I'm going to send some photos to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival, hopefully the fact that they are photos of goats is not going to be an issue. I decided that since I'm going through the effort of making up a package, that I would like to see both my kids enter in the Junior Division- so these are the shots!!

When I unloaded the camera into the computer and was scanning the previews... I FLIPPED- I asked my son, he's 8... "did you realize what you were doing when you took this picture? Do you know what composition is?" he said, "Well I know what it is when you are writing, but I don't know what it means with photography." So I proceeded to show him all the ways this photo has awesome tight composition... he looked at me and shrugged... "well I was just trying to get all the goats in the picture!" oh man... the photo of the year is taken by Mr. Humility.



My daughter loves this enhanced picture of April and Stormy.

What an amazing sky we had on Friday! As the sun was going down huge billows of mammatus clouds dripped down like a blanket of lava lamp in the unstable atmosphere.




This is my start to the Mystery Pi Shawl. I am using a flake cotton which is mostly thin like a crochet thread- but has big slubs which add a lot of texture and Art Deco interest. I think this shawl will be wonderful over pink or black. The color is a bright tangerine. I chose the "D" option for the first pattern band from the EZasPi knit along.

"I have waited my whole life for you!"

The second twin emerges
Earlier, Nana labored with the company of May's twins.

A morning check found Nana with a steeply pitched pelvis, a sure sign of a birth coming soon. An hour later she was nested in to the goat house meditating her way through some big contractions. May's babys stayed close by with Nana and May went out to the field to graze. Nana was very expressive during her labor, staring at her belly, nudging it with her nose, flexing her ears and stretching her mouth. I really felt for the old girl but gave her some space for the early part of labor. When she really seemed to get to the pushing stage I went in with her and she seemed to really appreciate being petted and soothed.

She seemed to be pushing and straining a lot without much progress. When I finally saw the tips of the hooves emerging I was pretty sure they were upside down, so I went in the house to call talk my mother in law about what we should do. Lois is a pro at birthing the mammals from years on a dairy farm and she talked me through every possible position until I was totally terrified. When I got back to Nana there was a nose and a dark purple tounge sticking out too- and everything was facing the right way. Nana seemed to be having a very hard time pushing the baby out. I helped pull the baby's feet just a little and as soon as the shoulders delivered the rest slid out fast. Nana went to work cleaning him up and the next kid, a girl, came "right out on his heels" now I know where that phrase comes from. As I was suctioning the goo out of the second twin's mouth- the first was already climbing to his feet and poking around for a teat.

Just about then our neighbors were pulling out of their driveway and noticed our family commotion- and we invited them to come over and see the miracle too. I'm guessing about six people came over to "ooh" and "awe" over the little babies who were so strong!

Nana hugged her babies with her neck as she cleaned them off. To look at the pictures you could almost cry for her that she has no arms to hold her newborns. The expression of love and contentment on her face is so clear it's as if she is saying, "I have waited my whole life for you!"

The little skirt came off the needles last night. I was happy to see the end result of the ribbed ruffle which was not fully realized until off the restriction of the needle. This skirt pattern is pretty straightforward with the only elusive design element being a series of increasing short rows at the back base of the waistband which gives a good rise to back. The waistband is 2x2 ribbing with YO eyelits for a drawstring.

The lower edge ribbing begins with a M1 every 2 stitches- after a round this turns to k2 p1. After 3 rounds of that another row of increase in the purl section which then becomes K2 P2 for 3 more rows. Then an increase round with a M1 between the two K sts and that becomes K3 P2 for 3 rounds. Then increase in the middle of the P sections for a K3 P3 pattern.

The end result is a very springy ribbing with flair- it gives all the flounce of a ruffle and leaves the clownish loopy element behind.

My daughter put this outfit together herself and I am amazed at how her decision to wear her hat brim down seems to go perfectly with a 1920's style flapper skirt! I'm thinking that this skirt would be fantastic done in two colors- the second color as a stripe just above the pleats would really accentuate the hobble skirt look.

Yesterday April's leg supports came off in stages, the lower legs in the AM and the upper legs in the afternoon. She is now walking... running and hopping... able to initiate and maintain nursing all on her own! She has made so much progress in a day! Here is a picture of April and Stormy- she's the one trying to dash out of the frame! Don't worry- Speck, the cattle dog is on the other side of the fence.

Orthodics for a baby goat

It's been a tough day and a half but I think little April is almost out of the woods. She still has a long way to go in terms of walking on her own- but this afternoon she was out moving in the grass with her mom and brother Stormy. She's not bucking and kicking... but she can shuffle around.

Yesterday afternoon I took her down to the Vet for a vitamin powerboost injection and to get an honest opinion from the vet if she might make it or if she had a crippling birth defect. He called her "spraddle legged" and thought she would be fine with a little extra help- so we are going to give it our best shot. He suggested that some people tie the legs together to help them get balance and control.

When we got home I threw together a stanchion with some old fenceposts so I would be able to help the baby get to the teat without getting boxed in the ear and without May circling and stomping on us all. So now this LC is working with a teat target that only moves about 4 inches forward and back. April still seems to have a good suck reflex and a strong will to live.

The first try at tying Aprils leg's together went pretty well- I padded her legs with paper towel and then wrapped the cuff with duct tape and then tied a length of yarn around. The padding and tape should prevent the yarn from cutting into her skin and the cuffs can turn a bit as she shuffles. It looked great at first and it gave her lots of stability to stand- but when she fell down her knees flipped outward till they faced backwards (as if she had no shoulderblades at all!) This is illustrated in one of the pictures. I realized that she would need a second string to keep her knees together. Now with the double support she can stand, lay down and shuffle around. She can kneel down to nurse without sinking down to her sternum.

I was up several times during the night to make sure April keeps her strength up and then I came in to my own little nursling who was fussing as we are all coming down with a cold. Today I was exhausted and along with the physical misery of this cold I was starting to have feelings of despair creeping in because we had one bad nursing session with April who seemed to have lost her will or ability to suck. Finally this afternoon April had another good nurse at the stanchion and then afterwards I got to see her really moving around on her own and I realize that it's possible that the bad session may have simply been lack of hunger! Maybe she had already nursed on her own! Let's hope!

The linen stitch is my favorite knit stitch. Here is an unfinished bag I made with peaches and cream varigated cotton. I love what the linen stitch does to varigated yarn how the stripey effect is really broken up and the honeycomb pattern that emerges. I have trouble though deciding which side I like the best. I'd like to finish this bag with a lining- but I hate to cover up the "wrong" side of the work. Just to avoid any confusion- the solid pink side panels were knitted perpendicular to the linen stitch panel.

May's twins were born yesterday afternoon! They are a boy and a girl. So far the little girl is having a tough time getting going. She isn't able to stand up yet and falls spraddle legged, but she is alert and otherwise very thrifty. It's a little tough to crawl into the truck cap to help out- but once inside it is very cosy in the thick hay bed. There was frost on the ground this morning. I tried helping her up, by flexing her legs and holding her knees together, she was able to raise up enough to find the teat and nurse a little this AM. She passed a meconium poo shortly after, so I think she got enough milk to make a difference. May did give me a good box in the ear though for trying to mess with her babies- she is a protective good mom... all the "mmm" "MMMM" "mmmm" "MMMM" back and forth communication between the babies and mom is just as sweet as sunshine.

Knit Blanket for a toy pony by Sarah Thompson

Gauge 6 or 7 sts to the inch- 6 for a slightly larger looser blanket
size 1 needles or whatever gives you gauge. 2 Double pointed sock needles will hold this project but extra care should be used when doing the stranded work that no bunching occurs.

Cast on 53 sts of main color
Rows 1, 2 and 3 -seed stitch border at hem - on each row knit 1, purl 1, k1, p1 etc…
Row 4 purl entire row
Row 5 knit entire row

Heart pattern happens in rows 6-11 if you do not wish to do the 2 color knitting continue stockinette for 6 rows in your main color, or add a stripe or two for variety.

Heart pattern has an 8 stitch repeat, there will be 6 hearts in this design. It’s important when doing stranded knitting that is not in the round that the last stitch of the pattern (complimentary color) CC is interlocked with the (main color)MC yarn- do this by twisting yarns when you change color at the last motif.
Row 6 Purl all sts- MC6, (CC1, MC7) repeat 5 more times, MC6
Row 7 Knit all sts- MC5, twist (CC3, MC5) repeat 5 more time, MC5
Row 8 Purl all sts- MC4, twist ( CC5, MC3) repeat 5 more times, MC4
Row 9 Knit all sts- MC 3, twist ( CC7, MC1) repeat 5 more times, MC3
Row 10 purl version of row 9
Row 11 Knit all sts MC4, ( CC2, MC1, CC2, MC3) repeat 5 more times

XOOXOOXX
OOOOOOOX
OOOOOOOX
XOOOOOXX
XXOOOXXX
XXXOXXXX

Row 12 purl the entire row

Begin the shaping for the rump and neck, the decreases are paired with one slanting left and the other right. The neck shaping makes a slanting border of 3 sts, the rump shaping tapers toward the tail hole.

Row 13
Bind off one stitch by knitting 2sts and passing the first stitch over the second.
(Note: This bound off loop is the future location of one front tie.)
K1, (slip 1, K1, psso). This is the decrease you will always use on the right edge of the neck opening.
K13, now decrease for rump- slip 1, K1, psso, K13 across middle, decrease left side of rump K2tog, K13, K2tog, K to end.

Throughout the piece your decreases should make this pattern- from now on I will specify where, but not how to make the decreases ../…………./………….\.............\..

Row 14
Bind off one stitch by purling 2 sts and passing the first stitch over the second. Purl the rest of the row.

Row 15
K2, decrease, K12, decrease, K11, decrease, K12, decrease, K2

Now we begin to shape the neck on every row. Be careful when purling the decreases that the correct stitch lays on the top so on the right side the pattern is maintained.

Row 16 P2, decrease, P35, decrease, P2
Row 17 K2, decrease, K10, decrease, K9, decrease, K10, decrease, K2
Row 18 P2, decrease, P9, decrease, P7, decrease, P9, decrease, P2

In the next row, along with the regular decreases, three stitches will be bound off in the center to form the tail hole.
Row 19 K2, decrease, K8, decrease, K3, pass next to last stitch over, (K1, pass next to last stitch over) 2 times, decrease, K8, decrease, K2

In this row we will make 2 stitches to bridge across tail hole. Up to this point our piece has had an odd number of stitches, it will now have an even number of stitches.
Row 20 P2, decrease, P7, decrease, make 2 stitches by half hitch cast on method, decrease, P7, decrease, P2
Row 21 K2, decrease, K16, decrease, K2
Row 22 P2, decrease, P5, decrease, decrease, P5, decrease, P2

Finish:
Slip 9 stitches to other needle and graft spine seam.

Add ties. Thread finishing needle with one strand of each color. Pass needle through bars of one bound off stitch. Doubled, you now have 4 strands to braid for tie. If you arrange the strands MC, CC, CC, MC … the 4 piece braid will make a spiral stripe, very pretty. Do the same braid on the other side of the neck opening.

Instructions for braid-
Leftmost strand- pass over two middle strands and then double back under the “right middle” strand.
Rightmost strand- pass over two middle strands and then double back under the “left middle” strand.

Special sneak pre-view... last time May had a baby. I have no idea when this baby is due! The suspense is gonna kill me!

The sweet momentum of a wheel spinning at the end of a sun ray's long long journey to earth.

Yesterday I took some time enjoying the afternoon sunlight of the lengthening days to spin up some more of my mohair. Working on that long draw. The wheel is the Kromski Polinaise with a maple color finish done by me. May, the goat appears to be "bagging up"... baby soon?

I have been having trouble getting my pictures uploaded to blogger. Here is another of the lederhosen socks, the cable.

Today was a cold cuddly first day of spring, big snowstorm last night with howling wind. Maybe all us snowed in people are updating their blogs.

Baby had a rough night last night again- teething. I'm thinking that we have to give him his first haircut soon. My husband named it right when he called it the "baby mullet" He has that worn bald spot on the back of his head and the hair at the nape of his neck although baby fine, is too thick and long to look cool below the bald spot.

I have been working on a pair of socks for my son. My aunt had wanted to make him a pair of socks to go with his lederhosen but sadly she has been having trouble with her hands. I recently discovered the project at my mother's house. My mom didn't know she had it! Anyway, the yarn and needles were there, but it looked like the ribbing she had started has been outgrown... so I ripped it out and started over on a design of my own for these socks.

I got a chance to try a few new techniques in this project.

I used the jogless stripe technique which is virtually invisible when combined with ribbing. (picture)


I also tried cleaning up the stripes in the ribbing by knitting the whole round when a new color is introduced. Usually stripes in ribbing will be jumbled up in the purl columns- but by doing all knit it prevents that- and when you quickly revert to the k2 p2 pattern- the texture is pretty well preserved. Things I noted in my test swatch of this technique...

1. The rib is slightly pushed out by the knit stitches, it does not contract as small as pure ribbing would- but it has the same potential when stretched outward. The overall sizing is not changed- but if you were doing this in a design that is intended to cling tightly when not stretched- the knit trick might cause the striped areas to be puckered.

2. The rib is no longer symmetrical on both sides, with the wrong side being very decorated with the funky purled stripes- if you want to be able to cuff your knitting- better stick to plain ribbing without this trick. The wrong side is shown in the blurry sidebar picture.

I liked the design I came up with for these, there is a paired decrease going down the back of the leg creating a decorative seam and a cable on either side. At the ankle the ribbing front to back is symmetrical.

I also had a great time using a "new to me" needle handling technique- that is simple- just put the new DPN on top of the old needle before knitting the first stitch of the new section- very easy tight stitch- no more DPN gaps!

One sock down, one to go.

New hat, new sling- looks like spring outside but still too bitter cold to go out and enjoy it.

must resist the urge to crochet dresses for spare toilet paper rolls....

Last Friday was a very sad day here, a boy was killed in a car crash, hilltopping. They had been visiting our neighbor kid, and my husband says they left squealing tires... a mile down the road- the driver was dead. The two passengers were thrown clear of the car and had minor injuries. Apparently the passengers, at 17, have already been in five wrecks... either they are some really bad luck or they are riding with the wrong sort of driver. I think if I was their moms I'd move to the city and give those boys a bus pass.

What's even more horrible is that it seems that the crash has made our little country road more popular, over the weekend it seemed that many unfamiliar cars came up here racing. Maybe they just wanted to visit the crash site and see for themselves, get some closure- but it seemed a little less somber than that. I sure hope that hump in the road does not become popular over this.

Last year on a different nearby road an entire family was wiped out by a teen boy whose flying bronco landed into the top of their minivan, decapitating the mother, killing two children, leaving the grandmother and father on life support and one young child of that devastated family with his world forever changed. From what I hear the boy responsible for the wreck is back to driving the same wild way... not even killing three people and crippling two sobered him up.

You are "turbo" charged.
Fast moving and classy, you get things done with

power and grace. Your expensive tastes can

be deceiving, since what you really value is

quality and efficiency. As you're careening

around those corners in life, finishing a

dozen knitted objects each month, stop and

smell the roses. Don't miss the beauty of

process!


What kind of knitting needles are you?
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This wild duck appeared at our pond today, aside from canadian geese and mallards I have not seen any wild ducks here so this was a real treat. Our farm ducks stayed far away from him while he did a lot of diving. His dive technique was interesting- he would stay down for about 10 seconds or more and the come up again in the same spot. We were able to watch him for a while from the kitchen door. My son named him "Pop-up" I think he is a greater scaup- his bill was very blue.

Not like this is critical info- but my little ponies are very hard to fit- their heads a HUGE and factor rigid little ears onto that and a fitted neck (if they even have a neck) pullover is really an impossibility. The front opening horseblanket is a much better solution to the pressing world crisis of lack of clothing for MLP's. Scratch this.

I've taken on an odd little design challenge- I'd like to make a little Zebra costume for my daughter's My Little Ponies. I'm using some of the left over yarn I had from the striped Broadripple socks. Although I am not concerned with copying a zebra pelt perfectly- I would like to have the stripe contour and the shaping work together- I'd also like to knit it in one piece with minimal sewing in the end. This shows my third attempt at this- having tried and failed at a face first approach and then a hem line up approach- this one starts at the tail hole- and I remembered to keep a nice dorasl stripe this time.