These are the socks I started with the Felici yarn pattern called Hopscotch on number 2 needles. The photo is true to the colors. Since I am a slow knitter it takes me about 40 minutes to do each color stripe and this pattern is just k3, p1 around and around. I am ready to do the heel. After I finish the heel and the turn it, I’ll put it in the car to work on while waiting for appointments, etc. So far, I’ve been working on them in the evenings when I’m too tired to do anything else.
Today was a good day. I have 2 stalls 12 x 15 each, this being one. The other area is 12 x 30. I cleaned the larger one yesterday and this one today.
Then I worked at getting hay down. The shadows changed the color of the hay, but you can see a bale on the tractor and I did manage to get another bale on top of this one. This type of work takes more thought and tractor maneuvering, because I don’t have the strength yet to lift these 100# bales. But I did get it loaded and moved down the road and into the rams area to be able to feed them. Usually my neighbor man does this, but was not available today.
After this and lunch, I took DH to the chiropractor and while he was there, I was able to get the groceries. After dinner, I rested for a bit. I don’t want to spoil a night’s sleep by resting too much.
It makes me happy when I can see accomplishments like this and I feel like I didn’t waste the day. I’m hoping to get back on track after too many of life’s interruptions. Well – after the holidays anyway. Part of the problem is that I didn’t set goals and make schedules for myself this year like I normally do. When I don’t, it seems I don’t get much done.
Now to get three more boxes to take to the studio, which is where we keep the food for the dog who guards the sheep in the lower pasture. I picked those boxes up and went around to the studio, delivered them, and then decided that it was a mess around the door. So I loaded the peat moss , some garbage and the water trough that I will be using for the boys in an upper pasture. Off I went to take the peat moss to the upper hoop house along with some other items. On the way, I left the garbage in the garbage house, the trough near the gate in the upper pasture, and the peat moss in the hoop house.
It has turned cold and that means in a barn, there are more rodents seeking a warm place, where food is available. So we have several bait traps out with this product. The animals cannot get inside the traps. However, someone helping us emptied a trap into a garbage bag and put a different bait into the trap.
I have a few of these buckets of scraps sorted very generally by color, which means yellow, cream, orange are in the same bucket. There are still some scraps that need to be gone through and put in the proper places.
This pumpkin potholder takes 19 pieces of fabric plus the bias binding. That does not count the backing, batting, or Insulite, which I will cut later as needed. So even though potholders are small, they can take up much time in selection and sewing, as they really are mini quilts.
Yes, I can get up there. Grandma Moses started her painting at 76. I bought my sheep as a business at 76. I think I have a good model to follow. So now when the sun shines again, I’ll take a driving lesson on the new machine. There is so much it can do, that I would never have been able to do without it. I’m a happy camper today.
My sprained ankle is not healing very fast, probably because I don’t stay off it, plus there is this knee the doctor would like to replace that has been troublesome, so other than feeding animals, I spent time knitting, which keeps my leg out of trouble. This is yarn that I spun maybe 30 years ago. Black wool and white bunny, then plied together. It is extremely soft and cuddly. There is enough left to make a scarf for barn duty when lambs arrive and it is freezing out there. I have about 24″ knit, using a large needle and garter stitch, which goes fast.
We have a new chicken coop for the dozen babies we bought a short time ago. They have grown so fast and needed a bigger, safe home. So my neighbor put chicken wire and a door on this 3 sided structure which he finished tonight and we have moved the chickens into it.
This is our latest sheep housing, which will protect about 7-8 sheep from the weather if needed and that thing in the middle is a feeder for winter. We will put a breeding group in this area for two months. We take a cattle panel which is 18′ long, bend it and attach to 4 x 4, railroad ties or whatever on each side of the bottom. By attaching several together we can make the house as long as we need it and covered with plastic or a tarp, it will last 2-3 years before needing a new cover. It makes a great chicken coop or just a storage shed as well.
Chicks moving day finally happened!. They are now in the barn in a safe cage and out of the sewing studio. I know they weren’t in here very long, but they don’t belong in here. They belong in the barn and now that they are feathered, that’s where they are. They also have perches and more room, so win for all.
Many of the apples are ready to pick, so I spent some time picking 5 grocery bags full. I don’t climb ladders, therefore I tried to shake some down. I will pick more tomorrow and then the rains will be back. It seems at this point, I’m running out to do what I can on the days that it doesn’t rain. And it wasn’t that long ago that we were wishing for rain. It would be nice to have alternating days.
The last three days, I worked on this scarf during appointments and free time, but decided there are things, I don’t like about it, so raveled it and will start again. The white is angora rabbit plied to black wool, so it is very soft and warm and I anticipate wearing it during the cold this winter.