really get started on my batt (It's Complicated) although, I certainly can use the name of the batt to explain my July. I started a new part-time job as an anesthetist for an ambulatory surgery center (2 days a week) as well as maintaining my other part-time job (2 days a week) for a gastroenterologist. The good news is that with the drop in humidity around here, it actually feels like weather for spinning. It's difficult to motivate oneself to spin WOOL when it's 95 degrees out and 60% humidity!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Stay tuned, I'm hoping to get 'It's Complicated' up and running------for now, I'm going to go do some laundry (our dryer was just fixed yesterday after being down for 3 weeks)!</span></span><br /></span>Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07480273057358348466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4434685813169601943.post-14771598127704769432010-07-07T18:43:00.003-04:002010-07-07T19:34:40.602-04:00Hot, hot, hot.........<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl_7fNQ39K1lrRnbiBJfUEpw3VrnibTqXY8TZQ80AREwOo5rbStGnxnN4ETbxQFd3Fjo_0RYLwhdTi1RAGvSdbuP4LmEpw1TYRXMJFt-LA9si9RJlwjGvuQfWEqARbRKOjYpi5KDeGaD8/s1600/IMG_0012.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl_7fNQ39K1lrRnbiBJfUEpw3VrnibTqXY8TZQ80AREwOo5rbStGnxnN4ETbxQFd3Fjo_0RYLwhdTi1RAGvSdbuP4LmEpw1TYRXMJFt-LA9si9RJlwjGvuQfWEqARbRKOjYpi5KDeGaD8/s320/IMG_0012.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491300283404197218" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);"><span style="font-family: arial;">It's 93 degrees Fahrenheit here in Windsor, VT and weather.com says it feels like 101. I concur. I'm not particularly fond of the hazy, hot, and humid type of weather----I moved to Vermont almost 7 years ago to escape that. Lucky for us, we don't have to put up with too much of it as Vermont tends to have more tolerable weather conditions than New Jersey (my state of origin). Right now, I just praying for a break in the trend which may come within the next couple of days----as an anesthetist, I spend most of my waking hours in a super-cooled environment---so my body is "used" to being </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);">cool and so, this weather poses a problem to my equilibrium.<br /><br />Well, enough about the weather-----the DH and I helped our friends hay this week------yes, if you think just moving around in these weather conditions is tough, try slinging bales of hay in it. We have about 180 bales in the barn of first-cut hay and we are happy campers about that---'tis more than enough to get us through the coming winter. The HUGE field that our friends hayed brought in ALOT more than what now resides in our barn and we're still wondering where to store it all.<br /><br />July 3rd (the start of the Tour de Fleece) has come and gone and I must confess that I have not yet begun to spin my project for it (see prior posting). I will, however, "catch up"----many, many tasks (besides haying) have hindered me from sitting down at the spinning wheel---but I assure you, that I will not disappoint Team CogSpintive! We are all aware of how 'life can get in the way' of our intentions.<br /><br />I am proud to say that I've skirted all of my sheep's fleeces and they have been sent off to be processed into roving----even in the heat, I've made some progress (oh, talking about the weather AGAIN!!).<br /><br />This Saturday, my friend Jennifer and I will be going to the Crochet Guild of America's annual show in Manchester, NH. I'm going to be taking a class in Bruges lace and also cruising the market for any and all things unknown to me---looking forward to it---should be fun and I'll bring back a full report on it here!<br /><br />Stay cool everyone!<br /></span></span>Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07480273057358348466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4434685813169601943.post-62442786623879781682010-06-23T16:49:00.001-04:002010-06-23T17:15:13.006-04:00Cat call<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibT4rN68QXdHnFutqA1U9_R0E8df-o3kV_USQRS1FsRsSBPeO3aM-I-6_BoMuUc1jEQ98z-XHAOUPbjv7L08fDIb5ElAn4N_V3gtGe44B-YDvruzXvjxPdrpjUyW5WBIz4ZfyRszsvKJE/s1600/IMG_0019.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibT4rN68QXdHnFutqA1U9_R0E8df-o3kV_USQRS1FsRsSBPeO3aM-I-6_BoMuUc1jEQ98z-XHAOUPbjv7L08fDIb5ElAn4N_V3gtGe44B-YDvruzXvjxPdrpjUyW5WBIz4ZfyRszsvKJE/s320/IMG_0019.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486075270814993554" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">What do you get when the universe combines one housecat, a Dymo label maker, and one bored husband? Our cat, Buddy, puts up with ALOT---I try to make up for it by giving him the best canned catfood money can buy. We're not sure how old Buddy really is as we adopted him when he was already quite the older adult cat, but given the fact that he only has two teeth left, we think he's reached his Golden years.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;">He thinks he's a dog and so, the dogs think that too. Buddy, like most cats, believes he owns the place and we let him think that too.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Today is the first day of a two-week respite from both of my part-time jobs which I have been looking forward to for some time now. Spent today trying to help the DH install a pre-hung door (well, he did most of the work---I just provided lifting (read: grunt work) help and dumb looks when he asked for suggestions on how to fix the crookedness. You'd think that installing a pre-hung door would be akin to child's play---I'm here to tell you folks, it's NOT! It's times like these when I realize how unskilled and unknowing I am about a whole bunch of things in life.<br /><br />Anyway, I've got a list going of all the things I'd like to have done at the end of two weeks---by that time, I'll be well into the Tour-de-Fleece (see prior posting). I'll let you know if my goals are met!<br /></span>Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07480273057358348466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4434685813169601943.post-19549626590856653592010-06-16T19:50:00.000-04:002010-06-16T20:06:41.483-04:00To Sleep perchance to Dream....<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC9Le_ojJjSDTfWzX7dlPMkqnfXmI1PV4edDGBHUKVJ5zZdVdIodpSUF73Bt4e6LVcLsSMPgozTqXy35MuuS3U-jEVCDbZGmzIgMps4INK2epHhfWyjgd4WAPOCCWlE8cDvsovk3iwhwk/s1600/IMG_9057.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC9Le_ojJjSDTfWzX7dlPMkqnfXmI1PV4edDGBHUKVJ5zZdVdIodpSUF73Bt4e6LVcLsSMPgozTqXy35MuuS3U-jEVCDbZGmzIgMps4INK2epHhfWyjgd4WAPOCCWlE8cDvsovk3iwhwk/s320/IMG_9057.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483527102199113634" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I've devoted most of my life to providing anesthesia to those having various surgical, as well as other pain-producing procedures. I am, by profession, a CRNA (Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist) and in case this is the first time you are hearing that term, be informed that our kind were the first grouping of licensed, trained professionals to give anesthesia in the US. CRNAs are Registered Nurses with a bachelor's degree and additional training in anesthesia which currently leads to a Master's degree. There is a move on currently to require nurse anesthetists to have the DNP (Doctor of Nursing Practice) degree.<br /><br />CRNAs are a proud bunch; indeed, we enjoy taking care of our patients. The specialty is unique in that we must strive to foster a trusting relationship with those in our care in a very short amount of time. We see all levels of fear and every different way there is to exhibit fear. Our mission is to quell that fear as best we can, instill trust, and safely deliver an effective anesthetic. My career is very rewarding to me and I love what I do. So the next time you see those initials: CRNA, you'll know what it means!<br /></span>Ruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07480273057358348466noreply@blogger.com0