Oh jease, I’m so behind on blogging. I know it’s probably been boring around here but I kind of lost my mojo after Minnesota. I seemed to get behind with one thing and then I was behind on everything. So here is a mass random update (There will be goats I promise!)
1. Thank you all so much for the wonderful comments on my Ternion Shawl. I have to say that I was seriously surprised because frankly, I didn’t expect it. I got a whole bunch of comments on Ravelry and people seem to really like it. I can only say that I hope this means that Knitty’s winter issue should be badass. If people actually liked my shawl then the stuff they kept must be amazing.
2. We had one of our very own turkeys for Thanksgiving. It was amazing beyond words. This was a bird that I had raised since it was a day old and then it fed my family. It had the best life a turkey could have. It got to do pretty much as it wished, eat as much grass and bugs as it could stand, and even mate with the hens should the mood hit. Remember, just because you buy organic doesn’t mean that bird wasn’t raised with 20,000 other birds in a barn never to see the light of day. My birds are free range and the more I collect eggs the more birds I might have next year. So far I’m up to about 26 eggs but none have hatched out yet.
3. The Mr finally bottled his own home made Blackberry wine! It is amazing. It actually tastes really wonderful and I have to admit that I had my doubts. But it is really yummy. It’s not something that would ever win any snooty awards but it will be all drank to the last drop. I’m really proud of him. Now he’s in the middle of making some mead and then there is the quite whispers about a still (for perfume purposes only of course because we are NOT law breakers. HA!) We totally bought the industrial $70 corker because it is worth every single penny. Corking is hard otherwise.
He looks so happy doesn’t he? I know how he feels, I was like that with my jam. And yes, these are the same blackberries from our property.
4. I knit some socks and they are by far my favorite pair in the longest time. I have tried to knit these Meida socks by Nancy Bush two pervious times. It ended in sad too tight socks. Finally with the right yarn needle combo I came out with these.
Seriously. I absolutely love how these socks feel. They are Mountain Colors barefoot and I love the yarn SO MUCH! I’m all about having a little mohair in my yarn. It makes it so much more wooly and wears better I think.
5. Herman the ram. I can’t remember if I’ve talked about him or not. If not here we go. Herman is the ram we are renting to get with some of our ewes. He’s a beautiful red icelandic mouflon and I love him so much that I’m thinking we will have to buy him. He’s the most gentle mild mannered fella I’ve ever know. He’s my husband in sheep form! LOL And, the ladies are loving him. Also, he stinks like ass. Which is a good thing if you are a ram in rut.
I thought he was good natured before but this weekend I bought these festive headbands to embarrass the dogs. Then I got the crazy idea that these things would fit other animals too…
Yes, I did put a festive headband on a ram and you know what? He could have cared LESS. He snuffled the ladies, asked me for a chin scratch and posed for several pictures.
The goats were not as easy because they want to be RIGHT NEXT TO YOU.
You know what I love? Goats. I seriously just love them. I never would have known. My friends have sheep and alpacas and llamas. I never knew a single goat. But you know what? Goats totally trump all of those animals x a million. Not only are they sweet as sugar they enjoy your attention, are silly to be silly, and are so damn affectionate. Also, they let you humiliate them on the internet.
Some even enjoy it. Charlie is a super star after all. If you met Charlie in person (or in goat if you will), you’d understand. This goat has charisma to spare. After this little experiment I kind of…um…want to dress my goats up more. I know! It’s sick! I KNOW! But you guys, it was fun and cute and still makes me smile. This is better for a foul day than any amount of zoloft. Bummed? Dress up your goat. All better! So yeah. This might become a thing. It’s not like I’m going to knit them little fair isle sweaters and leave them out in the pasture like that but a little headband or scarf for pictures? Yes.
6. Lastly I met Monica in Portland the other week for coffee and pictures. She’s such a good sport for letting me harass her with a camera.
I used a non-traditional edging for this shawl that I don’t think I’ve ever seen before. Basically I didn’t want to interrupt the beauty and smoothness of the yarn and an applied i-cord was just the ticket. The loops were an afterthought but I kind of love them.
Right now I am furiously writing up the pattern for the sweater, then it will go to my amazing tech editor, then to testers. I think with so many details I really want to get this tested. I have to say, I was unsure of the shoulder flap, at first it reminded me of a cowboy’s duster but after I blocked it and seamed it to the sweater I have to tell you I love it.
The thing I think I love the most is that you can wear it as a regular sweater and it looks beautiful, but then you can throw up the hood and hide way back in it’s folds and it’s instant mystery.
I love that this is all done in reverse stockinette but I do think that this could have been knit in the round, steeked, and then the hem done. If I would have been thinking ahead I would have done that, and knit it inside out so that it was all in knit not in purl. I knit the sleeves inside out, why didn’t this occur to me?
The hood turned out super slouchy which I don’t know if is because of the pattern, my yarn choice, or my poor conversion math. Still, it lays flat and looks pretty cute from behind thanks to that orange hem.
I know for a fact that this is the knit that ate my mojo. I just couldn’t knit anything or focus on new knits till I got this stupid thing off the needles. Now that it finally is I can move on with my life!
